| | | | | | | |  | | TOURISM AUSTRALIA UPDATE | | With less than a month to go until the Australian Tourism Exchange 2021, the team are busy putting the final touches on this very different event. We can’t wait to catch up and focus on the future of our great industry – see you there! Speaking of the future of our industry, important work is also being done towards planning for this with the ‘Reimaging the Visitor Economy’ project. The Expert Panel on Reimagining the Visitor Economy is inviting tourism operators, industry bodies, small businesses, state, territory and local governments, education providers and individuals to have their say on what they think is important to secure the long-term future of the industry. The Panel is seeking input on what the visitor economy needs to be resilient, competitive, sustainable and profitable in the next 10 years, so I encourage you to get involved in this process. See below for more information below on how to provide feedback. This week, Tourism Australia is in Darwin for our Board meeting and the launch of our fourth Reconciliation Action Plan ahead of National Reconciliation Week 2021. We’re looking forward to catching up with the NT industry so please come and say hello. Phillipa Harrison | | |
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| |  | | ‘Open for Business’ bushfire recovery video: Kangaroo Island | | The final ‘Open for Business’ video in the series has been released. This video features the bushfire affected area of the Kangaroo Island, in South Australia and can be viewed here. The series is a collaboration between the National Bushfire Recovery Agency and Tourism Australia and illustrates the recovery of communities impacted by the 2019/20 summer bushfires. A total of 15 videos have been released, sharing stories from bushfire affected regions across Australia. |
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| | | | Tourism Australia Activity |
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| |  | | Customer Advisory Panels in USA | | In April, Tourism Australia’s specialty unit, Business Events Australia (BEA) held Customer Advisory Panels (CAP) for incentive and association planners and decision makers in the United States. The panels brought together a small group of key customers in the region to discuss the state of the market, the needs of clients in the United States and what Tourism Australia can do to better support potential business events coming to Australia. These sessions are designed to help build stronger relationships between Australia and customers and provide critical insights to inform BEA’s international strategy. A key takeaway from the panel sessions was that planners are optimistic and are expecting a healthy rebound to global face-to-face business events in the coming years. |
|  | | South Australia bushfire recovery famil promoted in Hong Kong | | Earlier this year Hong Kong journalist, Louis Ng, who is currently based in Adelaide joined a bushfire recovery familiarisation. The trip was covered by Hong Kong media distribution channels. In addition, he filmed the entire trip experience and used this footage to produce two short films. The first episode was released on 12 May on YouTube and showcases stories of resilience and recovery from people and businesses affected by the bushfires. The program aims to help people understand and support bushfire-affected communities. Watch the video here. |
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| | | | |  | | Discover Aboriginal Experiences content and asset update | | Tourism Australia has updated its Discover Aboriginal Experiences marketing materials and videos. The new and refreshed content reflects membership and product experience changes from existing members. The collective now representing 45 businesses with over 185 experiences. The new content is available on the dedicated page on the corporate site. |
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| | | | | | |  | | National Reconciliation Week 2021 ‘More than a word. Reconciliation takes action’ | | National Reconciliation Week takes place from 27 May to 3 June. The week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. The theme for 2021, More than a word. Reconciliation takes action, urges the reconciliation movement towards braver and more impactful action. Reconciliation is a journey for all Australians – as individuals, families, communities, organisations and importantly as a nation. At the heart of this journey are relationships between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Download #NRW2021 digital resources here. |
|  | | Reimagining the Visitor Economy | | The discussion paper and survey to support the consultations by the Expert Panel on Reimagining the Visitor Economy has now been released online: Reimagining the Visitor Economy. The Panel is seeking input from interested parties to have their say on what they think is important to secure the long-term future of the industry. Short written submissions, providing insights and solutions to address the challenges facing the visitor economy, are invited until 5pm Friday 11 June 2021 to visitoreconomy@austrade.gov.au. Alternatively, industry can fill out the Visitor Economy Stakeholder Consultation Survey, which can be completed in 10 to 15 minutes. |
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| | |  | | Tourism Businesses report | Tourism Research Australia has released a report on Australia’s 300,000 plus tourism businesses from June 2015 to June 2020. This report includes data up to and including June 2020, capturing: - the 2019-20 summer bushfires
- the effects of domestic travel restrictions
- the decline in international visitors from March 2020.
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|  | | Additional funding for EDMG program | | The Federal Government is providing an additional A$65.5 million for the Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) program to support small and medium sized businesses to receive up to 50 per cent of their total marketing expenses. To assist exporters, the first tranche payment has been lifted to A$100,000 for this financial year. |
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| | | | |  | | Kylie Kwong’s new eatery opens next week at South Eveleigh in Sydney | | Friend of Australia, and much-loved modern Chinese chef and restaurateur, Kylie Kwong is opening her new eatery, Lucky Kwong, on 25 May at South Eveleigh, Sydney’s newest inner-city food hub. The Australian-Cantonese cafeteria-style eatery will feature some of Kylie’s best-known dishes for dine in or takeaway - from prawn dumplings, Uncle Jimmy’s noodles to caramelised pork belly with Davidson’s plum and stir-fried Boon Luck Farm vegetables with tofu. Lucky Kwong will offer lunch Monday to Friday and is a no-bookings, walk-in set-up. For more information visit the South Eveleigh website here. |
|  | | Mt Buller is gearing up for a bumper snow season | | One of Victoria's most popular snow resorts, Mt Buller, is gearing up for a big ‘welcome back’ to snow lovers this winter with tonnes of snow stockpiled on the Bourke Street run. The Queen’s Birthday long weekend (12 to 14 June) marks the official start of Australia’s snow season, however if early season snowfalls and snowmaking stack up, Mt Buller is notorious for opening early. Bookings are the strongest on record and Mt Buller’s scenic village filled with ski-in, ski-out accommodation is filling quickly. Visitors are encouraged to look at mid-week stays and not to forget the amazing conditions in September. To make a booking, visit the Mt Buller website here. |
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| | |  | | New degustation dining experience at Heritage Estate Wines in Southern Queensland | | Foodies who enjoy the fine dining experiences found on many cruise ships can now head inland to a seek out a new Captain’s-Table-style dining experience at Heritage Estate Wines in Queensland’s Granite Belt region. The winery has launched a series of ‘5 Senses Degustation Dinners’ that incorporate the tastes of 5-star wines and chef-hatted dining, the smells of exclusive 54 scent ‘Nez du Vin’, the sights of silent movies, the sounds of a live String Quartet Ensemble, and a touch of class. Upcoming dates for the degustation dinner include this Saturday 22 May, 19 June, 24 July, 28 August, 18 September and continues monthly. For more information on the black-tie event, visit the website here. |
|  | | Canberra’s Museum of Australian Democracy launches new exhibition, HiveMind | | HiveMind: Honeybees, Democracy and Me is a quirky look at a little-known history of Australia’s federal parliaments. The new exhibition at Canberra’s Museum of Australian Democracy is opening just in time for World Bee Day on the 20th of May. The exhibition features a hand-made ‘democratic hive’ collaborative art installation that uncovers the stories of beekeeping at Australia’s Parliament Houses, both old and new, and shares what we could learn from bees on collective decision making for democracy. Australia was one of the first countries in the world to allow beekeeping on Parliament House grounds, and this exhibition uncovers and tells the story through the eyes of William Yates MP who sought permission to keep bees at Old Parliament House. See more on the website here. |
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