Premium famil inspires Chinese travel advisors

Tourism Australia hosted key decision makers from 13 hand-picked luxury travel agencies in China last month on four premium famil itineraries showcasing premium and luxury product across Australia including the Signature Experiences of Australia which comprises wineries, luxury lodges, golf courses, guided walks, Aboriginal guided experiences, fishing adventures, wildlife encounters and cultural attractions. All four groups then came together in Sydney for a workshop to share their experiences and provide insights to help guide Tourism Australia’s strategy to target high value Chinese travellers. The group ended their visit on a high note watching the lights turn on for the first night of Vivid 2019 on Sydney Harbour.

TA social media updates

Tourism Australia’s social media team is preparing a series of video updates for industry and is inviting Australian tourism businesses to nominate topics of interest. The survey is open until Friday 7 June.

Inspirational ideas for Italian high value travellers

A new suite of inspiring articles focusing on experiences that are key drivers for high value Italian travellers have been published on the Italian edition of Australia.com. The stories which feature everything from where to find beautiful beaches and trendy restaurants to road trip experiences, have been matched with 29 offers supplied by eight Italian tour operator and airline partners. The new content is being rolled out progressively and promoted through social media. In 2018 Australia welcomed 77,900 visitors from Italy who spent $500 million on their trips.

German Premier Aussie Specialists get artistic

A group of 27 Premier Aussie Specialists in Germany got an opportunity to explore their artistic talents with a creative kangaroo painting workshop as part of a two-day training event last month. The agents gathered in Munich for in-depth destination updates from each state and territory as well as Aussie Specialist Program sales training. The Aussie Specialist Program provides frontline travel sellers from around the globe with the knowledge and skills to best sell Australia. Premier Aussie Specialists represent the exclusive top tier of the program with extensive product knowledge and an established record of selling Australia.

AFL kicks off third premiership season match in Shanghai

Chinese sports fans watched St Kilda and Port Adelaide Football Clubs face off in the Adelaide Arena at Jiangwan Stadium in Shanghai on Sunday 2 June. The Australian Football League (AFL) has been staging Premiership Season matches in Shanghai since 2017 and has extended its commitment to hold a Toyota AFL Premiership Season match in China through to 2021 with support from Tourism Australia. Tourism Australia Managing Director John O’Sullivan said supporting the AFL matches in Shanghai offered another way to reach potential travellers in China. “AFL matches being played in China provide a fantastic opportunity to promote Australia as the tourism destination of choice through sport in Australia’s largest tourism market,” he said.

French media event hosted at Australian Embassy in Paris

A select group of influential French journalists were hosted at a special dinner last month by Australia’s Ambassador to France, His Excellency Mr Brendan Berne, and Emirates’ Managing Director for France, Mr Cédric Renard. The journalists, who write for Voyage de Luxe, le Parisien week-end, Madame Figaro, Grazia, Challenges and Relaxnews learned more about the importance of Australia for Emirates, the cultural projects initiated by the Australian embassy and Tourism Australia’s current marketing campaign Australia Inc. The dinner was concluded with a Q&A session between media, the Embassy, Emirates and Tourism Australia.

Go Wild partnership in HK promoting WA

Tourism Australia and Tourism Western Australia have partnered with Go Wild, Hong Kong’s leading retail chain for travel apparel and equipment, to launch a promotion showcasing Western Australia’s colourful outdoor activities. Travellers booking holidays to WA through assigned travel agencies will also receive a Go Wild cash coupon to spend in the store. More than 30 media attended the launch event last week at one of Go Wild’s stores which was decorated with eye-catching images of the WA’s colourful Hutt Lagoon. The promotion will run for one month.

Element Melbourne Richmond now taking reservations, VIC

Australia’s first Element by Westin hotel, Element Melbourne Richmond is preparing to open its doors on 12 June. Designed with today’s healthy, active traveller in mind Element Richmond will feature 168 spacious rooms and suites with the brand’s nature-inspired, wellness and eco-conscious philosophy at its core. Located in Richmond’s Botanicca Cooperate Park just 2.3km from the city centre, Element Melbourne Richmond are now taking reservations.

New off-grid tiny house has arrived at winery in South Australia

South Australia has welcomed CABN’s second tiny eco-house, CABN Matilda at Fox Garden Winery in the Adelaide Hills. The completely off-grid, sustainable and eco-friendly cabins are custom designed and placed in secluded curated sites with bespoke food and wine experiences available to order. Nearby Australia’s acclaimed McLaren Vale wine region, CABN provides an experience where guests can discover the authenticity of nature, enjoy a genuine connection with good company and simply slow down.

Big things to come for the Sunshine Coast, QLD 

Big things are coming to Queensland with the recent announcements of some exciting updates on the Sunshine Coast. The newly built $10 million Sunshine Coast Convention Centre at Novotel Twin Waters Resort officially opened last week and is capable of hosting more than 2,700 delegates. In addition to the new centre, an extensive upgrade of the adjoining hotel lobby and food and beverage facilities is currently underway and set to re-open in October 2019. The Sunshine Coast Airport Draft Master Plan for 2040 was also recently announced, ensuring a visionary future for the popular Sunshine Coast region.

Truffle Kerfuffle your way to Western Australia this winter 

Truffle Kerfuffle  returns to The Shire of Manjimup in Western Australia for a weekend celebration of one of the world’s most luxurious ingredients, fresh black truffles. In the heart of Australian truffle country, from 21 – 23 June foodies and festival goers can go hunting, taste their way through the Festival Village, meet farmers and growers, discover local wine and indulge in truffle laden experiences with world class chefs. The Shire of Manjimup is 3.5 hours form Perth and 90 minutes from Margaret River, Western Australia.

Australia Marketplace South East Asia 2019

Seller applications are open until Thursday 13 June for Australia Marketplace South East Asia 2019, formerly known as Walkabout South East Asia. The event will be held in Kuala Lumpur from 30 September to 2 October and includes pre-scheduled appointments between buyers and sellers, and opportunities to network at the official event functions. Australia Marketplace South East Asia is an opportunity for the Australian tourism industry to establish business relationships with key qualified travel agencies and tour operators from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Youth and Adventure Roadshow 2019

Applications are open until Friday 14 June for 32 Australian tourism businesses to join the Youth and Adventure Roadshow 2019 that will visit London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Munich from 1 to 7 November. While youth product is a focus of this event, adventure suppliers of all demographics are invited to apply due to the variety of travel agencies and wholesalers who will be attending. The roadshow follows the inaugural Australia Marketplace UK & Europe 2019 from 30 to 31 October in London. Tourism Australia has appointed Real Aussie Adventures to organise the event.

Dreamtime 2019

Seller applications are open until Friday 5 July for Dreamtime 2019, Tourism Australia’s signature business events showcase held every two years. Hosted in Perth from 1 to 3 December in partnership with the Perth Convention Bureau, the event will provide an opportunity to meet and do business with 120 qualified international business events decision makers and international trade media from ten key markets. The program includes a full-day of face-to-face pre-scheduled appointments as well as networking events. Survey results from Dreamtime 2017 held in Brisbane found that 100% of buyers and 99% of sellers were satisfied with the program.

Advance Program applications open

Applications are now open until 1 July for the 2019/20 Advance Program. The program offers the Australian business events industry the opportunity to leverage Tourism Australia’s international marketing expertise to grow the number of delegates to confirmed business events taking place in Australia as well as the number of international business events secured for Australia. Tourism Australia’s dedicated business events unit Business Events Australia manages the program.

Applications are open for ATEC’s Emerging Leaders of Inbound Tourism Excellence (ELITE) program for both Emerging Leaders as well as Mentors.

Registration is open for Queensland's Future Tourism Conference on Thursday 13 June in Brisbane.

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.

Submissions are open until Wednesday 26 June for funding for regional events through the Queensland Destination Events Program.

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

Nominations are open until 26 July for the Queensland Government’s Young Tourism Leaders program.

Registration is open for ATEC Meeting Place to be held from Monday 25 to Wednesday 27 November in Brisbane.