Australia live streamed during China’s biggest annual online shopping day

Tourism Australia teamed up with China Southern Airlines on ‘Double 11 Day’ (11 November) to promote Australia’s natural beauty, food and wine as well as urban culture accessible through China Southern’s direct flights to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide. Also known as ‘Singles Day’ the festival has become synonymous with a one-day sale led by online retailing giant Alibaba. With millions of Chinese consumers heading online for the day, Tourism Australia and China Southern hosted a livestreaming event to promote the Australian lifestyle and holidays Down Under. Tourism Australia’s Regional General Manager for North Asia, Andrew Hogg, co-presented the event with Amy Lyons, an Australia lifestyle and fitness guru living in Beijing. China Southern Airlines promotional tickets were sold out in less than three hours after the livestreaming program.

Destination Australia Conference 2018

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.

Australia on show at World Travel Market in London

Tourism Australia was joined by 15 partners on the Australia stand at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London, one of the world's leading travel exhibitions which attracts more than 50,000 travel professionals. The Australian presence at WTM, the largest ever, generated very positive feedback amongst delegates and exhibitors who claimed it to be “the best year yet” for Australia at the annual event. Buyers at the show were very interested in Australia and forward bookings from the UK are looking positive with record prices on flights Down Under.

Mega-famil Down Under for Flight Centre Canada’s agents

Flight Centre Canada along with partners Air Canada and Tourism and Events Queensland hosted 120 Aussie Specialist agents and staff on an Australia mega famil from 6-12 November. As part of the week the group was supported by Tourism Australia at an event on Sydney Harbour and also explored the Gold Coast ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Flight Centre Canada has remained a committed partner to the Aussie Specialist Program through famils and training programs. Over the last two years Flight Centre has grown its number of qualified Aussie Specialist agents to almost 250 and has more than 50 further agents in training. There are currently over 900 qualified Aussie Specialists in Canada and 30,000 globally.

Penfolds Magill Estate wins Best of Wine Tourism Award

Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia member Penfolds Magill Estate has taken out the International Best of Wine Tourism Award for the category ‘Wine Tourism Services’. Announced at a gala dinner in Chile, Penfolds was selected by the International Best of Wine Tourism judging panel as a global leader in wine tourism. The accolade follows a recent upgrade of the Penfolds Magill Estate cellar door, restaurant and kitchen including specially designed spaces to allow visitors to engage, explore and discover the quality and history of the Penfolds brand.

New Scenic Skyway opens doors in the Blue Mountains

The new Scenic Skyway has opened this week after a three million dollar upgrade to improve the visitor experience in preparation for the ride’s 60th anniversary in 2018. The upgraded cabin features 30% more capacity, streamlined loading and unloading and free Wi-Fi in response to feedback from international guests.

New Coastal Pavilions at Freycinet Lodge open for bookings

The new Coastal Pavilions at Freycinet Lodge on Tasmania’s east coast are now taking bookings for stays from 15 March 2018. The nine environmentally sensitive pavilions nestled within the landscape of Freycinet National Park feature locally sourced Tasmanian timbers, an outdoor bath and curved glass walls immersing guests in the stunning natural surroundings.

Save the date for A Taste of Kakadu, 18-27 May 2018

A Taste of Kakadu food festival returns in 2018 to treat guests to local bush foods with a contemporary twist such as emu chorizo and crocodile canapes, wattleseed lamingtons and wildflower granitas. The inaugural ten-day festival in 2017 featured more than 50 events and concluded with an exclusive ten-course degustation. Further details on next year’s festival will be announced in the coming months.

Tourism Awards season kicks off

Some of Australia’s top tourism businesses were celebrated at gala ceremonies in Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory last week. Further celebrations will be held in New South Wales on Thursday and in Canberra on Friday this week with Victoria holding its gala event next 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.

Experiential travel trends for 2018

Exploring new destinations with unspoiled natural beauty is the year’s top trip motivator for clients of Virtuoso’s high-end travel advisors worldwide according to a comprehensive survey. Amongst the findings in Virtuoso’s 2018 Luxe Report opportunities to meet locals, wander neighbourhoods and make spontaneous discoveries are of key interest to the network’s high-value clients. For more research and trends related to international and domestic tourism and travel visit Tourism Australia’s Insight Files.

The Australian Regional Tourism Network has rebranded to Australian Regional Tourism and elected a new Board for 2017/18

Tourism and Events Queensland is holding an Accessible Tourism Workshop on Thursday 23 November at the Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa.

Tourism and Events Queensland has published research snapshots about the behaviours and preferences of travellers from Japan and Korea.

Tourism Western Australia has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ctrip, China's leading provider of travel services, to work on co-operative campaigns promoting Western Australia.

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.