The forty million dollar campaign will be spread out across several distinct platforms, with Tourism Australia making sure that key international markets and demographic are targeted. As part of the campaign, the peak body has accentuated the popularity of aquatic and coastal experiences; according to newly gathered data, more than seventy percent of international visitors identified these kinds of experiences as central to their Australian holidays.

Accordingly, the new advertising feature will prominently feature coastal attractions including the Katherine Gorge in the Northern Territory, Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef, the iconic Whitsunday Islands and the Gold Coast. Eight more ocean-side locations will be added to the feature as part of a concerted campaign to spread the benefits of the tourist dollar.

Tourism Australia Managing Director John O’Sullivan said it was natural that water and sea-side fun would appeal to an international audience. “Water is a huge part of the Australian way of life, whether it be catching a wave, swimming, beach cricket, snorkelling and scuba diving, marvelling our amazing marine wildlife or eating our incredible seafood,” he explained.

“We know our offering in this area is strong but we also know that we face increasingly stiff international competition from countries such as South Africa, Hawaii and the USA, who are all raising their game. Whilst these aquatic and coastal experiences have always been an important part of the Australia story, they’ve never before taken centre stage.”

By investing in a marketing push targeted at key perceptions of tourism within Australia, the authority believes that it can better connect with visitors’ expectations. “This campaign will do just that, by putting aquatic and coastal Australia on the main stage,” Mr. O’Sullivan added.

It might not be the freshest take on Australian tourism, but we know it works..

Iconic destinations for global travelers… but is it enough?

A recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald has warned the Australian tourism industry it is already part of a figurative “arms race” for the Chinese tourist dollar. The piece asserts Australia and New Zealand will be left off the Chinese itinerary if services, infrastructure, amenities and signage is not improved.

Though both Australia and New Zealand are currently experiencing a boom time, several industry insiders say the two nations risk losing their regional relevance and stature in the tourism market. Simply put, Australian businesses are not adequately accommodating for the change in the market. Instead of improving Chinese-language communication skills and investing in newer, high-end hotels and accommodation, some say the industry is resting on its laurels.

Speaking at an American Chamber of Commerce lunch in Sydney, Echo Entertainment CEO Matt Bekier examined the disconnect between Australia’s reputation and its bottom-line. “We’re number one in terms of where they want to go, but we’re only number 15 in terms of where they actually go,” he explained. “Countries are making it easy for people to come and visit not just once but multiple times. That’s what we have to compete against. We can’t just sit back and say ‘well our beaches are better’.”

With trillions of dollars worth of spending on the table, Mr. Bekier and others believe tourism will soon become Australia’s primary industry (currently, it’s the nation’s second largest export earning industry). “This is going to be the next mining boom,” Mr. Bekier added. For many, the government and other relevant authorities are simply not doing enough to ensure that the industry continues to attract the Chinese tourist dollar.

Tourism Australia, the federal tourism body, predicts the Chinese tourist market will expand to more than $13 billion by 2020. But recent reports indicate that the assessment may be flawed; a recent IHG/Oxford Economics study found Australia would not likely place in the top ten markets for Chinese visitor growth over the next decade.

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The St Jerome’s Laneway Festival has become one of Australia’s leading alternative music festivals, offering major cities a generous line-up of local and international talent. Organisers recently announced the 2016 program, which features some truly amazing musical talents including Flume, Chvrches, Grimes, Hermitude, Beach House and Thundercat.

Next year, EDM legend Flume will be rocking the festival with his unique blend of futuristic genres. The producer spoke to Triple J about working at the festival in his younger, less famous days. “I actually volunteered at the 2010 Laneway … I was carrying bottles of water between stages and all that,” Flume told triple J. “I walked past The xx [playing on stage]. I kind of stopped; I put the box of water down and watched the whole set. Got in heaps of trouble.”

Other major acts include indie-rock darlings Beach House, bass playing supremo Thundercat, live-wire electronic act Grimes and acclaimed singer-songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr. Rapper Vince Staples and Odd Future-related crew The Internet will bring their unique talents to Australian crowds, along with Chvrches, Hudson Mohawke and Hermitude. Local favourites will include Violent Soho, Big Scary, The Smith Street Band and Japanese Wallpaper.

The Laneway Festival is renowned for its relaxed atmosphere and welcoming vibe. With a smattering of other wonderful festival attractions and an overwhelmingly good line-up, don’t miss out on next year’s Laneway!

The 2016 St Jerome’s Laneway Festival Line-Up includes:
•    Banoffee
•    Battles
•    Beach House
•    Big Scary
•    Chvrhces
•    DMA’s
•    East India Youth
•    Flume
•    Grimes
•    Health
•    Hermitude
•    High Tension
•    Hudson Mohawke
•    Japanese Wallpaper
•    Majical Cloudz
•    METZ
•    Purity Ring
•    QT
•    Shamir
•    Silicon
•    The Internet
•    The Smith Street Band
•    Tobias Jesso Jr.
•    Vince Staples
•    Violent Soho

Tickets go on sale September 30.

When/Where:

• Friday 5 February: Harts Mill, Port Adelaide (16+)
• Saturday 6 February:  Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane (16+)
• Sunday 7 February: Sydney College of the Arts, Sydney
• Saturday 13 February: Footscray Community Arts Centre And The River’s Edge, Melbourne
• Sunday 14 February: Esplanade Reserve and West End, Fremantle

For more information visit: http://lanewayfestival.com/

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A tourism boom?

It seems the Australian tourism sector is experiencing something of a renaissance. According to the new International Visitor Survey, the industry has hit its highest point since the Sydney Olympic Games. The data revealed that more than $91-million is spent by foreign visitors each and every day, a truly staggering and impressive figure.

In its strongest showing since 2001, the Australian tourism sector accounted for a whopping segment of the vacation-pie, with $33.4-billion injected into the national economy. The figure is up ten per cent on last year, with $3.2-billion in extra revenue making all the difference.

Federal Tourism Minister Andrew Robb was keen to spruik the results, a beacon of light in a sometimes dreary landscape. “Today’s result once again demonstrates that tourism is one of our greatest strengths,” Mr Robb told the media. “Tourism can be our fastest growing sector this decade if we continue to leverage our “clean, green and safe” brand to position ourselves as the number one, long-haul destination in Asia.”

Though some of those assertions are indeed contentious (‘clean’ and ‘green’, for instance), Mr. Robb seemed glad that the sector was back up and booming. He attributed this rise to the impact of tourists visiting from places such as China. In fact, the data revealed that Chinese tourists accounted more than 20 per cent of the total gains, with more than $7-billion dollars spent by Chinese nationals on holidays and short-term trips. “With China now accounting for one in every five dollars spent by international visitors, it is clear that China is vital to the sustained growth of our tourism sector,” Mr. Robb stated.

For the ebullient minister, the survey is an indicator of clear skies ahead. “With new records for international tourism, growth in spend not seen since the Sydney Olympic Games and a reinvigorated tourism investment pipeline, the Australian tourism industry is well positioned to prosper as one of our great economic strengths.”

Here’s hoping this positive assessment is right on the mark, and the money continues rolling in.

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A famous caboose…

Australia’s lagging rail network has long baffled those in the tourism industry. Compared to Europe and China, Australia’s rail system is simply not fit for purpose. As a large nation encompassing a truly awe-inspiring landscape, one would assume that rail travel would be a priority for the nation’s lawmakers and peak tourism bodies. However, a slated cut to the Indian Pacific’s route has set chins wagging.

Over the weekend, train operator Great Southern Rail announced that they would be cutting their twice-weekly peak season services in half. Another cost-cutting measure is a slated increase to the cost of fares for pensioners and veterans.

The announcement, which has been met with public condemnation and consternation, was in part due to the severe budgetary constraints faced by the operator. Over the course of the last year, Great Southern Rail has had to deal with the sudden removal of more than $9 million worth of subsidies usually handed out to regional travel operators.

The decision, established in last year’s federal budget, has now been met with calls for relevant state governments to pitch in and save the fledgling industry. In the long run, operators are concerned that the lack of transport options will disincentivise travel to regional areas dependent on tourism. Small towns, such as Broken Hill, are expected to bear the brunt of the cataclysmic change.

Inland Tourism New South Wales head, Graham Perry, explained that the changes would likely affect the proposed doubling of visitor numbers to the region. “We’ve just heard that these subsidies have been cut and again that reduces services and the ability for Australia to travel out to Broken Hill.”

Mr. Perry explained that government-run operator, TrainLink, should help cover the shortfall in the short-term. “We need to grow the services at a time when other people are pulling back,” Mr. Perry advised. “I would really encourage TrainLink, who I think has for the last couple of years now been really pulling back in terms of their involvement in tourism, so what I would urge them to say, urge them to do is to pick up the slack.”

The Liberal-National Government has been keen to distance itself from any responsibility for the cutbacks. WA MP Sussan Ley reiterated the LNP’s position that transport subsidies should be funded by the states and territories. “While the Australian Government indicated in the 2014-15 budget it will cease concessions, it’s my understanding the changes announce [have] not been the only factor in new GSR owner Allegro’s business decision to reduce passenger services. I also see GSR boss Chris Tallent also accepts it is not really the Federal Government’s job to subsidise pensioners’ trips.”

The decision will likely affect regional and national tourism, with operators already decrying disastrous and potentially damaging side-effects. Here’s hoping the issue is solved some time soon.

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Unregulated, or misunderstood?

Right now, as you read this article, millions of people are using the popular site ‘Airbnb’ to secure accommodation. The explosive rise in the number of users has led many within the traditional accommodation industry to complain about the lack of oversight and registration levied upon those renting out their spaces in Australia.

As with ride-sharing (taxi) company Uber, the presence of a new, internet-based player has disrupted the traditional business model associated with the service. According to Tourism Accommodation Australia, the issue exposes guests and owners to a host of unintended consequences. As such, many within the industry are calling for ‘Airbnb’ owners to be registered.

Martin Ferguson, the former federal tourism minister under Labor, says that registration should be essential for those using a ‘home-sharing’ service. According to the former government insider, there are many health, taxation and regulatory requirements that have yet to be satisfied by many Airbnb owners. He recommends a national register for these kinds of premises, so that there can be some oversight of the service provided.

“We are not against the ‘sharing’ economy, but we are opposed to the ‘taking’ economy, where unregulated commercial short-term accommodation providers take lots of money without meeting their obligations to guests, the community and the wider economy,” Mr. Ferguson told the Australian Financial Review.

“If there is rampant growth of illegal short-stay commercial accommodation, it will significantly reduce the likelihood of investment in tourist accommodation, which has the potential to be one of the most sustainable generators of future employment in Australia.”

A spokesman for the high-flying tech company stated that its operators were “encouraged to familiarise themselves with locally set regulations, which differed from council to council and even street to street, all over the world”. The somewhat implausible defence continued. “These laws can be confusing and we’re working with policymakers around the world on clear, progressive and fair laws that allow for home-sharing,” the spokesman offered.

For now, it seems home-sharing is here to stay.

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An iconic view…

More than six and a half million visitors have flocked to Australia’s golden shores and sunny cities in the last year, proving our domestic tourism industry is making a comeback. According to Tourism Research Australia, this year Australian tourism received an eight per cent bump! But how can we account for the sudden rise in tourist numbers?

Tourism Australia CEO John O’Sullivan told SBS that Australia was having a banner tourism year. “We’ve had some major event traffic in the beginning of the year,” he said. “The Cricket World Cup. The Asian World Cup. But we’ve also had a phenomenal Chinese New Year.”

Predictably, the data revealed that the highest proportion of visitors hailed from New Zealand. Interestingly, the number of visitors from India jumped by an incredible 25 per cent. Similarly, the data evidenced the impact of Chinese tourists and the flow-on effects of their record expenditure within Australia.

According to Tourism Research Australia, 829,000 Chinese nationals visited Australia over the past year, spending an estimated $6.5 billion within the local economy. The end-result has been a boom in receipts for both small-scale tourism operators and those operating at the big end of town. But how have local agents made the most of the halcyon days?

Business Events Sydney CEO Lyn Lewis-Smith says that Australian operators are simply making the most of a good situation. “They are shopping, they are eating at our restaurants and they are visiting our attractions and cultural icons. They want an immersive experience in our Indigenous culture, they are really inquisitive as to where our heritage comes from,” Ms. Lewis-Smith told SBS, implying that the boom was perhaps happening in China.

Locally, Ms. Lewis-Smith  says that small and larger businesses can do more to draw in the spending dollar. “Mandarin speaking staff, free Wi-Fi to get them through the door. Offer China UnionPay because it’s the bankcard for the Chinese, and be savvy with your pricing because this clientele knows the difference between your prices and the internet.”

Now there’s some good advice from a knowledgeable source!

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The unique Alice Desert Festival

Australia is a culturally diverse country, brimming with an array of wondrous sights and activities. But there’s no better way to get a unique insight into Australian culture than to attend one of our many fascinating festivals. Boasting everything from scrumptious delicacies to unique musical offerings, here are four favourite festivals for the second half of 2015!

The Margaret River Gourmet Escape
When: 20th to 22nd November, 2015
Where: Margaret River, WA

The Margaret River Wine Region is world renowned for its much loved wine varieties and fine food experiences. As such, the Gourmet Escape Festival is a food and wine lover’s paradise. With events planned across the three days, visitors and guests are treated to a roster of food talent from places as diverse as Russia, Chile, Thailand and elsewhere. With food-based events, free entertainment and plenty of wonderful food stalls, the Margaret River Gourmet Escape Festival is a must-attend culinary delight!

The Taste of Tasmania Festival
When: 28th December, 2015 to 3rd January,  2016
Where: Hobart, TAS

With news of Tasmania’s world-conquering produce industry hitting the headlines, the Taste of Tasmania Festival 2015 is sure to be one of the year’s best food events! Held across a series of venues in the historic Hobart waterfront area, the festival promotes the quality of Tasmanian produce and highlights the very best in fresh food and other goods. With numbers of visitors reaching well into the hundreds of thousands, the festival takes advantage of the end of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. So consider it the perfect addition to a refreshing end-of-year holiday!

The Brisbane Festival
When: 5th to 26th September,  2015
Where: Brisbane, QLD

A major international arts festival, The Brisbane Festival is undeniably one of the state’s premier arts events. The September event is a family friendly and truly refreshing festival of all things artistic, bringing together the best in music, dance and circus ! Since 2009, the Brisbane Festival has enlivened the world-famous city with its eclectic mix of the uplifting and the challenging- so be sure not to miss out on this year’s fun!

The Alice Desert Festival
When: 27th August to 6th September,  2015
Where: Alice Springs, NT

A characteristic and charming Aussie festival, the Alice Desert Festival is the best way to acquaint yourself with the nation’s exotic, desert-based cultures. Boasting a line-up of local and international artists, the festival also offers many community based events and opportunities for family outings.

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Take part in your local NAIDOC Week celebrations…

NAIDOC Week 2015 is nearly here, with people all across the country preparing themselves for a week of Indigenous themed festivities and cultural events. No matter where you are in Australia, NAIDOC Week is a unique celebration worth exploring and enjoying. There’s plenty to see and do, and also a lot to learn.

This year’s festival revolves around a riveting central theme: We all Stand on Sacred Ground: Learn, Respect and Celebrate. The central concept relates to the centrality of the land and the sea across the spectrum of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Correlating with this theme, NAIDOC Week’s organisers have attempted to bring together those artists and activists who honour the land and seas through their efforts. Additionally, the celebration will discuss the importance of culturally significant places within Australia’s indigenous communities.

NAIDOC (or the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) has been in existence since the 1920’s, and today its raison d’être remains the same: to increase awareness of the wider Indigenous community and to boost Indigenous peoples’ status within modern Australia.

Traditionally held in the first week of July, several major Australian cities host unique cultural and social events that involve the wider Australian community in a discussion with modern indigenous Australians. The end result is a week long festival of all things Australian, whilst also enabling a broader consideration of the challenges and difficulties facing many of Australia’s first peoples.

In Sydney, events cater to a range of different guests ranging form the young to the old. The annual showcase event ‘NAIDOC in the city’ is a popular drawcard, as is the NAIDOC Flag Raising Ceremony. Other arts based events are informative and entertaining, so check online for more details.

If you’re a visitor or a local, NAIDOC Week is a truly Australian celebration of one of the world’s oldest and most storied cultures. So be sure to make it along!

What: NAIDOC Week 2015
Where: Locations across Australia.
When: 5-12 July, 2015
More information: http://www.naidoc.org.au

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An iconic aesthetic feature of the outback…

For those familiar with traveling through rural Australia, the dry stone wall is synonymous with frontier living. The hand-made walls, which were often constructed without the use of mortar, are frequently found on private properties and are a testament to the ingenuity and skill of the indigenous peoples, colonial landholders and later agricultural workers, who constructed the walls. Now, enthusiasts and other interested parties are calling for the walls to be heritage listed.

Jim Holdsworth, President of the Dry Stone Walls Association of Australia (DSWAA), says that the walls should be protected by cultural authorities.

“One of the great goals of this association is … all those municipalities across Australia that have dry stone walls [should] recognise they have a responsibility to maintain them and work with landowners to achieve that end,” he told the ABC.

Though many of the peculiar walls can be dated back to the pre-European colonisation (Indigenous Australians were constructing these kinds of fences as far back as 6000 years ago!), a majority of the walls were constructed in the 1850’s and 1860’s by stoneworkers from across the United Kingdom.

“They were craftsmen. A lot of those stations would have their own blacksmith, their own cobbler, their own saddler and they would have their own waller,” Mr. Holdsworth explained.

But despite their obvious cultural significance, some are concerned that many of the walls have been destroyed by modern landowners.

“Farmers want more efficient farming practices, and if there is a dry stone wall running across their paddock and they can’t get machinery in or their endeavours to be more efficient are blighted … that is a problem,” Mr. Holdsworth explained, referring to a spate of recent bulldozing.

With more information coming to light, some modern farmers, such as Nick Cole, are happy to acknowledge the importance of the structures. Speaking from the West Cloven Hills sheep station outside of Camperdown, Mr. Cole discussed the importance of a top-down approach to preservation.

“Well, if they want to heritage list it, I am happy for them to come and repair them too or help subsidise them,” he mused. “Otherwise, they’re just going to be a pile of stones in another 100 years probably, and there won’t be any of them left.”

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