Oceania
Eco-tourism Lodges to be Built in Queensland’s Most Stunning National Parks
December 13, 2011
Australian news site, news.com.au, has reported that the Queensland government has approved plans to build five eco-tourism lodges across several of the state’s best national parks. The lodges will receive 20 year lease and license options instead of the normal ten year options, as operators said the 10-years leases were not long enough to see profit of the investment costs. Meetings are being set up between Tourism Minister Jan Jarrett, Environment Minister Vicky Darling, conservation groups and ecotourism operators to polish the fine points…. Ms Darling said detailed analysis of everything from environmental values, to access, transport and heritage values was carried out before one site, in Moreton Island National Park, was removed due to environmental reasons. “Protecting the natural values and the beauty of our national parks was the number one priority,” Ms Darling said. “This is about promoting our parks so more people can appreciate conservation while... Read More →
Member Press Releases Oceania
Australian Adventure Company Announces 2012 Eclipse Trips With This Year’s Nobel Prize-Winning Astronomer
December 9, 2011
Timed with the Nobel Prize ceremony on December 10, 2011, Australian eco-tour company Small World Journeys has announced 2011 Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt will speak on several of their eclipse-related tours. On these adventure tours, guests will witness the November 14, 2012 total solar eclipse from a hot air balloon, tropical island or at The Great Barrier Reef. Cairns, Australia – Australian eco-tour company Small World Journeys has secured astronomer and 2011 Nobel Laureate Dr. Brian Schmidt as an exclusive guest speaker on their adventure itineraries based around the 2012 eclipse, Australia. The tropical Cairns region will be one of the best spots in the world from which to view the eclipse, and guests will have a choice of seeing this event from the basket of a hot air balloon, from a tropical island, or from a boat at The Great Barrier Reef. This year’s Nobel Prize winner for physics, Professor Brian Schmidt, will speak only to Small World Journeys guests at a special presentation... Read More →
Member Press Releases Oceania
NSW Tourism Operators to Attend World Youth & Student Travel Conference in Barcelona
September 19, 2011
The NSW Government is supporting seven NSW tourism operators to attend the world’s largest youth and student travel conference being held in Barcelona, Spain between 20-23 September. Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer, Sandra Chipchase said the operators are being supported to attend the conference through Destination NSW’s International Industry Incentive Funding scheme which was established to help local tourism operators gain international exposure to key international travel industry representatives and media. “Attendance at such an important conference will give all the tourism operators we are supporting valuable opportunities to gain international exposure and open up potential new tourism markets as well as build on existing markets,” said Ms Chipchase. The World Youth & Student Travel Conference is an annual youth tourism trade event for key stakeholders and organisations in youth, student and educational travel, with around 450 organisations represented by more... Read More →
Member Press Releases Oceania
Tourism Australia and TripAdvisor Form Partnership
September 15, 2011
Through new Australian Tourism Data Warehouse link AUSTRALIA – Visitors to Tourism Australia’s award-winning website can now benefit from travel reviews and other helpful user-generated content, thanks to a new partnership with TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest travel site. Under the agreement, TripAdvisor content relating to key Australian tourist destinations is available on www.nothinglikeaustralia.com, with the content powered by the Australian Data Warehouse (ATDW). “We’re thrilled that through our partnership with the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse we are able to provide Tourism Australia, and other significant destination marketing organizations, with TripAdvisor’s user generated content, including over 50 million reviews and opinions,” comments Maud Larpent, Senior Partnerships Manager for TripAdvisor. Nick Baker, Tourism Australia’s executive general manager, consumer marketing, believes that including TripAdvisor content on Tourism Australia’s... Read More →
Member Press Releases Oceania
Renowned Adventurer Richard Wiese Explores the History and And Culture of Australia’s Outback on New ABC-TV Series Born to Explore
July 20, 2011
Explorer and television host Richard Wiese takes a break from filming his new series Born to Explore in Australia’s Red Centre with a little help from one of the locals. As part of ABC Weekend Adventure that will debut in September, Wiese – often referred to as the real Indiana Jones – will give viewers an in-depth tour of the Northern Territory/Australia’s Outback. In addition to providing a firsthand look at Aboriginal culture and traditions, Wiese will meet up with a “camel whisperer” and learn about the history of these animals Down Under. He will also visit the remote and unique region of Arnhem Land. One of the last remaining unspoiled areas of the world, it has been home to the indigenous population for close to 40,000 years. Wiese will journey through the region to uncover and help explain the myths and mysteries that surround the Rainbow Serpent, which plays a significant role in Aboriginal beliefs and culture. Wiese will also show viewers how science is being... Read More →
Member Press Releases Oceania Spotlight: Sustainability
World First: Spoon-billed Sandpiper Chicks Hatch in Captivity
July 11, 2011
By Martin McGill (c): The first hatched spoon-billed sandpiper chick Interviews available with Nigel Jarrett and the team in Anadyr, Russia, by telephone Contact WWT Media Team to arrange an interview on 01453 891176/138/144 The first critically endangered spoon-billed sandpiper to hatch in captivity in the world was always going to be a spectacular sight, but when a Heritage Expeditions boat docked in Anadyr last night not one, not two, but an incredible 17 tiny, hatched spoon-billed sandpiper chicks emerged. The incredibly ambitious mission to collect eggs from the rapidly dwindling number of nests on the breeding grounds in Chukotka and transport them thousands of miles via land, sea and air to the conservation breeding facility at WWT Slimbridge hatching has reached an important milestone. Incredibly eight of the chicks actually hatched just as the team were preparing to leave Chukotka. Describing his elation on docking safely in Anadyr, WWT’s Head of Conservation Breeding, Nigel... Read More →
Member Press Releases Oceania
The Search for the Spoon-Billed Sandpiper
July 11, 2011
The Spoon-billed Sandpiper is one of the world’s rarest birds, and searching for one is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Which is one of the reasons passengers working with researchers on a recent voyage in the Russian Far East, operated by Heritage Expeditions in association with BirdLife International, were delighted when they located a previously unknown breeding population of this Critically Endangered bird. On the recent expedition, the research team and passengers located a nest with three eggs, while another bird was seen behaving in a manner that strongly suggested it was one of another breeding pair. A further lone bird was sighted briefly by another search team in a different part of Olyutorskiy Bay on Russia’s remote Koryak Coast. Passengers on this voyage have also been treated to other world class wildlife experiences, with sightings of various whales, brown bears, seals, Steller’s Sea Eagles and numerous other bird species as well as special encounters with... Read More →
By the Numbers Oceania
Volunteer Travel on the Rise in Australia
June 14, 2011
The Sydney Morning Herald reported last month that levels of voluntourism in the country are on the rise. Reporter Mark Russel noted: Conservation Volunteers Australia says voluntourism is one of its fastest growing sectors. About 10,000 Australians join its programs each year. ”For people who enjoy connecting with nature and holidays with a difference, a champagne sunset dinner before heading out to assist with turtle research, or booking out your own private island and assisting a park ranger with penguin monitoring … is an attractive honeymoon or travel experience,” company spokeswoman Joanne Davies said. The article also explored both local critics of the volunteer travel trend as well as those who acknowledge the good they can do while offering travelers a unique experience as long as they are designed and run responsibly: ‘I cannot emphasise enough just how important it is for volunteer trips to be based on a real, genuine local need and work in partnership... Read More →
Member Press Releases OceaniaRockResorts welcomes Bimini Bay Resort & Marina, a 350-unit resort in The Bahamas
February 28, 2011
Broomfield, CO. – RockResorts, a subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN), will continue its expansion into the tropics with the addition of Bimini Bay Resort and Marina, an existing 350-unit resort on Bimini, the Western-most island of The Bahamas. Starting March 1, the existing resort properties, restaurants and activities, as well as the largest deep-water marina in The Bahamas, will be managed through the company’s property management collection, Legendary Lodging. Once the RockResorts hotel and spa are developed and completed, the entire resort will be branded as a RockResort. Developed with traditional Bahamian architecture, Bimini Bay Resort and Marina is comprised of 350 individually-owned existing residences, many of which feature top-of-the-line, luxurious amenities, all within a relaxed and friendly neighborhood setting. Situated on the Northern tip of the island of North Bimini in the heart of what’s known as “The Bone Fishing Capital of the World,”... Read More →
Oceania Spotlight: DestinationsQueensland Flood Update And Travel Info
January 19, 2011
Assistant Editor’s Note: The following update is from Tourism Australia, released January 18th. Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Fraser Coast, Bundaberg, Gladstone, Agnes Water, 1770, Whitsundays, Mackay, Townsville, Cairns and Tropical North Queensland are accessible and tourism operations are normal. All Queensland airports with the exception of Rockhampton, are currently open and operating normally. The Bruce Highway, the main road link from Brisbane to Cairns, is now open. Brisbane, the Darling Downs, Southern Downs and Granite Belt and Capricorn Coast are now recovering with most tourism operations open and affected tourism operations returning to normal as quickly as possible. There are however still some local road closures in some areas. Visit http://131940.qld.gov.au/ for the latest road conditions. Parts of Central Queensland, Queensland’s Outback, Western Downs and the Lockyer Valley continue to be affected and access to these areas is restricted. Please contact your... Read More →
