LORD HOWE ISLAND'S SIGNATURE CAMPAIGN GETS BOOSTMore visitors are expected to fly into one of Australia’s most beautiful holiday destinations, Lord Howe Island, thanks to a grant from the NSW Government’s Regional Tourism Fund. The Lord Howe Island Tourism Association (LHITA) will receive $100,000 to boost their co-operative ‘Just Paradise’ marketing campaign, which aims to drive overnight visitation during the Winter period. The 2018/19 campaign will include digital advertising, print media and a public relations program including media
familiarisations and broadcast activity. Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said the Regional Tourism Fund is part of the Government’s strategy to turbocharge tourism right across the State. “The Regional Tourism Fund helps rural and regional communities enhance and develop their tourism appeal and as a country-based Minister, I am committed to ensuring destinations such as Lord Howe Island reap the benefits of the Government’s record funding,” Mr Marshall said. The Regional Tourism Fund is managed and administered by the State’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW, and provides investment into the regional visitor economy on a matched dollar-for-dollar basis.
BONDI BEACH AND SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE THIS YEAR'S AUSSIE INSTAGRAM FAVOURITES Sydney icons Bondi Beach and the Sydney Opera House have topped the list of the most tagged Australian locations on Instagram in 2018. Four out of the five most tagged locations in the country were in Sydney with Bondi Beach, Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour and Darling Harbour taking out the most popular spots on the social media platform in 2018. Sydney's stunning Bondi Beach was the most geotagged location in NSW and across Australia, while the most used hashtag across the country was #love. Naomi Shepherd, Group Industry Director at Facebook and Instagram, said, “Love is in the air on Instagram this year, with our global community sharing the heart emoji 14 billion times in comments, and choosing the heart-eyes as the most popular face filter in 2018. "In Australia, #love was our most-used hashtag, reaffirming Instagram as a place to express yourself and get closer to the people and things you care about." Australian actor and tourism ambassador Chris Hemsworth was named as the most-loved Aussie on Instagram for 2018.
ABORIGINAL TOURISM SET TO BENEFIT FROM WORKSHOPSEmerging and established NSW Aboriginal tourism operators will be given the opportunity to grow their industry knowledge and develop their products and experiences at dedicated industry workshops to be held across various NSW locations in late 2018 and early 2019. Shellharbour and Orange have already hosted workshops and Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said through the program the NSW Government has continued to deliver on its Aboriginal Tourism Action Plan 2017-2020.
“The workshops provide a platform for NSW Indigenous tourism operators to come together with a variety of tourism stakeholders and Government representatives to build networks, share ideas and promote awareness of the State’s Aboriginal cultural tourism experiences,” Mr Marshall said. “Around 700 people have participated in the NSW Aboriginal Cultural Tourism Experience Development Workshops to date with the upcoming workshops set to further drive the development and enhancement of Aboriginal tourism experiences in our State and create even more reasons for visitors to see more of regional NSW.”
The workshops will be delivered in partnership with the NSW Aboriginal Tourism Operators Council and feature a number of presentations by key industry stakeholders, Destination NSW staff and Destination Network representatives.
BILBIES BACK IN NSW AFTER
100 YEARSBilbies, the iconic Australian native animal with long ears, are back running wild in a conservation area in NSW, after more than a century. Thirty of the small marsupials have been released in a specially fenced, predator-free section of Pilliga State Conservation Area, near Narrabri. The bilby vanished in the wild in NSW around 1910 as a result of introduced predators such as foxes and cats. Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton said the bilbies were the first of 13 regionally extinct mammals that would be returned to the wild through the NSW Government’s 10-year Saving Our Species project. "The return of the bilby is internationally significant: this is a major
victory in the campaign to save our species from extinction," Ms Upton said. "Bilbies are an iconic Australian native animal and with their long ears, have become our own beloved symbol of Easter. "The bilbies are just the first of the mammal species to be reintroduced to select national parks in Western NSW under the $42.1 million project, with bridled nail-tail wallabies, brush-tailed bettongs and numbats among the species to follow.”
REGIONAL FLAGSHIP
EVENTS PROGRAM ROUND TWO APPLICATIONS OPENRegional events held between July and December 2019 can now apply for NSW Government funding, aimed at driving more overnight visitors to rural and regional towns across the State. Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said applications are open for Round Two of both the 2019 Incubator Event Fund and the 2019 Flagship Event Fund, with more than $500,000 up for grabs. “These two funds are part of our Regional Flagship Events Program, an important NSW Government strategy designed to support more grassroots events and kick start local economies,” Mr Marshall said. “Since 2011, the Program has provided more than $6.2
million to 180 events throughout rural and regional NSW. “We know that when people visit regional NSW, they stay in local accommodation, buy from local shops and eat at local restaurants and cafes, putting more tourist dollars in the pockets of local business people and creating more jobs.” The Flagship Event Fund offers an annual grant of $20,000 or a triennial grant of $27,500 to support marketing activities. The Incubator Event Fund offers grants of up to $20,000 to new events to assist with elements such as temporary infrastructure, marketing and promotions, venue hire or attendee research.
NEW FIVE-STAR HOTEL COMING TO NEWCASTLENewcastle is set to have its first five-star hotel, with hospitality group Crystalbrook Collection winning the tender to acquire Newcastle’s iconic ‘Roundhouse’ Council Administrative Centre with intention to convert the building into a luxury hotel, to open in late 2020.
The hotel will be named Kingsley, following the group's naming philosophy of giving each of their properties a gender-neutral name and unique personality. Kingsley is representative of Newcastle’s heritage and the city’s earlier name, Kingstown, dating back to 1804. Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes hailed the landmark deal as a turning point in Newcastle’s history.
"Great cities around the world provide truly great accommodation. And the mark of a great hotel is one done to a five-star standard. Crystalbrook’s decision to invest in Newcastle, when they could have invested anywhere in Australia, says so much about our city and how we are viewed by those living interstate and overseas," said Ms Nelmes.
"I applaud Crystalbrook's vision in re-imagining the CAC's brutalist architecture. Reviewing their plans and renders, their vision for the building is an ideal adaptive reuse. In the space of less than two years, Newcastle will have a building that is both iconic and luxurious.” Renders by Barney Collins, EJE Architecture.
RIVERINA MURRAY
SOCIAL MEDIA
COMPETITION The Riverina Murray region is hosting a Summer photographic competition to win a Mavic drone or Canon DSLR camera, luxury accommodation stays and more! All you need to do is take a photo or video in the Riverina Murray Region, post it to Instagram and tag it with these hashtags: #myriverinamurray and #visitriverina or #visitthemurray, depending on the area you capture the footage Enter by 29 January at myriverinamurray.com.au
SYDNEY WINS 2018 CRUISE CRITIC AWARD Sydney has secured its position as a world-class cruise port with the 2018 Cruise Critic’s Australian Editors’ Picks Awards naming it Best Australian Homeport last week. According to the magazine’s Editor no port can compete with the world's most spectacular Harbour, where cruise ships routinely sail past the Sydney Opera House for every arrival and departure. The city is also worthy of extending to a pre- or post-cruise stay, when one day in port is not enough.
SHUTTLE LAUNCHES COFFS HARBOUR INTO THE FUTURECoffs Harbour, known for its beautiful beaches and Big Banana, has welcomed another star attraction, BusBot, to its foreshore. The fully-automated 12 passenger shuttle will be introduced in three route phases and the trial has involved the local community, with Government working alongside industry and Coffs Harbour City Council. The shuttle trial will incorporate smart traffic lights, on-demand operation, roundabout navigation and will help save lives on the road.
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