Latest Working Holiday Maker campaign launches

Tourism Australia has launched a new youth campaign targeting young people who want to combine travel with temporary work under Australia’s Working Holiday Maker program. Australia Inc. positions Australia as the world’s most desirable working holiday maker destination, offering exciting work opportunities in the best workplace in the world. The campaign seeks to demonstrate how a working holiday in Australia can give young people a point of difference and equip them with the experience, confidence and skills needed to develop a successful career back home after their working holiday and travels Down Under. “Australia Inc. will target a new generation of young traveller and show them that a working holiday in Australia not only offers incredible fun and a life changing experience, but also the environment and opportunity to improve their life skills and employability after they return home,” said Tourism Australia Managing Director John O’Sullivan.

Tourism Australia wins award in India

Tourism Australia’s UnDiscover Australia campaign in India won the ‘Marketing Excellence for International Tourism’ category at the VFS Global Times Travel Awards which celebrate excellence in the Indian travel industry. This is the fourth honour for the UnDiscover Australia campaign in India from leading media houses and trade associations.

Friends of Australia host media event in Shanghai

International super-star Chris Hemsworth and Vogue China’s Editor-in-Chief Angelica Cheung shared their passion for Australia with 20 media and key opinion leaders at a Tourism Australia media event in Shanghai last month. Chris, who was in Shanghai for the launch of the Avengers movie, shared personal insights on the Australian way of life while Angelica spoke about her experiences travelling Down Under with her family. Both are members of Tourism Australia’s Friends of Australia program which harnesses the power of globally influential individuals who have a genuine affinity with Australia. Chris has been Tourism Australia’s Global Ambassador since 2016 while Angelica more recently joined the program.

Tourism Australia partners with TripAdvisor in the US

Tourism Australia has launched a new content partnership in the US with TripAdvisor to promote curated trip itineraries based on what ranks highly for Americans. Leveraging interest created by the Dundee campaign, the partnership targets high-value travellers who have shown interest in Australia with the aim of converting their consideration into bookings. Over the next few months Australia will be heavily promoted on TripAdvisor with a homepage takeover, editorial blog stories and advertising banners. The Australia hub on TripAdvisor also allows potential travellers to view other inspiring content including a new TripAdvisor @SeeAustralia page.

American travel advisor training sessions

Over 150 American travel advisors received in person training from Tourism Australia at a PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) event in San Diego and a CCRA Travel Commerce Network event in Atlanta last month. The American travel advisors, who are often hard to reach as many work from home, received updates on exciting and unusual family travel options as well as the Signature Experiences of Australia collectives.

Tourism Australia and Asia Voyages co-host VIP dinner in France

Nine of France’s leading agency network managers attended an Australian themed dinner hosted by Tourism Australia and tour operator Asia Voyages last month in Paris. The VIPs also enjoyed a privately guided tour of the new Oceania exhibition at the Musée du Quai Branly and were given an update on Australia from Eva Seller, Tourism Australia’s Regional General Manager for Continental Europe. In 2018 Australia welcomed 142,600 visitors from France, up 10 per cent on the previous year, who spent $800 million.

Major Australia push with German travel agency network DERpart

Uniquely Australian holiday experiences feature in a new joint marketing campaign in Germany between Tourism Australia, Emirates and one of Germany’s largest travel agency network DERpart. The promotion includes special offers from DERpart with flight deals through Emirates and are being promoted through the travel agency’s website and network of retail stores throughout Germany. The campaign has also been supported by face-to-face training by Tourism Australia and Emirates with 120 of DERpart’s best-selling travel agents along with Australia content in the DERpart inhouse e-learning platform for agents. DERpart agents have also been encouraged to sign up to the award-winning Aussie Specialist Program to help them sell Australia effectively to their customers.

New Aboriginal experience on Rottnest Island, Western Australia

Go Cultural Aboriginal Tours and Experiences have released a new walking tour, offering visitors the chance to learn about the culture and history of Rottnest Island. The 90-minute walking tour provides a unique insight to the spiritual and traditional Aboriginal culture of the Noongar people and includes a Welcome to Country, traditional sand ceremony, song and storytelling with an Aboriginal guide. Rottnest Island, or Wadjemup in the Noongar language, is accessible via ferry, plane or boat from Perth or is just a 25-minute ferry ride from Fremantle. Go Cultural Aboriginal Tours and Experiences are a member of the Discover Aboriginal Experiences collective.

The Grape Escape festival returns to the Grampians, Victoria

The Grampians Grape Escape will take over Halls Gap for its 28th year from 4 – 5 May with a new and exciting program of activities, workshops, demonstrations and events. The Grape Escape prides itself on being one of the most family friendly food, wine and music festivals in the country. Don’t miss the Portable Cooking adventure, Boutique to Barrique wine workshops, kids yoga or rock-climbing with over 120 unique stalls catering to all ages, tastes and persuasions. Known for its stunning natural surrounds, national park and bespoke accommodation, the Grampians region is only a three-hour drive from Melbourne or accessible via train from regional Victoria..

Simple. Elegant. World Class. Nineteen at The Star hits the Gold Coast, Queensland

Star Gold Coast has welcomed its new premium rooftop venue, Nineteen at the Star, positioned 19 floors above the recently opened luxury suite hotel, The Darling. Overlooking the city line of glittering Gold Coast, the decadent rooftop restaurant and uber-chic lounge bar embodies sophistication and class. With its luxe interior design and stunning infinity pool, the 150-seat premium restaurant and elegant poolside bar will have guests feeling the glitz and glam of Queensland’s Gold Coast. The Star Gold Coast’s ongoing transformation program will include additional food and beverage experiences and will welcome the debut of the internationally acclaimed Dorsett hotel brand to Australia in 2022.

Giddy-up! 2019 Melbourne Cup Carnival tickets are on sale now

Victoria Racing Club have released tickets to the horse race that stops the nation, the 2019 Melbourne Cup from 2 – 9 November. The iconic Melbourne Cup Carnival is a world-class event that encompasses the finest racing, entertainment, fashion, culture, food and wine all in one place – Flemington Race course. Held across four days, the highly anticipated social occasion attracts international crowds for Derby Day, Oaks Day, Stakes Day and the famous Melbourne Cup Day event. Tickets and exclusive packages are available online.

National Visitor Survey results

Domestic overnight tourism spending increased by 13% to reach $72.7 billion in 2018 according to Tourism Research Australia’s National Visitor Survey results released last month. These figures combined with international visitor spend of $43.9 billion, confirm total overnight spend has reached $116.6 billion, eclipsing the lower bound Tourism 2020 target of $115 billion. This represented an increase of 11% or $11.2 billion, the largest annual growth recorded over the past 10 calendar years.

Corroboree West 2019

Seller applications are open until Friday 24 May for Corroboree West 2019 to be held in Perth from 7 to 11 October. Corroboree West is an Australia-based trade event that combines a training workshop and familiarisation visits exclusively for qualified Aussie Specialist agents from North America, the UK, Europe and New Zealand. These qualified Aussie Specialists actively sell Australia as a preferred long-haul destination to Western travellers with many of them being frontline retail agents as well as a mix of wholesale and online travel agents.

Tourism awards nominations open

Nominations are open for 2019 tourism awards in Tasmania, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Northern Territory, Victoria, New South Wales and the Canberra Region. Tourism Australia is a sponsor of the State and Territory Tourism Awards as well as the national Qantas Australian Tourism Awards. The Australian Tourism Awards programs along with the Australian Tourism Accreditation Program (ATAP) and Star Ratings now all come under the Quality Tourism Framework.

Australian tourism operators can use the promo code BKTOAUS19 to receive a 20% discount to attend the Arrival Conference, an event for the creators and sellers of tours, activities and attractions throughout the APAC Region to be held from 24–26 June in Bangkok.

Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) has developed the International Education Tourism Paper 2025 to guide tourism's role in marketing Queensland and its destinations to the international education market.

Brett Ince has been announced as the next executive director of Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine, taking over from Roger Grant when he retires in July.

The Queensland Tourism Industry Council has launched its 2019 - 2020 Tourism and Hospitality Career Guide to highlight opportunities to school leavers.

Tourism Research Australia has published its annual state of the industry report for 2017–18 providing insights into key trends throughout the year.

Consultation is now underway to shape the future of disability policy for 2020 and beyond, providing an opportunity to discuss accessible tourism in the context of the wider National Disability Strategy.

Registration is open for the CAPA Melbourne Aviation Summit on 24 May 2019 which will explore key issues and opportunities facing the aviation industry in Melbourne and beyond. Register at the link above for 30% off the delegate pass.

Registration is open for the 2019 Tasmanian Tourism Conference on Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 May in Launceston.

Registration is open for the 2019 SA Tourism Conference on Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 May at the Adelaide Oval.

Registration is open for the 2019 Destination Melbourne LIVE tourism conference on Thursday 30 May at the Arts Centre Melbourne.

Parks Australia is seeking requests for tender until Friday 31 May for a consultant to develop a tourism master plan for Kakadu National Park.

Registration is open for the Australian Tourism Export Council's National Wine Tourism Conference, Beyond the Barrel, from Tuesday 18 to Thursday 20 June in South Australia.

Registration is open for the VIC Tourism Conference on Wednesday 17 and Thursday 18 July in Geelong.

Tourism Australia has published presentations from the fifth annual Destination Australia Conference held in March in Brisbane and is inviting industry to register their interest for next year’s conference on Thursday 12 March in Adelaide.