Showcase NSW best food and wine

Some of the State’s finest produce will be showcased to travel buyers from across the globe tonight, as part of the 2017 Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE).

Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer Sandra Chipchase said 1,300 domestic and international delegates will gather at a special harbourside location for the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency’s showcase event.

“From artisan smoked Bangalow ham, South Coast cheese, Pinot Noir from Orange, saltbush lamb from Wagga Wagga, and an eight metre long ice bar filled with NSW’s freshest and finest seafood, tonight’s event will take people on an incredible NSW food journey,” Ms Chipchase said.

“More and more visitors from across Australia and the world are learning about our State’s great local wines and fresh produce, with a desire to visit Sydney and regional NSW for a first-hand experience.

“NSW is home to fourteen wine regions, renowned fruit, beef, pork and truffle farms, and over 2,000 kilometres of coastline bursting with fresh seafood and local produce, some of which our guests will be able to enjoy and savour tonight.

“With such amazing produce and so many wonderful dining experiences to be had, it’s little wonder so many visitors are choosing to experience our thriving culinary hotspots and award-winning restaurants throughout NSW.”



Whether it’s a Hunter Semillon or a cool-climate Tempranillo, visitors can find plenty of scope for exploration and experimentation in each of the State’s fourteen wine regions.

In the year ended December 2016, there were almost two million domestic and international visitors who had been to a NSW winery. These visitors stayed 13.8 million nights and spent $2.2 billion in the State.

The latest International Visitor Survey results show that NSW received nearly 213,000 international wine travellers with Sydney, the Hunter, North Coast, Blue Mountains and South Coast as the most visited regions by international wine travellers.

“There’s a real movement around where and how our food is grown, sourced and prepared, and NSW’s pristine environment and varied typography is creating some of the finest produce in Australia for visitors to enjoy.

“We look forward to welcoming more international visitors to our State as a result of tonight’s special Destination NSW event and continuing to place NSW firmly on the global foodie-map,” Ms Chipchase said.

Download the latest ‘Food and Wine in Sydney and NSW’ Fact Sheet.

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The Puffing Billy Railway is Australia's favourite train

The world famous steam train, The Puffing Billy Railway, is Australia's favourite train and one of the finest preserved steam railways in the world.

The railway which commenced operation in Australia on December 18, 1900 and operates every day except Christmas Day, is a genuine relic of our more leisurely days.

An historic steam train which runs regularly in the Victorian mountain district, it was built to serve at the turn of the century, and was used to transport goods and passengers throughout the district.

The line was opened by the Victorian Railways in 1900 between Upper Ferntree Gully and Gembrook, however, there was a struggle to keep the railway alive. From the early 1930s the railway earned the reputation for being a financial liability on the Victorian Railways and due to a landslide in 1953, a subsequent decision was made to close the line in 1954.

It was during a series of farewell trips in 1955 that led to the Puffing Billy Preservation Society being established - to keep the train running, and it has been a success with figures of over ten million passengers now carried on the historic railway since re-opening in 1962.

Tourist services resumed between Belgrave and Menzies Creek in 1962, and were progressively extended to Emerald in 1965, Lakeside in 1975 and Gembrook in 1998.

The railway travels 25kms through the forests and fern gullies of the magnificent Dandenong Ranges to Emerald Lake Park and Gembrook- -the original terminus of the line- - and is one of two survivors of five experimental narrow gauge lines used to develop rural area in Victoria during the early 1900s.

Trains depart from Belgrave which is only 40kms or one hour east of Melbourne by car or coach. Easy access is also available by electric train from Melbourne in around one hour with a short walk from the electric train station to the Puffing Billy station.

Together with the traditional train journeys, Puffing Billy also offers a range of unique “First Class” travel and dining experiences in up to four luxurious, fully enclosed, heritage carriages, each seating up to 20 passengers. Choose from Lunch, which is available seven days a week or Dinner, on selected Friday and Saturday evenings. Other evenings are available for groups of 60-80 passengers.

Group bookings on all scheduled trains may be made and special charter trains for groups of up to 250 are available. “Special Interest” groups can also be catered for with escorted tours.

Annual patronage to the railway is fast approaching 350,000 people and in addition to the well-known excursion train services, its unique products include:

- The Dinner & Dance Train – selected Friday & Saturday evening

- The Steam & Cuisine Luncheon Train– daily first class service

- Days out with Thomas the Tank Engine

- Other activities such as Murder Mystery Trains, Jazz Trains and

- Drive an Engine experiences.

- External contracting in niche markets (e.g. steam locomotive overhaul and repair, timber bridge maintenance)

The Railway recently received a Certificate of Excellence 2015 from TripAdvisor which was a direct result from the consistently great reviews given by TripAdvisor travellers.

For further information please visit: www.puffingbilly.com.au

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True or False? More than 90 percent of travellers rely on online reviews.

This interesting infographic supplied by TravelCarma which they claim illustrates the "Global State of Online Travel". Presented as is.

Scenic launches South America program for 2018

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Scenic has launched its South America program for 2018 which features a brand-new 12/29 day tour, Icons of South & Central America. With its rich, colourful history, this Scenic-exclusive tour combines the very best of South America, from the history-steeped Havana and Trinidad to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Machu Picchu and Cuzco.  

There's a new Scenic Enrich experience, a horse-and-carriage ride and dinner in Cartagena, as well as a host of new Scenic Freechoice options: think Cuzco cooking classes, off-road adventures in Los Glaciares National Park and a Classic Havana tour.

Also new for 2018 is a Belmond Andean Explorer two-day luxurious rail journey across the awe-inspiring Andes to Lake Titicaca on Scenic's 16 day Peru Discovery tour, where guests will delve into Peru's Sacred Valley and visit the World Heritage site of Machu Picchu.

Scenic is offering brilliant Earlybird offers on 2018 journeys. Book by 31 October 2017 and fly to South America from $995 when you book a journey of 20 days or longer – a saving of up to $2,330 per couple; or fly from $1,295 on journeys of 11 to 19 days.

For more information call Scenic on 138 128 or visit scenic.com.au

Up the Fiji creek - with a paddle!

 
Pictured paddling her way along Fiji's mighty Navua River, MTA – Mobile Travel Agent, Sandra Di Benedetto recently visited the destination with fellow Member Michelle Edwards as part of a Tourism Fiji 'Matai' specialist Fiji sales agents' familiarisation.

Their program included a high-speed Sigatoka River Jetboat Safari and a visit to a traditional Fijian village in the picturesque Sigatoka Valley.

pic: Mobile Travel Agent Sandra Di Benedetto

W: www.mtatravel.com.au

F:   www.facebook.com/mobiletravelagents            

2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games Promotion at Snow Travel Expos Sydney & Melbourne

Korea Tourism Organization will participate in the Snow Travel Expos in Sydney on Sunday, 21 May and Melbourne on the following Sunday, 28 May, 2017 with the main aim being the promotion of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games being held in Korea from 9-25 February, 2018.

Five major ski resorts from Korea will join the Snow Travel Expo in Sydney on Sunday, 21st May, 2017 at the new International Convention Centre, (ICC) Darling Harbour for the first time. They are ski resorts - Alpensia, Daemyung, High 1, Phoenix Park and Yongpyong.

Alpensia, Phoenix Park and Yongpyong are all directly involved as venues for the upcoming Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games so will be able to answer any direct questions from the public regarding their resorts.

Korean Air, the official partner airline for the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games will also be on the Korea stand at the Sydney Snow Travel Expo on 21 May.

The Korea stand will also host CoSport, the authorised ticket reseller for the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Australia. Tickets and packages are already on sale online at www.cosport.com.au and are selling well.

A highlight of the Korea stand will be a virtual reality ski jump experience being brought to Australia from Korea for the Sydney Snow Travel Expo only. Visitors to the Expo can enjoy a virtual ski jump experience as if they are competing in the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

Brochures and materials relating to the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games will be distributed freely as well as small giveaways. Korea Tourism Organization will provide advice and assistance to visitors at both the Sydney and Melbourne Snow Travel Expos in regard to travelling to the Games as well as general travel information on what to do and see in Korea.

Interested parties can see more about the Snow Travel Expos in Sydney and Melbourne on the Snow Travel Expo's website: snowtravelexpo.com.au

Come along and experience the fun and enjoyment of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Korea stand at the Snow Travel Expo. Have your photo taken with Soohorang (the White Tiger) and Bandabi (the Moon Bear) who are the official mascots for the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics.

Official Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic & Paralympic Games website: www.pyeongchang2018.com

Information on Tickets & Tour Packages visit CoSport website: www.cosport.com.au

Website:  www.visitkorea.org.auLike on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/SeeKoreaTwitter:  https://twitter.com/ktosydney

 

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Bangkok remains most visited Asia-Pacific destination in Mastercard Index 2017

Bangkok has retained its place as the Top Destination in terms of Visitor Numbers out of 171 destinations in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the latest figures from the influential Mastercard Asia-Pacific Destinations Index 2017.


Bangkok welcomed 19.3 million international overnight arrivals in 2016 of the 339.2 million visits made to the 171 Asia-Pacific destinations on the Mastercard list. This put the Thai capital above second place Singapore, which attracted 13.1 million. Thai destinations Phuket and Pattaya also placed in the Top Ten on the report, with 9.1 million and 8.1 million overnight visits, respectively.

The Mastercard Asia-Pacific Destinations Index 2017 ranks 171 destinations in 22 countries. These include resorts, towns and cities and are ranked in terms of the total number of international overnight arrivals, cross-border spending, and the total number of nights spent at each destination.

Mr.Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT Governor said, "Bangkok once again takes top place in the Mastercard listing, showing how attractive the city is to tourists and business travellers who visit knowing they'll find a city that will impress and meet their needs. Whether they are just passing through or want to explore the amazing shopping, food scene, history and entertainment, visitors find that in this most exciting of destinations, there's something for everyone."

Bangkok also topped the list of total nights stayed with 87.6 million nights, showing that visitors to Asia-Pacific destinations are travelling for longer periods. In 2016, visitors to the region stayed for 1,768.7 million nights, compared with 1,023.1 million nights in 2009, representing an 8.1 percent Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR).

In terms of overall tourism expenditure in the region, Bangkok took second place with spending of US$12.7 billion of the US$244.9 billion spent in 2016. Singapore topped the list with US$15.4 billion. The growing numbers of tourists from China and South Korea helped to boost these figures to the Asia-Pacific region. Meanwhile, China was the top source market for visitors to Bangkok with affluent Chinese seeking out shopping and dining experiences in the region.

The Mastercard Asia-Pacific Destinations Index is an off-shoot of the annual Mastercard Global Destination Cities Index and reflects the increasing importance of the Asia-Pacific region for tourism. In 2016, five of the ten most visited cities in the world were in the Asia-Pacific region.