Dan Hunter to give the world a taste of Australia

After featuring at #44 on the prestigious World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, Australian chef Dan Hunter will undertake a world tour this month with the support of Tourism Australia and Visit Victoria. Dan will share his uniquely Australian dishes with diners at some of the best restaurants throughout North America, Europe and Asia and will also speak at iconic culinary venues including Le Cordon Bleu in London and Culinary Institute of America in New York. Tourism Australia Managing Director John O’Sullivan said that supporting Dan’s global tour was an important way to generate advocacy and tell the Restaurant Australia story to the world, continuing the momentum of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards. Find out more .

Conversations with Industry, Gold Coast

Tourism and Events Queensland in partnership with Tourism Australia and Gold Coast Tourism is hosting a free ‘Conversations with Industry – Gold Coast ’ event on Wednesday 14 June at the Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise.

Restaurant Australia case study video: The Lobster Shack

Tourism Australia is producing a series of videos showcasing tourism businesses from around the country who are great examples of Restaurant Australia. The aim of the videos is to inspire more businesses to get involved in promoting Aussie cuisine as food and wine continues to become an ever more important aspect of the experience international visitors are looking for. The Lobster Shack provides a relaxed yet exciting environment for the public to experience all elements of the elusive Western Rock Lobster. Located on the beach front, the Lobster Shack offers the complete lobster experience from lobster pot to cooking pot.

Aerial photo contest: Australia from Above

Close to 6500 entries have been submitted for the Australia From Above contest to inspire aerial photographers from around the world to share, enjoy and experience new creative perspectives of Australia. The competition is being run by SkyPixel, the world’s most popular aerial photography community, and is co-sponsored by Tourism Australia and drone manufacturer DJI. Entries are now closed.

Virtuoso Australia

A 32-page exclusive Australia ‘outsert’ is hitting 220,000 high income homes and all Virtuoso Agencies with the current May-June Edition of Virtuoso Life in North America. This unprecedented coverage is a part of an expanded partnership with Virtuoso which includes year round promotion of Australia and a major Aussie Specialist training commitment. The outsert release is timed to coincide with Virtuoso Symposium taking place in Vancouver this week and the recent Virtuoso Educational held in Australia. Download the outsert here.

New tracks at Stromlo Forest Park

Stromlo Forest Park  in Canberra has added an expert bike track to the Vapour Trail network. ‘G-Loc’ is a Black Diamond trail that mixes speed with large jumps and is suitable for experienced riders. The Vapour Trail network has been expertly designed to allow rider progression from the top of the mountain down to the bottom.

Sudirman Cup, 21-28 May

The Total Badminton World Federation Sudirman Cup will be held this month at the Carrara Sport and Leisure Centre in the Gold Coast. This major international event will attract more than 1,500 competitors from over 30 countries and a global television audience of more than 500 million.

Aussie Wine Month, May 2017

Following The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and Wine Australia’s hosted international sommelier program, Aussie Wine Month continues to showcase the best of Australian wine. Now in its sixth year, the month-long celebration will champion cutting-edge wines through a range of masterclasses, workshops and tastings across Australia.

TRIBE Perth welcomes first guests from 16 May

TRIBE Hotel Group  will welcome their first guests to their brand new contemporary luxury hotel in Perth this month. The cutting-edge 126 room hotel has a unique offering targeting tech-savy, international travellers looking for affordable luxury accommodation options.

Qantas London to Perth non-stop flights released

Qantas has begun selling tickets for its new non-stop flights between Perth and London which commence on 24 March 2018. Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said there had been global interest in the Perth-London flights since they were announced in December 2016. Tourism Australia Managing Director John O'Sullivan said the investment by Qantas in ultra long-haul aircraft had enormous potential for Australian tourism, where time and distance were traditionally perceived as competitive obstacles.

Corroboree West 2017

Seller applications are open until Thursday 25 May for the inaugural Corroboree West 2017 on Queensland’s Gold Coast from 9 to 14 October. The event provides a professional forum for Australian sellers to train qualified Aussie Specialists from the Americas, United Kingdom and Europe and strengthen specific product knowledge. In addition, through familiarisation visits, the Aussie Specialists will have first-hand experience with quality Australian tourism products, enhancing their ability to promote and sell Australia.

World Travel Market 2017

Seller applications to join the Australia stand at World Travel Market (WTM) 2017 are closing soon on Monday 8 May. WTM, to be held at ExCel in London from 6 to 8 November, attracts over 50,000 travel industry professionals. The event brings travel and tourism's most prominent figures together to network, negotiate, and conduct business.

India Travel Mission 2017

Seller applications are open  until Thursday 1 June for participation at the India Travel Mission (ITM) 2017, in Pune from 16 – 19 August. ITM is an opportunity for the Australian tourism industry to establish business relationships with key qualified travel agencies and tour operators in India. The Mission includes pre-scheduled meetings between buyers and sellers, and opportunities to network at the official event functions.

The resurgence of multi-channel booking

The number of US travellers that booked using both online and offline channels increased by 5 per cent between 2014 and 2015 according to a Phocuswright survey of 2,500 consumers. Phocuswright attributes the climb in multi-channel booking to factors including the rise of alternative accommodation options and the rise of click-to-call purchases made via user handsets. For more research and trends related to international and domestic tourism and travel visit Tourism Australia’s Insight Files.

Tourism WA has commenced a promotion in New Zealand building on the ‘Just Another Day in WA’ campaign which will run for six weeks from mid-April.

Registration is open for the Melbourne LIVE tourism forum on 15 June at the RACV City Club.

Franzé Developments is to build the first new hotel in Geelong in 20 years following the acquisition of a site for $7 million in the central business district.

Entries are open until 17 July for the Australian Event Awards to be held on 13 September on Queensland's Sunshine Coast followed by the Australian Event Symposium on 14-15 September.

Tourism Tasmania is calling for tenders for three Asian-based regional country managers to represent Tasmania in Singapore, Hong Kong and China.

A new Indigenous TV series, On Country Kitchen , which explores WA’s South West and features local native produce will go to air in May.

Tourism WA has developed two presentations to help food and tourism businesses create culinary tourism experiences, in particular food trails.

Tourism and Events Queensland and Flight Centre will invest $1 million in a new three-month marketing campaign with a strong focus on the Whitsundays region. The campaign will be supported by Virgin Australia and Infinity Holidays.

Tourism Tasmania's Go Behind the Scenery IX marketing campaign commenced Sunday 26 February in Melbourne, Sydney and South East Queensland and will run until 9 April 2017.

Tourism Tasmania's latest winter promotion, Season of Curious II , commenced on Sunday 30 April and will run until 11 June 2017.