Edition 138 · November 2019

Ecotourism Australia’s Global Eco Asia-Pacific Tourism Conference is being staged in Cairns next week 2-4 December. This year, the 27th Annual Conference is focussed on the evolving place of ecotourism. As the mentor for the industry on sustainability, ecotourism must continue to evolve and push the boundaries of best practice. This extends to ecotourism tours, attractions and accommodation; climate action; and tourism destinations.

This year the quality and array of international and national speakers is extraordinary. Ecotourism leaders from across the globe – and importantly young leaders who will drive the essential evolution of ecotourism into the next decades.

Check out the speaker line-up at globaleco.com.au/2019/speakers – 14 nations, 47 keynote speakers and a minimum of two hours a day networking time to meet and speak with these amazing leaders of the industry. Register now at globaleco.com.au/registration

The Gateway Foundation has released an ambitious space hotel construction which is set for 2025. The wheel-shaped hotel project called Von Braun has a diameter of 190 metres and resembles the space station envisioned by Stanley Kubrick in 2001: A Space Odyssey. The goal is to have the Von Braun operational by 2025 with 100 tourists visiting the station per week.

Further information: https://gatewayspaceport.com/

Accor Australia’s integrated Facebook Chatbot (AccorBot) has been rolled out across the group’s 1.8 million Facebook fans in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and French Polynesia. The virtual assistant has successfully assisted thousands of guests with everything from hotel reservations, customer service queries and city guide information.

Further information: https://group.accor.com/en

Hervey Bay in Queensland has been named the world’s first Whale Heritage Site. The World Cetacean Alliance awarded the accreditation at the recent World Whale Conference in recognition of the region’s responsible and sustainable whale watching practices.

Further information: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-11/whale-heritage-site-status-awarded-to-hervey-bay/11594050

The Hidden Vale Wildlife Centre is a new partnership between the University of Queensland and The Turner Family Foundation that provides valuable hands-on access to learn and develop next-generation wildlife management and conservation techniques on the Spicers Hidden Vale retreat in South East Queensland.

Further information: https://hiddenvalewildlife.uq.edu.au/

Free charging stations for visitors driving an electric car are being installed at major tourism attractions in the Cairns region including Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures, Mossman Gorge Visitor Centre, Village of Herberton, Paronella Park, Coffee Works Mareeba, Cairns Esplanade, Stockland Cairns, Reef Casino and the Pullman International.

Further information: http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2019/10/12/electric-vehicle-infrastructure-charging-ahead-in-fnq

The Philippines Department of Tourism has announced the opening of a new, state-of-the-art and eco-friendly international airport in Bohol. The Bohol-Panglao International Airport has been designed and constructed with long-term environmental considerations in mind including a solar power system that will supply all the airport’s energy needs and an expansive rainwater catchment system.

Further information: https://www.tourismphilippines.com.au/

The Lufthansa Group and the Lufthansa Innovation Hub have entered into a research alliance with Hopper focused about artificial intelligence. Hopper was founded in Canada in 2007 and operates one of the world’s most innovative travel booking apps. By leveraging powerful machine learning and artificial intelligence the proprietary technology will be able to accurately predict flight and hotel prices offering its users personalised recommendations at the optimal booking time.

Further information: https://lh-innovationhub.de/en/

French hotel group AccorHotels has developed the Flying Nest a new hotel concept that is portable and can be adjusted to meet guest demand. Designed by French designer Ora-ïto, the hotel is made up of shipping containers which features wood cladding from environmentally managed forests, fair trade amenities, environmentally certified paint, LED lighting and grey water recovery.

Further information: https://press.accor.com/accorhotels-launches-a-new-ephemeral-and-mobile-accommodation-concept/

Taronga Conservation Society Australia has opened a new overnight eco-retreat nestled within Taronga Zoo on the edge of Sydney Harbour. The Wildlife Retreat provides guests the opportunity to sleepover with Australia’s unique wildlife while supporting Taronga’s conservation and research projects around the globe. The retreat features 62 rooms in five environmentally sensitive and sustainably designed lodges located in a native bushland setting.

Further information: https://taronga.org.au/sydney-zoo/wildlife-retreat

The “Reisen für Alle” (Travel for All) project considers a wide range of criteria to ensure high quality standards across all industry sectors for barrier-free travel in Germany. This will mean businesses along the entire service chain will be recorded, assessed and certified according to a consistent set of nationwide criteria for accessible tourism.

Further information: https://www.germany.travel/en/ms/barrier-free-travel/experience-barrier-free-travel-in-germany.html

The World Animal Protection has launched a new site encouraging the travel industry to become wildlife-friendly by incorporating responsible wildlife practices into their business. The site offers expertise and tools to help agents determine if products respect animals, as well as the people whose livelihoods may depend on them while also providing wildlife-friendly experiences for customers.

Further information: https://www.worldanimalprotection.org.nz/travelcompany

Melbourne-based Intrepid Travel has committed to becoming the first travel company to be climate positive by 2020 by removing additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and donating 40% of profits from its family trips to preserve the planet for future travellers. Intrepid has been a carbon-neutral company since 2010, purchasing carbon credits associated with a range of renewable energy projects such as wind power project in India, a rainforest restoration initiative in Borneo and forest protection project in Malawi.

Further information: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/uk/regeneration-generation

InterContinental Hotels Group has announced a partnership with technology company Winnow to help its hotels automatically track, measure and reduce food waste for more sustainable and efficient restaurant and bar operations. The Artificial Intelligence technology aims to help the global hotel brand achieve a 30% reduction in food waste. It has been installed in seven hotels across Europe, Middle East and Asia with plans to roll it out to a further 30 properties.

Further information: https://www.ihgplc.com/news-and-media/news-releases/2019/award-winning-ai-technology-helps-ihg-hotels-track-measure-and-reduce-food-waste

The Duke of Sussex has announced a new global partnership ‘Travalyst’ aimed at improving conservation, environmental protection and local community economic development practices across the travel industry. Co-founded with leading service providers Booking.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, TripAdvisor and Visa the initiative will explore and promote solutions that help drive sustainable practices and consumer choices in supporting local people, protecting wildlife, tackling climate change and environmental damage, and alleviating over-tourism.

Further information: https://www.travalyst.org/

A study conducted in 90 cities around the world focused on the conditions in large urban areas and factors that are important for the comfort of cyclists. Factors identified in the Global Bicycle Cities Index 2019 included the rate of accidents involving bicycles, theft of bicycles, percentage of users in the city and the investment in infrastructure such as bicycle paths or shared stations. The top five cities are Utrecht (Netherlands), Munster (Germany,), Antwerp (Belgium), Copenhagen (Denmark) and Amsterdam (Netherlands).

Further information: https://coya.com/bike/index-2019

The UNWTO World Tourism Barometer monitors short-term trends to provide global stakeholders with up-to-date analysis on international tourism. The report is published four times a year and includes an analysis of the latest data on destinations (inbound tourism) and source markets (outbound tourism). The Barometer also includes a Confidence Index based on the UNWTO Panel of Tourism Experts survey which provides an evaluation of recent performance and short-term prospects on international tourism.

Further information: http://marketintelligence.unwto.org/content/unwto-world-tourism-barometer

One of the world’s leading digital travel platforms (Booking.com) has released findings from its annual sustainable travel report. The report reveals almost three quarters of travellers believe they must act now and make sustainable travel choices to save the planet for future generations. Results also indicated that travellers would be more encouraged to travel sustainably if there were economic incentives offered such as tax breaks when choosing eco-friendly options or online booking sites offering a sustainable filter option.

Further information: https://globalnews.booking.com/bookingcom-reveals-key-findings-from-its-2019-sustainable-travel-report/

The Tourist Attractions Regulatory Mapping and Reform Project is seeking industry input to help streamline the establishment or expansion of new tourist attractions in Western Australia. The project is being led by the Department of Treasury in collaboration with Tourism Western Australia and aims to reduce regulatory barriers and time delays in the approvals process for the development of tourist attractions.

Further information: http://www.treasury.wa.gov.au/Economic-Policy/Streamline-WA/Tourist-Attractions-Regulatory-Mapping-Project/

Over the next 3 years the Queensland Government is investing over $24 million to assist in the economic transition of Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) from its traditional reliance on sand mining to tourism. Working closely with the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation the project will deliver a range of projects dedicated to developing a sustainable tourism industry including arts and culture, education and training, and economic development and growth.

Further information: https://www.ditid.qld.gov.au/tourism/tourism-policy-strategies/minjerribah-futures

The Food and Tourism for Mountain Development is a new pilot project developed by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, Slow Food and the Department of Tourism in the Philippines. The project builds on the voluntary labelling scheme for mountain products which promotes access to markets for small producers in developing countries enabling them to obtain a fair price for their products and helps customers make more informed purchases.

Further information: http://www.fao.org/mountain-partnership/about/en/

The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage is currently seeking public comment on the draft Fremantle Prison Master Plan 2019-2029. The proposed master plan provides a road map to conserve the values of Fremantle Prison, sustain existing visitation, increase activation, grow revenue and activate a World Heritage site.

Further information: https://fremantleprison.com.au/

The Global Eco Asia-Pacific Tourism Conference will be held in Cairns from 2 to 4 December 2019. It brings together the world’s leading speakers on ecotourism, sustainability and responsible tourism including tourism operators, protected area managers, tourism organisations, indigenous bodies and researchers.

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

The Global Sustainable Tourism Conference will be held in Portugal from 4 to 7 December 2019. The conference will bring together international and domestic stakeholders involved in the development and promotion of sustainable tourism.

Further information: https://www.gstcouncil.org/gstc2019

The third World Indigenous Tourism Summit will be held in Perth in April 2020. The summit will focus on key areas of youth, environment, culture, research, government best practice and the business of tourism.

Further information: https://www.wits2020.com.au/

The annually anticipated ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) Travel Exchange (TRAVEX) will add a new business speed-dating component to the 3-day TRAVEX programme from 14 to 16 January.

Held on the first day of TRAVEX (14 January), all attending buyers and sellers will have the opportunity to meet and swap contacts with each other in this fast-paced activity prior to business appointment and exhibition days.

“We wanted to create additional lead generation platforms for delegates to benefit from the entire ATF 2020 experience. Each delegate can easily expect to exchange at least 60 business contacts during this period. This is on top of their pre-scheduled business appointments over the next 2 days,” said Darren Ng, Managing Director of TTG Asia Media.

TTG Events, organisers of ATF 2020 TRAVEX are targeting a minimum 1 to 1 buyer-seller ratio, with confirmed representation of suppliers from all 10 ASEAN destinations.

Booth spaces are filling fast. Buyer hosting programme is still open and in its final phase with over 500 registrations received to date.

To register for ATF 2020 Brunei, visit http://www.atfbrunei2020.com/registration/

For more information and programme updates, visit https://www.atfbrunei2020.com.