Korean TV series explores Western Australia

Over 8.9 million viewers in Korea and across Asia tuned in to the first two episodes of a new TV series with K-POP star WINNER showcasing Western Australia. Four episodes of New Journey to the West -  Youth Over Flowers_WINNER were shot in Perth, Fremantle, Rottnest Island, Margaret River and the Pinnacles and feature a range of tourism experiences including sky diving, surfing and whale watching. Tourism Australia will launch a major digital campaign to promote holidays in Western Australia to the Korean market. For the 12 months to September 2017, South Korea was Australia’s eighth largest inbound market based on visitor arrivals and is currently Australia’s sixth largest market for expenditure.

Latest international visitor arrivals data

Australia welcomed 8.7 million international visitors for the 12 months to September 2017, up 7.4% on the previous year. Leisure arrivals continued to drive international arrivals growth, with an increase of 7.3% per cent over the 12 month period.

Australia tackles worldwide angling market with nationwide fishing program

 
A suite of promotional materials – including a video, itineraries, articles and stunning imagery – has been published by Tourism Australia to promote the Great Fishing Adventures of Australia collective to keen anglers around the world. The group of independently owned fishing tourism operators in some of Australia’s most naturally spectacular and pristine environments is part of the Signature Experiences of Australia program which packages and promotes outstanding tourism experiences within a variety of niche areas and special interest categories. Fishing enthusiast Dean Cooper is the executive officer for the program.

New dining experience for Hobart

Tasmanian winery Frogmore Creek has opened a second venue located on Macquarie Point in the new Macq01 development. Frogmore Creek City is home to Atmosphere Restaurant, a multi-sensory dining experience with a secret menu and The Lounge Bar, a casual space designed as an extension of your living room. Both spaces showcase Frogmore’s award winning wines along with an array of local Tasmanian produce.

New Adina Apartment Hotel for Brisbane

TFE Hotels will open the new Adina Apartment Hotel Brisbane in a restored heritage building at 171 George Street in February 2018. It will have 220 apartments and a signature restaurant and bar in the vast ground floor lobby space that celebrates its Art Deco origins. The hotel is well positioned alongside the proposed $3 billion Queens Wharf redevelopment, which aims to transform the precinct into an entertainment, residential and commercial hub.

Festival 2018 to join forces with Bleach* Festival

Festival 2018, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games arts and culture program, will join forces in April 2018 with Bleach* Festival to extend festival programming across the coast, from Coomera to Coolangatta. The Festival 2018 program will be a bold, aspirational 12-day, multi-arts festival that complements the GC2018 sports program by enlivening iconic city public spaces.

Great Golf Courses of Australia expansions

Great Golf Courses of Australia announced the addition of two new course categories and five golf courses in Western Australia to the collective. Western Australia is the first state to include golf product into the new Premier and Unique Golf Experience categories. Five of Western Australia’s best golf experiences will join the collective from December 1 including; Kalgoorlie Golf Course, Meadow Springs Golf & Country Club, Secret Harbour Golf Links, Nullarbor Golf Links and The Cut Golf Links.

Northern Australia Investment Forum 2017

Investors from around the world gathered in Cairns this week to explore opportunities and information about investing in Northern Australia. More than 500 delegates, including international investors and Indigenous leaders, attended the Forum which showcased opportunities and projects across agriculture, resources and energy, tropical health and medical research, tourism and infrastructure. The first Forum, held in Darwin two years ago, led to significant investments in Northern Australia. Find out more.

Tourism Awards celebrations held around the country

Some of Australia’s top tourism businesses were celebrated at gala award ceremonies in Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, the Northern Territory, New South Wales and the ACT this month. Further celebrations will be held in Victoria this Thursday. Winners from the State and Territory tourism awards will go on to compete in the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards to be held at Perth Stadium on Friday 23 February.

ATE18 Media Marketplace

Applications are open until Friday 12 January for Australian tourism products and experiences to attend the ATE18 Media Marketplace from 13 to 14 April 2018 in Adelaide. ATE18 Media Marketplace provides an opportunity to meet exclusively with international and domestic media for one-on-one appointments and networking events. Media and influencers who generate editorial, or create content on Australian tourism products, destinations and experiences for consumers, are invited to participate in the media program.

The habits of digital travellers

When researching a trip, 88 per cent of consumers use peer-to-peer reviews with 75 per cent of travellers leaving reviews on review sites while at the destination according to a Global Traveller Survey of 11,000 people worldwide. Notably, 61 per cent of consumers claimed to avoid hotels which charge for WiFi. For more research and trends related to international and domestic tourism and travel visit Tourism Australia’s Insight Files.

Tourism WA’s 5th annual Ni Hao WA will be held on 19 March 2018. An industry prospectus for the event will be available in January next year.

The Accommodation Association of Australia has established a Victorian State Advisory Board made up of representatives from member properties in metropolitan Melbourne and regional parts of Victoria.

The Ashes Cricket series between England and Australia kicks off on Thursday 23 November at the Gabba in Brisbane.

The final major release of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games tickets are on sale. #SHARETHEDREAM

Tourism and Events Queensland has collated a manual with assets and unique selling points to help tourism operators with Great Barrier Reef messages for their marketing.

Registration is open until Friday 1 December for the 2018 Just Another Day in Western Australia USA Roadshow which will visit San Francisco, Seattle and Los Angeles from 31 January to 6 February.

Registration is open until Friday 24 November for the 2018 Just Another Day in Western Australia European Roadshow which will visit Germany, Switzerland and the UK from 4 to 15 June.

Tourism Australia’s fourth annual Destination Australia Conference (DestAus18), the top tourism marketing conference Down Under, will be held in Melbourne on Thursday 15 March 2018. Register your interest for DestAus18.