Celebrating Australia at G’Day USA

The 16th annual G’Day USA program, Australia’s premier public and economic diplomacy program in the United States, kicked off last week. Leading the program was the Los Angeles Black Tie Gala presented by Qantas where 800 guests were treated to inspiring destinations, music and a menu created by Friend of Australia chef Curtis Stone. Tourism Australia also hosted 36 top advisors from Signature Travel Network over two days of G’Day USA who were immersed in Australian experiences and networking sessions also involving Qantas, states and territories and the Signature Experiences of Australia collectives. Guests were given the chance to sample South Australian wines at a d’Arenberg Cube pop-up. Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham, attended both the Gala and the Signature Experiences event. Media from across the country were also invited to the Set of Dundee at Smashbox Studios for experiential activations. Find out more.

Tourism Australia Board appointments

Australia's Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham, has announced two new appointments to the Tourism Australia Board, Mr John Hart and Mr Jeffrey Ellison, and the reappointment of Ms Hayley Baillie for another term. Minister Birmingham also thanked outgoing members Ms Kate Vale and Mr Francis Wong AM for their significant contributions.

Aussie Specialist training in Penang

Fifty travel agents took part in an Aussie Specialist training session last week in Penang, Malaysia’s largest secondary market for Australian tourism after Kuala Lumpur. The training focused on helping frontline sales agents prepare for Penang’s upcoming travel fairs. Agents were also updated on the UnDiscover Australia campaign and the soon-to-be-launched Aussie Specialist Ambassador Program. Tourism Australia joined with South Australian Tourism Commission and Tourism Tasmania to host the session, which was followed by a Chinese New Year appreciation dinner with Penang-based travel and airline partners.

Aussie Specialist workshop in Singapore

More than 90 frontline travel sellers and marketing executives attended a full-day Aussie Specialist workshop in Singapore this month. Tourism organisations from every state and territory, as well as Christmas Island, presented at the workshop, which focused on itinerary conversion and recruiting new Aussie Specialists. Agents were updated on the UnDiscover Australia campaign and the upcoming launch of the Aussie Specialist Ambassador Program.

China Premier Aussie Specialists celebrate second year

Tourism Australia celebrated the second anniversary of the China Premier Aussie Specialist Program with roundtables in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Beijing last week. More than 80 agents, handpicked from the 12,000 Aussie Specialists, attended the sessions and shared their insights into traveller preferences across different parts of China and feeding back on Tourism Australia’s trade and consumer communications.  In turn, Tourism Australia’s China team shared new research and their plans for the next 12 months, including the rollout of an Aussie Specialist Wechat program after Chinese New Year.

Tourism Australia wins at Globus Award Night in Germany

Tourism Australia won the runner up prize for outstanding services for travel agents at the Globus Award Night in Frankfurt last week. The winners were chosen exclusively by travel agents, which is testament to how well the German travel trade regard Tourism Australia’s team and the Aussie Specialist Program. Tourism Australia in Germany also kicked off 2019 by meeting in Munich with German trade industry and state and territory partners. The team presented on their current and upcoming activities and the High Value Traveller segment.

Australia Week celebrations in Italy

Australia’s food, wine and beach lifestyle were on show in Turin last week as Tourism Australia in Italy celebrated Australia Week from 21 to 25 January. A photo exhibition by Aquabumps surf photographer Eugen Tan, a virtual reality corner, and a surfboard making workshop brought the feeling of Australian summer to the cold Italian winter. There was also an Australia-inspired lunch for Turin tour operators, dedicated travel agent training and consumer evenings with destination presentations from Tourism Northern Territory and South Australian Tourism Commission. Wine tasting sessions and working holiday visa stories from an Italian blogger couple were further highlights of the week.

UK media celebrates Australia Day

Australia Day celebrations in London kicked off last Tuesday with Tourism Australia’s annual UK media party. Despite snow setting in outside, more than 60 guests gathered at members club Mortimer House to enjoy an evening of canapes and Australian beer and wines and to hear from the team all of the exciting news coming up in 2019.  Guests included Friend of Australia and wine journalist Olly Smith, TV presenter Sian Lloyd and a number of high profile UK travel journalists from titles including Vanity Fair, Elle, Sunday Times Travel Magazine and the Mail on Sunday.

Perth’s first seafood bar offers natural wine and ocean views

Perth has embraced Australia’s natural wine movement opening a new beachside wine bar Madalena’s in South Fremantle. The former pop-up Brazilian food truck now has a more permanent home with capacity for 80 guests and a ‘fun-in-the-sun’ ambience. As the first seafood bar to be introduced in Perth, the breezy beachfront venue is a prime location for guests to enjoy fresh seafood dining, natural wines and a picturesque ocean view.

New McLaren Vale brewery brings diversity to popular wine region

New taphouse and brewery Swell Brewing Co. is set to open doors in South Australia’s McLaren Vale region. Made from a unique combination of ingredients, the alternative Swell beer is the brainchild of surfer Dan Wright who has been in search of the perfect beer for as long as he has been chasing the perfect wave. Located on his wife’s vineyard, Swell brings another aspect of diversity to the popular wine region, where guests can enjoy an ice-cold beer on tap without the need to sacrifice a stunning vineyard view.  

Saffire Freycinet launches new immersive beekeeping experience

Tasmanian luxury lodge Saffire Freycinet has launched their newest and most immersive tour, the Saffire Beekeeping Experience. Guests will be fitted with beekeeping suits and taken on a guided tour of the local Freycinet apiary. The experience features an up-close view of Tasmanian honey bees at work where guests have the chance to extract the warm, fresh honeycomb for themselves. The tour is one of many signature Saffire experiences that aim to connect hotel guests to premium local Tasmanian produce.

Orange prepares for another 10-days of F.O.O.D Week festivities

Australia’s longest running regional food festival Orange F.O.O.D. Week will return to NSW’s Orange region from 5 – 14 April. The 10-day community festival celebrates the region’s diverse and high-quality produce with an exciting program of signature food and wine experiences. Visitors can dine under the stars at the festival’s popular Night Market where a showcase of local farmers, chefs, cooks, distillers, wine-makers and musicians promise to put on a delicious culinary show.

Tourism Australia Industry Briefing Victoria

Registration is open  for the 2019 VTIC Visitor Economy Forum and Tourism Australia's Industry Briefing for Victoria on Tuesday 26 February. The combined events will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. A fee applies for attending the morning VTIC Visitor Economy Forum. Attending Tourism Australia's Industry Briefing in the afternoon is free-of-charge.

SilkAir will operate four return flights between Singapore and Broome in June and will increase services between Singapore and Darwin to seven flights per week from 6 July.

Tourism Australia has published a new research article, which highlights the importance of Singapore as a long-term partner in Australian tourism investment.

Nominations have opened for Australia's 2019 National Travel Industry Awards, which will celebrate industry excellence across 44 categories.

The NSW Government has announced a $1.5 million investment to stimulate the night-time economy in Sydney precincts and across NSW.