Edition 147 · August 2020

In this extraordinarily confronting and damaging time in the tourism industry we will continue to publish Tourforce monthly. However, we will not seek to offer advice or updates on COVID-19, as industry bodies and government bodies are best equipped to do this – with destination specific information.

We welcome short stories on innovations, and success stories and stories that reflect the positive things that the tourism industry is doing to ensure that the industry returns and re-builds. Submit stories to editor@tourforce.com

We want to place on record our thanks to those in business, government, research and the not-for-profit sectors who are working to get us through this challenging time.

The Margaret River HEART is the newest addition to conferencing and entertainment venues in Western Australia’s South West.

With a rich, long-standing connection to its thriving Arts and Cultural community, Margaret River is a growing destination for a diverse range of creatives from near and far.

The Margaret River HEART has multiple spaces designed for plenary, small meetings, trade exhibitions, music concerts, cinema screenings, theatrical productions, cocktail parties, community events, award ceremonies, art exhibitions, workshops, and much more. The Main Theatre seats 446 (including 4 Wheelchair Spaces) in its fixed raked seating, and the smaller, more versatile Studio Theatre seats 150 theatre style in chairs.

The Margaret River HEART also has a beautiful Foyer space where both local and regional artists are encouraged to exhibit, with hanging rails perfect for art exhibitions and an adjoining Bar/Servery area for social events like opening nights and gatherings. The team is looking forward to hosting delegates to the 2020 Global Eco-Tourism Asia-Pacific Tourism Conference 1 – 3 December 2020.

The Oceanographic Museum of Monaco is hosting an interactive exhibition dedicated to the Great Barrier Reef. The multimedia installation called ‘IMMERSION’ offers visitors an opportunity to dive below the surface to meet the iconic species that inhabit the planet’s largest coral ecosystem. The immersive experience aims to engage and educate the public to better protect the marine world.

Further information: https://musee.oceano.org/en

Visit Norway has created a new campaign highlighting the beautiful scenery and space Norway has to offer for travellers from many European countries. According to the United Nations Association of Norway, there is an average of 15 people per square kilometre with plenty of fresh air along the second longest coastline in the world.

Further information: https://www.visitnorway.com/plan-your-trip/norwegian-space-travel/

New Zealand Tourism, Trade and Enterprise, Primary Industries and Education bodies are working together on a joint global campaign to promote brand New Zealand to the world. The new campaign called ‘Message from New Zealand’ aims to build upon New Zealand’s reputation as a great place to live, study, buy products, invest and visit again when the time is right. The campaign will run into 2021.

Further information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-yTmtVy2qc&feature=emb_title

Tourism Northern Territory has launched its newest campaign nationally to entice Australians to start booking their dream holiday to the Northern Territory through until October 2020. The ‘The Territory is the answer’ campaign targets domestic travellers who have travel credits, cabin fever and the desire to escape the winter weather in the southern states. It includes television, print, radio, digital marketing, social media and consumer activations.

Further information: https://northernterritory.com/promotions/the-answer

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation has launched an online interactive dashboard on country and international policy responses to COVID-19. The online tool is based on information from over 30 international governments, organisations and institutions covering 220 countries and territories.

Further information: https://www.unwto.org/covid-19-measures-to-support-travel-tourism

The Adventure Travel Trade Association has released COVID-19 health and safety guidelines for adventure activities, as well as an overarching guideline for the industry. Founding partners on the guidelines are Switzerland Tourism, G Adventures, Japan/JTB Tourism, Research & Consulting Co, Backroads and REI Adventure Travel. The Cleveland Clinic a world-renowned healthcare provider has also reviewed the guidelines with the technical team.

Further information: https://www.adventuretravel.biz/COVID19guidelines/

Hilton has begun a worldwide rollout of its new Hilton CleanStay program to give guests confidence in its product. The changes will be fully implemented across all its brands globally and includes contactless check-in, digital room keys, increased disinfection of both rooms and public areas, physical distancing in public spaces such as gyms and restaurants and hand sanitizer stations.

Further information: https://www.hilton.com/en/corporate/cleanstay/

Brisbane’s $1.1 billion second runway officially opened in July 2020 after eight years in the making and five decades in the planning. The privately funded project is the largest since the modern Brisbane Airport opened in 1988 and saw approximately 3.3 million man-hours completed by more than 3,740 people.

Further information: https://newsroom.bne.com.au/brisbanes-new-runway-inaugurated-with-vintage-aircraft-sky-show/

Three major airline alliances have joined forces to bring travellers more certainty around what to expect when flying. SkyTeam, oneworld and Star Alliance have released a video ‘Dear Travellers’ offering travellers an insight into what they can expect as the new normal of air travel from face masks and physical distancing in airports to ramped up cleaning.

Further information: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wXUFpdZ0Wvs&feature=youtu.be

The Queensland Government has provided an additional $10 million in funding to secure new interstate flights to Queensland. This investment is on top of the $5 million already provided to 16 Queensland airports to help secure new interstate flights. The combined $15 million aviation package will provide greater scope for airports to negotiate with carriers to secure new flights and routes to and around Queensland in partnership with Tourism and Events Queensland.

Further information: http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2020/6/16/15-million-dollar-package-for-interstate-and-intrastate-flights

Luxury adventure travel company Nomadic Expeditions is funding research by the Wildlife Science and Conservation Centre of Mongolia to support golden eagle conservation and preservation of cultural heritage. The project will study the golden eagle population in Western Mongolia, along with a review of cultural traditions and festivals associated with hunting to support animal welfare guidelines for a sustainable future. The research will also contribute important data to the Global Raptor Impact Network operated by The Peregrine Fund.

Further information: http://www.wscc.org.mn/a/21

Passions of Paradise have repurposed their idle vessels for coral restoration missions along the Great Barrier Reef. The family-owned Cairns based company has dedicated its state-of-the-art catamaran to transporting crew and scientists to Hastings Reef where they’ve set up nurseries to plant and harvest coral. As tours resume passengers are able to snorkel over the site which has healthy marine life and corals near the nursery.

Further information: https://passions.com.au/eco-tourism/

The 154-year-old heritage listed Busselton Jetty in Western Australia has received a facelift with upgrades to the Underwater Observatory which sits eight-metres below the ocean’s surface. This includes new technology, educational signage, interpretation, local artwork, acoustic panels and sound systems have been installed. The upgrades will ensure future generations can enjoy the experience of seeing more than 300 marine species in their natural habitat from the underwater windows.

Further information: https://www.busseltonjetty.com.au/underwater-observatory/

The new Binna Burra Sky Lodges are welcoming back guests after the summer bushfires and COVID-19. A gateway to Lamington National Park with sweeping views across the Coomera and Numinbah Valleys, the award-winning Skye Lodges are located in the Gold Coast Hinterland of Queensland.

Further information: https://www.binnaburralodge.com.au/accommodation/sky-lodges/

The Australian Government will invest more than $233 million into tourism and other infrastructure for Commonwealth National Parks. The funding for Parks Australia is planned to attract more visitors while providing jobs, improved accommodation and better facilities for staff and Traditional Owners in Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Kakadu, Booderee on the NSW south coast, Christmas Island, and the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra.

Further information: https://parksaustralia.gov.au/news/record-investment-in-parks-australia/

Facebook has launched a range of resources to support Australian business communities, creators and brands of all sizes in digitally navigating and emerging from the COVID-19 crisis via House of Instagram.

Further information: https://business.instagram.com/a/houseofinstagram

The Tourism and Transport Forum has launched a new app as the ‘one stop shop’ for the latest tourism news and research. It provides members and stakeholders from the accommodation, transport and aviation sectors with a resource to access industry events, insights and consumer data.

Further information: https://www.ttf.org.au/new-tourism-transport-forum-app-to-reveal-exclusive-consumer-data/

The Victorian Government has announced a new $534 million Business Support Package to help businesses and workers through the coronavirus pandemic. Measures include cash grants, mental health support, tailored business advice and relief for tourism operators. The package also provides a $40 million capped fund for regional tourism business to cover the costs of refunds, as well as marketing campaigns to boost visitation.

Further information: https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-07/200710-More-Survival-Support-For-Victorian-Businesses-1_0.pdf

Tourism Australia has launched a $1.5 million program to help the domestic business events sector drive new business to regions around Australia. The Business Events Boost Program will provide convention bureaux, convention centres, professional conference organisers and event managers with access to the skills, expertise and resources via a range of marketing and distribution initiatives. Activity must be undertaken in the 2020-21 financial year with applications closing 30 September 2020.

Further information: https://businessevents.australia.com/en/plan-your-event/news-ideas/business-events-australia-boost-program.html

The Tourism Restart Taskforce has released its Tourism Restart Plan outlining supply-side actions for the Australian Government to restart domestic and international tourism. The Tourism Restart Taskforce comprises leaders from across the sector to co-ordinate and strengthen the industry response to the COVID-19 crisis. The taskforce brings together many key industry bodies for cooperation and collaboration to ensure tourism is still able to make a significant contribution to the Australian economy.

Further information: https://australianchambercovid.com/tourism-restart-taskforce/

Social enterprise bookdifferent.com is an innovative green booking site with a mission to make the travel sector more sustainable by making it easier for consumers and businesses to book sustainable accommodations. Founded in 2012 in The Netherlands, it is the first organisation in the world to bring together the choice of over 14,000 eco-certified hotels from over 30 global evidenced-based programs which are verified by an advisory board.

Further information: https://www.bookdifferent.com/en/

PayPal Australia has released the results of a new Travel and Tourism Trends Report which reveals the impact COVID-19 has had on consumer attitudes to travel and the Australian travel and tourism industry. The report found that most tourism businesses have either had to operate in a limited capacity or temporarily shut down during the crisis. This decline in revenue mirrors the impact COVID-19 has had on consumer travel plans as the tourism sector usually contributes close to $50 billion annually to national GDP.

Further information: https://www.paypal.com/au/webapps/mpp/home

Flywire has released a new research report detailing the results of an independent survey of travellers across the globe. Flywire recently commissioned an independent survey of travellers across the globe to capture to measure their attitudes and opinions. The interactive report looks at how leisure travellers have responded to the recent crisis and their future plans to travel again.

Further information: https://www.flywire.com/resources/report-bouncing-back-consumer-views-on-traveling-again

New research from McKinsey suggests that companies need to excite and attract customers as well as reassure them. To achieve this leaders should focus on making travel better not just safer. This means giving travellers more control, offering greater authenticity and personalisation via a customer-centric approach.

Further information: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/travel-logistics-and-transport-infrastructure/our-insights/make-it-better-not-just-safer-the-opportunity-to-reinvent-travel

The Adventure Travel Trade Association and George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies have released the 2020 Edition of the Adventure Tourism Competitiveness Index. The index ranks 191 countries across ten pillars including countries that are expanding their share of protected areas, increasing their efforts to mitigate climate change, and extending support to entrepreneurs.

Further information: https://www.adventuretravel.biz/research/2020-adventure-tourism-development-index/

The Griffith Institute for Tourism at Griffith University has developed a new free micro-credential course to support the development of a recovery action plan and build resilient businesses. The ‘Tourism – Ready for Recovery’ course provides tourism businesses with key insights, information, video interviews with tourism operators, scenarios and case studies.

Further information: https://www.griffith.edu.au/engage/professional-learning/tourism-recovery

The 29th edition of the World Youth and Student Travel Conference will be held online from 7-9 October 2020. The event will bring together the youth, student and educational travel sector as part of reconnecting to define the future of youth travel.

Further information: https://www.wystc.org/about/

Over 250 projects from 80 countries have participated in the 2nd UNWTO Gastronomy Tourism Startup Competition. Launched in collaboration with Basque Culinary Centre and with the support of the TUI Care Foundation, this global initiative aims to identify startups with the greatest potential to promote sustainable innovation in the tourism and gastronomy sector. The winner will be announced in December 2020.

Further information: https://www.gastronomytourismventures.org/en/

The Global Eco Asia-Pacific Tourism Conference will be held in Margaret River, Western Australia from 1-3 December 2020. The theme is – Revolution, Driving Evolution and is aiming attract a diversity of attendees that can contribute to a revolution in the tourism world that can take a fresh look at the industry.

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