ATE17 underway in Sydney

Tourism Australia’s 38th annual Australian Tourism Exchange is in Sydney this week, bringing together more than 2,500 travel industry delegates from more than 30 countries, making it the biggest ATE event in nearly a decade. The event kicked off on Monday and will see more than 700 international travel wholesalers and retailers from 548 companies meet and do business 555 Australian tourism businesses. Tourism Australia is working with host-state partner, Destination New South Wales, supported by airline partners Virgin Australia and Etihad Airways to deliver ATE17. Tourism Australia Managing Director John O’Sullivan said it was a great time to be hosting ATE in Sydney. Find out more and view photos from the event.

Latest visitor arrivals data

Australia welcomed 8.4 million international visitors for the year ending March 2017, up 9.1%, an extra 699k visitors compared to similar previous period. Find out more. (Photo: Anson Smart)

Australia celebrates 50 years of tourism marketing

At the Australian Tourism Exchange this week, the tourism industry celebrated 50 years since the Australian Government started promoting Australia to business and leisure travellers. Over the past five decades Australia has grown from a destination attracting 220,000 overseas visitors and contributing $74 million annually to one that welcomed, in 2016, over eight million visitors a year who spent $39 billion. Find out more at www.tourism.australia.com/50years.

International tourism gets strong backing from Australians

94 per cent of Australians believe that international tourism is good for the country and 83 per cent are proud of how Australia is promoted overseas, according to a new survey released by Tourism Australia on the eve of Australia’s largest travel and tourism trade event, taking place in Sydney this week. However, with 2,500 tourism professionals from Australia and 30 international markets coming together this week for the Australian Tourism Exchange 2017 (ATE17), three quarters (73 per cent) of Australians still under-estimate the true value of the country’s tourism industry, with only eight per cent correctly identifying the sector as our biggest export services earner. Tourism Australia Managing Director John O’Sullivan said the Mood of the Nation survey measured Australians’ perceptions of tourism and aimed to better understand how Australia is marketed internationally.

Rapid growth for Tourism Australia’s Chinese social media

Tourism Australia’s WeChat and Weibo accounts reached over one million followers in April with rapid growth, WeChat doubling from November 2016 top May 2017 and 20,000 to 35,000 views on average for each article published. Popular content on WeChat included airline special offers, travel tips, itineraries and holiday topics. On Weibo followers were more interested in cute animals and amazing scenery. Tourism Australia’s tag on weibo #I’m in Australia# (#我在澳大利亚#) generated over 150 million viewers and the #Aussietube# tag for videos from Facebook received 5.07 million views.

Australia leaves lasting impression on the global culinary scene

The latest phase of the Restaurant Australia campaign – Tourism Australia’s recent hosting of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards – is already delivering results for tourism, leaving a lasting impression on the 250 international chefs and media who attended the official event program and travelled around the country. Australia's Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, the Hon Steven Ciobo MP said: “The strong results and incredible industry feedback being received following The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards is proof as to why events like these are so crucial to promoting our world-class food and wine offerings on an international stage”. Find out more.

First AFL Premiership game in China hits the mark

Tourism Australia hosted the first ever Toyota AFL Premiership season match to be played in China last week. The game between the Gold Coast Suns and Port Adelaide was played at the Jiangwan Stadium in Shanghai and a broadcast audience in China of millions. As the Official Tourism Partner for the game, Tourism Australia worked alongside the South Australian Tourism Commission and Tourism and Events Queensland to leverage tourism opportunities in China before, during and after the game. Find out more. Photo: Michael Willson/AFL Media.

Australia on show at IMEX in Frankfurt

Fifteen Australian business events products and destinations have joined Tourism Australia this week at IMEX Frankfurt to update international business events buyers and media from around the world on the latest developments and news from Australia. “Business events are a significant contributor to our visitor economy and we want to make sure Australia is front and centre at IMEX Frankfurt, to inspire media, and influence decision makers to choose Australia for their next business event.” said John O’Sullivan, Managing Director Tourism Australia. Find out more.

International brokers experience superyachting Down Under

With the support of Tourism Australia and Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia, Northrop & Johnson Australia, which manages the nation’s largest superyacht charter fleet, has just staged an eight-day ‘super famil’ that invited key international superyachting industry figures to experience two of the country’s most iconic cruising destinations. Charter brokers from London, Monaco, Russia, New York, Florida and New Zealand spent four days exploring Sydney from the luxury of the 120-foot Sahana, and then were introduced to the magnificence of the Great Barrier Reef aboard the super sleek 115-foot Spirit.

Australia scoops prestigious award in Italy

Australia was voted "Best Destination for Nature, Adventure and Sport" by more than 6,500 travel agents and travellers at the Italia Travel Awards” this week. Now in its second year, the awards have been created to celebrate the commitment and the knowhow of the Italian travel industry. In 2016, Italy was Australia’s 18th largest inbound market for visitor arrivals, 17th largest market for total visitor spend, 18th for visitor nights and regional dispersal. Find out more about the Italian market.

Flash Camp Kakadu, June – September 2017

Flash Camp will return for a second season at the Cooinda Camping Ground from 23 June to September 21 2017. ‘Flash Camp @ Kakadu’ offers bespoke bell tent accommodation in the heart of Kakadu National Park, ideal for a camping experience with a touch of luxury while exploring the UNESCO World Heritage Listed wilderness.

New Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail packages

Kangaroo Island Odysseys  has launched two and three night Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail packages for a guided experience along the 61 kilometre rugged coastline of Kangaroo Island. The tour is all inclusive and features overnight accommodation at the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Retreat.

Australia wins most inspirational cruise voyage

A cruise itinerary taken by the 49 metre superyacht Glaze has won the Voyager’s Award for the most inspirational journey at The World Superyacht Awards. The itinerary took the superyacht from Wyndham to Broome in North West Australia, exploring the region’s many inlets with sightings of crocodiles and visits to Aboriginal cave art.

Canberra Truffle Festival, June – August 2017

Now in its ninth consecutive year, the Truffle Festival in Canberra is the first and largest festival of its kind in Australia. Each year from June to August, more than 250 individual events are held across the Canberra region, showcasing the region’s Black Winter Truffles. Events range from truffle hunts and forages to degustation dinners at venues across the city.

Corroboree West 2017

Seller applications are open until Thursday 25 May for the inaugural Corroboree West 2017 on Queensland’s Gold Coast from 9 to 14 October. The event provides a professional forum for Australian sellers to train qualified Aussie Specialists from the Americas, United Kingdom and Europe and strengthen specific product knowledge. In addition, through familiarisation visits, the Aussie Specialists will have first-hand experience with quality Australian tourism products, enhancing their ability to promote and sell Australia.

India Travel Mission 2017

Seller applications are open until Thursday 1 June for participation at the India Travel Mission 2017 in Pune from 16 – 19 August. ITM is an opportunity for the Australian tourism industry to establish business relationships with key qualified travel agencies and tour operators in India. The Mission includes pre-scheduled meetings between buyers and sellers, and opportunities to network at the official event functions.

Walkabout South East Asia 2017

Seller applications are open until Monday 5 June for participation at Walkabout South East Asia 2017 in Bali from 25 – 28 September. The event provides an opportunity for Australian tourism businesses to develop relationships with product planners and decision makers representing outbound travel from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. It includes pre-scheduled meetings and opportunities to network at functions.

Conversations with Industry, Gold Coast

Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) in partnership with Tourism Australia (TA) and Gold Coast Tourism (GCT) is hosting a free Conversations with Industry – Gold Coast event on Wednesday 14 June at the Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise. The forum is part of a series held throughout the state and provides a great opportunity to connect with representatives from TA, TEQ and GCT to gain industry insights and discuss the key business areas of marketing, digital, experience development, events and international markets.

Aussies amongst world’s most adventurous destinations

Australia was listed as the second most adventurous countries in the 2017 Global Adventure Ranking published by SHAREaCAMPER. The survey assesses eight of the most popular adventure activities such as skydiving, surfing, hiking and even caravanning, across 40 countries. For more research and trends related to international and domestic tourism and travel visit Tourism Australia’s Insight Files .

Visit Sunshine Coast has launched a new version of its destination marketing campaign Come to Life to attract visitors to the region over the winter period.

Entry for the 2017 RACV Victorian Tourism Awards is now open.

Tourism NT's Industry Roadshow  will be held in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine and Darwin from 30 May until 1 June.

Tourism NT has partnered with music streaming service Spotify  to elevate the Northern Territory among young travellers, including international backpackers currently living in Australia.

Destination NSW has launched a new marketing campaign with travel agency Hong Kong Wing On Travel to generate interest in rural and regional NSW.

Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games ticket requests close on Monday 22 May

Tourism WA is seeking a Public Relations agency , in-market, to represent services across Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Tourism WA has released an updated media kit with information about Western Australia's destinations and tourism industry.

A new media campaign enticing self-drive visitors to “stay a little bit longer” in the Northern Territory kicks off this month.

Cairns and Great Barrier Reef’s Indigenous tourism offerings will be marketed around the world under the brand name Timeless Experiences with the tagline “Sharing our Reef & Rainforest stories”.

The Tasmanian Government is investing $1 million into the St Helens Mountain Bike Trail Network to create the 66 kilometre Stacked Loop Network south of St Helens.

Destination NSW has won 'Australia and New Zealand Campaign of the Year' for a partnership campaign promoting travel to Sydney and regional NSW at the Expedia Media Solutions 2017 Asia Pacific (APAC) Partner Awards.