Funding for Kakadu a major win for tourism in the Top End

Tourism Australia has welcomed announcements by the Federal Government and Opposition outlining multi-million dollar packages to rejuvenate Kakadu National Park and the neighbouring township of Jabiru. Both plans include major improvements to Kakadu’s road network and the construction of a new visitor centre in Jabiru. Together with a new Kakadu Tourism Master Plan, investments in Jabiru and the broader Kakadu region will help attract greater numbers of visitors to this uniquely Australian tourism destination.

Hong Kong market update

Tourism Australia has published a recent market update presentation on the Hong Kong market, alongside presentations from the relevant senior managers on the USA, UK, Japan and India markets.

Etihad Airways campaign takes off across Europe

Tourism Australia has teamed up with Etihad Airways to run a campaign across UK, Germany, France and Italy in January, a key booking period for all countries. The marketing activity showcases Australia’s food and wine, aquatic and coastal, and wildlife experiences, as well as promoting competitive airfares within each market. The UK activity is underpinned by heavyweight TV advertising and supported by a data-driven digital campaign that includes social and broadcaster video on demand content. Across the water, the campaigns running in Continental Europe centre around TV advertising and include digital out-of-home, TV retargeting on mobile, social, native and digital content. For more information, visit australia.com.

ANA launches Tokyo to Perth service

After three years connecting Tokyo and Sydney, All Nippon Airways will begin non-stop flights between Tokyo and Perth on 1 September. The new service on the Boeing 787-8 will bring more than 67,000 new visitors from Japan to Perth a year. Tourism Australia Managing Director, John O’Sullivan said direct aviation access was critical to unlocking Western Australia’s tourism potential. “This is a hugely significant win for Australian tourism and opens up an important new western gateway for Japanese visitors. Tourism Australia, Tourism Western Australia and Perth Airport all deserve to be congratulated for their combined efforts in delivering such a successful outcome,” he said. In the year to October 2018, Australia welcomed 458,700 Japanese visitors, making it the country’s fifth largest inbound market for visitor arrivals. Read the media release.

Destination Australia Voted Best of the Best

Australia was declared ‘Best Destination in Asia Pacific’ at the 16th Annual Travel Weekly Readers' Choice Awards held in December in New York. The honour was awarded after an open ballot nomination and two rounds of voting by Travel Weekly readers, who include industry executives, CEOs of the world's largest travel companies, and over 42,000 travel advisors in the United States. Winners in other categories included hotels, tour operators and airlines, all representing the best of the best in travel.

Harry Potter stage production heightens the magic of Melbourne

The highly anticipated Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will bring magic to Melbourne’s Princess Theatre from 18 January - 1 December. Jack Thorne wrote the two-part stage production, which is based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will be exclusive to Melbourne in 2019 and is the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage.

The Jacksons bring Motown to Sandalford Winery in the Swan Valley

Australia’s biggest ever Motown party will take place at Sandalford Winery in Western Australia’s Swan Valley on 19 January. The original Jackson members Jermaine, Jackie, Tito and Marlon will perform live from the vines alongside Kool & The Gang, The Pointer Sisters, Village People and more. The concert is the third in the 2019 Summer Series tour, following performances in Adelaide and the Gold Coast this week.

New Italian wine and snack bar opened by Adelaide’s award-winning Chef

Award-winning chef Jock Zonfrillo and sommelier Shaun Lau from Restaurant Orana and Bistro Blackwood have teamed up to open a new Italian Bar, Mallozzi. Located in Adelaide’s vibrant East End, the boldly Italian themed wine and snack bar offers premium Australian and Italian wine, small pasta plates and curated meats and cheese from its dedicated salumi bar. Guests can unwind in the open bar, the cosy basement bar or enjoy the vibrance of Rundle Street from Mallozzi’s outdoor seating.

Discover the best of the Daintree with one convenient attractions pass

The newly released Daintree Attractions Pass is now available, allowing visitors to experience the best of the Daintree Forest. Three popular Daintree attractions are offering culture, adventure, education and fun in one convenient money-saving package. The Daintree Attractions Pass provides entry to the Mossman Gorge Centre Dreamtime Walk, Jungle Surfing Canopy Tour and the Daintree Discovery Centre and is valid for seven days. Pass holders can follow the recommended full-day itinerary or create their own adventure through Queensland’s tropical Daintree region.

Tourism spending soaring as travellers head to the regions

Tourists spent $113.4 billion in Australia last year as more people head to the bush or regional coastal towns, according to the latest International Visitor and National Visitor Survey results. Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham said it was encouraging to see that more of the record 8.4 million international travellers who flocked to Australia in the year ending September 2018 were heading to regional destinations. “Australia’s tourism industry continues to see strong growth and our regions are starting to reap the benefits,” Minister Birmingham said. “These latest results show 2.84 million international travellers chose to travel beyond our capital cities and spent time in the bush, at the coast or even in the outback. This is great news for regional towns around Australia.”

Cairns wins bid to host major conference

Cairns will play host to one of the world’s largest science conferences, the 13th Congress of International Society for Plant Molecular Biology in 2021. Minster for Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham said the win will be a huge economic and tourism boost for the Tropical North Queensland region. “Cairns will have the chance to show-off its unique ecosystems, experiences and attractions whilst at the same time see millions injected into local businesses and the economy", Minister Birmingham said. “Business events such as this one, are extremely valuable to our economy, with the average business events visitor spending at least twice as much as a leisure visitor.”

New Australian Accommodation Monitor

In this webinar, Matthew Burke from STR presents an overview of the tourism industry’s new Australian Accommodation Monitor (AAM). He also highlights the performance of Australia’s hotel markets for the financial year, with demand growth (3.3 per cent) continuing to exceed supply growth (2.2 per cent). Notably, regional tourism areas outperformed the performance of capital cities in terms of RevPAR (revenue per available room) threefold. Meanwhile, the highest demand growth was experienced by Australia’s capital cities, which showed the strongest absolute performance. The AAM replaces the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Survey of Tourist Accommodation. As well as its annual statement of performance, it offers comprehensive data throughout the year upon request and subscription. Contact mburke@str.com to get involved or visit the STR website for more information.

Tourism Australia’s 2019/20 Trade Events

More than 65 events are already listed on the Tourism Australia Industry Events Calendar for 2019/20. These include The Australian Tourism Exchange, Destination Australia Conference, Corroboree West, Dreamtime, Australia Marketplace, Walkabout Japan, Walkabout South East Asia, India Travel Mission and Greater China Travel Mission. The calendar is regularly updated with events from Tourism Australia, all State and Territory organisations, ATEC and other industry bodies.

The latest ABS international arrivals, covering the year ending November 2018, will be published this Friday on Tourism Australia’s website.

Tourism Australia has published new consumer profile fact sheets for: USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and New Zealand.

Expressions of Interest to fill board positions for Brand Tasmania, Australia’s first statutory place branding authority, close on 25th January.

TFE Hotels unveils a new-look Adina Coogee, following a multi-million dollar renovation of its 86 self-contained studios and one and two-bedroom apartments.

A $30 million renovation has transformed Spicers Guesthouse in Pokolbin, in the heart of the Hunter Valley. The revamped property features 46 contemporary guest rooms, an infinity pool, fire-pit and mountain views.

Registration is open for the Local Government NSW Tourism Conference from 17 to 19 March 2019 in Terrigal.

The South Australian Tourism Commission has published a video of its CEO Rod Harrex’s Top 10 tourism highlights for 2018.

Susan Kirby, CEO of Ireland’s National St Patrick’s Festival, has been announced as an international keynote presenter at EVOLVE 2019. Registration is still open for the conference, which will be held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre from 31 March to 2 April.

Australia has topped a list of the 'World's Most Instagrammable Countries 2019' by the global travel site Big 7 Travel. The winners were chosen according to the number of hashtags for each destination, survey results from Big 7 Media’s 1.5 million audience, and votes from a panel of travel experts.