Global Market Monitor report released today 
Tourism Australia’s Global Market Monitor report updates Tourism Australia’s assessment of the impact of the global economic slowdown on Australian tourism. This is the sixth report since November 2008. Tourism Australia thanks all those businesses who contributed their time during October and November to provide survey responses that made this update possible.

To read the report, click here.


Minister names 2009 a year of resilience for tourism 
The Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson AM MP, delivered an upbeat assessment of business conditions to industry representatives at the Tourism, Hospitality and Catering Institute President’s Dinner in Sydney last week.

Minister Ferguson said, “Resilience to a financial shock – or any kind of shock – requires considered and decisive intervention. Throughout the downturn, Australian tourism operators have offered a distinctive product, while the Australian Government has provided targeted stimulus payments, infrastructure spending and tax changes.

“Restaurant and Catering Australia estimate at least $80 million was injected into the sector from economic stimulus payments. In the restaurant and catering sector alone, total business turnover increased by more than seven per cent – or $1.3 billion – through the first half of this year, with 32,000 new jobs created.”

To read the Minister’s press release, click here.


Government strengthens Tropical North Queensland’s web presence
The Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson AM MP welcomed the launch of the Tropical North Queensland website last week, which forms part of a long term tourism strategy to reposition the region.

The website is just one part of the Australian Government’s four million dollar New Destination Road Map for Tropical North Queensland announced in August 2008, following the withdrawal of air services from Japan. The Road Map aims to reposition the region in the long term, promote new tourism experiences and encourage flexibility in the tourism industry to adapt to changing economic conditions and consumer trends.

To view the new site, click here.
To read the Minister’s press release, click here.


Tourism Australia’s annual report out now
Tourism Australia’s annual report for 2008/09 has been tabled in the Federal Parliament. The report provides a comprehensive overview of Tourism Australia’s domestic and international tourism marketing activities across all of our key markets, including reports on the Come Walkabout and No Leave, No Life campaigns.

The annual report also showcases Tourism Australia’s digital marketing expertise and engagement in the National Landscapes program.

To download the annual report, click here.




UK and Germany inspired by a Two Week Walkabout
Consumers in Germany and the United Kingdom are discovering it’s possible to have a rejuvenating holiday in Australia if two weeks is all the time they can spare.

Tourism Australia and Qantas have launched the Two Week Walkabout campaign and during November press and online activity will direct consumers to a website featuring achievable two week itineraries, holiday ideas and booking options.

The Two Week Walkabout messaging is also being included across Tourism Australia's consumer and trade communications throughout the next 12 months to drive a sense of urgency and emphasise the feasibility of a two week holiday in Australia.

Fodor’s Travel, a division of Random House, is one of the world’s leading providers of travel information and their website receives more than 1.1 million unique visitors per month.

To view the campaign website for German consumers, click here.
To view the campaign website for UK consumers, click here.


Greater China Travel Mission does Australia proud
The first Greater China Travel Mission was hosted by Tourism Australia last week in Guangzhou. Travel agents from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan attended the event, with 173 buyers meeting 47 Australian sellers and 60 media. This was the first major trade event in the region since the formation of Tourism Australia’s ‘Greater China’ approach in July.

Throughout the three day event, 4,512 one on one appointments were held. Highlights of the event included a new seller forum and the green and gold gala dinner for 285 guests, featuring a special karaoke style performance from the Tourism Australia team.

To read more about the China market, click here.


Italian honeymooners Love Australia
Italian couples are being inspired to choose Australia as their honeymoon destination via a new Tourism Australia campaign. In partnership with Tourism Northern Territory, Tourism New South Wales, Tourism Queensland and South Australian Tourism Commission, 10,000 copies of the 16 page Love Australia booklet have been distributed via major tour operators and Italian bridal fairs.

A shorter version of the booklet was also included in 60,000 copies of the November issue of Italy’s specialist wedding magazine Viaggi di Nozze. Profiling a selection of romantic spots around Australia, the publication directs consumers to a sitelet off Australia.com.

To view the Love Australia website, click here.
To read more about the Italian market click here.


Australia promoted in Japanese retail shops
More than 860 travel agency retail outlets in Japan are taking part in an in-store display competition organised by Tourism Australia and Japanese trade media company Travel Vision. On registering, the outlets are provided with a tool kit made up of posters, brochures and a new DVD featuring footage of popular Japanese television and radio personality Jon Kabira sharing stories about his Australian travels.

Leaflets encouraging consumers to participate in the Aussie Oji campaign currently being promoted on the Japan version of Australia.com have also been distributed to participating stores. In December, 13 outlets will be rewarded for staging the most creative Australian displays.

Tourism Australia has also been collaborating with the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) to train over 200 retail staff with a series of educational seminars in Tokyo and Osaka. A follow up familiarisation trip is being planned for 80 participants who will visit the Gold Coast, Cairns, Sydney and Uluru in January.

To view the Aussie Oji campaign website, click here.
To view the retail display contest, click here.


Business Events Australia receives industry accolades for CSR work 
Tourism Australia has been recognised by the global business events industry for leadership in corporate social responsibility (CSR). Business Events Australia has been named as a finalist in the Best Destination Marketing Campaign category for its CSR work at the EIBTM awards. The winner will be announced on 2 December during EIBTM, the leading global event for the meetings and incentive industry, being held in Barcelona.

This follows recent recognition at the Australian Events Awards where Business Events Australia was a finalist in the export award category and also a presentation by Business Events Australia to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) emphasising the centrality of CSR principles to Australia’s business events brand.

To read more about Business Events Australia, click here.


Tourism Australia at 30th World Travel Market
Sixteen Aussie partners joined Tourism Australia at last week’s World Travel Market. Staged annually in London, this year marked the 30th year of the event and was attended by 45,000 travel professionals. The four day business to business event brought together buyers and sellers from every sector of the industry and gave Australian representatives the opportunity to meet with travel agents and media.

For more information on the World Travel Market, click here.
For more information on the UK market, click here.


Tasmania to host tourism hospitality conference 
The Council for Australian University Tourism and Hospitality Education (CAUTHE) will hold a tourism and hospitality conference in Tasmania from 8 to 11 February 2010.

To find out more or register click here.






Event Name: The Internationale Tourismus Börse (ITB)
Event Dates: 10 - 14 March 2010
Applications Close: 23 November 2009

The Internationale Tourismus Börse (ITB) is the world's largest travel and tourism exhibition held in Berlin from 10 to 14 March 2010. ITB runs for five days and is open to both trade and consumers, with 10 to 12 March being open to trade visitors only.

Event Name: ATE 2010 - Eastern Module
Event Dates: 29 - 31 May 2010
Applications Close: 24 November 2009

The Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE 2010) is Australia’s premier tourism trade event. ATE provides a forum for Australian tourism businesses to showcase their product, meet overseas contacts and negotiate business deals. The event will be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre in Adelaide, South Australia. Eastern module delegates will register from Friday 28 May 2010, with appointments commencing mid Saturday morning and running for three days (Saturday 29 May to Monday 31 May).

Event Name: Event Name: ATE 2010 - Western Module
Event Dates: 1 - 4 June 2010
Applications Close: 24 November 2009

Australia’s premier tourism trade event, Western module delegates to ATE will register from Monday 31 May 2010, with appointments commencing mid Tuesday morning and running for four days (Tuesday 1 June to Friday 4 June).

Event Name: Corroboree ‘10
Event Dates: 6 - 8 May 2010
Applications Close: 26 November 2009

Travel agents from the UK, Europe and South Africa will come together at Corroboree ’10, a new and exclusive training event for qualified Aussie Specialists. Corroboree '10, an initiative of the Destination Australia Partnership, combines two existing events (Discover Australia and Corroboree UK) into an improved format that will offer a great range of benefits to all who attend. This year, the training workshop will be followed by a familiarisation, with each state hosting up to 43 agents.