Chinese diners get a taste of Restaurant Australia

Tourism Australia has partnered with Australian chef Craig Willis to create special menu items that showcase Australian food and wine at nine of his well-known Shanghai eateries. Craig’s signature beef dishes will each reflect the respective restaurant’s cuisine while embodying his dedication to simplicity and fresh produce. “My cooking has always been simple to allow the flavours of the ingredients to shine through. The Australian beef that we will be featuring in these dishes allows us to do just that,” said Craig. “We are so excited to work with Tourism Australia to create this one-of-a-kind food and wine experience, and I am delighted to share some of my personal favourite dishes with diners here in China.”

Australian Tourism Exchange 2018

Seller applications for the Australian Tourism Exchange 2018 are open until Wednesday 11 October. Australia’s largest annual travel and tourism business-to-business event will be held from 15 to 19 April at the Adelaide Convention Centre which has just completed a $297 million expansion redevelopment.

Largest ever tourism delegation attends first Walkabout South East Asia

A delegation of 74 Australian tourism representatives attended the inaugural Walkabout South East Asia last week to build trade relationships with 71 distribution partners from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia – the largest delegation from Australia to visit the region. Two consumer media also took part in the business and networking sessions held over three days in Bali. The event received positive feedback from both buyers and sellers and generated several potential business leads. For the year ending July 2017, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia contributed more than one million visitors to Australia.

Australian superyacht cruising showcased to global industry

Over 100 yacht captains, international charter brokers, media and industry influencers were given an update on Australia as a superyacht cruising and charter destination at a special event during the Monaco Yacht Show last week. Tourism Australia and Superyachts Australia were joined by 26 Australian suppliers at the prestigious show which attracted 580 exhibitors from 38 countries and 34,000 participants. The superyacht industry in Australia is already valued at almost $2 billion and is expected to grow significantly in the next five years with Australia’s premium experiences, pristine cruising grounds and marina facilities attracting the interest of this high-yield market.

Australia Pavilion opens at Sichuan International Travel Expo

Visitors to the fourth Sichuan International Travel Expo last month had the opportunity to immerse themselves in Australia’s beautiful landscapes through virtual reality experiences. Australia was the country of honour at the expo and unveiled a national pavilion to showcase some of the country’s top travel destinations. The Expo was held in Leshan, Sichuan Province, near the cities of Chengdu and Chongqing. China was Australia’s second largest inbound market based on visitor arrivals in the year to June 2017, and is likely to become the largest inbound arrivals market within the next 12 months (surpassing New Zealand). China is the number one market for Australia when ranked on expenditure.

Korean travel show battles it out in top Queensland holiday spots

Two pairs of Korean celebrities have taken part in the hit travel show ‘Battle Trip’ to see who could have the most fun in Brisbane and Gold Coast versus Cairns. It was the first time the show has featured two regions in the same country rather than two competing countries. Battle Trip is popular across Asia and is currently the leading Korean holiday program. Tourism Australia and Tourism Events Queensland partnered to promote the locations ahead of Korea’s peak winter holiday season and sales of Jin Air’s direct flights to Cairns from December. The Australian episodes will air for three consecutive weeks and will feature a range of coastal and aquatic, food and wine as well as adventure experiences.

International Luxury Travel Market Americas

Fifty luxury travel advisors from the US, Canada and Mexico attended an Australia showcase at ILTM Americas in Mexico last week. Tourism Australia also met with 60 travel sellers in one-on-one appointments at the event. Australia’s continued popularity has been helped by the increase of direct flights and interest in Australia’s range of premium experiences. Agents at the show reiterated that luxury consumers from the Americas continue to seek out tailored, authentic experiences with quality food and wine offerings as well as personal service. Luxury Lodges of Australia and Elements of Byron also attended the trade show. For more information on premium travel in the Americas, contact Robert Keddy.

Invictus Games wraps up in Toronto and hands over to Sydney

Over 500 wounded veterans from 17 countries competed in the Invictus Games in Toronto last week where Tourism Australia cheered on the competitors and promoted next year’s Games in Sydney. Tourism Australia had a presence at the Toronto event through virtual reality experiences and travel offers for athletes and their family and friends with Goway and Pacesetter Travel. Tourism Australia, Air Canada and Goway Travel also hosted media and travel agents at the Closing Ceremony to witness the hand-over of Invictus Flag to Sydney. The Invictus Games will be held in Sydney from 20 to 27 October 2018.

Tourism Australia CMO at Skift Global Forum

Tourism Australia’s Chief Marketing Officer, Lisa Ronson, participated in a CMO Superpanel at the Skift Global Forum last month in New York on the best focus for marketing budgets as consumer behaviour shifts as well as investment in traditional television content. Lisa told the forum that Tourism Australia develops film assets to use in a variety of channels. Some 60 to 70 per cent of Tourism Australia’s marketing is digital, and recent statistics show that 64 per cent of consumers are using video to make their destination decision. Lisa was among 30 CEOs and industry leaders speaking at the two-day forum attended by more than 1,100 executives from 550 companies.

New Wilson’s Promontory cruise

This month Wildlife Coast Cruises has welcomed a new vessel to their fleet, The Brianna Lee, which will run regular cruises along the coastline of Wilson’s Promontory in Victoria. The vessel is a 19m luxury catamaran with both indoor and outdoor viewing areas, especially designed for wildlife viewing.

Chin Chin Sydney now open

The hotly anticipated Chin Chin Sydney is now open featuring GoGo, a 100-seat bar combining booths, tunes and cocktails, a 160-seat restaurant and Chii Town, an events space and private dining room for up to 125 people on basement level. Like the original in Melbourne, Chin Chin’s menu features quintessentially Australian cuisine with a heavy modern Asian influence.

Visit Australia’s hottest new gin distilleries

Tasting Plate Tours has launched a new tour, The Distiller, which takes in two of Australia’s up and coming distilleries. The tour starts at Australia’s newest gin distillery Cape Byron Distillery, home to Brookies Gin; followed by a trip to Tweed Heads to visit Husk Distillery, known for their famous Ink Gin.

Inside the Great Barrier Reef's brand-new aquarium

After a $54 million investment, Cairns Aquarium and Reef Research Centre is now open, inviting guests on a 2.5 hour interactive journey through 10 North Queensland ecosystems and 71 habitats. It is the only aquarium in the world to exclusively showcase species from two adjoining World Heritage protected areas: The Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Rainforest.

Youth campaign webinar and stats

Tourism Australia will host a free, 30 minute webinar on Monday 9 October at 4pm to update industry on its new youth-focused campaign which will launch internationally the week before. The campaign builds on Tourism Australia’s recent Working Holiday Maker campaign but has a broader youth focus, highlighting the most unique attractions and life-changing experiences for young travellers. The webinar will cover key facts about the value and size of the youth sector, an overview of Tourism Australia’s new campaign and advice on how industry can get involved in the campaign. Tourism Australia has also published infographics on the size and value of the general youth and Working Holiday Maker markets.

Industry Briefings in NSW, SA, TAS and ACT

Tourism Australia has opened registration for four free-of-charge industry briefings: in Sydney on Thursday 9 November from 9 - 11.30am at the Hilton, Sydney; in Adelaide on Friday 10 November from 2 - 4pm at the Playford; in Hobart on Friday 10 November from 2 - 4pm at the Hobart Function and Conference Centre; and in Canberra at Hotel Realm from 2 – 4pm on Friday 17 November. The briefings will involve senior executives from Tourism Australia and State Tourism executives providing an update on current and future activity and sharing research and insights from key international markets.

The new Chinese traveller

Chinese travellers are increasingly motivated by experiences that differ completely to everyday life according to a study by research agency TNS into the Chinese traveller’s mindset and preferences. According to the study Chinese travellers today seek out exotic, brag-worthy and unique experiences where there is an opportunity to learn different customs, cultures, languages, cuisines, scenery and activities. For more research and trends related to international and domestic tourism and travel visit Tourism Australia’s Insight Files.

Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour was officially launched on 3 October by The Hon. Adam Marshall MP, NSW's Minister for Tourism and Major Events, making it the first new build, international luxury hotel to debut in Sydney’s CBD since 1999.

Tourism and Events Queensland has launched the Best of Queensland Experiences Program.

A total of 41 businesses have been recognised for their outstanding contribution to the local tourism industry at this year’s Reef Gateway Hotel Whitsunday Tourism Awards.

The NSW Government has struck a new, two-year deal with Air New Zealand, extending an existing Memorandum of Understanding to encourage increased visitation to Sydney and into rural and regional NSW.

Nominations are open until Friday 20 October for the Australian Tourism Export Council's National Awards 2017.

Tourism WA has released two new videos on how to engage with Japanese and New Zealand markets, as part of a series aimed at providing an understanding of key international and domestic market objectives and plans.

Tickets are on sale for the 2017 RACV Victorian Tourism Awards on Thursday 23 November at Palladiam Crown.

Tickets are on sale for the 2017 South Australian Tourism Awards on Friday 10 November at the Adelaide Convention Centre.

Tickets are on sale for the 2017 Queensland Tourism Awards on Friday 10 November at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Registration is open for the Youth & Backpacker Travel Week Australia 2017 on Queensland's Gold Coast from Monday 6 November to Friday 10 November.

Applications are open until 1 October for round one funding the NSW 2018 Incubator Event Fund open to organisers of new or second-year events in rural and regional NSW which are planned for January to June 2018.

Registration is open for the Australian Regional Tourism Network's (ARTN) annual Australian Regional Tourism Convention to be held from 23 – 26 October at QT Canberra.