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Welcome to this week’s edition of Talking Tourism newsletter.
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UK travel giant gets a taste of WA’s wild side
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Hundreds of frontline travel sellers across the UK learnt more about WA’s diverse landscapes, incredible nature and unique wildlife experiences as part of an inaugural ‘Australia Week.’ Hosted by Tourism WA’s UK team in partnership with Tourism Australia, the initiative aims to keep WA top of mind with sellers from Trailfinders, the UK’s largest operator to Australia. As part of the initiative, Western Australia was promoted in all sessions and was featured in two dedicated virtual webinars on the Kimberley and Ningaloo Reef, attended by more than 200 agents. The team also ran a wildlife bingo evening for 35 guests, in partnership with the South Australian Tourism Commission, as a light-hearted way to showcase the range of wildlife experiences on offer. Since July 2020, Tourism WA has trained 845 agents virtually in the UK. It has also taken part in Pacific Asia Travel Association
Exchange in March 2021, updating 22 UK product managers on the latest news and WA tourism experiences.
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Kununurra and surrounds showcased in media feature
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Tourism WA has achieved some fantastic media coverage in The Weekend West’s travel section. An article and online feature by journalist Mogens Johansen focused on Kununurra and the surrounding Kimberley region, highlighting that it’s open for business and ready to welcome back visitors. The article includes tips for booking and where to stay, as well as dining recommendations, tours, and activities. Key operator mentions include Triple J Tours, Freshwater Apartments, Kimberleyland Waterfront Holiday Park, Lake Argyle Resort, The Hoochery, The Pumphouse, Aviair, HOT Tours, and Waringarri Aboriginal Arts Centre. The feature includes information about Tourism WA’s Kimberley Wanderer Pass. The West’s printed travel section reaches around 210,000
readers while its digital monthly unique audience at thewest.com.au is around 1.6 million. Highlights from the visit were shared on The West’s The Pod Well Travelled podcast. Thanks to all of the operators who participated in this famil.
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WA’s Aboriginal experiences highlighted in new touring map
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Visitors keen to explore Western Australia’s unique Aboriginal tourism experiences can now access a free touring map, produced by the WA Indigenous Tourism Operators Council (WAITOC). Supported by Tourism WA, the map features tours and activities ranging from bushwalks, foraging, fishing, 4WD adventures and camping to stargazing with the world's first astronomers. It It also features eight road trips designed by Tourism WA. The map is available at the WA Visitor Centre or can be ordered online from WAITOC’s website.
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Nominate your business in the WA Tourism Awards
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Tourism businesses across the State are encouraged to nominate for the 2021 Perth Airport WA Tourism Awards. With 26 categories to choose from, including festivals and events, adventure tourism, tours and transport, food, wine and accommodation, there is a category to suit every tourism business. The awards are sponsored by Tourism WA. For more information, and how to nominate, visit Tourism Council WA’s website.
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Queensland transitions to 'low risk' under border controls
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Queensland transitioned from a 'medium risk' to a 'low risk' State from 12.01am, Wednesday, April 7, following the latest health advice. Travel from Queensland to Western Australia is only permitted with 14 days of self-quarantine and COVID-19 testing. The WA Chief Health Officer will continue to monitor and review border controls to determine if any further adjustments can be made in the future. For more information visit the WA Government website.
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Financial solutions available for businesses
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Financial solutions for tourism businesses are available through the Federal Government’s export credit agency, Export Finance Australia. The agency can provide specialised financial advice to help a range of businesses and those in export-related supply chains. If your business requires finance to grow, or cashflow to help prepare for when international borders reopen, please contact Export Finance Australia on 1800 093 724 or visit the agency’s website.
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SafeWA app update for businesses
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To date, nearly 1.8 million people have registered for the SafeWA app and have completed a total of 140 million scans of the app. WA’s Chief Health Officer Dr Andy Robertson recently sent a letter to all WA businesses who registered via the SafeWA app thanking them for playing an important role in managing the ongoing impact of COVID-19. The letter reminds everyone that although many businesses are doing the right thing, community transmission of the virus remains a risk. Contact registers like the SafeWA app are a vital tool in minimising the spread of COVID-19 in the event of an outbreak. More information about best practices for maintaining contact registers is available here.
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Voting closes today for WA’s Top Tourism Town
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It’s your last chance to vote for WA’s Top Tourism Town. Public voting closes at 5pm today (Thursday April 8) for the 2021 GWN7 Top Tourism Town Awards. Seventeen towns and cities from across WA have been named finalists in the awards, which recognise and reward places that encourage tourism and increase visitors to their destination. The public can vote online for their favourite city or town and go into the draw to win a $5,000 holiday in WA or a $500 voucher to spend at a RAC Park or Resort. See the full list of finalists and vote at westernaustralia.com.
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Chance to learn more about Aboriginal culture
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West Australians are being encouraged to take part in Aboriginal cultural experiences, and get behind local Aboriginal tour operators, thanks to support we have provided to the City of Swan and Dale Tilbrook Experiences. Dale, a Wardandi Bibbulmun woman, is one of Australia’s most experienced and recognised Aboriginal tourism operators with a wealth of cultural knowledge and passion for Aboriginal art and bush foods. She will run a series of 24 cultural workshops until June 2021, for adults and children focusing on bushtucker and wellbeing, bushtucker tastings, insights into Aboriginal history and culture, and art sessions. For more information on the workshops, which run until June 2021, visit the Swan Valley website.
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City of Perth opens Arts Sponsorship Program
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Applications for the City of Perth’s Arts Sponsorship Program are now open. The program supports a wide range of high quality art and cultural projects and activities that attract a broad audience, encourage more visitors, deliver economic benefits to the city, add vibrancy and enhance the reputation of Perth as a premier capital city and arts industry leader. The program is open to projects requesting sponsorship of more than $20,000. Applications close at 4pm on April 27, 2021. For more information, visit the City of Perth website.
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Support for small tourism business owners
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Tourism businesses can access specialist business advice, workshops and webinars as part of the Federal Government’s Australian Small Business Advisory Services (ASBAS). Business owner and tourism specialist, Kristy Bailey is available for a one-on-one consultation, completely free, through the service that aims to increase the capability of small business owners by offering low cost, quality advice on a range of digital and business topics. The service also provides tourism businesses with access to a range of subsidised workshops and webinars. For more information, email Kristy or visit the ASBAS website.
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Register for workshops and networking
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May-June: Register now for Tourism Council WA’s (TCWA) training workshops and Tourism Connect networking events throughout the first half of the year in Busselton (May 18 and 19), Albany (June 1 and 2) and in Perth (June 15). For the full schedule of events and to secure your spot, visit TCWA’s website.
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Register for international market briefings
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April 13-23: Tourism Australia is holding a series of online briefings to update industry on the status of international markets including North America and Canada, South and South East Asia, Greater China, the United Kingdom and Northern Europe, Continental Europe and Japan and South Korea. Guest speakers will join the Tourism Australia team for the briefings that will also help with the process for people attending the Australian Tourism Exchange 2021. The briefings will be recorded and can be watched at a later date for those unable to attend. For more information and to register, visit Tourism Australia’s website.
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Register for National India Host Program 2021
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April 20-28: Registrations are now open for the Australian Tourism Export Council’s (ATEC) and Tourism Australia’s National India Host program for 2021.The program offers valuable insight into how to market to the local Indian community in preparation for welcoming back the India international traveller, when the time is right. The online program covers content including Indian culture, identifying target segments and tailoring product, as well as how to make your product marketing and trade ready for Indian customers. To register for the online program, visit ATEC’s website.
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Swan Valley Wine and Culinary Tourism Symposium
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April 21: The Forum Advocating Cultural and Eco-tourism Inc (FACET) is hosting a Swan Valley Wine and Culinary Tourism Symposium. The event is for owners and managers of food, wine and tourism businesses looking to refresh and develop new visitor experiences, with a particular focus on the Singapore market. It is also ideal for new culinary tourism businesses, producers interested in developing a visitor/tourism experience, Local Government, Development Commissions and tourism organisations responsible for economic and/or destination development. For more information, visit the FACET website.
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Connecting the tourism industry with Local Government
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May 25, June 15 and July 20: The Forum Advocating Cultural and Eco-tourism Inc (FACET) will host a series of three workshops to provide local government economic development officers with an understanding of tourism opportunities, links with key contacts and case studies. Small businesses, visitor centres and others wanting an understanding of how WA's tourism industry works will also gain valuable knowledge and connections from these workshops. Attendees are encouraged to register for all three sessions. The three workshops are: Tourism Overview (May 25); Developing Tourism in Your Region (June 15); and Making Tourism Easy (July 20). For more information and registration details, visit the FACET website.
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