No images? Click here
HOLIDAY TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS TO LIFT FROM 1 JUNE
NSW residents will be able to take a holiday anywhere in NSW from next month, with intrastate travel restrictions to be lifted from Monday 1 June, 2020.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Deputy Premier John Barilaro said NSW citizens will be able take recreational trips across NSW, as long as they maintain social distancing and good hygiene.
Ms Berejiklian said lifting the holiday travel restriction will give everyone a much needed break and help get small businesses and the tourism industry moving again.
“This is the day we’ve all been looking forward to since the COVID-19 travel restrictions were put in place earlier this year and I would like to thank everyone for their patience during the past few months of being cooped up at home,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“I must stress to everyone that, while we want people to enjoy a well-earned holiday, we must do this responsibly and continue to abide by physical distancing measures, as the last thing we want is further outbreaks that will force us to reintroduce restrictions.”
Mr Barilaro said while regional NSW will welcome visitors with open arms, holidaymakers should call their planned accommodation venues and attractions to ensure they will be open and confirm their bookings before travelling.
“COVID could not have come at a worse time for regional NSW, with towns already doing it tough due to bushfires and drought and so I encourage everyone to make plans to safely and responsibly visit their favourite regional holiday destination, or discover a new one,” Mr Barilaro said.
Venues are also encouraged to review their booking policies to allow travellers to easily cancel their trip if they have any symptoms. A number of caravan parks and camping grounds will be open from 1 June, but travellers should call ahead and confirm bookings.
Travellers from interstate will be able to visit NSW for a holiday from 1 June but will need to comply with the rules of their home state when returning.
MEDIA PORE OVER NSW’S WORLD OF WINE
Destination NSW’s virtual media workshop series continues, with NSW wine and the award-winning Hunter Valley wine region the centrepiece of the latest masterclass.
The workshops were created to engage travel, lifestyle and food journalists by providing them with a uniquely NSW experience in their homes, and deepen their knowledge of NSW’s tourism offerings.
Last Friday’s wine masterclass was hosted by renowned wine and drinks writer, journalist, presenter and co-founder of P&V Liquor Merchants Mike Bennie, who was joined by Quay Restaurant’s head sommelier Shanteh Wong.
The pair explored the Hunter Valley through discussion, profiling the many food and wine producers who make the region a ‘must visit’ for gastronomes.
Mike and Shanteh then guided media in a tasting of two of the region’s signature semillons - Tyrrell’s Vat 1, and Usher Tinkler Death by Semillon - comparing 'old' and 'new' world winemaking styles.
Following a masterclass, Destination NSW provides participants with a comprehensive content package of editorial, imagery and video showing highlights of relevant regions that may be used by the media to inspire their readers to plan future holidays, in this case in the Hunter Valley. The materials also include links to Hunter Valley operators who are offering virtual experiences such as guided tastings, or who have products for sale online, giving travellers a taste of regional NSW right now from their lounge rooms.
Future masterclasses will cover other popular NSW wine regions including Orange, Mudgee, Shoalhaven, Southern Highlands and Canberra District.
QANTAS AND JETSTAR ANNOUNCE ‘FLY WELL’ PROGRAM
Qantas and Jetstar will roll out a series of wellbeing improvements to give customers peace-of-mind in preparation for domestic travel restrictions easing.
The ‘Fly Well’ program brings together a number of temporary measures already in use by the Qantas Group, including on repatriation flights from virus hot-spots, and draws on best-practice medical advice and feedback from customers.
Rolling out from 12 June, some of the key measures include:
- Contactless check-in (via online/app) and self-serve bag drop strongly encouraged, including use of Q Bag Tags
- Hand sanitising stations at departure gates
- Temporary changes to Qantas Lounges, including increased physical distancing, hand sanitising stations, enhanced disinfection of surfaces and adjustments to food and drink service
- Masks provided to all passengers on each flight – not mandatory from a safety point of view, but recommended for everyone’s peace-of-mind
- Enhanced cleaning of aircraft with a disinfectant effective against Coronaviruses, with a focus on high contact areas – seats, seatbelts, overhead lockers, air vents and toilets
- Sanitising wipes given to all passengers to wipe down seat belts, trays and armrests themselves, if preferred
- Sequenced boarding and disembarkation to minimise crowding.
Qantas and Jetstar aircraft are fitted with hospital-grade HEPA filters which remove 99.9% of all particles including viruses.
Qantas Group Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce said the organisation would continue to work with government and monitor the rollout of health and wellbeing measures, which are designed with safety in mind and to make people feel comfortable with the “new norms”.
“Safety is absolutely core to how we operate and that applies to new challenges like managing the risk of coronavirus so people can fly with confidence,” Mr Joyce said.
Read the full statement from Qantas Group.
Last week Qantas also released a recreation of the iconic ‘I still call Australia home’ advertisement with representatives from their partners, The Australian Girls Choir and The Gondwana National Choir, performing from home. See the full video.
WATCH, MAKE AND PLAY: NSW AT HOME
Businesses right across New South Wales are continuing to find new ways to innovate and allow people to experience their unique offerings from home - all while keeping NSW front of mind for future travellers! Take a look at some of the many new initiatives on offer:
Cardboard Crowd Concert Series: The Jetty Theatre in Coffs Harbour is hosting a series of four online concerts that will be livestreamed to living rooms, starting this Friday 22 May at 7pm with Columbian-born now Bellingen based singer songwriter Yhan Leal. No one enjoys performing to an empty theatre, so community members have joined the initiative by creating cardboard cut-outs to fill the seats of the theatre.
Sheramics: Based in Terrigal on the Central Coast, Sheramics has taken its handmade ceramics workshops online. Customers can purchase a ClayPlay kit and learn to make homewares via video tutorial or written instructions. Finished pieces are then collected to be fired and glazed for everyday use.
Keep Fit At Home: Sydney FC’s Head of Sports Science Chris Pappas has designed a set of exercises people can do to stay in shape at home. Each activity has been handpicked from a selection of workouts the players undertake to ensure they are match fit!
Destination NSW features innovative businesses and attractions like these in each edition of Insights with the aim of inspiring other tourism operators to develop new and different ways to promote their products and experiences to audiences worldwide.
Be sure to check out the Now’s The Time To Love NSW campaign page on VisitNSW.com, including the #LoveNSW map, which will be regularly updated with suitable virtual products, experiences and attractions as they are provided to getconnected@dnsw.com.au and will evolve to include more destinations and businesses as travel restrictions are relaxed.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS BUILD NEW OPPORTUNITIES
The NSW Government’s Business Connect program continues to deliver a comprehensive program of webinars to assist small businesses during these challenging times.
The program is regularly expanded to address relevant areas of interest to the small business community in line with emerging COVID-19 challenges, new support programs available to business owners and the engagement of specialist speakers.
Business Connect has recently confirmed an agritourism webinar with Regionality managing director Rose Wright, who has experience in agri-food business, destination management and regional development.
The webinar will enhance participant’s knowledge about managing and growing tourism-related experiences and products that are connected to agricultural products and people, or farms and rural areas that accept visitors. The session is suitable for emerging businesses or destinations and established operators alike.
Other upcoming Business Connect webinars include the foundations of instagram, winning new businesses from your existing and new customers, and how to write grants.
See the full program at Business Connect.
FINAL SECTION OF PACIFIC HIGHWAY UPGRADE NEARS FINISH LINE
The final piece of the largest road infrastructure project in regional Australia is taking shape, with a 36-kilometre section of the Woolgoolga to Ballina Pacific Highway upgrade between Glenugie and Tyndale opened yesterday.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the $15 billion Pacific Highway upgrade program started 20 years ago to make journeys safer between Hexham and the New South Wales-Queensland border.
“The Pacific Highway upgrade has also been a major investment in our regional communities, creating more than 3000 jobs during the peak of the Woolgoolga to Ballina project alone,” Mr McCormack said.
The Woolgoolga to Ballina upgrade is the final link in the Pacific Highway to be upgraded to four lanes, with the project now approximately 89 per cent complete.
“We are so close to the end of this multi-generational project which is transforming journeys along the North Coast,” NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said.
“It has become much more than just a safety upgrade – it’s transforming tourism, freight and local journeys into smoother, and more reliable ones, which is critical for our regional economies.”
