Tourism Talk - Industry Newsletter

Issue 287 - 23 February 2010

ATEC Symposium – Hobart, April 2010

The Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) is holding its 33rd annual Symposium conference in Hobart this year.

ATEC is the peak industry body representing Australia’s $26 billion tourism export sector.

Tourism Tasmania, in conjunction with the Tasmanian Convention Bureau, secured the right to host the ATEC Symposium and has worked with an industry committee to ensure that all sectors of the industry benefit from the conference.

The Symposium is Australia’s largest inbound tourism conference, with more than 600 inbound professionals attending the four-day event.

It generates at least $1 million in revenue for the host destination and includes 1600 paid visitor nights, plus pre and post delegate holidays.

This year’s symposium is about looking to the future – putting the past twelve months behind us and planning how to prosper as the global economy recovers.

The symposium provides a fantastic opportunity to showcase Tasmania as a visitor destination enabling Tasmanian ‘export ready’ tourism businesses to meet influential ITOs who promote and sell Australian travel packages to overseas buyers.

Tourism Tasmania has also designed a package of benefits available to all operators that register to attend the conference as a delegate.

For more information, including the package of benefits, see ATEC Symposium 2010 on the Tourism Tasmania corporate website.

Marketing Campaign 2010 - Last Chance to Get Involved

Tourism Tasmania will be active over the coming months with its Autumn Winter Marketing Campaign 2010.

The campaign continues to build on the destination brand, Tasmania - A World Apart, Not A World Away, and the theme that visitors don’t need to travel overseas for world-class experiences as there's plenty to do in Tasmania in the cooler months.

An industry prospectus provides information on the new campaign and ways that Tasmanian operators can secure advertising opportunities as part of the campaign.

While the majority of print and television advertisements have already sold out, there are still very affordable opportunities to advertise online.

For further details, including the industry prospectus and booking forms, see Autumn Winter Marketing Campaign 2010

If you need help completing the form or would like more information, contact the Help Desk on 1300 303 259 (9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday) or email taseconnect@tourismtasmania.com.au

Digital Coach Program

Tourism Tasmania will soon offer digital coaching free of charge to interested local tourism associations, sector groups and visitor information centres around Tasmania.

Working with an individual coach, operators can learn first-hand about e-commerce and how they can benefit from having a web presence and distributing their product online.

This offer is open to all tourism operators through their membership of their local tourism association or sector groups within Tasmania.

To participate you need to be a member of one of these groups. If you're not currently a member then contact them and discuss the benefits of membership, of which access to this free program is just a part.

If you are currently a member of a local tourism association or sector group simply contact your group and let them know of your interest in the program. 

For further information on the Digital Coach Program contact the Tas e-Connect Help line 1300 303 259.

New Tasmanian Website for Visitor Bookings

A new Tasmanian travel website is allowing consumers to search, select and book their Tasmanian holiday online in just a few simple steps.

Travelways.com.au is the new website of long-standing travel publication, Tasmanian Travelways, a hard-copy travel magazine distributed locally and on the mainland.

Travelways has transformed its old website to maximise the benefits of online distribution and to meet the changing habits and expectations of consumers.

Visitors to the website can explore Tasmania’s five regions using an interactive map and make fast and easy bookings through an accommodation and attraction search facility on the homepage.

Travelways’ move into online travel distribution was made possible by Tourism Tasmania’s Tas e-Connect initiative. Tas e-connect gives Tasmania’s tourism industry ready access to live, online bookings and instantly updated inventory.

Tas e-Connect is a nation-leading program that provides tourism businesses with the technology to distribute online as well as the vital learning and development support needed to make the move to e-commerce.

Travelways.com.au joins a wide range of websites and online distributors, including Discovertasmania.com, Wotif.com, Totaltravel.com and the Hobart Visitor Information Centre, that use Tas e-Connect’s booking technology to connect Tasmanian travel products with consumers nationally and internationally.

Roamfree Integrates with Open Booking Exchange

Tasmanian tourism operators using Roamfree can now present their inventory online in real time following the integration of Roamfree into Tas e-Connect's technology platform, the Open Booking Exchange.

All properties using Roamfree and its associated systems, including Bookeasy and Siteminder, can now benefit from the wider distribution made possible by Tas e-Connect and the Open Booking Exchange.

Importantly, as part of the integration, the nine Tasmanian Visitor Information Centres using the Bookeasy property management system now have open access to sell all the inventory presented through Tas e-Connect.

The integration provides the centres with an opportunity to expand their revenue base and offer live, real time bookings to their customers.

For more information on Tas e-Connect, contact the Help Desk on 1300 303 259 or email taseconnect@tourism.tas.gov.au

Maria Island Walk Wins Award

Readers of The Australian voted the Maria Island Walk as the country’s best Eco-Wilderness Experience in the newspaper’s recent annual Travel and Tourism Awards.

The awards attract thousands of votes across 17 categories.

Tasmania had 12 finalists in the highly competitive awards, including Hobart’s The Islington Hotel. The hotel was named in travel writer Susan Kurosawa’s the 2009 Kurosawa Collection, as the best luxury accommodation under 100 rooms.

New Chef at The Source

It’s a long way from Shanghai, China’s largest city, to Australia’s smallest capital - Hobart - but the new chef at MONA’s The Source Restaurant sees his former head chef position at the award-winning Hamilton House, on the Bund, as the perfect training ground to prepare him for the opening of MONA, Museum of Old and New Art in January 2011.

Philippe Jacques Leban, 45, is the new executive chef at The Source Restaurant and he brings with him impressive French credentials. Leban was born in Paris but grew up in Sydney after his parents emigrated in 1970.

During his time at Hamilton House (2007 to 2009), Leban delivered a buffet of awards including a spot on Conde Nast Traveler magazine’s ‘100 Hot List Tables’ of worldwide restaurants for 2008, best new restaurant in Shanghai, 2009, and the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences Five Star Diamond Award for being one of Asia’s best chefs in 2009.

Prior to gaining international recognition, Leban worked with Guillaume Brahimi, as sous chef at Sydney’s Quay and also as head chef at Bennelong.

In France, he earned his chequered trousers at a number of three Michelin star restaurants: Alain Passard’s L’Arpège, Pascal Barbot’s L’Astrance, restaurants of Hôtel Plaza Athénée and Hélène Darroze restaurant, one of Paris’s grand personalities in the world of cuisine.

TigerTOUR Update

The following products have recently been added to TigerTOUR, our product database.

Accommodation:

Tourism Tasmania’s Product Consultants can help you update your business details. For more information email TigerTOUR@tourism.tas.gov.au or phone: (03) 6230 8229.

Coming Events

Steamfest
Tasmania's Premier Country Fair
Sat, 06 Mar - Mon, 08 Mar 2010 
Sheffield

See all events

Go to top