Rottnest Island Authority has released a new trade guide.  It contains useful information about Rottnest Island including new products, how to get around, maps, accommodation, dining, refreshments, tours, activities and attractions.

Located less than 20km from Fremantle, Rottnest Island is a nature reserve with 63 beaches and bays, coral reefs, a
casual atmosphere and the world’s ‘happiest’ animals – the quokka.

Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park (Tjapukai) will not be reopening.

The Cairns attraction has experienced significant financial challenges for many years, made worse through the Covid-19 pandemic when it was forced to go into caretaker mode.

The venture is largely reliant on international visitors and is not financially able to continue operating with the continued restrictions and uncertain future for international inbound travellers and increased

APT has released details of its Private Jet Air Tours 2021 itineraries in Australia using privately chartered aircraft. The tours fly across vast distances in a fraction of the time it would take for traditional touring, allowing more time on the ground to explore each destination. Agents can order copies of new APT’s Private Jet Air Tours Australia 2021 brochure  by clicking here.

New website data has revealed that in a post-pandemic world, city dwellers are looking for outdoor escapes with an off-the-grid sense of remoteness.

SATV, the digital platform curated by the South Australian Tourism Commission is giving Kiwis a taste of those remote experiences ‘virtually’.

Saltwater Eco Tours, operating from Mooloolaba, is using a century-old timber sailing vessel, Spray of the Coral Coast, to showcase the Sunshine Coast’s Indigenous heritage and marine beauty.

Each tour has an Indigenous story-teller on board to share the stories, traditions and culture of the Sunshine Coast’s original inhabitants and first eco custodians, the Kabi Kabi people (originally known as the ‘Saltwater People’). 

Agents can join John Daw to learn about Australian Wildlife Journeys on Thursday 13 August from 5-6pm. As part of the Signature Experiences of Australia program, Australian Wildlife Journeys is a group of Australia’s top wildlife travel operators that have come together to showcase their commitment to conservation, passion for nature and interpretation of wildlife in natural habitats. The operators of these wildlife experiences see themselves as guardians of the native fauna as well as expert guides.

Go to www.aussiespecialist.com/en-nz and register via the training section of the site.

Tourism Australia is promoting a number of ways agents can encourage their clients to experience different sides of Australia while travel is restricted.

‘Storytelling is embedded in Australian culture. Thanks to our creative industry, there are many different means of soaking up our rich culture – even from the comfort of your couch,’ says Phillipa Harrison, managing director of Tourism Australia.

The Surf House in Byron Bay opened yesterday. It includes Byron Bay’s only rooftop bar, The Rooftop, and is the third Byron Bay property from Millett Group which owns boutique hotel Lord Byron and the hostel Wake Up!

The departure of Tourism Australia’s New Zealand country manager Jenny Aitken will not in itself significantly change the relationship the organisation has had with the general travel trade here for the last five years.

Since 2015, Aitken’s official brief has been almost entirely business events focused (with some exceptions such as working with wholesalers on the Australian Tourism Exchange).

The South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) and Adelaide Airport have thrown their weight behind the trans Tasman travel bubble with plans to welcome Kiwis who are ready to travel once it is safe to do so.  

For the year ending December 2019, record numbers of Kiwis travelled to South Australia to enjoy the state’s food, wine and destinations such as the Murray River and Kangaroo Island, spending more than $45 million in their travels.

ANZCRO Connect has already generated considerable interest amongst the trade in New Zealand but this is set to increase with the current focus on domestic and, as a next step, trans Tasman travel, says the company’s managing director Nick Guthrey.

The specially designed agents’ portal allows travel agents to search, quote and book all of ANZCRO’s product from one platform. It can also be used to create an entire New Zealand itinerary.

The travel and tourism industries of both Australia and New Zealand should be working together to create a ‘runway’ towards reopening trans-Tasman travel, an industry webinar heard this week.

Speaking at the Tourism Temperature digital event, organised by the Tourism Export Council of New Zealand (TECNZ), various speakers felt the trans Tasman travel bubble could fly if the countries’ governments and health authorities also worked together to create safe and highly monitored gateways.

Acclaimed cook and restaurateur Maggie Beer is sharing daily online videos as part of a new series called ‘Cooking with Maggie’.

Australian Wildlife Journeys gives agents a range of close to home experiences to sell to clients who may typically be attracted to destinations such as Africa and the Galapagos, says executive officer John Daw.

Held exclusively for Aussie Specialists from Europe, North America and for the first time, New Zealand, Corroboree West 2019 has released a highlights video from the event staged in Perth in October.

A Great Walk of Australia that combines food, wine and nature (plus history and culture) is gaining traction in the New Zealand market and rising interest from the trade here.

Australia’s cruise industry is celebrating its return to the bushfire-affected communities of Kangaroo Island after this week’s arrival of Sun Princess at the island port of Penneshaw.

Working with the travel trade to put together an extended selection of three to five-day packages is one of the goals of Visit Victoria this year, says the organisation’s regional manager New Zealand, Joanna Garrie.

Travel Agents Association of New Zealand (TAANZ) president Brent Thomas says the thoughts of the New Zealand travel industry go out to all those who have been impacted by the destructive fires in Australia. 'The bush fires are of a magnitude that we have not seen before and it is hard to comprehend just how ferocious the fire, smoke and heat have been.'