Minister Ciobo visits the United Kingdom

Australia's Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, the Hon Steven Ciobo MP, is in London this week to strengthen Australia’s trade, tourism and investment relationship with the United Kingdom. A key event was a lunch for Tourism Australia’s friends and supporters where the Minister thanked the guests for their ongoing support in promoting destination Australia in the UK. Celebrating Australia’s world-class culinary and wine making talent, Jock Zonfrillo, owner of the award-winning Restaurant Orana in Adelaide, prepared dishes showcasing Australian native ingredients along with local produce, to create a slice of Orana’s unique dining experience in the heart of London. (Photo from left: Jock Zonfrillo; Minister Ciobo; Orana head chef Sam Christopher).

Latest international visitor arrivals

Australia welcomed nine million visitor arrivals for year ending May 2018, an increase of 6.2 per cent relative to the previous year. There were 609,300 visitor arrivals during the month of May, up 5.2 per cent relative to the same period of the previous year. View the interactive arrivals dashboard.

Tourism Australia confirms China appointment

Mandy Wu will join Tourism Australia in August as Country Manager for China, Australia's largest and highest yielding international inbound market. Based in Shanghai, Ms Wu will set the direction of Tourism Australia’s marketing and PR activity in China as well as ensuring Australia has strategic working relationships with key partners. Ms Wu joins Tourism Australia from Cathay Pacific where she gained over 15 years of international experience leading teams in mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Brunei and Canada. Tourism Australia’s Regional General Manager for North Asia, Andrew Hogg, said Ms Wu’s understanding of China and the broader Asia region were key factors in her appointment.

Australia shortlisted for five UK Travel Awards

In the UK, Australia has been shortlisted for a host of Travel Awards. First up, Australia has been nominated Best Country, while Sydney has been nominated Best City in The Times & Sunday Times Travel Awards 2018. Next, TTG, one of the UK’s key trade publications, has announced Tourism Australia as a finalist in the Tourist Board of the Year category for the TTG Travel Awards 2018. And last but not least, trade publication Travel Bulletin, catering to UK travel agents, have confirmed Australia as a finalist in the Star All-Round Destination and Star Online Training Course categories of the Travel Bulletin Star Awards 2018. All winners will be revealed and presented with trophies in September.

Badu Gili 2018 to showcase new First Nations art

In celebration of NAIDOC Week, the Sydney Opera House will project striking artwork from six First Nations artists onto its iconic sails from 24 July. Badu Gili, which means ‘water light’ in the Gadigal language, celebrates the ancient stories and rich contemporary culture of Australia’s First Nations. This is the first refresh of the Badu Gili light installation since its launch in 2017. The seven-minute animation appears on the Opera House’s eastern Bennelong sail year-round (twice each night, at sunset and 7pm, or 9pm during daylight saving).

Nigella Lawson returns to headline Margaret River Gourmet Escape

Margaret River Gourmet Escape will return to the Margaret River in Western Australia this year from 16 – 18 November. After having attended the event in 2016, Nigella Lawson will again headline the 2018 program. International stars visiting the festival for the first time in 2018 include Australian, London-based chef and author Skye Gyngell as well as Chef’s Table favourite Niki Nakayama of LA based modern Japanese kaiseki restaurant n/naka. Hot off the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List announcement last month, Julien Royer (Odette SING, Number 28), James Lowe (Lyle’s UK, Number 38) and Ashley Palmer-Watts (Dinner by Heston Blumenthal UK, Number 42) will also host unique dining experiences for this year’s program.

New freestanding platform showcases 360 views of Cape Tribulation

Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours has launched a new feature to its fully guided zipline tour of the Daintree Rainforest canopy – their first freestanding platform perched on the edge of the mountainside which provides 360-degree views into every layer of the canopy and overlooks Cape Tribulation and out to the Great Barrier Reef.

Quay redefines fine dining experience

Quay will reopen on 19 July with a completely transformed dining room, state of the art kitchen and menu format. Peter Gilmore’s highly regarded restaurant paused for service on 1 April to undergo a major redesign to reinvigorate their offering. Continually inspired by nature, Peter Gilmore worked alongside the farmers, fishermen and culinary artisans on bespoke produce exclusively for Quay’s new menu.  

Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia appoints new Executive Officer

Kate Shilling will take on the role of Executive Officer for Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia (UWEA) from Monday 6 August, succeeding Sally Cope who is relocating to London as Tourism Australia’s new Regional General Manager for the UK. Kate brings a wealth of tourism expertise to the collective with over 20 years in leadership roles at retail, wholesale and online travel organisations. Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia is a hand-selected collection of Australia’s premium wineries offering quality winery experiences based around world class wines, warm and knowledgeable hospitality and culinary excellence. The UWEA group of 22 wineries represents most of Australia’s renowned wine regions across five states.

Australian Government’s India Economic Strategy released

The Australian Government has welcomed the release of a report it commissioned to look at opportunities for closer economic ties with India. The report, An India Economic Strategy to 2035, was delivered by Mr Peter Varghese AO, Chancellor of the University of Queensland and former Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The report identifies ten sectors – including tourism – where Australia’s competitive advantages match India’s needs and ten states in India where we should focus efforts. Key recommendations for these sectors and markets are detailed in the report.

New accommodation data shows Australia’s strong tourism performance

Australia’s Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, the Hon Steven Ciobo MP, said more travellers in Australia are checking into hotels, motels and serviced apartments, as revealed in today’s national accommodation survey. The Australian Accommodation Monitor has revealed occupancy rates averaged 75 per cent in 2016-17, an increase of 0.5 per cent on 2015–16. Accommodation takings also increased, with revenue per available room averaging $139 per night – 1.6 per cent higher over the same period. Properties in Australia’s major cities performed strongly, with an average occupancy rate of almost 80 per cent for state and territory capitals – higher than 2015–16.

Efic, Australia’s export credit agency, has published an eBook on finance solutions it can provide for tourism businesses that need funding to grow.

China Southern Airlines, which currently operates three flights per week between Guangzhou and Adelaide, has announced it will increase its service to between five and seven flights per week during peak periods.

Submissions are open until Friday 31 August for the Queensland Tourism Industry Council's Prize for Innovation in Tourism.

Tourism Tasmania is calling for Expressions of Interest from Asia-ready tourism businesses to participate in its Asia Mission 2018 to China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore in September.

Registration is open for ATEC Meeting Place 2018 which will take place from 19-21 November in Darwin.

Recordings of the presentations from ATEC and Tourism Australia’s China Payments Opportunity Forum have been published on Tourism Australia’s website.

Industry are invited to register their interest for the Destination Australia Conference 2019 to be held on Thursday 14 March in Brisbane.