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Tourism Talk – Industry News

Issue 292 – 12 May 2010

Australian Tourism Exchange: 29 May - 4 June

The Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) will be held in Adelaide this year from 29 May to 4 June.

ATE is Australia's premier tourism trade event and the largest international travel trade show of its kind in the southern hemisphere. This year ATE will attract around 1,700 Australian delegates from 600 companies. The delegates will meet with 700 key buyers from more than 40 countries.The business-to-business event provides a forum for Australian tourism businesses to showcase their products, meet overseas contacts and negotiate business deals. It also provides the international travel trade with the opportunity to experience Australia first hand. Up to 100,000 networking and business appointments are conducted during the event.

This year at ATE, Tourism Tasmania is co-hosting a Friends of Tasmania dinner in partnership with Pure Tasmania. The dinner will incorporate the launch of Saffire, Tasmania's latest luxury accommodation, with its distinct design and its approach to tailored, one-on-one experiences and service.Tourism Tasmania is also hosting two happy hours that will feature the finest of Tasmania's food, wine and whisky.

If you're an operator interested in building your business to an international-ready standard and attending events such as ATE, then find out more about Tourism Tasmania's Team Tasmania program. For more information see Team Tasmania on the Tourism Tasmania corporate website.

Lumina Goes Regional

Lumina - A Winter of Festivals goes regional over the next fortnight with a strong focus on festivals and events that celebrate the very location and regions in which they are held. More than an opportunity to showcase our rich cultural and natural heritage, the regional events are also very much about the people and the communities in which they are staged.

Events include the Tasmanian Heritage Festival, to be held across Tasmania; 'From France to Freycinet’ on Tasmania's East Coast, celebrating the regions historic links with France; the inaugural Queenstown Heritage and Arts Festival, highlighting the many attractions of Queenstown; and the Batman Bridge Festival in the Tamar Valley with spectacular views from high above the river and showcasing the best of the Tamar’s wines, food and entertainment.

Lumina - A Winter of Festivals is a new marketing umbrella for a program of events and festivals to be held across the state during the months of April to August. Operators can get involved and benefit from the opportunities offered by the festival by placing a Lumina badge on their website, displaying a festival poster in their reception or helping to distribute a festival calendar of events. For further information on Lumina and how to get involved see Lumina - A Winter of Festivals.

Holiday Tales To Market Tassie

Operators are urged to get on board Tourism Australia’s new international marketing campaign to stop the state being left off the map – literally. The chance to include your entry on the map closes this evening, 12 May, at 12 midnight so there's still time - but not much. The campaign is collecting favourite stories from around the country and including them on an interactive map of Australia. The best entries will also win a prize.With only a small number of Tasmanian operators represented so far, it's vital that we all encourage our colleagues, guests, family and friends to upload a photo of a unique experience or aspect of your tourism operation to the Nothing like Australia website.

For further information see the Tourism Australia website and the competition details on the There's Nothing like Australia website.

Tasmania’s Restaurant of the Year – Restaurant 373

Restaurant 373 was recently named Tasmania’s Restaurant of the Year at the 2010 Tasmanian Hospitality Association (THA) Awards for Excellence. The North Hobart restaurant opened in 2006 and has since received praise from international food editors, restaurant critics, visitors and locals for its exceptional food, wine and service. The restaurant was also named Best European Restaurant.

The THA Awards for Excellence showcase the significant value and contribution of the hospitality industry to the state’s economy and tourism sector.Other major award winners were Howrah’s Shoreline Hotel, named Hotel of the Year, and Plum in Salamanca, named Best New Restaurant. Tourism Tasmania sponsored two awards, with the Country Club Casino’s Tonic Bar winning Best Marketed Establishment and Strahan Village’s Bonnet Island Experience winning Tourism Initiative of the Year. Tasmanian award winners are also eligible to enter the National Awards for Excellence.

For more about the awards and a full list of winners see: http://www.australianhotels.asn.au/awards.html

New Regional Awards - Apply Now

The Cradle Coast Authority recently launched the inaugural regional tourism awards to celebrate and reward tourist operators who exemplify industry excellence and professionalism in the Cradle Coast area. The award categories include accommodation, caravan parks, tourist restaurants, attractions and experiences, tourism operators, visitor information and services, events and festivals, sustainable tourism, individual contributions, young achievers, and contributions to local tourism.

Applications are open until 31 May with the winners announced on 29 July at a tourism forum to be held in Ulverstone. Entries are open to all tourism and associated businesses located within, or actively operating in, the Cradle Coast region.

Details of the award categories, entry criteria and application forms are available from www.cradlecoast.com

National Historic Sites Grants

Your business may be eligible for a grant. The new National Historic Sites (NHS) program is an Australian Government grants program that provides assistance to protect and conserve Australia’s most significant historic heritage. This annual program is ongoing from 2010-11 to 2012-13 with $4.4 million available for each year of the program.

Applications close 31 May 2010. To be eligible for funding a place must be listed, or be actively considered for listing on the National Heritage List; or be a historic heritage place of national significance (generally already included on a state heritage list or the Commonwealth Heritage List.) Co-contributions to projects by other sources must be at least 50% of the overall project budget.

For further information, including eligibility and how to apply, see the website of the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts

Tourism Online Futures Forum – Free registration

The Tourism Futures National Conference this year will include a one day Tourism Online Futures Forum to help tourism organisations become more familiar with and successful in the online environment.

In advance of the conference, you are invited to complete a quick and easy five minute online survey that will help provide insight into how Australia's tourism operators are adopting online technologies and e-marketing tools. All respondents will be eligible to enter a draw to receive one FREE registration for the Tourism Online Futures forum. Survey results will be collected and released at the Tourism Online Futures forum, 7th July, Southbank, Brisbane.

New website for the Port Arthur Historic Sites

Port Arthur Historic Sites (PAHSMA) has a new website, offering an expanded range of resources and ways of staying in touch with events at the Port Arthur and Coal Mines Historic Sites. The website provides a more appealing, responsive and flexible base enabling PASHMA to increase its important e-commerce activities.

Take a look at the Port Arthur Historic Sites website

TigerTOUR Updates

The following new products have been added to the Tourism Tasmania TigerTOUR database.

Accommodation:

  • No new accommodation

Attractions:

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

Batman Bridge Festival
Guided walks across Batman Bridge, food, wine, family entertainments and adventure activities
Sun, 23 May 2010
Batman Highway
Hillwood

Hawthorn v Adelaide – AFL
Round 12 of the AFL Premiership Season
Sat, 12 June 2010
Launceston

See all events