The world’s greatest golfer Tiger Woods and Australian Geoff Ogilvy are set to play at the 2009 Australian Masters.
Between 70,000 and 100,000 people are expected to flock to Kingston Heath Golf Club from 12-15 November to see Woods in his only Australian appearance.
The estimated economic impact from the event is expected to be up to $19 million as well as a huge national and international television audience.
Premier John Brumby said thousands of visitors from interstate and overseas will come to Melbourne to see the world’s greatest golfer on one of Melbourne’s world class golf courses.
“The event will boost tourism, create jobs for Victorians and beam Melbourne to millions of people through a worldwide television audience,” Mr Brumby said.
Melbourne has already secured the prestigious President’s Cup which will be held in November 2011 when the world’s best golfers will play at Royal Melbourne.
Qatar Airways to fly into Melbourne
Qatar Airways will introduce new daily non-stop services between Melbourne and Doha.
Industry and Trade Minister Martin Pakula and Tourism and Major Events Minister Tim Holding said this was fantastic news for Victoria’s tourism industry and another win for Melbourne as a leading gateway city to Australia.
“We are pleased to welcome Qatar Airways to Victoria and we’re looking forward to working with them to attract even more international visitors here,” Mr Pakula said.
In 2007, visitors from the Middle East region contributed $534 million to the Australian economy.
Mr Holding said the new air services show confidence in Victoria as both a business and a tourism destination.
“This is good news for the Victorian tourism industry as tourists and business visitors spend their money at hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions,” Mr Holding said.
Qatar Airways’ announcement comes on top of other recent aviation wins for Victoria including Emirates’ third daily service, AirAsia X’s new service between Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur, Etihad Airways’ new flights between Abu Dhabi and Melbourne and V Australia’s new service between Melbourne and Los Angeles.
Mornington Peninsula and Gippsland produce on show to nation
The Mornington Peninsula and Gippsland feature in the new series of Channel Seven’s Mercurio’s Menu.
The Mornington Peninsula episode aired on Saturday 7 March and featured chocolate and cheese producers, a biodynamic farm, heirloom vegetable garden, local brewery, butcher and stunning winery.
The Gippsland episode will air on Saturday 9 May and will take in some of the best produce in the region including seafood, organic lamb and asparagus, a coveted restaurant and an eel farm.
The first series of Mercurio’s Menu was an outstanding success with more than 11 million viewers tuning in nationwide.
For more information on the program or to see profiles of the producers featured visit dpi.vic.gov.au/mercuriosmenu
Jobs created thanks to new convention centre
More than 220 new jobs from service staff to executive management have been created at the new Melbourne Convention Centre’s Hilton Hotel.
Tourism and Major Events Minister Tim Holding said positions being sought include porters, wait staff, bar managers, chefs, front office managers and accountants.
“Conventions are good for Victorian businesses. They boost the Victorian economy by way of increased jobs, hotel occupancy, delegate expenditure and greater participation in our exciting range of tourism and cultural attractions,” Mr Holding said.
The $150 million 20-storey Hilton Melbourne South Wharf is part of the $1.4 billion Melbourne Convention Centre project currently under construction.
The Melbourne Convention Centre project will inject $197 million per year for the next 25 years into the Victorian economy and together with the commercial precinct create more than 4280 jobs.
The hotel will include 396 rooms, restaurants, bars and a café and will be the equivalent to a five-star hotel. The Hilton will open in April this year.
Already, 46 international business events have been secured for the new Melbourne Convention Centre, which is due to open in July this year.
Wine showcase boosts local wine industry
Victorian wineries affected by the bushfires were showcased at the past Federation Square’s Monthly Wine Showcase.
As part of the Showcase, 50 wineries affected by the bushfires had their wines on show on Wednesday 4 March and Thursday 5 March.
Regional and Rural Development Minister Jacinta Allan said the State Government was taking action to ensure Victoria’s wine industry and growers can rebuild and recover after the bushfires.
“Our wine industry is one of the state’s most important industry sectors worth an estimated $1.5 billion to our economy and employing more than 5,700 people in cellar doors, restaurants and accommodation,” Ms Allan said.
A Celebration of Victorian Wines – Supporting Wineries Affected by the Bushfires was supported by a $46,000 State Government grant.
The sponsorship follows the Victorian Wine on the Menu campaign funded last month as part of the State Government’s Food Industry for a Sustainable Tomorrow (FIRST) program.
Congratulations to Victoria’s national award winners
Three of Victoria’s tourism operators scooped national awards at the recent 2008 Qantas Australia Tourism Awards.
Fun4Kids Children’s Festival won the award for the best Australian Festival and Event for the third year in a row and are now Hall of Fame winners, while the Yarra Valley’s De Bortoli Winery and Restaurant took out the Tourism Wineries award.
The Old Melbourne Gaol Crime and Justice Experience lived up to the tagline, ‘Australia’s most wanted experience,’ to take home the Heritage and Cultural Tourism award.
The Geelong Visitor Information Centre won a highly commended certificate in the Visitor Information Services category, and the Novotel Forest Resort in Creswick did the same in the New Tourism Development category.
If you require further photos from the Australian Tourism Awards Gala, please contact Kerry McClure on (03) 9653 9796 or email
The 2009 Tourism Futures National Conference will be held from 17-19 August at the Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa.
The 2009 conference theme is ‘Redefining the Future’ and will examine the ‘over the horizon’ trends and opportunities that are reshaping the future of Australian tourism.
Tourism Futures is the pre-eminent conference held in Australia on key issues impacting the whole of the tourism industry.
The plenary session, interactive forums and workshops have been built around the following 5 sub-themes:
Tourism online – marketing and distribution
Destination Australia – domestic and international tourism
Business events tourism
Engaging with Asia-Pacific and the Indo Pacific
Sustainability and climate change
Tourism Victoria has appointed communication agency PLAY to provide a range of public relations services to complement existing public relations activity in Sydney.
The agency will be responsible for developing and implementing creative strategies to generate media coverage, increase consumer awareness and create buzz for Victoria’s tourism industry.
PLAY will handle four of Tourism Victoria’s new key campaigns including food and wine, Melbourne in winter, nature-based tourism and phase nine of Tourism Victoria’s Jigsaw campaign which will highlight spa and wellness experiences.
Tourism Victoria Chief Executive Gregory Hywood said PLAY will play a pivotal role in increasing Victoria’s market exposure to consumers and media in New South Wales and beyond.
“We decided to broaden our efforts in Sydney as New South Wales is one of our key consumer markets and it is the home to the majority of national publications including magazines and newspapers,” Mr Hywood said.
WICKED exhibition opens at Sofitel
Visitors to Melbourne now have the chance to not only see WICKED the musical but also tour the exhibition - WICKED Costume Sketches.
Visitors can now get up-close-and-personal with the costumes created by Tony Award winner Susan Hilferty.
The exhibition, currently being housed in the Lobby Gallery of the Sofitel Melbourne on Collins, runs until 31 March.
Australians taking fewer overseas trips
New figures have show Australians are taking fewer overseas trips as the global economic downturn continues to impact on tourism.
ABS overseas arrivals and departures statistics show that departures by Australians dropped 2.0 per cent in January 2009 compared with January 2008.
Departures to the UK and the USA were down 6.2 per cent and 15.6 per cent respectively in January 2009 compared with the same month last year.
Greyhound Australia expands into regional Victoria
Regional Victoria will benefit from more visitors following the amendment of the Public Transport Competition Act.
Greyhound coaches that travel between Melbourne and Sydney three times daily will now also include stops in Coburg, Campbellfield, Melbourne International Airport, Broadmeadows, Wallan, Kilmore, Broadford, Seymour, Nagambie, Murchison, Shepparton, Euroa, Benalla, Wangaratta and Albury.
The service between Melbourne and Adelaide will operate five times per week and stop at Ballarat, Beaufort, Ararat, Stawell, Horsham, Dimboola. Nhill. Kaniva and Bordertown.
Chief Executive Officer, Robert Thomas said that the new services will benefit everyone from backpackers seeking seasonal work to holiday makers and locals looking for simplified travel arrangements, as well as students and seniors.
