Tag: Australia tourism

The Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) has welcomed the news that payments under the government’s JobKeeper scheme will be extended for millions of stood-down workers, a report by CMW says. The government has extended the scheme beyond September for an additional six months at a new rate of A$1,200 (US$846.87) a fortnight. The wage subsidy had been A$1,500 a fortnight. AFTA CEO Darren Rudd said the decision was a victory for the travel and tourism industry which had lobbied the government for the six-month extension. “Covid-19 hit travel and tourism operators will continue to feel the impact, so ongoing support is ... Read more

Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham is hoping that Australians would be able to travel to New Zealand again by September if the coronavirus flare-up in Victoria is brought under control, says a report in the Sydney Morning Herald. As Australia’s $60 billion-a-year tourism industry reels from the global pandemic, the governments from both countries have discussed plans for a travel bubble that would allow travel across the Tasman without mandatory quarantine. Simon Birmingham said on Friday that despite the flare-up of COVID-19 cases in Victoria, it was viable for quarantine-free travel between the two countries to reopen in September. “That’s a realistic ... Read more

Victorian regional accommodation operators affected by lockdowns in metropolitan Melbourne will be eligible for Government support if losses can be shown. A $5 million fund has been made available to regional businesses including motels, caravan parks and short-term rentals like Airbnb properties that can demonstrate losses due to the new restrictions implemented to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Melbourne. Payments of up to $225 per cancelled booked night will be paid, on the condition that full refunds are provided to Melburnians stuck in lockdown and no cancellation fees are levied, Business News Australia has reported. “We know that the ... Read more

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

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

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

Photo Courtesy: thefabulousscript.com Australia is expected to have around 10 million foreign tourists in the year 2019.  As per data analysis, the foreign tourist inflow is pointing towards a record number of guests in 2019, which spells good news for the economy and employment generation. Bessie Hassan from comparison website ‘finder.com.au’ said Australia is taking an ever-greater share of the global market, with arrivals rapidly growing over the past several years. “It is likely we will welcome more than 10 million overseas guests for the first time this year,” said Hassan “International tourists are pouring into the country, which is ... Read more

Tourism Australia has launched a new tourism promotion campaign in India and South East Asia, targeting high value travellers in India, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. The latest chapter in Tourism Australia’s evolving There’s Nothing Like Australia campaign, UnDiscover Australia, challenges perceptions and stereotypes of what Australia offers as a tourism destination by showcasing unusual, unfamiliar and unexpected attractions and experiences. The campaign is being backed by Australia’s state and territory tourism organisations, airlines, and a range of other key distribution partners. India is currently Australia’s fastest growing market for arrivals and spend, achieving a fourth consecutive year of double-digit growth. ... Read more

In mid-2017, the Department of Home Affairs (HA), formerly the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, extended online lodgement of visitor visa applications to all Indian nationals. The online application process provides a more convenient option for Indians looking to visit Australia, by allowing them to apply for their Australian tourist visa within the comfort of their home, without any biometric requirement or physically submitting their passport to the Department. In an age where travellers are increasingly self-reliant in planning and booking holidays, the e-lodgement facility allows tourists greater independence when planning a trip to Australia and has proved to ... Read more

Queensland, second largest state of the Australian province, is planning to issue a grant to a crypto start-up as part of their innovation funding. As per the government statement, the state government will grant over $8.3 million to TravelbyBit digital currency payments platform for the travel and tourism industry. It is part of their Advance Queensland Ignite Ideas funding, which supports entrepreneurs in Queensland in developing their businesses. “The role of the company will be to enhance the number of inbound tourists to Central Queensland through selling travel offers with cryptocurrencies and creating more jobs,” said Kate Jones, Innovation Minister. ... Read more

IRCTC Tourism came up with a nine-night and ten-day trip from Mumbai to Australia and back, starting October 21. The program covers two nights in Melbourne, two in Sydney and three nights in Gold Coast. The package named as ‘Astonishing Australia’, includes all the costs like meals, hotel stays, air-fare, among other things.   The 10 day program will be carried out in cooperation with Qantas Airways will be as follows: Day 1: Flight leaving from Mumbai to Melbourne. Day 2:  There will be orientation tour, admission to Eureka Skydeck in Melbourne, dinner at local restaurant. Day 3:  Visits to Melbourne Cricket ... Read more

Australia is one of the most preferred spot for the international tourists. This fact is confirmed by the new statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The statistics reveal that a record number of 9.02 million international visitors last year. This records a huge increase of 7.7 per cent while compared to last year. The sudden rise in Australia’s sector is attributed to the tourism flow led by China. The majority of tourists in Australia are from China, going beyond New Zealand as the major source of tourists to the country. The total number accounts to one-sixth of the tourists, ... Read more

Around 700,000 British nationals visit Australia every year and, with the strong AngloAustralian relations further post-Brexit, it is expected that the number of British tourists will be more in the coming years. With this in mind, the Australian government has made it easy for the British nationals visiting the country. If you are British and wish to visit Australia, you don’t have to send your passport to the Australian High Commission anymore. All visas issued to British citizens going to Australia are issued electronically. If you have a British passport, just go to the electronic passport reader and pass through the ... Read more