Edition 143 · April 2020

The 28^th 2020 Global Eco Conference is confirmed for 1-3 December, 2020 and is being staged in Margaret River, Western Australia.

Ecotourism Australia’s Global Eco Conference will take on a special role in 2020 as the ecotourism world emerges from the shadow of the immense impacts of COVID-19.

“The event will be an important time to re-calibrate, focus on rebuilding affected markets and creating strong returns to businesses, destinations and communities through tourism” said Ecotourism Australia Chair, Dr Claire Ellis.

The role of partnerships, collaboration and cooperative marketing will come to the fore as the industry moves into a recovery mode.

The conference is being supported by the State Government through Tourism Western Australia and The Department of Biodiversity and Attractions, together with Margaret River Busselton Tourism Association, Augusta Margaret River Shire the South West Development-Commission and Business Events Perth.

The event – the world’s longest running ecotourism conference – was last held in Western Australia, specifically Rottnest Island, in 2015. It was last held in Margaret River in 1998.

Global Eco is Ecotourism Australia’s premier annual event and is the most respected ecotourism conference in the world.  It attracts leading tourism industry operators, ecotourism professionals, tourism bodies and researchers.

It is expected that this year’s conference will attract some 200-250 delegates.

“Depending on the status of international recovery from COVID-19 we may see a reduced international contingent physically attending. We are investigating options to also offer the conference on-line to make our renowned keynote speakers available to the worldwide community of ecotourism professionals” said Conference Convenor,  Tony Charters AM.

More details on the conference theme and program will be released in the coming days.

In making its evaluation of the world’s safest airline, the airline rating website considers factors such as: industry body and government audits; the airline’s crash and serious incident record; profitability; safety initiatives. Qantas and Air New Zealand have come out on top. Qantas has been a leader in the development of Future Air Navigation System; automatic landings using Global Navigation Satellite System and precision approaches around mountains in the cloud using RNP.

Further information: https://www.airlineratings.com/category/news/worlds-safest-airlines-2020/

Qantas passengers will be able to experience a new safety video which tracks the brand’s evolution over the past 10 decades, honouring the airline’s 100-year history. The safety briefing features current QF crew in carefully recreated historical settings including onboard aircraft and in airport terminals. Various crew uniforms from throughout the decades were sourced from Qantas’ own collection and retired Qantas crew.

Further information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLq8if1nkTM&feature=emb_title

Contained is bringing back their popular Wine Down Pop Up series of unique and exclusive vineyard escapes for 2020. In partnership with Visit Victoria, guests will experience the best of Victoria’s wine regions, local produce and activities whilst sleeping among the Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Muscat grape vines. The series will take place across three wine regions including Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and Rutherglen

Further information: https://contained.com.au/hotel/

Atari, the company behind the Video Arcade brands Pac-Man and Space Invaders, is pioneering a unique lodging experience combining the iconic brand with a one-of-a-kind video game-themed destination. The Atari Hotels will have fully immersive experiences for every age and gaming ability including the latest in virtual and augmented reality. The first property will be in Phoenix with seven other properties planned for the U.S.A.

Further information: https://atarihotels.com/

The Queensland Government has established a dedicated Indigenous Tourism Development Service to work with emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander operators to start and grow their businesses and products. It will include dedicated Indigenous tourism development officers in Cairns and Brisbane to provide on-the-ground support and assistance for Indigenous tourism businesses in accessing government and industry services.

Further information: https://www.ditid.qld.gov.au/our-work/year-of-indigenous-tourism/indigenous-tourism-development-service

A daily map providing underwater vision of sites visited by tour vessels in the Cairns and Great Barrier Reef region has been launched by Tourism Tropical North Queensland. The Great Barrier Reef Today map currently shows the main reefs off Cairns and Port Douglas and will gradually expand to shows reefs to the north and south. The maps are based on the monitoring provided by tour operators via the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Eye on the Reef monitoring program. Travellers are encouraged to post images at #GreatBarrierReefToday and also upload them to the Eye on the Reef app.

Further information: https://www.tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au/great-barrier-reef-today/

An Australian company has been chosen to start construction on upgrading the Great Cooloola Walk with plans to establish a manufacturing facility in the Noosa hinterland. Experts in eco-friendly, offgrid, nature-based accommodation, CABN will work with the Kabi Kabi traditional owners to deliver new infrastructure including sustainable cabins along the trail. They currently operate in South Australia and Victoria with construction likely to be completed later this year.

Further information: https://www.ditid.qld.gov.au/news/latest-news/articles/2020/february/tender-announced-for-qld-ecotourism-trail

Accor has announced its commitment to join the UN Global Tourism Plastics Initiative by removing all single-use plastic items from its hotels by the end of 2022. Single-use plastics are defined as disposable items that are used only once and then discarded including plastic straws, cotton buds, coffee stirrers, plastic cups, plastic bags for laundry or extra pillows, plastic water bottles, all plastic packaging, plastic take-away dishes and tableware, plastic gifts and plastic keycards. Relevant alternatives to plastic will be proposed for each specific item with Life Cycle Assessments to ensure better environmental performance.

Further information: https://press.accor.com/h1accor-commits-to-global-elimination-of-single-use-plastics-in-guest-experience-by-2022-h1/?lang=en

The Hurtigruten Foundation was established to ensure that guests of tomorrow can enjoy the same unique experiences as guests of today. The foundation works closely with guests, partners and organisations to make a difference by minimising operational impact and maximising the positive contribution to local communities. Activities span onboard and ashore such as beach clean-ups, citizen science, water sampling, oil spill monitoring, and other science related projects. The foundation is funded by direct donations and several onboard initiatives including auctions, fund-raisers, and the ‘Green Stay’ program. The deadline for applications for funding is 1 May and 1 November 2020.

Further information: https://www.hurtigruten.com.au/about-us/sustainability/hurtigruten-foundation/

Tourism New Zealand launched an expanded version of their successful campaign to support and manage the camping system in New Zealand. Find out more about this work. The campaign encourages people to stay at campsites and campgrounds with facilities, and for those who choose to camp on public land it guides them on how to do this responsibly. The campaign includes advertising that targets campers via social media and Wi-Fi at 16 key camping spots, posters, brochures, digital screens and guide to great camping behaviour.

Further information: https://visuals.newzealand.com/pages/tiaki-toolkit

Located within Melbourne Cricket Ground, the National Sports Museum home of Australia’s largest collection of sporting memorabilia has been renamed the Australian Sports Museum following a $17 million upgrade. With a focus on cutting edge technology and immersive experiences, the Museum brings Australia’s rich sporting history to life in a fun and playful way. Visitors are encouraged to explore all facets of Australian sporting culture via touch screens, avatars, climbable objects and sporting challenges.

Further information: https://www.australiansportsmuseum.org.au/

Palm Pool in Millstream Chichester National Park will feature new ecotourism accommodation with approval for a lease given to the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation. The successful submission included 25 glamping-style safari tents, caravan and camping sites, as well as a restaurant. The Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Operators Council will market this new tourism offering along with others in the region as part of the Two-Year Action Plan for Nature-Based Tourism.

Further information: https://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/McGowan/2020/01/Ecotourism-accommodation-in-popular-national-park.aspx

In a joint commitment with ONCE Foundation the World Tourism Organisation has created the ‘Accessible Tourism Destination’ label to recognise and promote accessible tourist destinations. It aims to recognise tourist destinations that are making major efforts to ensure their destination can be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of physical, sensory or cognitive abilities.

Further information: https://www.unwto.org/accessibility

The Adventure Travel Trade Association and Intrepid Travel have partnered to release a new report the State of Climate Action in the Adventure Travel Industry based on a survey conducted in November 2019. The report incorporated data from 177 adventure travel businesses from around the world to establish a baseline understanding of climate action and offer valuable insights into how adventure travel businesses are being affected by climate change, what they are doing to mitigate these impacts, and the next steps for education and collective action.

Further information: https://www.adventuretravel.biz/research/the-state-of-climate-action-in-the-adventure-travel-industry

The UNWTO has partnered with UN Women, the German Development Agency GIZ, World Bank and Amadeus to produce the second edition of the Global Report on Women in Tourism. The report draws on a combination of quantitative analysis, literature review and 25 in-depth case studies from 18 countries. It explores trends across four world regions and key tourism industries including digital platforms and technology, hotels and accommodation, tour operators, and community-based tourism.

Further information: https://www.unwto.org/publication/global-report-women-tourism-2-edition