ICC Women’s T20 World Cup world record attempt

Tourism Australia is supporting the ICC’s vision to set a world record for the largest attendance at a women’s sporting event at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup finals on 8 March 2020. Katy Perry will perform at the finals at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which also coincides with International Women’s Day. With less than 100 days to go until the tournament starts, Tourism Australia is using social media to drive awareness for women’s cricket and encourage visitation to Australia for the event with the hashtag #LedByWomen. This movement has been supported by Indian Friends of Australia Sanjeev Kapoor and Harsha Bhogle and influencers like Mithali Raj (Captain of the Women’s One Day International India cricket team), ex-Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist, chefs Vicky Ratnani, Kunal Kapur, noted photographer Atul Kasbekar and cricket commentator Ayaz Memon, amongst others. Collectively these influencers have over 22 million followers on social media. For the year ending June 2019, there were over 372,000 Indian visitors to Australia who spent more than $1.7 billion, an increase of 17 per cent year on year.

Philausophy campaign update

Tourism Australia has released the first of a series of industry videos, as part of its Come live our Philausophy campaign. The video features Quicksilver Group marine biologist and Master Reef Guide, Samantha Gray, on the Great Barrier Reef. There are a number of ways to get involved in the campaign, find out how here.

Australia named 2020 Destination of the Year

The leading consumer travel magazine in the United States, Travel + Leisure, has named Australia as its 2020 Destination of the Year. Following the announcement on 14 November 2019, Travel + Leisure launched more than 30 pieces of Australia-specific editorial content, most of which will be featured in the magazine’s December print issue. The editorial kicks off a year-long partnership between Tourism Australia and Travel + Leisure that includes content and a social media activation featuring airline and trade partners and key distribution partners. It will also include a trade-focused familiarisation visit around the Australian Tourism Exchange in May 2020 to experience Australia first-hand.

Australia wins Travel Weekly award in China

On 14 November 2019, Australia was awarded the Best Leisure Destination by readers of Travel Weekly China. The theme of 2019 China Travel Industry Awards was “Celebrate for Excellence”, which recognised Tourism Australia’s marketing activity in China. As Australia’s largest inbound market for visitor arrivals and expenditure, China is one of Australia’s most important tourism markets.

Road show in United States trains travel advisors on Australia

Tourism Australia recently joined travel wholesaler, Down Under Answers, to help train over 500 travel advisors on how to sell Australia. Down Under Answers visited eight US cities including Chicago, Houston, Denver, Phoenix, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Orange County from 4 to 14 November 2019. Aussie Specialist Trainers shared with advisors the benefits of the Aussie Specialist Program and presented a showcase featuring Aussie Specialist Ambassador videos.

Adventure Tourism Conference and Awards 2019

The 2019 Adventure Tourism Awards were held on the Gold Coast on 16 November 2019. Amongst the winners were Andrew Cowan who won the ‘Young Industry Legend’ award and Drew Pearson who picked up the ‘Industry Legend’ award. Read the full list of winners here. Tourism Australia also attended the Adventure Tourism Conference on the same day where it provided an update on its ongoing marketing activities.

Experience the Best of the Cape to Cape & Bibbulmun Walk, WA

Walk Into Luxury have launched a new all-inclusive seven-day Best of the Cape to Cape and Bibbulmun Walk, showcasing the highlights of Western Australia’s south west. The 70km walk combines two existing ‘Walk Into Luxury’ experiences, the four-day Cape to Cape Walk (which is part of the Great Walks of Australia collection) and the three-day South Coast Walk based at Parry Beach. The experience includes luxury accommodation, food and drink including two winery lunches and private chef dinners and all transfers. The Best of the Cape to Cape and Bibblulmun Walk is available from March to June and September to November with bookings for 2020 now available.

Dance Rites returns to Sydney Opera House, NSW

The popular First Nations dance competition, Dance Rites, returns to the Sydney Opera House this weekend for its fifth year. Witness traditional customs and contemporary dance come together through powerful performances, featuring hundreds of First Nations dancers from around Australia and performers from around the world. The 2020 festival will be led in celebration of the United Nations International Year of Indigenous Languages. Taking place at the Opera House Forecourt from 23 to 24 November 2019, everyone is welcome to join the free celebration of live dance, music and community.

Adelaide Ocean Safari launches six new tours, SA

Kangaroo Island Ocean Safari have recently expanded into Adelaide with the launch of their new product, Adelaide Ocean Safari. Guests can sit back and cruise the coast in comfort as they discover the regions nature, culture and food and wine scene with six new tours to choose from including the Wild Dolphin Safari, Twilight Safari, SEA-Food & Wine Safari, Cultural Safari, Special Event Safaris and Private Charter tours. Departing daily from Glenelg, only 15 minutes from the city centre, Adelaide Ocean Safari’s is the perfect way to take in the beauty of some of South Australia’s best coastal locations.

Lord Howe Island welcomes new luxury property, NSW

Lord Howe Island will welcome a new, all-inclusive luxury property, Island House, in early 2020. Situated on a private one hectare site on the island, Island House will comprise of two architecturally designed houses holding up to eight guests, a communal transit room that is the hub of the hotel and a fully stocked Adventure Room with fishing gear, surfboards, snorkelling equipment, film cameras, musical instruments and more. The luxurious getaway is set to include everything from island airport transfers, gourmet pantry supplies, self-curated fresh produce, an in-house bar and activities including yoga and guided walks. Lord Howe Island is located off the coast of New South Wales, between Sydney and Brisbane and is accessible via plane from both cities in under two hours.

Register now for Tourism Australia’s NSW industry briefing in Sydney

Tourism Australia is holding a free of charge industry briefing in Sydney on Thursday, 5 December 2019. The briefing will provide an overview of Tourism Australia's latest campaign, Come live our Philausophy, as well as latest market insights, partnership opportunities and more.

Tourism 2030 consultation

Australia’s Minister for Tourism, Simon Birmingham, has launched a consultation process on the development of the next long-term tourism strategy, Tourism 2030, and wants to hear from a range of tourism industry stakeholders. Complete this survey to provide feedback on what you think needs to be done for Australia's tourism industry to continue to grow and prosper into the next decade. The Tourism 2030 webinar is also now available to view.

The year 2020 has been designated the Year of Indigenous Tourism in Queensland. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tourism experiences will be profiled and funding has been allocated to create tourism jobs for Indigenous tourism operators in Queensland.

Tourism Noosa is providing ten of its members with an exciting opportunity to be part of the Tourism Noosa Leadership Program aimed at growing and inspiring industry leaders. The one-off initiative will provide tourism businesses with an exclusive opportunity to assess and implement new thinking into their business.

The third World Indigenous Tourism Summit is being held in Perth in April 2020 and a call for abstracts is now open until 13 December 2020. Organised by the Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Council (WAITOC), and hosted by Tourism WA, the summit is expected to attract hundreds of delegates from around Australia and the world.

The Australia Tourism Export Council is hosting Meeting Place 2019 from 25 to 27 November in Brisbane. Meeting Place offers valuable commercial networking opportunities for the inbound tourism industry. Spaces are filling fast, click here to find out more.