This five star holiday resort, located next to the National Park and official partner of Noosa Biosphere Limited, offers a great experience for its guests and visitors. The resort contains 198 self-contained apartments with stunning views. There is a beautiful onsite restaurant, View on Little Hastings, which offers Australian Cuisine; showcasing the best of the Sunshine Coasts' regional food. The Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort and Spa is known for its environmentally sustainable resort design which amplifies how modern developments can exist within the natural beauty and ecology of the Noosa Biosphere Reserve. Located in the middle of peaceful surroundings and equipped with state-of-the-art materials, the Noosa conference venue is perfect for a conference like Global Eco.

Further Information: http://www.globaleco.com.au/delegate-info.php

Noosa, located only a 90 minutes drive north of Brisbane, is known for its beautiful white beaches, relaxed atmosphere, amazing wildlife and other natural wonders. Noosa is a friendly place for business people as for backpackers, families and leisure travellers. There are several great things and activities that every visitor of Noosa should see before going back home. Some of these include visiting World Heritage Listed Fraser Island; Noosa National Park and Sunshine Beach; and having a walk through Hastings Street or a drive around the hinterland areas famous for their arts, crafts, food and wine. Besides all of this, Noosa offers diverse accommodation possibilities which makes it easy for people from all over the world to experience this beautiful part of Queensland. Ecotourism as well as sustainable tourism is playing an increasingly important role in Noosa. The Noosa Biosphere epitomises the value the Noosa community has placed on its natural and cultural heritage setting.

Further information: http://www.globaleco.com.au/delegate-host-region.php

The Noosa Biosphere Reserve is Queensland's first UNESCO biosphere promoting harmony between people and nature through education, conservation and sustainable activities. Having received recognition as a biosphere reserve in 2007, the reserve covers around 150,000 hectares of land and sea and is one out of 550 biospheres in the world. The Noosa Biosphere Limited is a community-based organisation which aims to protect, promote and enhance the Noosa Biosphere Reserve. Not only does Noosa Biosphere Limited focus on the conservation of the Biosphere, it is closely involved with the organisation of several events and projects, such as the Noosa Biosphere Festival and the Noosa Climate Action project. Many venues located in Noosa operate in line with recognised eco-friendly programs and sustainable business practices. The Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort and Spa is one of these venues that act as an official partner of the Noosa Biosphere Reserve.

Further information: http://www.globaleco.com.au/delegate-host-region.php

There are several tourism operators within Noosa that have received Eco Certification. Equathon Horse Riding, located on the Beach Road in Noosa North Shore, is known for its award winning horse riding tours and the best trails of the Sunshine Coast. The tours are designed for all levels of riding ability. Another organisation that has received an Eco Certification is Frasier Island Discovery, located in Noosaville and known for its extensive range of eco-touring options in Queensland. Kayak Noosa has also received Eco Certification for its paddling adventures around Noosa National Park and Noosa River system. Also, Noosa Everglades Discovery has received an Eco Certification for the beautiful tours they organise around the Noosa River and beyond. Their products include cruises, barbecues and canoe discovery tours. Eumarella Shores Noosa Lake Retreat ia an accommodation provider that has received an Eco Certification in the Noosa area. It has a selection of beautiful, self-contained lake houses nestled beneath the tree canopies.

Further information: http://www.globaleco.com.au/delegate-providers.php

Australia's Landscapes Program has been set up by Tourism Australia and Parks Australia in order to identify Australia's most iconic landscapes. The program was launched in December 2006 after both organisation recognised that an increasingly amount of tourists came to visit Australia because of its Wildlife and National Parks. The program aims for conservation of the National Parks in order to ensure that the natural and cultural experiences of Australia will last for the future to come. Up until today, sixteen National Landscapes from all over Australia have joined the program, including the Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Harbour, Australian's Red Centre and the Wet Tropics. Both Tourism Australia and Parks Australia want the National Landscapes in Australia to be well protected and recognised on a global scale. The program aims to utilise existing resources and networks to provide a sustainable approach to tourism planning, development and conservation.

Further information: http://www.tourism.australia.com/national-landscapes/about-the-program.aspx

The Queensland’s Wet Tropics is an area in the Northern Eastern part of Queensland which has been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage area since 1988. This region consists of around 8940 square meters of wet tropical forests and includes the highest concentration of primitive flowering plant families in the world. The Wet Tropics Authority has been providing on-ground coordination and management of the Wet Tropics since 1993. The Wet Tropics Authority contains a team of 20 dedicated scientists, planners and outreach specialists that mainly focus on building local networks within the Wet Tropics region. The core activities of the Wet Tropics Authority focus on the conservation of the Wet Tropics but also on ensuring that everyone has the chance of experiencing the Wet Tropics region. The Authority works closely together with regional communities, local land owners, regional councils, tourism and business sectors and Rainforest Aboriginal people in order to achieve their core activities.

Further Information: http://www.wettropics.gov.au/exploring

For the 2013 edition of the Global Eco Conference, Ecotourism Australia will be receiving support from the Queensland Government, Tourism Events Queensland (TEQ) and Tourism Noosa. The Department of Tourism, Major Events, Small business and the Commonwealth Games as well as the Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing have recognised the contribution the conference can make to tourism in Queensland and the broader discussion around eco tourism and tourism in protected areas. TEQ has committed to the conference with a strong focus on innovation, practical outcomes and future trends that will shape the nature, style and scope of tourism experiences in protected and heritage areas. Tourism Noosa is a membership-based organisation with over 450 members committed to the sustainable growth of tourism across the region. Other supports of the 2013 Global Eco Conference are Australian Government Department of Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia Ltd, The Original Eumundi Markets and the Noosa Biosphere.

Further information: http://www.globaleco.com.au/sponsors-supporters.php

The Eumundi Markets, known as Australia’s premier artisan market, is opened every Wednesday and Saturday, rain, hail or shine. The phenomena of the Eumundi Markets started in 1979 when artist Christa Barton and her friend Gail Perry-Somers decided to organise a market in Eumundi that was inspired by the European style Artisan and Farmers markets. Quite soon after that, Eumundi became a home for artisans, craftspeople and refugees. Throughout the years, the Eumundi Markets showed a rapid growth of both the number of visitors and stalls and after 1979 the Eumundi Markets expanded even more by offering food and beverage. People from all over the world have visited the Markets to find an amazing range of arts craft, products and local produce. Besides this, people can take a break from the shopping and be entertained by performing artists that can be found across the entire market.

The 2013 Global Eco Networking Dinner will be at the Eumundi Markets.

Further information:

http://www.eumundimarkets.com.au/
http://www.globaleco.com.au/sponsors-supporters.php

Ecotourism is a major part of the Queensland Government’s plan to grow tourism - one of the state’s four economic pillars.

Experiencing nature is a primary motivator for both domestic and international visitors in Australia. Queensland has a natural competitive advantage in providing visitors with high quality ecotourism experiences because of our world class national parks and marine parks, five World Heritage areas, and a huge diversity of appealing landscapes and iconic wildlife.

The Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing (NPRSR), in partnership with the Department of Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games (DTESB) and Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ), is progressing a number of ecotourism initiatives, including:

Queensland Ecotourism Plan 2013 – 2020 (Draft for consultation)
A new ecotourism plan for Queensland is one of five ecotourism priorities identified for the first year of the DestinationQ Partnership Agreement between the Queensland Government and the tourism industry in June 2012. The Queensland Ecotourism Plan 2013 - 2020 (Draft for consultation) (‘the Plan’) has been developed in consultation with industry, Queensland Government agencies and other key stakeholders. A copy of the Plan is available at Queensland Ecotourism Plan 2013 - 2020 (draft for consultation)

The Plan was released for a 6 week consultation period that closed 31 May 2013. The final Plan is currently being prepared with careful consideration being given to the 78 submissions received.

To read more Click Here

Global Eco 2013 is still open for industry professionals to offer a paper for the third day of the conference. This third day consists of six ½ day forums for which papers are needed. For the Asia-Pacific Forum papers are needed with topics such as destination planning; development and marketing and partnerships and transnational boundaries. Case studies are also encouraged. For the Indigenous and Cultural Tourism Forum papers and case studies of innovative indigenous tourism products and tourism operations involving indigenous people, are welcomed as well as innovative cultural tourism products and programs from across the Asia-Pacific. For the Ecotourism Investment Forum we are looking for case studies and papers of innovative partnerships as well as panellist for a discussion on tourism in protected areas. For the Geotourism Forum we are seeking for papers that demonstrate the growth of Geotourism and recognise its role in sustainable tourism. More information on the Operator’s Market Forum will come soon. The Call for Papers deadline is set on Monday 9, September 2013.

http://www.globaleco.com.au/program-call-papers.php

Be part of the delegation that debates and develops a response to the Tourism  Megatrends.  Global Eco will feature world leading speakers and case studies to examine the trends. All members of the delegation will take an active role in small groups, to develop an industry response to the Megatrends. You can choose to take a very direct role by offering yourself as an Opinion Leader or as a Wordsmith.

This is your opportunity to take on an active role at the 2013 Global Eco Conference. For day 1 and 2 of the 2013 Global Eco Conference, we are seeking for a total of six opinion leaders to speak for no more than two minutes on a megatrend, from the perspective of their particular interest. The opinion leaders may offer case studies, but these should also be under two minutes. If an opinion leader wishes to offer a fullPowerPoint presentation it will be uploaded on the Global Eco website. Visit the Global Eco Conference website for more information or click on the link below

http://www.globaleco.com.au/program-call-papers.php

For day 1 and 2 of the conference we are seeking for six wordsmiths. We are calling out to all great writers that would like to take part of the 2013 Global Eco Conference. We need wordsmiths that have a great ‘ hands on approach’ who can help craft a concise action agenda for one of the megatrends. For more information on becoming a wordsmith please visit the website or click on the link below.
http://www.globaleco.com.au/program-call-papers.php

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