World-first partnership with BuzzFeed to target youth travellers

Tourism Australia and BuzzFeed Australia are on the hunt for the next generation of visual storytellers from around the world to join the first ever BuzzFeed Mateship program, a once-in-lifetime fellowship and travel program that will see the Mates work, travel and capture content across Australia. Eight young travellers and aspiring content creators from the UK, Germany, Italy and France will be flown to Australia for a three-month road trip to discover and report on some of the most unique, eye-opening and breathtaking experiences across the country for both Tourism Australia and BuzzFeed.com social channels. “These eight-lucky young travellers have a life-changing trip ahead of them and one which we believe will motivate many more young international travellers to follow in their footsteps,” said Australia's Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, the Hon Steven Ciobo MP.

DestAus18 save the date

Tourism Australia’s fourth annual Destination Australia Conference (DestAus18), the top tourism marketing conference Down Under, will be held in Melbourne on 15 March 2018. DestAus17 was held in Sydney with a sell-out audience of 350 of Australia’s tourism leaders and a stellar line-up of speakers. Register your interest for DestAus18.

Sydney and Melbourne recognised in T+L World's Best Awards

Sydney earned a number one spot in this year's prestigious Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards in New York last Wednesday. The city was named Best City, Australia/New Zealand/South Pacific in the T+L awards 2017 readers' survey for the 22nd consecutive year, recognising Sydney as a stunning global dining destination, with Rene Redzepi's Noma pop up in the spring of 2016, and a number of other new restaurants. Readers also acknowledged Melbourne in third place for its impressive food scene, as the host city of the 2017 World’s Best Restaurant Awards and home to World’s Best Restaurant Attica.

Investment attraction discussions focus on regional opportunities

Tourism Australia brought together senior industry figures and representatives from Austrade and each State and Territory to discuss issues and opportunities around tourism investment attraction as part of bi-annual meetings last week. The focus of discussion at the meetings was attracting investment into regional Australia. Tourism Australia was also a sponsor of the HotelsWorld Conference in Sydney which brought together more than 500 international and domestic industry executives from hotel management companies, developers, investors, owners and other professional advisers.

Australia rocks US music fans at LA concert

Australian tourism experiences were brought to life for music fans in Los Angeles last week as popular Aussie musicians played during the Twilight Concert Series on the iconic Santa Monica Pier. Concert goers enjoyed virtual reality experiences from around the country during the ‘Australia Rocks the Pier’ lineup which featured APRA AMCOS competition winner Georgi Kay, Cleopold and Miami Horror. The virtual reality experiences were featured at a VIP backstage event hosted by The Australian Consul-General in association with sponsors Qantas and Ausfilm. The concert was part of G’Day USA, Australia’s premier public and economic diplomacy program in the United States.

Award winning Mount Isa Rodeo, 11-13 August

The biggest rodeo in the Southern Hemisphere  will see over 30,000 spectators from all over the world travel to Mount Isa to watch the nation’s best cowboys and cowgirls take part in competitions such as bull riding, saddle bronc, bareback bronc, steer wrestling and more. The Mount Isa Mines Rotary Rodeo won Gold in the festivals and events category at the 2016 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards.

Abrolhos Islands named as Australia’s newest Hope Spot

The Houtman Abrolhos Islands in Western Australia have been recognised as a ‘Hope Spot’ by ocean conservation organisation Mission Blue, joining 85 other sites globally and one other in Australia – Moreton Bay in Queensland. The Mission Blue Hope Spot program is a global campaign to help protect places that are vital to the health of the ocean.

New luxury food & wine tours on Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island Odysseys is launching all inclusive, luxury three-day food & wine tours from September 2017. Guests will stay at Sea Dragon Lodge or one of four Life Time Private Retreats luxury properties, visit beautiful beaches and experience the island’s best produce with local guides.

New ‘Bucket List Adventure’ on the Sunshine Coast

Amytis Gardens Retreat and Air Fraser Island have launched a new three-night adventure package, featuring return charter flights to Fraser Island for a day of exploration by 4WD. Guests will stay on the Sunshine Coast amongst 16 acres of natural Eucalypt trees.

Tourism Forecasts 2017

Tourism Research Australia has published tourism forecasts up to 2026–27 providing a long term view on changes in: inbound arrivals, focusing on Australia’s main international markets; purpose of travel for inbound arrivals; visitor nights and expenditure for international and domestic travellers; and international and domestic visitor nights for the states and territories. Estimates of tourist activity and spend are produced using a combination of econometric and time series models.

China Destination Development Mission

Expressions of interest are open until Friday 25 August for Australian businesses to join Austrade’s first-ever Destination Development Mission to China. The mission will be of interest to Australian tourism consultants, education and training providers, hotel and other operators looking to deliver goods and services into China. It will provide opportunities to engage with government officials, industry players and customers as well as opportunities for business matching, networking events and participation in the Australian Tourism Education showcase.

Travellers booking activities during their holiday

Most travellers (81%) book in-destination activity during their trip according to a survey conducted by travel technology company iSeats. The most popular types of activities booked were day trips, excursions and sightseeing tours (42 per cent), visiting museums, galleries or cultural attractions (30 per cent) and outdoor activities (28 per cent). Regardless of the category, the survey found that pre-booking activity decreases with age. For more research and trends related to international and domestic tourism and travel visit Tourism Australia’s Insight Files.

The team at Tourism Australia extends sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Garth Prowd OAM, a prominent figure in the worlds of tourism and sport. Garth's love for his home town of Noosa and for sports, tourism and events earnt him the affectionate nicknames of “Mr Noosa” and the “Godfather of Australian triathlon”.

Qantas has announced new non-stop, seasonal flights between Sydney and Osaka’s Kansai International Airport in Japan from 14 December 2017 until 24 March 2018.

The Government has signed a three year contract with Vision-Box Australia to deliver upgraded biometric technology, enabling the Department of Immigration and Border Protection to use biometric data to clear passengers arriving at Australian international airports.

NBA and Australian basketball star Patty Mills has joined the Gold Coast 2018 family as the seventh official ambassador for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Registration is open for the 2017 Whitsundays Tourism Exchange in Airlie Beach on 22 November.

Registration is open for ATEC Meeting Place 2017 in Perth from 20 to 22 November.

Skycity Entertainment Group has confirmed a $330m investment in Adelaide Casino under an agreement with the Government of South Australia.

The South Australia Facebook page has reached the milestone of one million likes.

Tourism WA’s corporate website has been updated and is now responsive to mobile devices.

The NSW Government has announced a dedicated Flood Recovery Support Program worth $300,000 to help drive visitors back to the NSW North Coast this Spring.

Destination NSW has released a new fact sheet on the significant contribution tourism makes to the State’s economy.

Queensland’s premier tourism experiences - including Cairns and the Whitsundays - have reached more than 1 billion people across China as part of popular reality television show “Divas Hit the Road”.

Visit Sunshine Coast has created a new Destination Promotion Program and will partner with sub-regional groups via a panel to increase destination awareness and visitation to the area.

Sir Elton John’s Once in a Lifetime Tour is set to attract a record-breaking 40,000 fans in Mackay and Cairns later this year.

Registration is open for the Victoria Summit 2017 Forum, this year focusing on liveability and the visitor economy, to be held on Tuesday 22 August in Melbourne.

The International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney), has been awarded LEED Gold certification recognising its all-encompassing approach to sustainability.