TA says ‘g’day’ to millennial travel advisors

Millennial travel sellers expanded their Australia knowledge at the recent Future Leaders in Travel Retreat in Aspen, Colorado. The conference focused on professional development and relationship building for young advisors. With events highlighting why There's Nothing Like Australia, the retreat featured Down Under-themed delights including an Aussie BBQ and trivia and showcased Aussie Specialist Ambassador experiences. Findings from the retreat show that many millennial advisors work from home and independently, making personal brand and ease of availability important. This group is also more likely to use professional and personal social media accounts to communicate with clients.

Industry Briefing in WA

Tourism Australia is holding a free of charge industry briefing on Tuesday 8 October alongside the Corroboree West event at the Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre. The briefing offers industry the opportunity to hear about Tourism Australia's strategic and creative direction as well as resources and support available for tourism businesses.

PURE Marrakech 2019

Tourism Australia, Luxury Lodges of Australia and nine industry partners, joined forces at PURE Life Experiences in Marrakech last week. The annual travel trade show attracts trailblazers from high-end experiential travel from across the globe. Team Australia and St Ali coffee provided Australian coffee for attendees at the hugely popular Australia Café. Tourism Australia also supported the return of internationally renowned marketer and innovator in social media, Andy Lark, to the pre Pure conference, Matter, to challenge and inspire delegates to think outside the square.

Field of light in the UK

Tourism Australia’s UK team recently hosted a two-night special event series with Bruce Munro, the installation artist behind Field of Light at Uluru. A celebration of Bruce’s upcoming work, Tropical Light, which will open in Darwin in November, the first event was held for their readers in partnership with Condé Nast Traveller magazine. The second was a TA-hosted evening for our Friends of Australia, media guests and other VIPs in the UK. Guests were treated to a viewing of a bespoke installation created by Bruce for the events, an installation called C-Scales that was inspired by Sydney Harbour. They also enjoyed a three-course meal created by Australian chef Lyndey Milan. As part of the proceedings, Bruce was inducted into the Friends of Australia program, joining other UK-based friends including Rick Stein, Kathy Lette and Bill Granger.

Business Events Bid Fund supports big win for Sydney

Australia’s achievements in rehabilitation medicine and public health policy have been recognised with Sydney winning hosting rights for the 16th International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM) World Congress in 2022. It is the first time the event will be held in Australia and is expected to attract more than 1,800 delegates and inject almost $10 million into the economy. The win was supported by Tourism Australia’s Business Events Bid Fund which is designed to increase conversion of new international business events in Australia through the offer of financial support at the critical bidding stage.

Melbourne Convention Bureau wins global award for VR experience

A Melbourne Virtual Site Visit produced by the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) was awarded "Best AR, VR or Mixed Reality Experience" at the Skift Design Awards in New York this week which recognise forward-thinking design projects in the travel sector. The Virtual Reality experience has been used to help international associations and professional conference organisers plan their upcoming conference by capturing what it feels like to be in Melbourne and showcasing iconic landmarks, venues and attractions. MCB partnered with Business Events Australia through its Advance Program on this innovative project to promote Melbourne and Australia to key international audiences.

Open-air food and wine trail coming to Kangaroo Valley, NSW

Tickets have just been released for WILDFest Highland Valley Forage, offering an extraordinary open-air dining experience in the natural surrounds of Kangaroo Valley on 2 and 3 November. No ordinary lunch, guests will be guided on a long, leisurely stroll along an eight or 10 course food and wine trail throughout Morton National Park. Led by three local gastronomic favorites Nick Gardiner (Hamden Deli), Renee Wallace (Birch) and one of Australia’s most celebrated Indigenous chefs, Mark Olive (Black Olive Catering), the degustation experience will uncover the fascinating culinary stories of the region through the magnitude of nature. Known for its rich and abundant wildlife and quality produce, Kangaroo Valley is a two-hour drive south of Sydney. Tickets are on sale now.

The countdown is on for Melbourne Cup Carnival, VIC

The countdown is on to the 2019 Melbourne Cup Carnival, set take over Flemington Racecourse from 2 – 9 November. Hosted by Victoria Racing Club (VCR), the annual four-day horse race carnival celebrates all that Melbourne does best: world-class sport, fashion, entertainment and hospitality. The signature event of the carnival, The Lexus Melbourne Cup, is renowned as one of Australia’s most exciting events on the calendar year. With the recent announcement of headline act Taylor Swift to take the stage, this year’s race will be no exception. The VCR Melbourne Cup Carnival will begin with AAMI Victoria Derby Day (2 November), followed by Lexus Melbourne Cup Day (5 November), Kennedy Oaks Day (7 November) and Seppelt Wines Stakes Day (9 November). Tickets are on sale now.

Tasmania’s Pennicott Tours expand into Victoria’s Gippsland Region, VIC

Pennicott Wilderness Journeys is expanding from Tasmania launching its first Victorian eco-tourism adventure, Wilsons Promontory Cruises on 19 September. The international award-winning tourism operator has invested $3 million in the new development which is the first and only cruise to be operating from the Wilsons Promontory National Park. Guests will board a custom-built amphibious vessel before embarking on the four-hour adventure in search of untouched islands, rugged coastlines, amazing rock formations and fascinating wildlife. Located three hours’ drive South-East of Melbourne, Wilson Promontory Cruises is now taking bookings.

Program announced for the 22nd Biennale of Sydney, NSW

Biennale of Sydney has announced its 2020 program titled NIRIN (meaning edge in the local Wiradjuri language), is set to return to Little Bay for its 22nd year from 14 March to 8 June 2020. Biennale of Sydney 2020 will be with first year that the program is First Nations-led, presenting an expansive exhibition of contemporary art that connects local communities and global networks. Next year, 98 artists, creatives and collectives will come together from across the global, with international talent from Nepal, Georgia, Afghanistan, Sudan and Ecuador set to participate for the first time. The exhibition will also include artworks across six sites: Art Gallery of NSW, Artspace, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Cockatoo Island, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and the National Art School. The program is available online now.

Australian Tourism Exchange 2020 (ATE20) applications open

Applications to attend the Australia Tourism Exchange 2020 (ATE20) are now open. Organised by Tourism Australia in partnership with Visit Victoria, ATE20 will take place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 10 to 14 May. The event will bring together Australian tourism businesses, tourism wholesalers and retailers from around the world through a combination of scheduled business appointments and networking events. It also provides international travel buyers with the opportunity to experience Australia’s tourism offering first-hand through pre and post-event familiarisations.

The 2019 MEA 2019 Awards Program is now open to the events community across Australia. To assist members entering the Awards program, MEA is conducting a ‘How to Guide’ webinar on Wednesday, 25 September.

Tickets are available to attend the 2019 Youth Tourism Conference and Adventure Tourism Awards on the Gold Coast on 14 November 2019. Exclusive to the youth and adventure tourism industry in Australia and New Zealand the one-day conference focuses on addressing the challenges and opportunities that affect youth tourism.

The 2019 Global Eco Asia-Pacific Tourism Conference, Ecotourism Australia’s premier event will be held in Cairns from 2 to 4 December 2019. The conference will explore topics including green destinations, ecotourism on protected areas, indigenous business across the Asia-Pacific, responding to overtourism and ecotourism in World Heritage Areas.

Registrations for the 2019 Australian Regional Tourism Convention (ARTC), to be held in Devonport in Tasmania, from 21 to 23 October are currently open. This year’s theme is 'Getting ready for the spotlight - Is regional Australia finally a genuine part of our national tourism agenda and are we ready?’.