Category: Australia

Now’s the time to start dreaming of an escape to New South Wales’ wine country, the Hunter Valley – a place where world-famous wineries, acclaimed restaurants, delicious local produce and luxurious hideaways await. Surrounded by magnificent natural beauty, and only two hours from Sydney, the Hunter Valley is an unrivalled destination that has delighted since vines first thrived in the 1820s. With more cellar doors than any other wine region in Australia, one of the great pleasures of wine tasting here is the incredible breadth of flavour and character. While Hunter Valley semillon and shiraz have long been world-famous, guests will also sip distinctive and innovative wines, from ... Read more

The Australian tourism sector is expected to cop a $55 billion hit over the next financial year amid uncertainty over the reopening of state borders and the assumption that international travel bans will remain until July 2021. Tourism expenditure is forecast to fall from $138.5 billion in 2019 to $83.8 billion. The prediction comes from a report in May by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission seen by The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age. It assumes international travel bans will remain until at least July 2021 but state border restrictions will be lifted. The economic impact could be even worse if internal travel restrictions ... Read more

Australia is likely to keep its borders shut to international travellers till 2021 to contain the spread of COVID-19. Australian Trade Minister Simon Birmingham has announced that one of the reasons that helped Australia to contain the virus successfully was its decision to close down the borders. He added international border restrictions are likely to be there for some time to come. When he was specifically asked if it was more likely to happen next year, he added, “I think that is more likely the case”. It has been three months since an indefinite ban was implemented on international travel due to ... Read more

Guam is looking to open itself to tourists from July. The Guam Visitors Bureau is courting potential tourists from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and other markets, but acknowledges that Guam has no control over other countries’ decisions to again allow their citizens to travel abroad or lift their 14-day quarantine requirements, or when airlines will resume their flights. Guam is a US island territory in Micronesia, in the Western Pacific. It’s distinguished by tropical beaches and ancient latte-stone pillars and has a distinct Spanish colonial heritage. Recognizing challenges to reviving the island’s main industry, The Guam Daily Post queried lawmakers on how ... Read more

The island nation of Fiji has said that uncertainties remain over its tourism industry and it will be difficult to pinpoint when the sector will revive, news agency Xinhua has reported. According to Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC), the country’s Minister for Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport Faiyaz Siddiq Koya said that it is impossible to forecast when the travel industry will begin to rally against the impact of COVID-19. “There is so much uncertainty. There’s no time-frame that the government could give to say we can open on this date,” he said. With borders staying closed and flights grounded, even ... Read more

French Polynesia’s president Edouard Fritch plans to go to Paris next month in an effort to secure loans amounting to $525 million to deal with the Covid-19 crisis. In an address to the assembly, Fritch said $375 million would be sought for the running of the territory whose tourist industry was crippled by the virus outbreak. He said $US150 million was needed for the social security agency CPS. Fritch stressed the need to open up for tourism, citing the plight of Bora Bora whose 10,000 inhabitants have been hardest hit. He said its employees in the tourism sector missed out ... Read more

The Queensland government could get the jump on NSW and Victoria by locking in flights from New Zealand, before the Australia-NZ travel bubble takes shape in September. As Prime Minister Scott Morrison continued to push states to open up their borders by July, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk all but confirmed her government will revert to its original July 10 date to reopen the borders, Financial Review has reported. Negotiations between Air New Zealand and the Queensland government this week has raised the prospect of the Sunshine State locking in a cross-border deal on flights to New Zealand ahead of their southern ... Read more

The InterContinental Moorea Resort & Spa in the French Polynesia will close permanently, with its business suffering hugely due to the coronavirus pandemic. The resort’s area general manager Guillaume Epinette cited “unforeseeable market conditions resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.” “The global health and economic downturn resulting from the novel coronavirus has had an exceptionally devastating impact on the travel and tourism industry,” said Epinette in a statement. “The permanent closure of the InterContinental Moorea Resort & Spa has been a very hard but carefully considered decision taken to preserve our other hotels within Pacific Beachcomber hotel group.” Pacific Beachcomber Hotels ... Read more

The plan for a ‘Trans-Tasman bubble’ to allow Australians and New Zealanders to travel between the two countries could be presented to both governments as early as next week, and could be operational by September. Canberra and Wellington have been discussing the possibility of a travel bubble between the countries as both countries have slowed the spread of Covid-19, The Guardian reported. On Wednesday, the New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, said in conversations with her Australian counterpart Scott Morrison that there was enthusiasm from both sides for travel to resume. Australian prime minister Scott Morrison has pledged to “consider” ... Read more

A number of Air New Zealand lounges will reopen across the country today. The lounges will not be serving alcohol, but plans to introduce more food and alcohol options in the coming weeks. There will also be a maximum of 100 people allowed in the lounges at any one time. The Auckland Regional, Wellington Domestic and Christchurch Domestic lounges will open, along with nine of its regional airport lounges. This includes regional lounges in Hamilton, Tauranga, Napier, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Nelson, Queenstown, Dunedin and Invercargill. While the lounges may be reopening, some things will be different. “In line with ... Read more

The air travel industry has its first major victim. Virgin Australia has said that it has entered voluntary administration, making it Australia’s first big corporate casualty after the coronavirus outbreak. Voluntary administration as a legal concept is equivalent to filing for bankruptcy. The country’s second-largest carrier had cut almost all flights last month following wide-spread travel bans. It was already struggling with a long-term A$5bn (£2.55bn; $3.17bn) debt. The airline is now seeking new buyers and investors, after failing to get a loan from Australia’s government. Virgin Australia chief executive Paul Scurrah said: “Our decision today is about securing the ... Read more

Australia has decided to halt all travel to the country for a period of six months. Only Australian citizens and permanent residents can come in, from March 20. All non-Australian residents will be barred from entering the country from Friday. The number of Covid-19 cases in Australia has crossed 700, with majority of cases coming in through overseas travel. Prime minister Scott Morrison said the travel ban was essential to stop the further spread of the virus. “The reason for this decision is that about 80% of the cases we have in Australia are either the result of someone who ... Read more

Light installations are beginning to be installed throughout the Harbour City in preparation for the upcoming launch of Vivid Sydney, the largest festival of light, music and ideas in the Southern Hemisphere. With just two weeks until Lights On – Friday 24 May – artists and event staff are working on the transport and final assembly of the 50+ light features and projections from today. Minister for Tourism Stuart Ayres said it was the perfect time for visitors to start planning their Vivid Sydney itineraries. “Anticipation is building for the 11th annual Vivid Sydney and now there are just two weeks ... Read more

If you thought exploring Vivid Sydney’s three-kilometre Light Walk on foot was the only way to be amazed by the creativity and innovation of this year’s installations, think again. There are an array of ways to explore the largest festival of light, music and ideas in the Southern Hemisphere and still ensure you capture the most social-worthy snaps along the way. “For 23 days, Vivid Sydney transforms the city of Sydney into a mesmerising kaleidoscope of colour with awe-inspiring light sculptures and large-scale projections. It really is a world-class event that has to be seen in person,” said Sandra Chipchase ... Read more

The road from Fortaleza to Jericoacoara offers sights of beaches and primitive villages. The 45 minutes of the journey takes you off-road, on-sand, among dunes and along the beach.