21 August 2008
Melbourne welcomes new budget airline
Melbourne airport will welcome low-cost airline AirAsia X when they begin flying between Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur on 12 November. The Malaysian based airline, with Airbus A330 services, plans to introduce addition flights during peak periods, and will move to daily services from March next year.
Minister for Tourism and Major Events Tim Holding said the new service will deliver a significant boost for Victoria’s $10 billion plus tourism sector.
“Victoria enjoys a one-third market share of Malaysian visitors to Australia, the largest of any state, receiving 49,000 visitors in the year ending March 2008,” Mr Holding said.
“We expect average annual growth of visitors from Malaysia to increase by 5.5 per cent each year to reach 82,000 visitors by 2017. AirAsia X’s arrival means Victoria is even better placed now to cater to such traffic growth.
“AirAsia X will help grow the leisure market to Victoria, offering low fares to consumers making both Melbourne and Victoria more accessible and more attractive.
“The new KL-Melbourne service will open up our major events, such as the Spring Racing Carnival, Australian Open Tennis and Formula One Grand Prix, making them more affordable.”
The AirAsia X flights come on top of other recent aviation results for the Brumby Government, including new services by Etihad, increased services by Emirates, Pacific Blue, and Philippine Airlines and Tiger Airways’ heavy maintenance contract with John Holland Aviation Services.
Gippsland tourism benefits from Australia’s first interactive map
Tourism Victoria and Destination Gippsland Limited recently launched an innovative online travel planner which will entice travellers passing through Gippsland to experience more of the region’s tourist attractions, restaurants, accommodation options and retail outlets, and encourage them to stay longer.
This online initiative – the first of its kind in Australia - will benefit tourism operators in Gippsland by highlighting the abundance of experiences and activities that visitors can enjoy in Gippsland.
This is a significant initiative for Gippsland as research suggests that websites are the single greatest source of influence on consumers when making travel purchase decisions.
Destination Gippsland Limited Chair Sheila O’Sullivan said the launch of the interactive travel planner was an exciting step for local tourism and hospitality operators and the region as a whole.
“The travel planner is a fantastic opportunity to create awareness of Gippsland as an attractive tourism destination and enable businesses of all kinds to be, quite literally, put on the map.
“There are currently 260 business and attraction descriptions on the travel planner’s database and we hope more local operators will jump on board over the coming weeks and months.”
Operators who are interested in being part of the Gippsland travel planner can register at my.visitvictoria.com or call 1300 306 366.
The customised interactive travel planner can be accessed from the ‘Inspired by Gippsland’ section of Tourism Victoria’s website.
Site-users type in their intended journey’s start and end points, then choose from a menu of interest areas including dining, galleries, wineries, breweries and historical sites, to generate a suggested itinerary, driving directions, travel distances and places to stop and see.
To sign up my.visitvictoria.com
To access the planner visit www.inspiredbygippsland.com
Want to save $50: Book Masterclass now
Register now for the Tourism Marketing Masterclass to take advantage of special rates including early bird exclusive and discounts for multiple bookings and for entrants into the Melbourne Airport 2008 Victorian Tourism Awards.
Bookings are now open for the Masterclass, which will be held on 8 October at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Get informed and inspired with what’s new in the fast-paced world of marketing at Tourism Victoria’s 2008 Marketing Masterclass.
This is your opportunity to update your marketing skills, find out how to reach your target audience and learn how to ramp up your business marketing – even if you have a shoestring budget.
The Masterclass is an innovative forum designed to provide delegates with updates and insights on marketing trends that are happening in the tourism industry.
You won't want to miss Bernard Salt – leading commentator and advisor to corporate Australia on consumer, cultural and demographic trends. Bernard will present a big picture outlook on the business front and how the numbers really stack up.
Bernard is a compelling and entertaining speaker, and, according to The Age, ‘part stand-up comedian, part number-crunching economist.’
Book online at http://www.tourism.vic.gov.au/industry-resources/industry-resources/marketing-masterclass/
Virgin Blue to launch daily flights to Mildura
Victoria’s Murray region has welcomed the announcement that Virgin Blue Airlines will introduce a new regional destination – Mildura – to its domestic route network.
The airline will bring jet aircraft services to Mildura for the first time, operating a brand new EMBRAER E-170 aircraft between Mildura and Melbourne.
Virgin Blue has worked in partnership with Mildura Rural City Council over recent months regarding the viability of a jet service to the region and Council has lobbied hard to entice Virgin Blue flights to the Murray region.
One of the key benefits for travellers will be the quick 60 minute flying time between Mildura and Melbourne in the E-JET compared to the 80 minutes flight in the turbo-prop aircraft currently servicing the route.
Virgin Blue is confident its new flights will prove beneficial to the local community both from a tourism perspective as well as for local residents and business travellers who will have a new choice of airline.
Virgin Blue Chief Executive, Brett Godfrey, said, “Mildura was chosen out of a shortlist of half a dozen potential new ports, primarily before it was ‘ripe for the picking’ in terms of not having an existing jet aircraft operation.”
Flights internet fares start from $109. For further information visit http://www.virginblue.com.au
Award-winning The Melbourne Story
A dynamic map that forms the centrepiece of The Melbourne Story exhibition at Melbourne Museum has been awarded first prize in the Commercial Multimedia Design category of the Premier’s Design Awards 2008.
The dynamic map depicts Melbourne’s physical growth from settlement to the present day through projections onto 39 variously-sized plinths.
The map forms a key element in The Melbourne Story, an exhibition that traces Melbourne’s unique and changing history from the 1830s to today.
The Melbourne Story has proven a massive hit with visitors keen to learn about the city’s history – well over 190,000 people have already experienced it as Melbourne Museum comes off a record financial year for visitation.
The Premier’s Design Awards is a biennial awards program developed by the Victorian State Government to recognise design excellence in Victoria and is one of the key features of the State of Design 2008 Festival.
Couture fashion: From the catwalk to Bendigo
In another coup for the Bendigo Art Gallery, the high profile View Street institution,
will exclusively host the The Golden Age of Couture exhibition from the famous London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.
Bendigo Art Gallery has been selected as the only Australian venue for the exhibition, which will be the largest and most ambitious exhibition presented in its 120-year history.
Minister for Regional Development Jacinta Allan described it as a once in lifetime opportunity. “It is a fantastic coup not only for the gallery but more broadly for Bendigo.” The exhibition is expected to attract visitors from across Australia.
The Golden Age of Couture explores one of the most glamorous and remarkable decades in fashion history. Starting with the impact of Christian Dior’s new look after the Second World War, it looks at the work of Dior and his contemporaries during the period when haute couture was at its height.
More than 100 dresses will be on display including daywear, cocktail and evening dresses made for society and royalty alongside photographs by Cecil Beaton and Richard Avedon and original Hollywood and documentary film.
The State Government has provided $208,300 in support with Tourism Victoria contributing $33,000 toward the total cost.
For further information visit http://www.bendigoartgallery.com.au/
A toast to Victoria’s best wines
Grampians Estate’s, 2006 Black Sunday Friends Reserve Shiraz has taken out the prestigious Federation Square Wine of the Year 2008.
Tourism and Major Events Minister Tim Holding presented the award to Grampians Estate, which fought off tough competition from 70 entrants.
“Victoria’s reputation for outstanding food and wine is reflected in these awards,” Mr Holding said.
“The wine industry is important to Victoria with annual turnover of around $1.3 billion.
“Victoria has over 850 wineries in 21 distinct wine regions – the highest number of wineries and wine regions of any Australian state.
“Wineries right across regional Victoria attract hundreds of thousands of local, interstate and international tourists every year which is worth $493 million to Victoria’s economy.
“Food and wine from Melbourne and regional Victoria will be on show to a world audience later this year after being chosen as a major exhibitor at the 2008 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.”
Cruise conference about to dock in Melbourne
Are you serious about developing your cruise business and finding out about future projections and trends? Registration is still available for the 2008 Cruise Down Under (CDU), “Cruise Shipping – Are we delivering?” conference being held in Melbourne at the Langham Hotel from 27-29 August 2008.
The conference provides an opportunity to further your knowledge of the cruising industry and gain first-hand understanding of this continuously expanding market.
Three top international cruise executives representing Princess Cruises, Carnival UK and Fred Olsen Line will present keynote presentations on how Victoria are delivering service and destinations to the global cruise industry.
Other topics that will be covered include where and how we can improve in the areas of port infrastructure, intinerary planning, pre/post and shore excursion products and governance.
The program and registration is available on the CDU website –
http://www.cruisedownunder.com/conferences.php
Melbourne Airport 2008 Victorian Awards update
Along with providing a comprehensive snapshot of the tourism industry news and events Tourism Victoria Industry Newsletter now also helps you keep up-to-date with the Melbourne Airport 2008 Victorian Tourism Awards.
For the latest news click on the “Awards” tab in the top left hand corner of the e-newsletter or click here. Read all about the next step for entrants - site visit preparation tips and learn some helpful hints which will ensure you impress the site visit judges.
Find out about what special offer entrants can take advantage of when they register for Tourism Victoria’s 2008 Marketing Masterclass and mark the date for the Presentation and Gala Ceremony in your diary.
What’s on
Cruise Down Under, “Cruise Shipping – Are we delivering?” – 27-29 August 2008, Melbourne
Glenrowan Winemakers’ Weekend – 4-5 October, Glenrowan
Tourism Victoria’s 2008 Tourism Marketing Masterclass – 8 October, Melbourne
Bed and Breakfast Industry Conference - 13 & 14 October
Victoria’s International Exchange – 24 November, Melbourne |
