Miss World Australia 2016 to launch TAT's Women's Journey campaign

Tourism Authority of Thailand appoints Miss World Australia to launch its inaugural Women's Journey Thailand campaign.

Sydney, 30 June 2016: To mark the occasion of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit's birthday, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has designated August 2016 as a month for female travellers.

For the first time ever, TAT is launching a campaign to attract local and international female travellers to enjoy some of the country's many attractions with a wide range of activities, special offers, discounts and privileges, whether travelling alone or with groups of friends, across the month of August.

Miss World Australia will act as the TAT Brand Ambassador in Australia and will visit Thailand between 31 July – 9 August to attend the Opening Ceremony of "Women's Journey to Thailand 2016 before touring Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Phuket.

The initiative covers five different promotional concepts:

·      Beautiful Look
·      Beautiful Shape
·      Beautiful Mind
·      Beautiful Retreat
·      Beautiful Experience

In conjunction with the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale, which runs from 15 June to 31 August, women will be offered a wide range of offers and chances to win prizes.

In their Spend & Win campaign, for every 500 Baht spent, women will be awarded 10 chances to win a grand prize of 365 days travel in Thailand.

In addition to this, there will be daily offers at all 500 participating retailers, restaurants and attractions, with a total of 1500 special offers each month, and they will also be rewarded for shopping and dining with free cash vouchers.

Women will also be offered exclusive discounts on spa treatments, hotel stays, entry to attractions such as Chiang Mai Zoo and Underwater World, and wide range of retailers and restaurants. For the golfers out there, women will also be gifted complimentary green fees during August at seven participating golf clubs.

Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT Governor said, "Increasingly women are coming to Thailand in groups or as solo travellers and expect to find activities and attractions geared to their needs. So, this campaign will broaden their recognition on how Thailand can cater for a great experience to female travellers like nowhere else."

For more special offers and further details on Women's Journey Thailand, please click: www.tourismthailand.org/womensjourney

Fourth of July in Fort Worth, Texas

From the Macy's Firework Show over the East River to the Big Bay Boom Fireworks Show in San Diego, over-the-top July 4th celebrations occur across this great nation. Don't forget the Lone Star State when writing your Fourth of July roundups.

Here are four patriotic events occurring in Fort Worth, Texas:

Let freedom ring as the largest 4th of July fireworks show in North Texas lights up the sky, lasting approximately 28-minutes. Fort Worth's Fourth at Panther Island Pavilion is THE place to celebrate Independence Day in Fort Worth with free live music, free water tube rentals, a free kid zone featuring water slides and zip lines, Jet Ski and Flyboard shows and much more. Food and drink vendors will also be on site with plenty of options to satisfy any craving. General admission is free and VIP tent tickets are available for $40 online.

Pack a picnic and celebrate Independence Day in true patriotic fashion at the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra's Old-Fashioned Family Fireworks Picnic July 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens. Thrilling marches, heartfelt military salutes and a spectacular fireworks show will occur nightly. Picnic tables are patriotically themed red ($15 child, $30 adult), white ($20 child, $40 adult) and blue ($50 per person) with lawn passes available for $22 per person.

The world's largest honky-tonk turns it up for Billy Bob's Texas 4th of July PicnicSaturday, July 2. Formerly headlined by the great Willie Nelson, this year's picnic will feature Texas Country musicians in performance order: Mike & the Moonpies, Billy Joe Shaver, Shinyribs and Turnpike Troubadours. Doors open at 6PM and tickets are $30 for pit access and $20 for general admission.

A celebration fit for the whole family, the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District will host a free July 4th festival including gunfight reenactments from the Legends of Texas following the world's only twice-daily cattle drive occurring at 11:30AM and 4PM, face painting for kids from 1-4PM and live musical entertainment inside the station.

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Historic Route 66

Scenic byways, quirky roadside attractions, charming small towns, Native American reservations, and beautiful national parks; elements that made Route 66 the iconic American road trip, can all be found in Flagstaff, Arizona. Also known as “The Mother Road,” Route 66 continues to bisect Flagstaff today and the road is lined with relics from the route's heyday as well as new businesses reinventing the spirit of Route 66. Route 66 was commissioned in 1926 but was not fully paved until 1937. During its life, the route continued to evolve and had several alignments to accommodate the increased traffic. Flagstaff was home to the original Route 66 “Muffler Man,” a 40-foot-tall fiberglass lumberjack, originally standing, axe in hand, at the Lumberjack Café to attract the business of hungry travelers.

Is your dream to hop on a Harley and cruise Route 66 “Easy Rider” style? Then Flagstaff is the perfect starting point for a motorcycle tour and adventure of a lifetime. At EagleRider Flagstaff located right on Route 66, find the perfect starting point to explore the Mother Road where tours begin directly on scenic roads without big-city traffic or long interstate detours. EagleRider Flagstaff offers a large variety of Harley-Davidson rentals, guided tours with multi-lingual guides, GPS navigation, and riding apparel and accessories for purchase. www.eaglerider.com/flagstaff

Flagstaff's Historic Southside is home to the original alignment of Route 66 along a street now known as Mike's Pike. When traffic became too heavy, it was re-routed, but Mike's Pike continues to keep that Route 66 spirit alive. Three young entrepreneurs have taken up residence in the 1920s Milum Textile building on Mike's Pike, giving new life to this historic spot. Mother Road Brewing Company pays tribute to their location on the original Route 66. The tasting room offers samples of their various brews, with names like Roadside American Ale, Twin Arrows Brown Ale and Gold Road Kolsch. Flagstaff Bicycle Revolution has everything you could possibly need for a bike, and a coffee bar and rotating art exhibit to boot. Pizzicletta combines the owner's love of pizza, cycling and Italy into one amazing Neapolitan-style pizza joint. With a pizza oven handmade in Italy and gelato homemade daily you know you're in for a treat. www.motherroadbeer.com; www.flagbikerev.com;www.pizzicletta.com.

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What does the UK’s exit from the EU mean for travellers?

Ross Veitch, CEO and co-founder of Wego

Considerations of the impact of Brexit

Wego.com, the leading travel search site in the Asia Pacific and Middle East, reviews the effects of the UK’s separation from the European Union means for travellers.

“Regardless of whether you believe that Brexit was a positive or negative move for the UK, there will undoubtedly be repercussions for travellers in light of the decision,” said Ross Veitch, CEO and co-founder of Wego.

“The UK Pound has dropped 9.8 percent, with the value of the pound to the dollar at 1.3415 in early trading since the referendum result has become clear, which means a UK holiday is going to be cheaper for most foreign tourists than it has been for about 20 years,” Veitch continued. “In-destination trip costs such as accommodation, dining, entertainment and shopping will allow significantly better value for the foreign traveller after exchanging their local currency.”

“You can possibly expect to see a number of changes at arrival points at UK airports, as previously, as a member of the EU, travellers from EU countries were permitted visa free entry so the result could mean busier entry lines at customs as they queue up with other international visitors.”

“The UK’s airline network may also have to review regulations, which as a part of the EU secured single aviation area treaties across Europe, which may increase airfare costs for the UK’s national carriers,” Veitch added. “Accommodation costs however, could drop, as Britain fights to retain its large inbound visitor numbers from Europe who will no longer be able to travel freely into the country.”

“As a long-serving entry hub to Europe, London may now be increasingly challenged by other key EU hub airports such as Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam which will offer inbound travellers easier onward movement around EU member countries. Although it will take time, it’s likely the UK government will try to negotiate similar travel agreements to replicate those in place as a member of the EU,” said Veitch.

“High spending Arab travellers from the Gulf nations, where London has retained its number one most popular European destination for some time at www.wego.ae, may consider selecting other destinations to take advantage of shopping and holiday opportunities. Rome is still a popular destination within Europe, and many football events drive visits to Spain and France.”

“As the dust settles, there’s no doubt that we’ll see visible changes in the UK’s travel industry, and the government will have the unenviable task of implementing independent regulations to maintain the country’s position as a global tourism hub and gateway to Europe,” Veitch concluded.

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Travel Writer Award Winners Announced in New Orleans at IPW 2016

Four travel journalists captured top honors in the U.S. Travel Association and Brand USA's 2016 IPW Travel Writer Awards competition, sponsored by CityPASS. The winners were announced today during a media reception at the IPW trade show in New Orleans, Louisiana. The U.S. Travel Association, which coordinates the awards, received more than 150 contest entries from journalists representing 58 countries. The winners are as follows:

Best IPW Host City (Orlando) Article — Brazilian editor Amanda Fernandes Leonel de Queiroz captured top honors in this category, which judges articles highlighting the previous year's IPW host city. After attending IPW 2015 in Orlando, Leonel was inspired to write a cover story for Melhor Viagem, a travel magazine targeting readers 55+ in Brazil. As the title of her article, “Orlando: De volta à infância” (Orlando: Back to Childhood), suggests, all you need to enjoy Orlando is a youthful spirit and a willingness to explore new horizons.

Best U.S. Travel Destination Article — Due to the high number of outstanding entries received, the judges selected two winners in this category. Phoebe Smith, editor-in-chief of the U.K.-based travel magazine Wanderlust, won for her story “A Walk in the Woods.” Using Bill Bryson's classic travel book of the same name as her inspiration, Smith drove the entire 2,180-mile length of the Appalachian Trail over a two-week period, cherry-picking the main highlights to explore on foot as she went. The resulting story, published in the October 2015 issue of Wanderlust, is chock-full of great information for would-be hikers, as well as engaging descriptions of the colorful personalities Smith met along the way.

Also winning in this category is Lindsay Sutton, a freelance travel journalist from the United Kingdom. On the 100th anniversary of President Theodore Roosevelt's creation of America's expansive and much-envied National Parks system, Sutton chronicled a trek across North Dakota, the U.S. state where the idea for the National Parks system was born. Sutton's article, “Follow in a President's Footsteps,” appeared in the Manchester Evening News in February 2016. Sutton's prose takes readers down unsigned dirt roads, through the rugged North Dakota Badlands, and to the far corners of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, all the while highlighting the personality and motivations of the man who would become America's first “conservationist in chief.”

Best Trade Publication Article — Héctor Fabio Rizzo, editor of Mexico's TOUR Magazine, won top honors for “La NUEVA New York” (The NEW New York). Through beautiful pictures and words, Rizzo's article describes the distinctive flavor of New York, created by its diverse population, neighborhoods and energy. His story invites readers to discover the Big Apple's new attractions and features, including One World Observatory at One World Trade Center, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, relocated to a brand-new building in New York's Meatpacking District.

During their evaluation of the entries, this year's judges looked for articles that featured original ideas and exceptional storytelling skills, as well as prose that would inspire readers to travel to the United States.

The IPW Travel Writer Awards competition is held annually. Each of the winning writers receives $1,000 U.S. and an award certificate. This year's competition was sponsored by CityPASS, the company that offers discounted admission packages to the top attractions in 12 North American destinations.

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Spring Into Summer Travel in the Lone Star State

The start of the summer travel season is right around the corner with Memorial Day Weekend, and Texas Tourism invites travelers to take a Texas-sized adventure in the Lone Star State. When it comes to family travel, Texas is full of possibilities, boasting more than 600 miles of coastline, scenic mountain ranges, numerous national parks, historic sites and a variety of attractions. Pack your bags and embark on a Texas adventure.
The start of the summer travel season is right around the corner with Memorial Day Weekend, and Texas Tourism invites travelers to take a Texas-sized adventure in the Lone Star State. When it comes to family travel, Texas is full of possibilities, boasting more than 600 miles of coastline, scenic mountain ranges, numerous national parks, historic sites and a variety of attractions. Pack your bags and embark on a Texas adventure.

Sink your toes in the sand with a Gulf Coast adventure beginning with Corpus Christi, one of the world's top kite-boarding destinations. Galveston, a unique 32-mile beach town, offers soft sandy beaches; one of the largest, most historically significant collections of 19th-century buildings; and is home to more than 500 species of birds, making it a top birding destination. Another must-see Texas beach is Padre Island National Seashore, a safe nesting ground for the Kemp's Ridley sea turtle and a haven for 380 bird species.

Prefer mountains or canyons to waves? West Texas is the place to be. Visitors marvel at the beauty of Big Bend National Park, Davis Mountains State Park in Fort Davis, Franklin Mountains State Park in El Paso, or Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon. In addition to scenic mountain ranges, West Texas is home to many outdoor activities, including horseback riding, white water rafting, kayaking and canoeing. For a different type of terrain, head to Big Thicket National Preserve in East Texas. A convergence of ecosystems, Big Thicket protects the incredible diversity of life found in the multiple habitats. Hiking trails and waterways meander through nine different ecosystems, from longleaf pine forests to cypress-lined bayous.

In addition to Texas' great outdoors, a variety of adventures and activities can be found in the state's diverse cities. In Texas' Capital city, families will enjoy heading to the Thinkery, Austin's innovative children's museum where people connect with ideas by doing, creating and experiencing. Another must-see is the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, where visitors can explore the story of Texas. Further south in San Antonio, visitors will enjoy not only the River Walk and the Alamo, but the Spanish Missions – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – and Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, a safari experience right here in Texas. Adventure-seeking visitors can get their fix of thrills at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, which houses pulse-pounding roller coasters and gentler options for the kids.

In Texas' largest city, Houston, visitors of all ages will delight in the Museum District, made up of 19 cultural institutions including, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. For an out of this world experience, head to Space Center Houston, which features more than 400 space artifacts, attractions, permanent and traveling exhibits and theaters related to the history and future of space exploration. Up north in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, visitors will have no shortage of activities to enjoy. The Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District  and the Perot Museum of Nature and Science will have kids of all ages exploring and making discoveries, while the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden allows visitors to soak in the beauty of the outdoors. There's also plenty of fun to be had in nearby Arlington, at one of the biggest theme parks in the state, Six Flags Over Texas. Its claim to fame is The Texas Giant, while younger patrons will enjoy Bugs Bunny Boomtown. Across the street, more than 3,000,000 gallons of water await at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor.

From sandy beaches, to picturesque mountains, to urban centers, Texas offers a multitude of incredible leisure experiences for visitors of all ages, palates and interests. In fact, these experiences helped generate an estimated $69 billion in spending in the state in 2015, which directly supported 653,000 jobs. Additionally, domestic leisure travel to Texas destinations continued to increase in 2015, accounting for nearly three out of every four travel days across the state and roughly 60 percent of travel spending.

To learn more about Texas travel events and destinations, or to order a free Texas State Travel Guide, please visit www.TravelTexas.com, and connect with Texas Tourism on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.   # # #   About Texas Tourism: Texas Tourism's mission is to enhance and extend local economic development efforts by marketing Texas as a premier travel destination in out-of-state domestic and international markets, generating non-Texan travel to the state. Travel and tourism are vital to the Texas economy, with an estimated $69 billion spent at destinations across the state in 2015. Travel spending directly supported 653,000 jobs across a variety of Texas industries.  

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Ogoh-Ogoh! Wonderful Indonesia joins forces with MONA for Dark Mofo

20 June 2016: Bali came to the Apple Isle last night as thousands of people celebrated the winter solstice with a Balinese demon-purging "Ogoh-Ogoh" procession and burning ritual in Hobart.

The Ogoh-Ogoh procession and burning was part of MONA's Dark Mofo festival program, with the support of the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism (Wonderful Indonesia), Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia for Victoria and Tasmania, and the Ministry of Education and Culture.

The procession and burning – Ogoh-Ogoh: The Burning – was the climactic event of MONA's midwinter Dark Mofo festival, which runs from the 10th to 21st of June.

Dark Mofo is an annual pilgrimage south celebrating the dark through large-scale public art, food, film, music, light and noise. Major events including the City of Hobart Dark Mofo Winter Feast and the industrial-scale public art precinct Dark Park, attracting up to 10,000 people each per night


The ogoh-ogoh, paper-mache monsters, were made in the weeks leading up to the purging by Balinese artists working alongside staff and students from the University of Tasmania. During the first week of Dark Mofo, festival goers are invited to write down their fears and pin them to the weedy-sea dragon-inspired effigy. Pots and pans at the ready, everyone is then invited to join a procession from Parliament Lawns to Dark Park, culminating in the burning of this year's ogoh-ogoh—and with it, everyone's fears.

"Dark Mofo is about the Tasmanian community coming together to embrace our longest and darkest night of the year. The Balinese ceremony of ogoh-ogoh is a great way for us to symbolically cleanse our fears and look forward to the days becoming longer," Dark Mofo Creative Director Leigh Carmichael said.

"Dark Mofo is a Winter Solstice festival, so we like to explore darker themes. Facing our fears is an important part of this, and we love how the community has come together for this final event of the festival.

"Our cross-cultural exchange is so important for Dark Mofo. We hope that the ogoh-ogoh continues for many years and we build stronger relationships with Indonesia, with the people and culture. We plan to visit Indonesia soon to explore opportunities around commissioning new work from Indonesian artists, and hope to include more Indonesian food and art in coming years."


Wonderful Indonesia hopes that with continued engagement in events such as Dark Mofo, the number of Australians visiting Indonesia, which has recently surpassed the number of Aussies visiting New Zealand, will continue to rise.

According to Mr Nadjib RIPHAT KESOEMA, Indonesia's Ambassador to Australia, their involvement in Dark Mofo is significant.

"It shows the people of Tasmania the cultural richness of Indonesia. Last night, Tasmanians were introduced to ogoh-ogoh from Bali, as well as bamboo gila from Maluku, and Central-Javanese gamelan. It's our hope that Australians will choose to visit various places throughout Indonesia, beyond Bali. I'm looking forward to continued involvement with Dark Mofo, hopefully introducing Australians to much more of our culture, art and cuisine."

Lilis Fauziah, Assistant Deputy Director, Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia, said the event was a huge opportunity to showcase Indonesian culture to a large audience in Australia and hopefully encourage more Australians to visit the country to experience more.

According to the Indonesian Ambassador, Mr Nadjib Riphat Kesoema, "We are excited to be a part of this extremely popular cultural festival. It's a great opportunity for us to showcase just one small aspect of Indonesia's rich cultural heritage, and we hope it generates a greater interest among Australians to visit and find out more."

Traditionally, the main purpose of making ogoh-ogoh is the purification of the natural environment of any spiritual pollutants emitted from the activities of living beings (especially humans). In Bali, each village usually builds one ogoh-ogoh, and sometimes smaller ogoh-ogoh are also built by school kids. After being paraded on a convoy around the town, finally it is burnt to ashes in a cemetery as a symbol of self-purification. The following day is Nyepi, a Hindu celebration and the Balinese "Day of Silence" marked by silence, fasting, and meditation.