No Images? Click here
NSW SHINES WITH INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE AT AUSTRALIAN TOURISM EXCHANGE
Destination NSW has presented some of the State’s top suppliers and produce to travel buyers and media from around the globe, as part of the 2019 Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE).
The annual event, held by Tourism Australia, is the nation’s largest annual travel and tourism business-to-business conference and brings together Australian tourism businesses, wholesalers and retailers from around the world, allowing international travel buyers with the opportunity to experience Australia’s travel offerings.
Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer Sandra Chipchase said the work of Destination NSW will continue to see the State gain exposure and turbocharge its record breaking revenue.
“Tourism is big business and vital to the NSW economy, contributing $37.8 billion in revenue in the year ended September 2019. In 2016-17, NSW visitors consumed $40.5 billion of goods and services, or 29.9 per cent share of Australia’s tourism consumption,” she said.
Destination NSW works closely with operators to ready them to engage third party distributors such as inbound tour operators (ITOs), wholesalers, online travel agents (OTAs) and retailers in international markets, which is key to attracting overseas visitors.
“Our NSW First Program, which is now in its seventh year, equips the NSW tourism industry with the tools and knowledge needed to gain a competitive edge,” Ms Chipchase said.
“Over the past year alone we have helped to introduce 21 new export ready products to the travel trade through our workshops and assistance.
“We also have nine newly export ready products on display at ATE for the first time in 2019, many of which have been assisted via the NSW First Programs.”
Minister for Tourism Stuart Ayres said the NSW First Program encouraged NSW based tourism businesses that see an opportunity to capitalise on international markets, but may not know what steps to take, to consider attending as part of the 2019 program.
“The NSW Government, via Destination NSW, is making it easy for tourism businesses to grow and diversify by offering a collaborative educational program that has helped more than 2000 businesses since its inception in 2013," Mr Ayres said.
The products on show at ATE are Birkenhead Point Brand Outlet, Eastsail, Mayfield Garden, Mount Warning Tours, Oakvale Wildlife Park, Picture Me Sydney, Platinum Restaurant Group, Sydney Harbour Boat Tours and Wake Up! Hostels.
Overall, New South Wales has 60 new export ready products in 2019.
The 40th annual Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) is taking place at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre and concludes
today.
NEW CONTENT SHOWCASES NSW ABORIGINAL CULTURAL TOURS TO THE WORLD
NSW’s unique and exceptional Aboriginal tourism experiences received international exposure this week with new Aboriginal cultural videos dedicated to the sector released in ten different languages at the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) trade show.
Minister for Tourism Stuart Ayres said Aboriginal tourism was a key part of the State’s popular tourism offering and ensuring its growth was a priority for the NSW Government.
“Over the past five years, nearly 328,000 international travellers to NSW took part in an Aboriginal tourism experience, with these visitors spending an estimated $1.3 billion during their stay,” Mr Ayres said.
“This represents a growth of 56 per cent in visitor numbers and 77 per cent in visitor expenditure over this time.
“I’m delighted to see our tourism and major events agency Destination NSW delivering initiatives such as these to support our Aboriginal owned and operated businesses ensuring they continue to enjoy strong results.”
Destination NSW CEO Sandra Chipchase said the videos in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Malay, Indonesian, Chinese, Korean and Japanese, as well as closed captioning for people with a hearing disability, reflect the depth and breadth of NSW’s export ready Aboriginal tourism experiences.
“These videos showcase many of our State’s Aboriginal tourism operators telling their own stories to a wide audience in an authentic and engaging way,” Ms Chipchase said.
“We’re effectively equipping our international offices and their partners with a suite of materials that can be used to entice international visitors to come to our great State and make an Aboriginal experience part of their experience.”
NSW is home to the largest population of Aboriginal people in Australia, represented by more than 80 different nation groups.
To view the videos: Bourke, Blak Markets, Port Stephens, Dubbo, Hunter Valley, Tilba, Scotts Head, Dreamtime Southern X Sydney, Wagga Wagga, Wollongong.
ROYAL EASTER SHOW KICKS OFF
The 2019 Sydney Royal Easter Show starts today with new entertainment on the main arena, animatronic dinosaurs and a new NSW beer featuring at this year’s event.
Australia’s largest annual ticketed event, the Sydney Royal Easter show attracts over 850,000 attendees on average and offers 12 days of agricultural competitions, animal experiences, live entertainment, carnival fun, shopping and more.
The Show is run by the Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) of NSW and was first held in 1823. This year the program will pay tribute to the traditional skills and events of an agricultural show through the many competition highlights and World Heritage Day celebration.
Evening entertainment in the Main Arena includes Hot Air Balloon Aerialists, the World’s Largest Globe of Death, Australian Stockmen and gorgeous Glowing Mystical Horses and much more. Jurassic World 2 – The Fallen Kingdom will give children the opportunity to be palaeontologists by exploring a world of 25 animatronic dinosaurs, while the ShowStopper Pale, a collaboration between the RAS and Modus Operandi of Mona Vale, will be served exclusively at The Stables.
Visit the Royal Easter Show at the Sydney Showground from April 12 to 23, 2019. For more information eastershow.com.au
TICKETS ON SALE FOR ROYAL EDINBURGH MILITARY TATTOO
The famed Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is coming to Sydney, with tickets now on sale to the public. The internationally renowned event staged at the historical Edinburgh Castle for the past 69 years has been witnessed by over 20 million people.
The exclusive Sydney event will present four shows from 17-19 October at ANZ Stadium. Set against a full-size replica of Edinburgh Castle, the show will feature a 1400 strong International and Australian cast, including signature Pipe Bands, Highland dancers, Fiddlers and Precision Drill Teams, together with Australian Defence Force Bands.
Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is a must-see iconic event.
“It’s rare for this global phenomenon to leave its home in Scotland, so we are absolutely delighted it will visit Sydney exclusively in October. The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is expected to attract more than 59,000 overnight visitors who will generate about $37 million in visitor expenditure, which is fantastic news for our State’s economy,” Mr Ayres said.
Tickets now on sale edinburghtattoosydney.com.au
SAIL PORT STEPHENS SETS OFF FOR 2019
Sail Port Stephens is well underway with a record fleet of 249 entries at the iconic North Coast event.
Racing started on Monday 8 April with 160 individual crafts entered in the series, a record in the event’s 12-year history.
Today, Friday 12 April, the Pantaenius Yacht Insurance Port Stephens Trophy commences, bringing a bunch of fresh competitors to the bay to vie for a number of state and national titles across the weekend.
The first half of Sail Port Stephens, including the Bannisters Port Stephens Commodore’s Cup, closed out in puffy southerly winds up to 22 knots causing some crews to scramble as boats tipped and rounded up in the gusts.
The event began in 2008 with 25 boats registered for competition, and has since experienced steady growth in participation as new divisions and vessel categories have been added to the schedule.
The festival also includes social and industry events, concluding on Sunday with trophy presentations for all divisions at Broughtons at the Bay.
To see the latest results: sailportstephens.com.au
Image credit: Sail Port Stephens
ROALD DAHL’S IMAGINORMOUS CHALLENGE – CLOSING SOON
Inspired, creative children have just days to enter Roald Dahl’s Imaginormous Challenge Australia, created by the much-loved character Willy Wonka.
The great chocolate master is searching for the most exciting, most brilliant story ideas from 5-12 year olds across Australia to transform into wonderful creations.
The team behind Charlie and the Chocolate Factory musical, in conjunction with Penguin Random House Australia, are giving children the chance to share their story concepts in a bid to win four amazing prizes:
- One idea will be turned into a theatrical creation by the team and cast of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- One child will become a junior theatre reviewer for the Daily Telegraph
- One story idea will be turned into a book and delivered to the child’s school
- One child will be invited to Microsoft (Sydney) to build their own make-believe Minecraft world.
Children must give a taste of their magical, Wonka-inspired story idea in 100 words or less. For more information and to enter: imaginormousaustralia.com.au
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory runs until June 23: charliethemusical.com.au
ESCAPE TO YASS VALLEY THIS AUTUMN
Autumn is the perfect time to savour award-winning wine harvests, rural history and local art of the Yass Valley. Visitors are being encouraged to embrace the milder weather and follow a local wine trail, dine in a vineyard, enjoy a picnic by a river, pull up a seat at a local pub, browse a gallery or join a walking trail through noted colonial, federation and Victorian buildings. Yass Valley is home to the Canberra District Wine Region and has over 40 vineyards and 28 cellar doors within reach; April is an ideal time to explore the region with food and wine events running throughout including the Harvest Hamper Trail Makers of Murrumbateman from 27-28 April. For more information yassvalley.com.au
BLUE MOUNTAINS PREPARING FOR ULTRA-TRAIL
Six hundred runners will descend upon Fairmont Resort & Spa Blue Mountains, MGallery by Sofitel on Thursday 16 May 2019, as it gears up to host the inaugural Ultra-Trail Australia 11 (UTA11). Set amongst one of the most iconic backdrops in the world, entrants will line up at Fairmont Resort & Spa Blue Mountains on the edge of the World Heritage-Listed Blue Mountains National Park, to run 11km, as part of a new race organised by Ultra-Trail Australia (UTA). Fairmont Resort & Spa is a check-in point for race competitors and offers spa treatments including hot stone healing and foot renewal for Ultra-Trail runners. For more information fairmontresort.com.au and ultratrailaustralia.com.au
MAYFIELD GARDEN AUTUMN FESTIVAL
Enjoy the vibrant changing colours and the opening of the New Moss Creek Garden at Mayfield Garden during the annual Autumn Festival. The Moss Creek Garden is part of the additional 10 hectares of the Hawkins’ Family Garden and features the rediscovered, Wollemi pine, nicknamed the 'dinosaur tree' or 'living fossil’. This tree is one of the most significant botanical discoveries of recent years, and it was discovered just down the road from Mayfield Garden in the Wollemi National Park. Mayfield Garden Autumn Festival includes the Mayfield Scavenger Hunt and Easter workshops, rowboats on Mayfield Lake, croquet, bocce and giant chess. The much-loved English Box Hedge Maze is also open for the festival – one of two openings for the year. For more information: mayfieldgarden.com.au
