New aviation capacity for Australia at World Routes conference

A delegation of 15 Australian aviation partners exhibited together at the world’s largest aviation forum in Guangzhou this week, World Routes 2018, to attract and secure sustainable new aviation capacity into Australia. “Whilst international aviation capacity to Australia now exceeds 25 million seats per year, further increasing this capacity will only strengthen and help sustain our tourism industry in the long run,” said Australia’s Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Senator the Hon. Simon Birmingham. Next year, World Routes 2019 will take place in Adelaide from 21 to 24 September and is being hosted by the South Australian Tourism Commission, Adelaide Airport, the Adelaide Convention Bureau and Tourism Australia.

Latest international arrival figures

Australia welcomed 9.1 million international visitors for the year ending July 2018, up six per cent which equates to an extra 512,000 visitors compared to the previous year. For the month of July 2018 international visitor arrivals were 774,400, up by 3.8 percent compared to July 2017.

Aviation industry decision makers set to descend on Brisbane in 2019

Brisbane is set to roll out the red carpet to more than 1,200 delegates from over 230 airlines across the world when it plays host to the 145th International Air Transport Association (IATA) Slot Conference from 12-15 November 2019. A consortium of tourism advocates, including Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC), Brisbane Marketing, Tourism Australia, Tourism and Events Queensland, and Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, combined forces to bring this fiercely sought after conference to Queensland. Tourism Australia Managing Director, John O’Sullivan said that the IATA Slot Conference had been secured with support from its Business Events Bid Fund and was another great opportunity to showcase Australia’s impressive capabilities in event delivery.

Tourism Australia and China Southern Airlines sign partnership agreement

The largest carrier between mainland China and Australia, China Southern Airlines, and Tourism Australia have signed a three-year deal to develop the business event travel sector in China. Each party will make a substantial investment into developing marketing campaigns and promotional activities in China which delivered more than 100,000 business event travellers contributing A$591 million to Australia in 2017. Tourism Australia also recently announced its major incentive showcase for the China market - the Business Events Australia Greater China Showcase – will be held in Australia for the first time this coming November with more than 60 Greater China buyers and media expected to attend.

Aussie Specialists learn about Great Fishing Adventures of Australia

A new Great Fishing Adventures of Australia training module was released last month on the Aussie Specialist Program website to give frontline travel sellers the knowledge and skills they need to sell the diverse range of Australia’s fishing experiences. Through the new module international travel agents can learn about Australia’s best fishing operators and the variety of experiences available including reef fishing, fly fishing, luxurious getaways and adrenaline-charged game fishing. Great Fishing Adventures of Australia is part of Tourism Australia’s Signature Experiences of Australia program which promotes outstanding tourism experiences within a variety of niche areas and special interest categories. Image: Shark Bay, Coral Coast, Western Australia.

New co-op campaign with Virgin Australia in Hong Kong takes off

Tourism Australia has teamed up with Virgin Australia on a new co-operative marketing campaign to promote the airline’s recently launched daily service between Hong Kong and Sydney. The promotion features 12 distribution partners with offers on Australia.com covering a range of experiences and destinations. Popular Hong Kong singer Hins Cheung is also supporting the campaign with a ‘City Explorer’ themed visit to Sydney this week to shoot some footage showcasing what Australia has to offer and the experience of flying Down Under with Virgin Australia. In 2017, Hong Kong was Australia’s 10th largest inbound market for visitor arrivals and total spend and 11th largest for visitor nights.

New Scenic Cableway in NSW Blue Mountains welcomes visitors

A new and improved scenic cableway in the Blue Mountains near Sydney launched this week concluding the final stage of a four-million-dollar upgrade by Scenic World. The enhanced cableway features a more spacious cabin holding up to 84 passengers, wheelchair accessibility and larger windows overlooking the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains. Free wi-fi access is also available to all passengers allowing international guests to share their experiences. The Cableway is the steepest and largest aerial cable car in the Southern Hemisphere.

Kakadu’s Crocodile Hotel celebrates ‘Year of the Croc’

The Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel in Jabiru, locally known as ‘The Croc’ is celebrating its 30th anniversary in October offering various anniversary packages for an unforgettable outback experience. The anniversary celebrations include a gala dinner on 26 October accompanied by cruise, dining and accommodation packages released for the event. The Croc-inspired hotel is indigenous owned and situated within in the wilderness of Kakadu National Park.

Baillie Lodges reveals new-look Capella Lodge on Lord Howe Island

Lord Howe Island’s most sought-after luxury accommodation Capella Lodge has reopened this week following a four-month, $4 million refurbishment by Baillie Lodges. The new-look Capella includes a refreshment for each of its nine luxury suites, with significant additions to the Makambo Loft and Catalina Suite. The selection of private suites offers several outdoor lounging options, an outdoor heated plunge pool and private canopied daybed areas. The Capella Spa has been reimagined in a loft setting overlooking the ocean, while additions in the main lodge include a teak-clad bar in a nod to the island’s seafaring heritage as well as new furniture and soft furnishings which together create a more contemporary Lord Howe feel.

Novotel and Ibis Melbourne Central now accepting reservations

One of Melbourne's most anticipated hotel openings, the new-build Novotel and Ibis Melbourne Central is now taking bookings for stays from 1 December. The dual branded hotel is a global first for the AccorHotel Group and is situated in the emerging culinary CenterPoint of Melbourne on Little Lonsdale Street. The 35-floor tower includes 483 guestrooms where the two hotel brands will share guest facilities. Restaurant and dining options include an Italian Steak House and an Asian Canteen and Bar inspired by Melbourne’s rich ethnic history and foodie culture.

Internationale Tourismus Börse 2019

Applications close this Friday, 21 September, for Australian tourism businesses to join the Australia stand at the Internationale Tourismus Börse 2019 (ITB19) in Berlin from 6 to 10 March 2019. A wide range of participation options are available, such as sole and share booth options, and day passes for the trade days. ITB19 is a five-day event, open to trade and consumers. Wednesday 6 March to Friday 8 March are trade and press-only days. Saturday 9 March and Sunday 10 March are open to the general public. In 2018, ITB hosted 10,000 exhibitors and attracted 196,000 visitors of which 120,000 were trade.

North American Australia Marketplace 2019

The North American Australia Marketplace 2019 will be held from 26 – 29 August in Manhattan Beach, California. Hosted by Australia's State and Territory Tourism Organisations in partnership with Tourism Australia the event involves three days of appointments and networking opportunities. Australia Marketplace brings together over 100 North American buyers and 100 Australian tourism products and experiences. Registration will open in early 2019.

Vale Jean-Paul Chantraine

Tourism Australia wishes to offer sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Jean-Paul Chantraine who passed away earlier this month. Jean-Paul was the chief executive officer of ASIA France and a pioneer of travel from France to Australia since the early 1990s. He was particularly fond of Australia’s indigenous culture and was also passionate about rugby union and always at Wallabies games at Stade De France in Paris. Hugely respected by his peers in France, throughout Europe and of course Down Under, Jean-Paul will be remembered fondly and missed by many.

The Aussie Specialist Program was awarded the Star Online Training Course at the Travel Bulletin 2018 Star Awards in the UK last week.

Tourism Australia and media agency UM won three categories of Adweek's annual Media Plan of the Year Awards for 2018 announced this week: best use of social media in campaigns for Dundee: The Son of a Legend Returns Home; best international campaign (non-US) for Aussie News Today; and best use of native advertising in campaigns for Aussie News Today.

Australia won the 2018 Global Cuisines and Tourism Destination of Food Awards this year by Shanghai Traffic Radio FM105.7.

Tourism and Events Queensland in partnership with the Department of State Development, Sunlover Holidays, QantasLink and the Outback Queensland Tourism Association have launched a new tourism campaign encouraging travellers to escape to outback Queensland.

Applications are open until 21 September for the second round of funding from the NSW Regional Growth Environment and Tourism Fund.

Nominations are open until 24 September for the RACQ People's Choice Category at the 2018 Queensland Tourism Awards to be held on Friday 16 November at The Star Gold Coast.

The Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) is holding Growing Wine Tourism workshops and webinars in October and November to assist wine businesses across the country to engage with the growing international tourist market.

Registration is open for AmCham's investing in Queensland's tourism industry breakfast briefing to be held from 7 to 9:30am on Friday 12 October at the Pullman King George Square in Brisbane.

Registration is open for the inaugural Australian Wine Industry Impact Conference to be held in Adelaide on Thursday 18 October at the Grand Chancellor Hotel.

Registration is open for the Australian Regional Tourism Convention (ARTC) 2018 to be held in the Tweed from 23-25 October.

Registration is open for the Ecotourism Australia one day Masterclass in Cairns on 11 September and the Global Eco Asia Pacific Tourism Conference in Townsville on 26-28 November.

Entries are open until Sunday 30 September for the first Destination Gold Coast Content Awards to celebrate the best of digital and social storytelling from the region. #DGCCA #WeAreGoldCoast

The next funding round of the Queensland Destination Events Program is open until Wednesday 10 October.

Registration is open for travel business and investment conference Travel IQ on Wednesday 24 October in Sydney.

Registration is open for the Bicycle Tourism and the Australian Walking and Cycling conferences from 26-30 October in Bendigo, Victoria.

Registration is open for the Australian Indigenous Tourism Conference to be held in Lorne, Victoria from 30 October to 1 November.

Registration is open for the Australian Event Symposium to be held on the Sunshine Coast from 19-21 November.

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

Meetings & Events Australia (MEA) has published profiles of the winners of the 2017 MEA Awards and has opened submissions for the 2018 MEA Awards.

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