Glenworth Valley Named as NSW Tourism Award Finalist

Glenworth Valley Outdoor Adventures has been named as a finalist in the Adventure Tourism category of the prestigious 2010 NSW Tourism Awards.

The NSW Tourism Awards recognise and celebrate the diverse range of tourism products throughout NSW, the outstanding individuals who promote and support the industry and showcase the State's finest tourism operators.

Barton Lawler, General Manager, Glenworth Valley Outdoor Adventures says "Glenworth Valley has long been renowned as Australia's premier horse riding centre however this recognition in the Adventure Tourism category of the NSW Tourism Award acknowledges the unique adventure experiences available at Glenworth Valley such as our quad biking, abseiling and kayaking tours. Being named as a finalist in the awards against other respected tourism operators is testimony to the quality of our adventure tourism experiences and customer service."

The winners of the 2010 NSW Tourism Awards will be announced at the Grand Pavilion, Rosehill Gardens on Friday 19 November 2010, with winners at the state level automatically being entered into the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards.

Glenworth Valley Outdoor Adventures is Australia's largest horse riding and outdoor adventure centre and is located on 3000 acres at Peats Ridge in the hinterland region of the NSW Central Coast, just 15 minutes drive from Gosford. Renowned as Australia's premier horse riding centre, Glenworth Valley now offers a range of exciting adventure activities including quad biking, abseiling, kayaking adventures and camping, with all activities suitable for all ages and abilities.

World Travel Awards: Dunk Island Australasia's Leading Family Resort

The Great Barrier Reef's most beautiful rainforest island resort, Dunk Island, has been named Australasia's Leading Family Resort at the World Travel Awards ceremony held in Delhi, India, on 14th October 2010.

Founded in 1993 and described by The Wall Street Journal as the Oscars of the travel and tourism industry, the World Travel Awards are recognised globally by the hospitality industry as the foremost acknowledgement of excellence in product and service. This year, 185,000 industry professionals participated in the voting process which is both monitored and independently audited.

The popular Tropical North Queensland property won the accolade from a field of finalists consisting of the prestigious St Regis Bora Bora Resort in French Polynesia, Sonaisali Island Resort Fiji, and fellow Queenslanders Hayman Island Resort and Paradise Resort Gold Coast.

Hideaway Resorts, operators of Dunk Island Resort and Bedarra Island Resort, are about to reveal details of a multi-million dollar upgrade and enhancement program.

Rupert Greenhough, chairman of Hideaway Resorts, said that the program would unlock the full potential of Dunk Island Resort and that the World Travel Award indicated the property was well positioned to capitalise on the momentum as it demonstrated the resort was highly regarded by international and domestic sales agents.

"We are honoured to win this award and delighted that an iconic Tropical North Queensland property won against such strong interstate and indeed international competition. It demonstrates how popular our tropical island resorts continue to be in that the award is voted by national and international sales agents who are, in the end, customer driven. The award also recognises the collective effort of the Dunk Island Resort team - it is a richly deserved accolade for the islands staff and management," he said.

Dunk Island Resort is currently undertaking a raft of initiatives in readiness for the upgrade program, including providing WiFi connectivity throughout the resort's common areas and pool environs as well as being the first in Australia to introduce 3G iPads for guests to use anywhere on the resort. The resort has just taken delivery of 4 new catamarans and a water trampoline, and is set to add other major activity assets as part of the planned upgrade in the coming months.

For more high resolution downloadable images of Dunk Island Resort visit www.dunk-island.com media image gallery.

World Travel Market Signals New Era For Airlines

Boeing Chief Guest of Honour at Opening Ceremony

Boeing will discuss its revolutionary 787 Dreamliner with members from the global travel and tourism industry at World Travel Market's Opening Ceremony in London on Monday 8 November.

Ushering in a new era of air travel, Jeff Cacy, Boeing's Managing Director, Airline Marketing Services, will speak about what has been described as the most environmentally friendly airplane ever produced.

The 787 is the fastest-selling commercial airplane in history. Japan's All Nippon Airways is the first recipient of the aircraft next year.

Fiona Jeffery, Chairman of World Travel Market, described the Dreamliner as a "glimpse into the future, a big step forward."

"The Dreamliner, with its ability to offer a vastly more comfortable flight and its superior economic performance, is set to change air travel forever," said Jeffery.

"World Travel Market, the premier global event for the travel industry, has become known as a reliable industry indicator of major international trends and developments and the birth of the Dreamliner and the way it will change travel, is of huge significance to the whole industry."

Jeff Cacy at Boeing has supreme confidence in the way the Dreamliner will transform the travel industry.

"Business travelers are willing to travel, but not in uncomfortable surroundings," he said.

"Airlines are buying the Dreamliner because of its efficiencies, but they are also buying it because the customer experience is profoundly different and uniquely comfortable."

The 787 Dreamliner offers passengers a better flying experience and provides airline operators greater efficiency to better serve the point-to-point routes and additional frequencies passengers prefer.

The technologically-advanced 787 will use 20 percent less fuel than today's airplanes of comparable size, provide airlines with up to 45 percent more cargo revenue capacity and present passengers with innovations that include a new interior environment with cleaner air, larger windows, more stowage space, improved lighting and other passenger-preferred conveniences.

"Extra-large windows, coloured LED lighting, air purification, greater humidity and increased cabin pressure have been designed to make the Dreamliner the most comfortable aircraft on the market," said Cacy.

A "vertical gust suppression" system has also been installed to soften the up and down motions caused by turbulence.

World Travel Market's Opening Ceremony is at 11.30 am on Monday 8 November, Platinum Suite 4, ExCeL London. The event will also be broadcast on giant screens in the Central Boulevard.

Marketing and Partnerships Key to Melbourne's Success

The Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau (MCVB) has recorded strong results for the 2009/10 Financial Year, securing Business Events expected to inject more than $269 million into Victoria's economy over the next five years.

Announcing the results at MCVB's Annual General Meeting, MCVB's CEO, Ms Sandra Chipchase, said initiatives such as a new digital marketing strategy and further developing partnerships with Government and industry stakeholders were key to the Bureau's success.

"The 2009/10 Financial Year was one of the most challenging in the Bureau's history.

"The global economic crisis continued to hit the Association market, and we saw a distinct trend in the corporate market postponing meetings until the new financial year.

"Despite the challenges, I am pleased to report that MCVB, with the support of Government, strategic partners and our members, continued our track record of success, securing Business Events which will bring 71,891 delegates to Melbourne over the next five years."

Ms Chipchase said that MCVB's key successes for 2009/10 included an increase in incentive sales and national business wins, as well as winning major international multi-disciplinary Business Events.

"MCVB secured an impressive 47 national and international Association conventions for Melbourne in 2009/10.

"Wins ranged from the International Congress of Aviation and Space Medicine 2012, to the
63rd Annual DPI/NGO Conference 2010 (marking only the third time this event has been held outside of the UN's New York headquarters), confirming the diversity of Melbourne's appeal to a wide range of international interest groups and Associations.

"Wins also included major international Association conventions, such as the 35th Congress of the Societe Internationale d'Urologie 2015, expected to attract 4,000 delegates and generate an economic impact of $10.8 million for the State.

"Our Incentive Unit also continued its impressive track record, this year achieving a strike rate of securing 87% of all business it bid for.

"New initiatives, such as joint sales missions and advertising initiatives to target new and emerging markets, such as India, China and Korea, assisted in generating these results.

"MCVB's annual Asia Roadshow also contributed to this success, with MCVB and partnering members engaging with 190 travel agents and buyers in Malaysia and Beijing in 2009, generating strong sales leads."

Ms Chipchase said that expansions to the MCVB team also contributed to the Bureau's success throughout the year.

"This year we created a new Convention Servicing & Government Partnerships Team to oversee MCVB's growing portfolio of Government-related international meetings, delegate boosting activities and convention support services.

"We also expanded our Business Development team to further our sales research capacity and to extend our capacity to target national Associations and sector-specific luminaries to bid with us to secure major events for Melbourne and Australia.

"This contributed to a 41% increase in the number of leads generated by MCVB's Business Development team, with a potential economic impact of $468 million."

Ms Chipchase said that 2009/10 was also a year of innovation, with new marketing and research projects assisting the Bureau's performance.

"This year MCVB created a new digital marketing strategy, which included creating a world-first online digital delegate boosting tool.

"Not only will this tool assist us with achieving and potentially exceeding expected delegate numbers, but also in increasing the number of those accompanying delegates to Victoria."

Ms Chipchase said that other new marketing initiatives included a television campaign on the Australia TV Network, reaching six million viewers in 44 countries across Asia, the Pacific and India.

She said that continuing to provide members with business leads and international exposure was also a priority.

"MCVB's Melbourne Meetings + Events Service (MM+ES) provided strong results for members this year, with referrals up 21%, and business booked up 29%, generating $22 million worth of short-term business for Victoria."

Ms Chipchase said that the Bureau is also expanding its initiatives to promote regional Victoria, this year embarking on a marketing program with partners including Tourism Victoria to promote regional Victoria's Business Events capabilities.

Ms Chipchase acknowledged the support of Government and MCVB members in helping to drive the Bureau's success in 2009/10, and said she and her team looked forward to expanding Melbourne's reputation as a leading Business Events destination in 2010/11.

Chiapas, Mexico Selected to Host the 2011 Adventure Travel World Summit

SEATTLE - Chiapas, the southern-most state in Mexico, has won the bid to serve as Destination Host to the Adventure Travel Trade Association's eighth annual Adventure Travel World Summit, an assembly of 600 adventure tourism professionals, which will be held October 17-20, 2011 in San Cristóbal de las Casas.

Announced by the ATTA and Mexican tourism officials October 7 during the closing ceremonies of the 2010 Adventure Travel World Summit (ATWS) in Aviemore, Scotland, attended by an estimated 600 delegates representing more than 50 countries, the ATTA reported its decision came after extensive review of several sites throughout North America. In addition to meeting all prerequisites outlined in the bidding process, Chiapas won the 2011 ATWS bid primarily for its partnership orientation and readiness and willingness to press forward on progressive adventure tourism development, as well as for the tremendous potential benefits to the local tourism economy and the ATTA's members worldwide.

Partners for the 2011 ATWS include the Chiapas Convention and Visitors Bureau, the State Government of Chiapas and the Tourism Ministry of Mexico and the Mexico Tourism Promotion Board.

"The Summit ties in directly with Mexico's overall tourism strategy because we want to complement the world's understanding of Mexico as a sun and beach destination to show a side of Mexico that is even more exotic and diverse naturally and culturally" said Antonio del Rosal, Marketing Coordinator for Mexico´s Tourism Board. "For years, we've witnessed the bottom-line positive effects of the ATTA's impact on destinations which have previously hosted Summits such as Brazil, Quebec and Norway, and we believe such global attention on Chiapas next year will help usher in a new era of responsible tourism for Mexico."

Entering its seventh year, the ATTA's Summit conferences engage, enlighten, inspire, and energize the leaders of the adventure travel community with networking, business and professional development programs, educational seminars and emerging adventure destination product review opportunities.

"For six years, the ATTA has partnered with public and private organizations throughout Mexico with hopes of seeing tourism evolve to include the full depth and breadth of the country's cultural and natural assets," said ATTA President Shannon Stowell. "Intensive support from the federal, state and community level throughout Mexico over several years has resulted in a powerful and positive decision making process, with input from local adventure tour operators, representatives of San Cristóbal, the state governor and from the tourism ministry of Mexico."

With its ATWS events, the ATTA and its Summit delegates, primarily tour operators, destination marketing organizations, tourism boards, media, agents, adventure lodges, and service organizations (e.g., transportation, technology, marketing, etc.), influence the manner in which adventure travel is introduced, executed and sustained in any given destination worldwide. These adventure travel organizations collaborate to encourage the industry to adopt sustainability and best practices that give back to the people and places impacted by adventure travel.

Early Bird Registration, which ends April 15, 2011, is open at www.adventuretravelworldsummit.com.

Established in 1990, the Seattle-based ATTA (www.adventuretravel.biz) is a global membership organization dedicated to unifying, networking, professionalizing, promoting and responsibly growing the adventure travel market. ATTA members include tour operators, destination marketing organizations, tourism boards, specialty travel agents, guides, accommodations, media and service providers. Host of the annual Adventure Travel World Summit executive trade conferences (www.adventuretravelworldsummit.com), the ATTA also makes possible www.Adventure.Travel, the traveler's hub of physical, cultural and nature-based adventure travel and guide to trusted tour operators from around the globe.

Green Steps – attacking Fiji's litter problem

Established in Fiji as an environmental beautification company, Green Steps has been busy cleaning beaches in the Suva area. Seeing the need to improve the cleanliness of the beaches and foreshore around Suva, Alexander Austin founded the company in 2008.

“I go out and get companies and individuals to “sponsor” rubbish bins. The funds raised from the advertising on the bins not only pays for the bin itself, but it pays the wages for a small group of young men which I employ through Green Steps to empty and maintain the rubbish bins as well as to clean the beaches and foreshore of Suva.”

So far Green Steps has installed 100 rubbish bins in the Suva area and there are plans for more to be installed. With these expansion plans in place, there are also plans to increase the number of employees.

Mr. Austin also believes that “people in the Pacific and in particular Fiji, need to be taught that rubbish has to be disposed of properly. An empty container might be useless to us after a picnic, but is absolutely deadly to the marine environment.”

“There are many items which end up on the beaches around Fiji because people are either too lazy or too ignorant to put rubbish in the right place. The problem with all this litter is that in addition to being an eye sore, it’s unhealthy and the marine inhabitants cannot digest it.”

The company has also been active in educating the public especially school students on the importance of cleanliness and the use of rubbish bins in public places.

For more information of Green Steps and what they are doing please contact: Alexander Austin at alex@purefiji.com - Green Steps on Facebook

Dr Peter Stanley to lead Anzac Day battlefield tour

One of Australia's most respected military historians will, for the first time, escort a battlefield tour to France for Anzac Day 2011. Dr Peter Stanley was the principal historian at the Australian War Memorial for 20 years and is now the Head of the Centre for Historical Research at the National Museum of Australia. He is a popular author and television presenter and has an unrivalled knowledge of the experiences of Australian soldiers during the First World War. 'On historic battlefields military history comes alive,' Dr Stanley said. 'With the help of maps, photos and our imaginations we can understand so much more than we can from just reading about it.'

The highlight of the tour will be the Anzac Day Dawn Service on the battlefield at Villers-Bretonneux, an experience shared by many Australians whose ancestors fought and died in the area. 'I love learning about history on the spot, and am looking forward to talking with descendants at places like Ypres and Fromelles,' Dr Stanley said. 'I'm excited to be sharing stories of Australians on the Western Front - it's a great privilege to be able to do this in their company.' The tour will also visit Hill 60, site of the massive mine explosion in June 1917 that featured in the recent feature film Beneath Hill 60. The hill still bears the scars from the conflict, including a massive crater formed by the explosion of the mine.

Dr Stanley will be travelling as a historian with Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours, Australia's battlefield specialists. The first-class 9-night Anzac Day on the Western Front tour begins in Paris on April 18, 2011 and visits all the key Australian battlefields in France and Belgium. Tours of Paris, Versailles, Champagne and Bruges are also included, as are tips, many meals, 3- and 4-star accommodation and more. The tour costs $3797 per person, twin share, land only. Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours also offers a range of discounted airfares for passengers joining its group tours. Phone 1300 880 340 or visit www.battlefields.com.au for more information.