AUSTRALIAN CITY MOVES TO BAN CONTROVERSIAL TOURISM SLOGAN

The travel industry is no stranger to ridiculous tourism slogans – but one has been deemed so offensive that one city council has moved to ban it.

Darwin City Council this week voted to ban products adorned with “CU in the NT”, the unofficial slogan of the Northern Territory in Australia, from being sold at local markets.

The group behind the unofficial campaign, NT Unofficial, launched the slogan in 2016 with the tagline: “The Top End. Different from the bottom end.” The campaign, to promote awareness of the Australian state, soon went viral.

As well as promoting the Northern Territory via its website and social media, the group sells a wide range of merchandise emblazoned with the slogan, including t-shirts, flip-flops and hats.

The motion to ban the products from sale at public markets in Darwin was passed by council officials this week, according to local media, who labelled the slogan immature and offensive.

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Premier Mark McGowan backs tourism claims, calling Perth ‘natural gateway’ to Australia

Premier Mark McGowan has backed in his tourism minister by calling Perth the “natural gateway” to Australia, as the government distances itself from the common adage about WA’s capital being the most isolated city on the planet.

Tourism minister Paul Papalia decreed the view of Perth being the world’s most remote city as “outdated” and had a dig at Federal tourism authorities for not giving WA a fair share of tourism campaigns compared to the east coast.

Mr McGowan said WA was far closer to Asia than the eastern states.

“I think what the tourism minister is trying to say is that we need to promote ourselves as a gateway into Australia for tourists in particular from Asia and other parts of the world,” he said.

“If you want to fly direct from London you can fly to Perth, we’re closer than Sydney or Melbourne if you want to come in to Australia from Japan or China or from India it’s far easier to come in via Perth.

“We’re the natural gateway to Australia for many of our tourists and that’s what we’re trying to promote around the world.”

Mr McGowan talked up the tourism capabilities of the recreational fishing industry at an event hosted by peak body RecFishWest this morning.

“What we want to do is promote this opportunity around Australia and potentially around the world as something where you can come and have a great experience and have a great fun time and you can have a great holiday in WA,” he said.

“Paul Papalia is currently in India seeking direct flights out of India, we are doing everything we can to enhance our tourism industry and recreational fishing is part of that.”

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King-sized sun blunder in Federal tourism campaign for WA

An embarrassing blunder in material to be used in a Federal tourism campaign — where a couple are pictured at Kings Park watching the sun set in the east — will be corrected before it is distributed.

The image is part of a campaign to be launched today by Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham to lure Brits to Australia by showcasing lesser-known and relatively untapped tourist spots.

When alerted to the mistake by The West Australian — the sun sets in the west — a spokesman for Tourism Australia said it would be fixed before it was released on social media.

The UnDiscover Australia campaign will feature several images of WA destinations.

But WA Tourism Minister Paul Papalia said WA was being left out of too many east coast-centric tourism campaigns. He will raise the imbalance when he meets Mr Birmingham in Launceston this morning.

“The east coast has experienced a tourism boom, which is understandable given the profile and attention Sydney and its neighbouring cities receive when the Federal Government markets our country to the world,” Mr Papalia said. “WA does not benefit in the slightest from those east coast-centric marketing campaigns.

“We are now calling on our Federal counterparts on both sides of politics to ensure WA is given a comparable amount of market time.

“We are the western gateway to the country and as air space and accommodation reach capacity in Sydney and Melbourne, Perth and our beautiful regions will help Tourism Australia continue to grow visitor numbers.

“Now is the time to invest in tourism in our great State.”

Mr Birmingham rejected the suggestion WA was ignored, citing the UnDiscover Australia campaign as another example where WA was featured.

“We already see more than 149,000 British travellers head to WA each year, injecting more than $277 million into the local economy,” he said. “But we think there is huge potential to expand the tourism appeal of WA through this campaign.

“The more British tourists we can lure to WA the more cash they will splash in local businesses which helps to boost the economy and create more local jobs.

“Australia has a strong reputation with British travellers as a beautiful destination with friendly people, however we must continue to expand our appeal.

“This campaign is about showing prospective travellers that Australia has even more to offer than the Reef, the Rock and the Bridge.”

Britain is the latest market to be targeted in the UnDiscover Australia campaign. The original focus was a$10 million campaign in India, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, with Japan later.

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Study Abroad: Trying travel, cuddling koalas in Australia

Studying abroad is an opportunity that not many students take advantage of in college; on average, less than 10 percent of students study abroad. But for communication major senior Kaci Snyder, studying abroad turned into an amazing opportunity.

Snyder went to Australia during the spring 2018 semester and came back with a new sense of confidence. Studying abroad and exploring Australia was something that Snyder had always wanted to do. 

“I took a surf lesson there, which I thought was so cool,” Snyder said. “My campus was on a nature preserve, so there were kangaroos all over the place. I was also just meeting people from all over the world all the time.” 

Snyder also spoke on how different Australian classroom experiences were compared to those at Geneseo. 

“For my science class, we traveled to this island and stayed there for two nights,” Snyder said. “We were learning about how the sand dunes affect different types of birds’ lives. It was cool to be able to travel to another island for free with the school because we can’t do that here.”

At times, Snyder traveled completely by herself. Solo travel allowed Snyder to challenge herself, meet new people and gain independence. Meeting people from all over the world opened up her mind to new perspectives. 

She explained that the process to go abroad was very long and that she began filling out all of the paperwork in September, about four months before she left. Most of the work she had to do included doing paper paperwork, writing a letter about why she wanted to go and retrieving letters of recommendation.

Snyder also felt that Geneseo helped her answer the questions that she had. She said that it was very stressful and that there were many things she didn’t know how to do, but the study abroad office really helped.  

“The study abroad office was really involved,” Snyder said. “I had a bunch of questions, as it was really confusing at times. I would just go there and they were really helpful.”

Snyder advises students who want to study abroad to save up as much money as they can. She believes it is an opportunity everyone should take, as many people regret not doing it in college.  She illustrates that she gained a lot of confidence and independence by going and that anyone else who goes will gain these attributes as well.

“I think it’s 100 percent worth it, no matter where you go,” Snyder said.

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Take a road trip through Western Australia and its wonders

It was just a six-day trip last December, but I came away with unforgettable memories, over a thousand photographs, two bursting suitcases and an expanded waistline.

From breathtaking coastal views, to fresh produce paired with delicious wines, to great shopping deals, Western Australia has so much to offer.

The best way to really take it all in is on a road trip, where you can expect something different and exciting every day.

PERTH

Our trip started in this city that is full of great spots to eat, drink and take Insta-worthy pictures, especially along Elizabeth Quay and Yagan Square, where you can chill for hours in any of the many cocktail bars and restaurants.

Walking along, I was also surprised by the quality and quantity of the street art, in particular in the area surrounding Prince Lane.

ALBANY

We proceeded to Albany on the southern coast, stopping by Kojonup for a quick lunch at the Black Cockatoo, and taking a nice walk around its rose garden. It is a bit of a drive, about five hours, so the stopover was welcome.

On reaching Albany, however, all fatigue was forgotten.

As part of the Light and Dine package, which includes admission fees to the National Anzac Centre, the Field of Light Sunset Panorama tour and a shared tasting menu of local produce at The Garrison restaurant, we not only managed to catch a glimpse of a breathtaking sunset view, but also enjoy a delicious meal.

We moved on to the Field of Light: Avenue of Honour installation, where 16,000 lights line the walkways, as we walked off our food-babies and unwound from the day.

The next morning took us to The Gap and the Albany Wind Farm, where we were greeted with stunning views of the southern coastline.

For lunch, we stopped at Oranje Tractor Wine, where we ate fruit and fresh produce off the trees and shrubs, and were treated to a delicious Ploughman's lunch paired with refreshing wines.

At the Mount Romance sandalwood factory there is a beautiful little room where from Wednesdays to Sundays, you can book a one-hour The Cone, The Gong & The Bowl experience.

It makes use of the soothing scent of sandalwood, and is deeply meditative and beyond relaxing.

DENMARK

After about an hour's drive, we arrived in the town of Denmark, where we immersed ourselves in the wonders of nature at the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk. The canopy walk, suspended 40m above ground, took us into the lush greenery of Western Australia's Giant Tingle Trees.

But the bit that intrigued us the most were the trees along the Ancient Empire Walk, which over the years have developed hollows big enough to park a car in.

They had been hollowed out by forest fires and then expanded by fungus and insects.

It is said that some of these hollows can get so big that they can fit a hundred people in the heart of the tree - with wiggle room to spare. We wrapped up the day with a cooling dip in the calm, turquoise waters of the Greens Pool.

MARGARET RIVER

I must admit that much of our first day at Margaret River is a blur, what with the copious amounts of adult beverages to be tasted.

By 10am, we were at the Margaret River Distilling Company, where we went on a short gin tour and enjoyed a gin pairing session.

Do not overlook the whiskeys they have on offer too.

Later in the day, the wine-tasting at Voyager Estate made me rethink my long-held preference for European wines, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, which is robust while being light and dangerously easy to drink.

I am slightly ashamed to admit that I may have had, before even realising it, put away a couple of glasses of this delicious nectar.

Nursing a mild hangover the next day, I was thoroughly refreshed by a relaxing Cape To Cape Walk, hosted by Walk Into Luxury.

It boasted coastal views like I had never seen before, taking us through unique Western Australian shrubbery and into the fresh seaside air and amazing views of clear blue waters - definitely a walk to remember, and one that is sure to rejuvenate even the most weary traveller.

Check out Dynasty Travel's Unique Perth and South West Australia experience at Natas Travel 2019 at Singapore Expo, Booth 6H01, from today to Sunday, 10am to 9.30pm.

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Tourism Australia to persuade Indian LCCs to look at Australian opportunity

Tourism Australia will be engaging low-cost carriers (LCCs) in India and persuade them to look at opportunities of connecting cities in the Southern part of the country with mainland Australia. The nation’s tourism agency feels that improvement in point-to-point air connectivity can really boost outbound from India to Australia in a big way. The only direct air connection between India and Australia is currently serviced by Air India with 5 weekly frequencies between Delhi and Sydney, and 3 flights a week between Delhi and Melbourne.

In Delhi to attend the CAPA Aviation Summit, John O’Sullivan, Managing Director, Tourism Australia, told TravelBiz Monitorthat he had meetings with SpiceJet in this regard. “There is a great opportunity waiting to be captured for airlines,”he said, adding,“India is one of the fastest growing aviation markets in global terms with 17% growth. But we understand that there is lot more potential considering we only get just over 3.5 lakh tourists out of the total 25 million outbound travellers. The key to unlock that potential is direct connectivity.”

Sullivan said that hardly 11% of the air traffic between India and Australia is currently direct and rest is serviced through Singapore, Middle East, Hong Kong, mainland China, etc. He stated that Perth and Brisbane can be connected from gateway cities in South India like Chennai and Bengaluru with a flying time of six hours. “We want to put the opportunity before leading LCCs like IndiGo and SpiceJet, and it is up to them to decide. But we feel that they are quite excited and optimistic about it,” he informed. 

 

When asked about the prospects of Australian carriers opening India routes, Sullivan said that although they haven’t so far engaged with them, airline companies like Qantas which had previous stints in India and Virgin Australia understand the “importance of India” and might look at opportunities at some point of time.  

Sullivan said that Australia as a destination is only looking at tapping the “premium segment” of the travel market who “spend significantly” at the destination, visit often and has a predisposition to the experience on offer.He also said that Tourism Australia is also keen to attract large corporate incentive groups of the size ranging between 100 and 500 pax.  “Our strategy has found lot of success in other Asian markets.  We are looking for the same strategy in India as well,” he added. Sullivan said that they are also keen to promote Australia as wedding destination for India.  

As a source market, Tourism Australia has high hopes in India. Sullivan said that they believe that India has the potential to grow to the top three revenue generating markets in the near future. The Indian travel market is worth USD 1.6 billion currently, and Tourism Australia believes that it will grow to at least USD 3 billion worth market in terms of revenues by end of 2020. 

Tourism growth drives development boom in Australia

Australia's hotel sector is in the middle of a rapid growth phase—reportedly the biggest since the lead-up to the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

According to Tourism Accommodation Australia, the uptick began three years ago, and more than 40 new hotels have been built across the country since then. A further 272 new hotels are in the pipeline for completion by the middle of next decade.

Tourism Accommodation Australia CEO Carol Giuseppi told local site ABC News the rapid expansion came down to investor confidence, thanks to growing demand, low interest rates and solid exchange rates for global investors.

Moreover, Giuseppi said the federal government had negotiated more than 100 bilateral air services agreements in recent years in a bid to bring in more inbound visitors, boosting the need for more hotel roms.

From 2000 to 2016, Melbourne and Sydney only got about 3,000 new guestrooms each as demand fell off following the summer Olympics in Sydney. But with the expected increase in inbound visitors, TAA is predicting another 11,600 rooms are due to be added to the Sydney market and more than 15,000 more in Melbourne by 2025.

TAA's "Innovation Revolution Transforming Australia's Hotel Industry" report shows the construction wave will see more than 45,000 new rooms added in Australia by 2025. But Gus Moors, head of hotels at Colliers International Australia, cautioned that some of those deals may fall through as the market fluctuates over the coming six years.

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