New UK campaign shows why there’s nothing like Australia

Tourism Australia has teamed up with Etihad Airways and Flight Centre in the UK to launch a joint media partnership with The Telegraph. Running until the end of January, ‘My Signature Dish’ highlights rising stars of the Australian food and wine scene, with two-week Flight Centre itineraries featuring throughout the content to further inspire readers. The partnership is part of a wider multi-channel marketing campaign with Etihad underpinned by TV advertising. Showcasing Australia’s culinary, aquatic and wildlife experiences the activity also promotes competitive fares from the UK to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

Industry briefings in WA and VIC

Tourism Australia is holding free of charge industry briefings on Wednesday 21 February in Margaret River, Thursday 22 February in Perth and Wednesday 28 February in Melbourne alongside VTIC’s Visitor Economy Forum.

Outback Wrangler TV series brings the NT to the UK

Tourism Australia and Tourism NT are supporting a UK press visit for Friend of Australia Matt Wright this week to promote the Territory to adventurous British travellers. Matt is in the UK to promote the third season of his TV show Outback Wrangler which premiers on the National Geographic channel Nat Geo WILD this Sunday. The eight 30-minute episodes follow Matt and his companions in the Northern Territory relocating giant crocodiles. Previous series of Outback Wrangler have been popular with British audiences and the UK is the second largest market for international visitors to the NT, with just over 41,000 visitors for the 12 months to September 2017.

Industry to say G’day as part of new UK campaign

Tourism Australia is asking industry to record themselves in a 4-5 second selfie-style video saying G’day to British travellers to form part of a new campaign in the UK called #24MillionMates. Tourism Australia is seeking videos filmed in landscape (horizontal) format from a smartphone with people saying “Hi mate” or “G’day mate” from breath-taking locations or during fun activities. The final video montage will invite Brits to experience Australia and will be shown on Tourism Australia's digital channels. Videos should be sent to casting@flarebbdo.com by 31 January.

New Premier Aussie Specialists appointed in China

Tourism Australia held an awards ceremony last week to welcome and congratulate 89 new Premier Aussie Specialists from across China. These top tier agents have an in depth understanding of Australian tourism product and are some of the top travel sellers in the country. The Aussie Specialist Program is Tourism Australia’s global training program shared by all eight state and territory tourism partners and designed to provide frontline travel sellers from around the globe with the knowledge and skills to best sell Australia.

Australian golf courses ranked amongst the world’s best

US Golf Magazine has ranked 7 Australian golf courses in their Top 100, 5 of which are members of the Great Golf Courses of Australia collective - the Royal Melbourne Golf Club (ranked at #11), Kingston Heath Golf Club (#20), Barnbougle Dunes (#38), New South Wales Golf Club (#43) and Barnbougle Lost Farm (#90). US Golf Magazine’s Top 100 golf courses are judged by 100 independent golf reviewers from across the globe and it is the longest running global golf course ranking.

Tasmania’s Three Capes Lodge Walk joins Great Walks of Australia

As the only official guided walk operator appointed to the Three Capes Track, the Tasmanian Walking Company has been formally accepted into the Great Walks of Australia Signature Collection with their new Three Capes Lodge Walk. The company has been in operation for the past thirty years and has two other walks included in the Great Walks of Australia Signature Collection, Cradle Mountains Huts Walk and Bay of Fires Lodge Walk.

Best new Australian restaurants to try right now

From the ambitiously artistic to the perennial crowd pleaser, the Australian dining scene has welcomed a horde of incredible new restaurants in recent months. Here are seven of the most outstanding dining experiences around the nation.

Where to experience turtle hatching season

Each year from January to March, baby turtles emerge at a handful of beaches along the Queensland coast in northern Australia, burrowing out of sand-covered holes where their mothers laid eggs a couple of months earlier. Once they reach the surface, the tiny turtles scamper towards the ocean to begin a life of swimming and adventure. Here are the top five places to watch the magic take place.

Tickets are on sale for the 2017 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards to be held in Perth on Friday 23 February.

Applications are open until Monday 22 January for Australian tourism products and experiences to attend the ATE18 Media Marketplace from 13 to 14 April 2018 in Adelaide.

The Victorian State Government has unveiled its ‘India Strategy’ aimed at growing exports, attracting more international students and encouraging tourism. Premier Daniel Andrews is also making his first official visit to India this week.

Jackalope Hotels has announced plans to open a 32-suite hotel at the historic Maria George on Flinders Lane in Melbourne in 2020.

Ovolo Hotels has doubled its Brisbane portfolio with the acquisition of the Emporium Hotel in Fortitude Valley and also confirmed the purchase of Hotel Hotel in Canberra.

Registration is open for the 2018 WYSE Exchange Australia Youth Tourism Conference to be held on Wednesday 9 May at the Ovolo Woolloomooloo Hotel in Sydney.

Sydney Airport’s recently appointed CEO Geoff Culbert started in the role this week and will be supported by outgoing CEO Kerrie Mather until the end of the month.

Applications are open until Friday 2 March for the International Wine Tourism Competitive Grants program for tourism marketing and events, infrastructure and innovative products or services targeted at attracting international wine tourists.

Tourism and Events Queensland has produced a 20-page supplement on the Sunshine and Fraser Coasts to be distributed in leading German travel magazine, 'Reise and Preise'.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GRMPA) has released a Reef Blueprint with the 10 most promising initiatives to protect the reef and build resilience.

Applications are open until Wednesday 7 February for Round 9 of the Queensland Destination Events Program funding.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland has engaged Munich-based marketing and public relations company Global Spot to represent Tropical North Queensland in Europe.

Brisbane Airport Corporation has announced the appointment of Gert-Jan De Graaff to the role of Chief Executive Officer from 1 July.