Edition 110 · March 2017

Ecotourism Australia’s Global Eco Asia Pacific Conference is headed to Adelaide, South Australia 27-29 November 2017.

Global Eco will be staged at the state of the art Sanctuary Adelaide Zoo conference. Sanctuary, Adelaide Zoo is located right in the city, just 5-10 minutes walk to CBD hotels and restaurants, festival and events.

Mark your diaries now to secure your place at the world’s leading ecotourism conference, in its 25th anniversary year.

The conference theme and a call for papers will be released soon. The theme will contribute to the 2017 International Year of Sustainable Development for Tourism program of events.

Further information:
https://2017.globaleco.com.au/

The Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia (CMCA) is hosting an RV Futures Forum on 16 May 2017 at the Hilton Hotel, Brisbane QLD.
The program will commence at 10:00am and include the latest research, trends and industry intelligence on the RV sector. The session will include a Q&A session and a number of case studies followed by a networking lunch.
The RV Futures Forum will:

• Outline the growth and scale of RV travel;
• Highlight the community, conservation and economic benefits of supporting this market;
• Update attendees on the sustainability initiatives of CMCA and its future pririties; and
• Identify priority policy, infrastructure and other support services required to foster continued growth.

To register:
contact Racheli Evanson, Events Assistant on events1@managementsolutions.net.au or call +61 4 74 747 773

The International School of Sustainable Tourism (ISST) is holding the 2017 Subic Ecotourism Festival at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Centre 29 May – 1 June in celebration of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.

The event comprises of an exhibition of ecotourism sites, visits to ecotourism sites in Subic and environs, and a forum that brings together seven board members of the Global Ecotourism Network (GEN), and its regional subsidiary, the Asian Ecotourism Network (AEN). The speaking program includes global ecotourism luminaries across many nations.

This marks the first time the Philippines will receive a quorum of the GEN and AEN board, a group that represents the foremost experts in ecotourism and sustainable tourism. With members hailing from USA to Costa Rica to Jordan, and specialisations ranging from architecture to ecotourism site development to media and communication, this diverse group truly has much to offer and share to those who want to build ecotourism in the Philippines.

Early bird registration is available until 30 April.

To Register, visit:
bit.ly/2017SubicEcoFest

View the Project Brief:
Project Brief

View the Flyer:
Flyer

G Adventures has announced the winners of its Ambassadors of Change after receiving more than 350 applications from 42 states, 14 major consortia and 329 different U.S. travel agencies. The seven ambassadors will help promote the life-changing benefits of travel to their customers, peers and communities through G Adventures’ unique products and learning tools.

Further information:
http://www.adventuretravelnews.com/g-adventures-introduces-2017-ambassadors-of-change

Accessible design experts Motion Spot have partnered with U.K. architects Ryder to create AllGo hotel rooms for people with disabilities. The AllGo room design is flexible and can be customised for each inhabitant by incorporating essentials such as an integrated track hoist in the ceiling, a concealed handrail and wall panels that transform into seating and storage. The AllGo team plan to pilot the designs globally within a year.

Further information:
http://www.all-go.co.uk/

Hyatt Hotels has launched a new global platform grounded in the simple idea that a little understanding goes a long way. The World of Hyatt reaffirms its commitment to building genuine experiences and engaging its community in a way that is meaningful to them. A global integrated campaign will extend across TV, digital, social, out-of-home, in-hotel, print and events with an emphasis in the United States, China and India.

Further information:
http://hyattworldofunderstanding.com/

Cathay Pacific, in partnership with Hong Kong Beer Co, has launched the world’s first hand-crafted beer specially brewed to be enjoyed at 35,000 feet. Betsy Beer is named after Cathay Pacific’s first aircraft and will be served to First and Business Class passengers on flights between Hong Kong and the United Kingdom from 30 April 2017. The recipe has been specially constructed with a combination of ingredients, aroma and necessary carbonation to taste great both in the air and on the ground.

Further information:
https://lifewelltravelled.cathaypacific.com/betsybeer/

Qantas airlines has launched a new service that allows holidaymakers to link their automatic Out of Office email to a webpage collection of their Instagram holiday photos. The application features only photos tagged with #qantasoutofoffice and is available globally to anyone with Hotmail and Gmail as well as other domains that use the Gmail inbox.

Further information:
https://www.qantasoutofoffice.com

The Etihad Aviation Group has approved plans to create a new European leisure airline group in a joint venture with TUI Group. The new leisure airline group will have a fleet of around 60 aircraft offering 15 million seats capacity per year focused on point-to-point flying to connect key European tourist markets in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Further information:
https://www.etihad.com/en-us/about-us/etihad-news/archive/2016/etihad-aviation-group-and-tui-group-in-talks-on-aviation-partnership-in-the-touristic-sector/

Smoking restrictions now apply in Queensland national parks as part of expanded measures by Queensland Health to limit the damaging effects on the community. The new restrictions mean park visitors can enjoy the national parks without being exposed to second-hand smoke. On-the-spot fines will apply with smoking banned within 10 metres of occupied campsites, picnic tables, shelter sheds, toilets, barbecues, information centres, jetties and boat ramps.

Further information:
https://www.npsr.qld.gov.au/experiences/index.html
#smoking_restrictions_in_national_parks

The State Government of Western Australia has provided $20 million under the Royalties for Regions program to develop an innovative tourism precinct in Kalbarri National Park. It will include two skywalks at the Inyaka Wookai Watju site which will project beyond the gorge rim more than 100 metres above the Murchison River. There will be interpretation signs, parking for coaches and large caravans, shade shelters and toilets. They will also be accessible to people of all ages and abilities.

Further information:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfGXNPbn1R4

Major upgrades are under way at Wilpena Pound Resort in the Ikara-Finders Ranges National Park following a grant from the South Australian state government. The resort is owned jointly by Indigenous Business Australia and Traditional Owners the Adnyamathanha Traditional Lands Association will use the funds to install fully catered camp kitchens at the Ikara Safari Camp and Wilpena Pound Campground. The upgrade will be completed by September 2017.

Further information:
http://www.wilpenapound.com.au/

VisitScotland have launched a new virtual reality app which aims to educate and inspire more people to book a Scottish holiday. It is a collaborative project between the Scottish academic, technology and tourism sectors. The free app can be experienced in 3D when using a Google Cardboard virtual reality headset, in 360˚ view using gyroscope phone technology or by touchscreen in phone mode.

Further information:
https://www.visitscotland.com/app/

INSIDR has launched a digital concierge which is a LG smartphone with local and international calling and messaging services, 4G data, Wi-Fi and mobile hotspot that is fully equipped to help tourists navigate and discover a customised experience. One of INSIDR’s unique services is to send daily ‘trending’ messages to customers that include tips and recommendations for activities within the city along with transport and security updates that are important to travellers.

Further information:
https://www.thedigitalconcierge.com/

Daydream Island Resort and Spa in The Whitsundays has announced a $50 Million redevelopment which will see significant infrastructure upgrades to the island resort. The resort will close in early 2018 for accommodation refurbishments, renovations to existing attractions and installation of new features. The China Capital Investment Group purchased Daydream Island in March 2015 and has since completed many upgrades and renovations.

Further information:
http://www.daydreamisland.com/news/australias-famous-reef-island-announces-major-50-million-redevelopment/

Make Holidays Greener is a campaign led by ABTA with support from Travelife and industry charity The Travel Foundation. This website aims to help holidaymakers learn more about greener holidays and to encourage those working in the travel industry to get involved. It is an easy to use, step-by-step program that provides members with a practical approach to improve their business.

Further information:
http://makeholidaysgreener.org.uk/

The ITB World Travel Trends Report 2016-17 has been prepared by IPK International on behalf of ITB Berlin. The report is based on a representative survey with more than 500,000 interviews a year in over 60 travel markets worldwide and has been regularly conducted for more than 25 years. It is recognised as the largest continuous study into global travel patterns.

Further information:
http://www.itb-berlin.de/media/itb/itb_dl_all/itb_presse_all/World_Travel_Trends_Report_2016_2017.pdf

Tourico Holidays has released the 2017 Global Hotel Trends Report which examines the health of the hotel industry and offers insights on which destinations are trending with consumers coming into the new year. The report examined hotel booking data from nearly 80,000 hotel properties located on more than 4,500 destinations around the world and compared it to booking data captured at the same time last year.

Further information:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170118005216/en/Tourico-Holidays-Releases-2017-Global-Hotel-Trends

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation Global Report on the transformative power of tourism is a joint publication with the Institute of Tourism that aims to illustrate real-life initiatives that reflect the potential of transformative tourism in contributing to development. Transformative tourism refers to socially and environmentally conscientious tourists, who employ tourism as a medium to re-invent themselves and promote sustainable practices that have a positive impact on local communities.

Further information:
http://cf.cdn.unwto.org/sites/all/files/pdf/global_report_transformative_power_tourism_v5.compressed_2.pdf

The Ministry of Tourism of Kenya has signed an agreement with Amadeus and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation to provide youth and women of underprivileged communities with access to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in travel and tourism. A pilot program to be launched in Kenya before the end of 2017 and is expected to be replicated in countries around the world.

Further information:
http://media.unwto.org/press-release/2016-11-08/amadeus-unwto-and-ministry-tourism-kenya-partner-foster-job-creation

The National Coastal Tourism Academy in the United Kingdom has created a strategy for the development of tourism on the coast. The aim of the plan is to draw attention to the coast’s valuable assets and alter perceptions among of what there is to see and do on the coast. Among the challenges identified in the report are staffing and skills gaps as the coastal tourism sector is predominantly small independent businesses.

Further information:
https://coastaltourismacademy.co.uk/resource-hub/resource/vision-for-coastal-visitor-economy-summary–action-plan

Entries for the 2017 Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Awards are now open to tourism organisations and individuals making outstanding contributions towards the successful promotion of the industry throughout the Asia Pacific region. The awards recognise achievement in seven categories and winners receive media coverage in the weekly PATA Voice e-newsletter, press releases and social media channels. Deadline for submissions is 28 April 2017.

Further information:
https://www.pata.org/pata-gold-awards/

Have you ever wondered what trails could do for your region or holiday destination? Do you currently have existing trails and want to know how to improve visitation or find out the economic benefit trails are providing? Would you like to connect with trails experts from across Australia and New Zealand? If you answered YES to any of these questions then attending the 2017 Sustainable Trails Conference is a MUST! Registrations close 5 April – so act quickly!

Further information:
http://www.trctourism.com/trails-conference or
contact Donna Graf at donna@trctourism.com

The inaugural Tourism Summit will be held in Noosa on 21 April 2017. The summit will assist bring together some of Australia’s most innovative thinkers and achievers to provide delegates with ideas, skills and expert insights to help navigate the ever-evolving landscape of tourism.

Further information:
http://www.visitnoosa.com.au/tourismsummit

The Tasmanian Tourism Conference will be held in Launceston from 24-25 May 2017. The conference will see speakers from across Tasmania, Australia and the globe discuss refurbishing, revitalising and reimagining products, destinations, businesses and marketing to set our industry up for the next 20 years of visitor growth.

Further information:
https://tict.com.au/conference/