Talking Tourism

Issue #548, April 4, 2019


Hello

Talking Tourism is Tourism Western Australia's e-newsletter detailing the latest news, events, products and other information of interest to you in the WA tourism industry.

Record number of holiday visitors in latest IVS results

A record number of international visitors holidayed in Western Australia in 2018, according to the latest International Visitor Survey (IVS) data. Released last Friday by Tourism Research Australia, the data reveals 487,100 international visitors travelled to the State for a holiday, an increase of 12.6 per cent compared to 2017. This is the highest ever number of international holiday visitors to WA and the strongest year-on-year growth rate in holiday visitors in the nation. Overall, the number of international visitors to the State increased by 2.1 per cent to 963,800, while spend decreased by 0.5 per cent to $2.2 billion and the number of nights dropped by five per cent to 24.9 million. The State Government recently committed an extra $9 million in the upcoming State Budget to Tourism WA. This complements existing funding to make up a $12 million a new international marketing package. The package will be used to market the State and attract holiday makers from key South East Asian markets as well as long-haul destinations. Tourism WA Managing Director Brodie Carr said the additional funding would strengthen existing marketing efforts and provide opportunities to draw in more visitors from these top markets to WA.  “It’s really important we continue to build on this momentum this year, and continue to grow our numbers in these markets through targeted marketing activity,” he said. For more on the IVS results, read the story on our corporate website.

 

WA gears up to host major tourism trade show

With only a few days to go until the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) kicks off in Perth, Tourism WA, along with co-host Tourism Australia, is pulling out all stops to welcome some of the most influential people in the international tourism industry. Special signs in different languages, as well as images of WA’s stunning tourism destinations, have been installed at Perth Airport to welcome delegates flying in to Perth, and there'll be an opportunity for delegates to take a 'quokka selfie' at a specially installed station at the Virgin Australia arrivals concourse. To mark the opening of the event, landmark Perth buildings Optus Stadium, the Bell Tower and Perth Concert Hall will be transformed at night-time with special blue lighting in a tribute to Perth's beautiful blue skies. Flag banners featuring iconic WA images will also line the city streets for the duration of ATE, which runs from April 8 to 12. WA will have the highest number of sellers at ATE in 10 years, with 80 tourism operators taking part. For more information, visit our corporate website.

 

Virtual tours of WA’s premier attractions on offer

In preparation for the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) being held in Perth from April 8 to 12, Tourism WA has developed a Virtual Reality (VR) experience to showcase some of Western Australia’s premier attractions. Delegates who visit the Western Australia booth at the event will be able to take a 360-degree virtual tour of a range of different experiences and locations across the state. From speeding through the Horizontal Falls in the North West to swimming with whale sharks on Ningaloo Reef, soaring above carpets of wildflowers in the Mid-West and meeting friendly kangaroos in Esperance, the content takes viewers on incredible visual journeys throughout WA. Following ATE, the videos will be used in future Tourism WA trade and consumer opportunities, such as social and online campaigns, events and activations. They will also be made available via VR pods at the soon-to-be refurbished Perth Visitor Centre. The videos will be available to download from the Tourism WA Image Library. Check out the videos on Tourism WA’s YouTube channel.

 

Last chance to experience Field of Light in Albany

There are only a few weeks left to catch the Field of Light: Avenue of Honour experience in Albany, which concludes on Anzac Day. Field of Light: Avenue of Honour is UK artist Bruce Munro’s moving, immersive tribute to those who served in WWI. Launched in October last year, the installation consists of 16,000 glass spheres that light up the road approaching Albany's National Anzac Centre in white, yellow and gold - the colours of Australia and New Zealand's national flowers. Special Anzac events will be staged at and around the installation during its final days. Visitors to the installation has so far exceeded 140,000, with increased attendance expected during the Easter and Anzac Day periods. Field of Light: Avenue of Honour is proudly supported by the State Government, through Tourism Western Australia’s Regional Events Program and Lotterywest. For more information, visit the website.

 

Exceptional WA heritage projects awarded

The Premier Mill Hotel in Katanning has been recognised across three categories at the 2019 Western Australian Heritage Awards. The former flour mill received the prestigious Gerry Gauntlett Award, acknowledging excellence in the area of conservation or adaptation of a heritage place. It was also a joint winner of the Heritage Tourism Product and Conservation or Adaptive Reuse of a State Registered Place awards. The Heritage Awards recognise the exceptional contribution by heritage professionals, volunteers and organisations and celebrate their commitment to heritage conservation, adaptive reuse, interpretation and tourism across Western Australia. Other winners included the Shire of Leonora for the conservation of Gwalia's historic precinct, Perth Railway Precinct (Yagan Square), Woodman Point Quarantine Station Heritage Trail, Heritage Perth Weekend and Busselton Jetty Inc.  More information can be found on the Heritage Council's website.

 

UK TV presenter Julia Bradbury discovers WA

Perth and the Kimberley were the focus of an episode of new UK TV series, Australia with Julia Bradbury. The eight-part series, which airs during peak time on ITV, sees Julia travel the length and breadth of the country to experience what modern Australia has to offer. The travelogue covered Perth’s redevelopment, surfing, and Aboriginal culture in the Kimberley to an audience of 2.1 million viewers. Tourism WA is partnering with Qantas to leverage interest from the program to promote the non-stop London to Perth flight and visitation to WA. This will involve the reuse of a series of short videos, which Tourism WA shot with Julia in Perth and Australia’s South West in 2016.

 

China marketing push to put WA on map

Tourism WA, in partnership with Chinese tour consultancy Utour and Aust Highway Travel, recently joined forces to put WA on the map for two Shanghai organisations - the Shanghai Photographic Association and Shanghai Retiree Club. Following a joint marketing promotion, 50 people from each organisation purchased WA travel products. In March, the two groups spent six days in Perth and regional WA, experiencing the likes of Hutt Lagoon in Geraldton, the Pinnacles and Field of Light: Avenue of Honour in Albany.

 

Industry mourns passing of Lady Doris Brand

On Tuesday, at age 97, Lady Doris Brand passed away peacefully. Lady Brand was the wife of Sir David Brand, who was the longest-standing WA Premier and the first-ever Minister for Tourism. Lady Brand was heavily involved in the WA Tourism Awards since their inception in 1972. She presented the Awards, named in honour of Sir David after his passing, for several years until she entrusted the role to her daughter-in-law, Dr Jennie Bickmore-Brand. Lady Brand attended 43 Tourism Awards Gala Dinners and up until 2015, she was involved in the judging of the Sir David Brand Young Achiever Medal and the Sir David Brand Medal. She was very proud of her family’s long standing involvement in the Awards and would always make an effort to meet the Medal recipients personally. Our thoughts are with Jennie Bickmore-Brand and her family at this sad time.

 

Voyager Estate's wine award trifecta

Voyager Estate has won ‘Best Tasting Experience, Margaret River’ in Gourmet Traveller WINE’s 2019 Best Cellar Door Awards. It’s the third year in a row that the Estate, which celebrated 40 years last year, has won the award. The Awards are an annual awards series, with winners picked by Australia’s leading wine writers, who search every region to find the best wineries, top tasting experiences and venues that serve first-class food. Voyager won best tasting experience for their extensive wine list, educational elements and their dedicated wine flights, and option to taste cellared museum wines. Sommelier Claire Tonon leads the team in tasting and is on hand to expertly guide visitors through the wines. For more information, visit the Gourmet Traveller website.

 

Register now for Australia Marketplace India 2019

Tourism Australia’s India flagship trade event, Australia Marketplace India 2019 (previously India Travel Mission), will take place in Kochi, Kerala, India from August 8 to 11. This will be followed by a networking dinner in Mumbai on August 12. The program includes pre-scheduled meetings between buyers and sellers, as well as networking opportunities. The event is an opportunity for WA tourism operators to establish business relationships with up to 100 key qualified travel agencies and tour operators from India. India is the fastest growing inbound market for Australia, with more than 30,000 Indian visitors to WA (an increase of 11 per cent) spending $74 million (an increase of 15.6 per cent) in 2018. Tourism WA is participating in Australia Marketplace India and encourages WA operators keen to establish themselves in this market to attend. For more information, please click here. Applications close on Monday, April 29. For more information on the India market and its potential in WA, please contact Andrew Oldfield or Rei Seah.

 
 

 

INDUSTRY EVENTS

Visit Tourism WA’s corporate website for a comprehensive list of workshops, conferences and other events that may be of interest to WA’s tourism industry. To list or update your industry event, email media@westernaustralia.com.

 

Tourism Council workshop schedule for 2019

Tourism Council WA is pleased to announce its new workshop schedule for the first half of 2019, featuring a range of refreshed workshops for your tourism business. The updated workshops will be visiting a range of destinations in the first half of 2019, including Denmark, Margaret River and Perth. For the full workshop schedule, visit the Tourism Council WA website.

 

Accreditation to re-brand in 2019

Following more than 20 successful years of recognising high-quality tourism businesses, the Australian Tourism Accreditation Program will be re-branded to better promote your business. The new Quality Tourism Framework will combine multiple tourism accreditation, business development and awards programs into a single, user-friendly online tool to develop your business and grow your market, paired with new, modern branding to promote your status as a Quality Tourism Accredited Business. To find out more, visit the website.

 

WA Hospitality Supplier and Legends Awards

May 13: The 2019 Bankwest WA Hospitality Supplier and Legends Awards will be held on May 13 at Crown Perth. This event will mark the official opening of the 2019 Hospitality Expo - Western Australia’s largest annual hospitality conference and expo. The awards showcase outstanding suppliers, promotions, products and services that are provided to WA’s hospitality sector. Each supplier award category is voted by customers from various sectors of WA’s hotel and hospitality industry including accommodation properties, hotels, taverns, bottle-shops, small bars, restaurants and tourism venues. For more information or to register, please click here.

 

AHA Hospitality Expo and Conference

May 14-15: Hospitality Expo is WA’s largest industry-only tradeshow showcasing a comprehensive collection of the latest products and services on offer to the hospitality industry. Exhibitors travel from all over the country for the opportunity to align their brand with this event, and present to thousands of potential clients over two days. This two-day event showcases cutting-edge technologies, the latest in beverages, fresh produce and high-quality venue equipment. The expo will feature numerous interactive displays and demonstrations of products from more than 100 industry suppliers. For further information or to register your attendance, please click here.

 

Perth Hotel and Venue Development Breakfast

May 16: Registrations are now open for the 2019 Perth Hotel and Venue Development Breakfast, which will be held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. Presented jointly by Tourism Council WA and Property Council of Australia (WA), this event will reveal the latest insights on hotel, venue and precinct development in Perth. Speakers at the event will include Tourism WA Managing Director Brodie Carr, Western Australian Museum Principal Project Officer Renae Woodhams, and Lucid Economics Director Michael Campbell. For more information and to register, click here.

 

ATEC presents wine conference in South Australia

June 18-20: The Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC), in partnership with Wine Australia and the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC), is proud to present the ‘National Wine Tourism Conference: Beyond the Barrel’ as part of the Federal Government’s $50 million Export and Regional Wine Support Package. This three-day conference, being held in South Australia, will feature business meetings, conference sessions and networking events and opportunities. For more information contact the ATEC team or register here.

 

Register for North American Australia Marketplace 2019

August: Registrations are now open for the North American Australia Marketplace 2019, being held in Los Angeles, August 26-29. This annual event brings together more than 100 North American buyers and 100 Australian tourism products and experiences. The program begins with an industry update and reception on August 26, followed by three days of appointments and networking opportunities. Visit the website to register. Tourism WA will also conduct a Show me the WAy workshop to key distribution partners on America’s east coast from August 18 to 23, so save the date. More details on this workshop will be circulated after the Australian Tourism Exchange.

 

WA Tourism Conference heading to Karratha

September 16-18: The 2019 WA Tourism Conference, which is supported by Tourism WA, will be held in Karratha, from September 16 to 18. Following a competitive tender process, the City of Karratha was awarded the event in recognition of its significant commitment to growing the region’s tourism capacity and offering. To assist tourism businesses from across WA to attend the event, the City of Karratha is offering a subsidy for those who will be flying or driving long distances. Tourism Council WA is now seeking submissions of papers and topics from potential speakers on regional tourism, Aboriginal tourism, ecotourism and geotourism. Submissions close 5pm WST April 30. For more information and submission requirements, click here.

 

Wine exports and tourism workshops on offer

Wine Australia's Growing Wine Exports and Growing Wine Tourism is holding workshops and webinars in Perth, Swan Valley, Margaret River and Albany until July. These are practical, hands-on, wine-specific and packed full of case studies, market insights and tools to help businesses grow their exports and develop their wine tourism products and services for the inbound tourism market. Register now for a national webinar or a workshop in your region.

 
 

 

For upcoming Tourism WA sponsored events head to the Tourism WA corporate website.