| | | | | | | |  | | TOURISM AUSTRALIA UPDATE | | I hope you are doing as well as can be expected in these challenging times as you try to manage your businesses. The continued increasing vaccination rates are giving some hope of a pathway towards greater future certainty, but the lack of State Government consistency is frustrating and is standing in the way of the pathway to reopening which our industry so desperately needs. There is also a lot to work through in our industry regarding vaccination protocols and operating in a COVID normal world in the coming months and I look forward to the industry dialogue on this. Indications are that there will be some international travel prior to the end of the year and today’s announcement, regarding an international COVID-19 vaccine passport, is a real beacon of light for us all. At Tourism Australia, we are prepared and ready to go as soon as borders start to open. Phillipa Harrison |
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| | |  | | Spotlight on the Regions – SOUTH KOREA | | This week, ‘Spotlight on the Regions’ features an interview with Jinha Joh, Tourism Australia’s Country Manager, South Korea, who shares insights and observations from the South Korean market, as well as updates on key stakeholders and activities to keep Australia front of mind in-market. Read the update here. |
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| |  | | Aussie Specialist Program refresh | | Tourism Australia has refreshed the Aussie Specialist Program and made it easier for travel sellers around the world to gain the skills they need to better promote and sell Australia. The program, which is run in conjunction with the State and Territory Tourism Organisations, has greater personalisation, faster qualifying times and shorter more interactive training modules, including a new sustainability module. Many frontline travel sellers turned to the Aussie Specialist Program over the past 18 months to learn and position themselves as champions for Australian travel once borders re-open. In FY21 the global training team shifted from conducting face-to-face training to live and recorded webinars and online training events to more than 78,000 frontline sellers. |
|  | | Tourism Australia’s Industry Webinar | | Tourism Australia’s next industry webinar will be held Friday, 10 September 2021 at 11am AEST. The webinar will include an update from Australia’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Michael Kidd, AM and Stephanie Tully, Chief Customer Officer at Qantas will share an update on Qantas’ international plans. Tourism Australia Managing Director, Phillipa Harrison, will also give an update on Tourism Australia’s recent industry vaccination initiative. Register for the webinar here. |
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| | | | | | | | |  | | Working with Tourism Australia Guide | | Tourism Australia has updated it’s Working with Tourism Australia Guide. The guide provides information for tourism industry on how to best leverage Tourism Australia’s campaign activities as well as information on where to access research and market data to grow their tourism business. Access the guide here. |
|  | | Guide to working with the media | | Tourism Australia has updated it’s guide to working with the media, Making a Splash. The guide provides information and practical advice on how to generate media and understand the media landscape. Businesses can download the guide here. |
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| | | | | | | | |  | | Learning about the Great Barrier Reef in France | | Tourism Australia hosted a series of guided tours for 45 French media, key distribution partners and Aussie Specialists at the Paris Aquarium Great Barrier Reef Exhibition. ‘A journey to the heart of the reef’ showcases the remarkable landscapes of the World Heritage Site and is a collaboration between the Paris Aquarium and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. The exhibition is part of ‘Australia Now’, an Australian Government initiative celebrating Australia’s creative excellence, diversity and innovation. Guests are able to dive into the incredible underwater world and learn about the measures to protect the complex marine ecosystem. The three sessions were followed by an Aussie lunch with a view on the Eiffel Tower. |
|  | | Australia Food and Wine Fair in Japan | | Prince Hotels & Resorts, one of the largest hotel groups in Japan, has launched its annual Australia Food and Wine Fair in Japan running from 1 September to 31 October. It's the seventh Australia Fair in a row, running across twelve Prince hotels this year featuring sub-themes such as sustainability, organic, outdoors and sports. Food and drink are the top destination choice drivers for Japanese high value international travellers, and by partnering with events such as this, Tourism Australia remains focused on maintaining demand for Australia while borders are closed. |
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| | | | | | | | |  | | Further support for COVID affected businesses and individuals in NSW | | The NSW Government has announced an additional $3.9 billion in funding, including $1.5 billion from the Commonwealth, as part of its COVID-19 economic support package providing ongoing assistance to businesses and individuals affected by current lockdown restrictions across the State. This additional funding will extend the JobSaver program and Micro-business Grant and continue rent relief incentives. Read more here. |
|  | | Support for Northern Territory tourism businesses | | The Australian and Northern Territory governments have released a new $12.5 million package for Territory tourism businesses impacted by interstate COVID-19 restrictions on movement. These programs are open to businesses across all locations of the Northern Territory and businesses can only receive support through one of these programs. Find out more here. |
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| | |  | | Extended Support for Victorian Businesses | | A jointly funded support package from the Commonwealth and Victorian Governments will provide a critical four-week boost to small and medium-sized Victorian businesses most impacted by the current public health lockdown. Read more here. |
|  | | R U OK? Day | | R U OK? Day will take place on 9 September. The message for 2021 is: Are they really OK? Ask them today. The day encourages people to ask the question and check if they know how the people in their world are really going? R U OK? has developed FREE resources to help encourage everyone to think about who in their world might need to be asked how they’re really going and how to make a moment meaningful by asking “are you OK?”. |
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| | | | |  | | Glamp under the stars in the Top End with Katherine Outback Experience | | The Katherine Outback Experience has launched new glamping accommodation to complement its Outback Show and Horse Riding Experiences. The spacious five metre bell tents, built by Australian-made camping provider FlashCamp, are nestled amongst the property’s stunning shady trees and green lawns. Bookable from mid-May until September, the tents are fitted with king beds, a lounge area and other luxury comforts. Guests can spend evenings watching a Top End sunset while cosying up around the communal campfire. During the day, visitors can get a genuine outback experience by participating in the lodge’s day-to-day offerings such as horseback riding or venture to the main town less than 10 minutes away. For more information about the single and multi-night glamping packages visit the website. |
|  | | Walk Into Luxury to launch four-day walking experience in Tasmania’s Lake St Clair | | This December, luxury tour operator Walk Into Luxury is launching a bespoke four-day small group walking journey, inviting participants to bathe in the tranquillity of Tasmania’s World-Heritage Listed wilderness in the southern end of Cradle Mountain. Over three nights, guests will stay at Pumphouse Point, the iconic boutique hotel that overlooks Lake St Clair. During the expedition hikers will join a Tasmania Guide to explore Lake St Clair, Mt Field and Franklin River-Wild National Parks. The four-day hike will depart weekly on Fridays. The luxury offering also includes three course share-style dinners each evening, complimentary activities at Lake St Clair, including e-bikes and row boats, and return ground transfers to Hobart. Find out more and arrange a tour via the website. |
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| | |  | | South Australia to honour native landscapes with the return of Nature Festival | | From 25 September to 4 October 2021, South Australia will showcase the vital role nature plays in our lives during the second annual Nature Festival. Boasting over 200 free and ticketed events, the 10-day showcase will highlight how society can cultivate a deeper relationship with nature. A collaborative effort with nature-focused organisations and community members, key events include art workshops, daily discussions, cooking classes and a Wine and Wildflower Walk. Taking place across metropolitan Adelaide and it’s surrounds, the schedule of events has a focus on profiling the profound connection that Indigenous communities have with traditional land. Find out more information via the website. |
|  | | The Unconformity arts festival returns to Tasmania following hiatus | | Following a three-year hiatus, immersive contemporary arts experience, The Unconformity, returns to Queenstown from 15 to 17 October 2021. Held in Tasmania’s mountainous West Coast region, the three-day showcase combines site-specific cultural events and artistic residences. The Unconformity will explore the paradoxes of Queenstown by showcasing its natural wonders and history as a remote post-industrial mining town. In addition to a range of free and ticketed activations, this year’s festival will feature an open-access cultural, food and community hub, Crib Road. Visitors are encouraged to book tickets to the festival’s key exhibit, in(ner) vision(s), a virtual reality experience created by Queenstown residents past and present. Find out more information via the website. |
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