Tony Charters and Associates Tourforce

Tourism is Your Business

Tourism for Tomorrow Expert

Tony Charters, the Principal of Tony Charters & Associates has been announced as one of twelve international Judges for the 2009 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards by the World Travel & Tourism Council. The judging panel comprises public and private sector, and media representatives from around the world. The Tourism for Tomorrow Awards are presented to organisations pioneering responsible tourism management and helping to improve the livelihoods of communities in host destinations through sustainable tourism development.

Further information: http://www.tourismfortomorrow.com

Market Sector Snapshots

Tourism Research Australia has released a set of eight market sector snapshots that delve into the views of consumers who undertake the experiences.

These snapshots provide valuable insights into the various markets and specifically cover key trends and findings, types of accommodation and transport, activities undertaken and regions visited.

Further information: http://www.tra.australia.com/niche.asp

Tourism and Protected Area Snapshot

The tourism and protected area management snapshot is a collection of twenty-five key research reports published by the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre on the topics of visitors, interpretation and communication, economic evaluation, partnerships and planning and management.

The publication has been developed as a resource for protected area managers, tourism operators, communities, government agencies and education institutions.

Further information: http://www.crctourism.com.au/BookShop/SearchResult.aspx?c=8

TripAdvisor Travel Trends

The world's largest travel community, TripAdvisor has announced the results of its annual travel trends survey of more than 3,000 U.S. travellers. The primary trends identified are that travellers appear to be going lean and green by visiting national parks, hiking, and engaging in adventure activities.

A greater amount of Americans said they will be environmentally conscious in their travel decisions in 2009, and more plan to visit eco-friendly hotels in the coming year.

New Travel Careers Website

The Travel Industry Careers Association has launched a new website as an information resource to people interested in joining the travel industry. The website identifies the many diverse opportunities that exist in the travel sector and offers potential newcomers to the travel industry answers to questions about the industry such as career paths, education and training.

It is estimated that around 320,000 people would be needed in Australia to fill travel and tourism roles in the next ten years.

Further information: www.travelindustrycareers.org.au

National Survey on Delegate Spending

The Association of Australian Convention Bureaux is conducting a national survey to determine the spending and travel patterns of international and interstate convention delegates. For the first time, all convention delegates travelling to Australia will participate in the survey and will each answer the same set of questions regarding their pre- and post-convention travel plans, preferred accommodation and carriers, and their experiences of the cities they’ve visited.

The research will provide the $17 billion national Business Events industry with data to share with tourism and trade colleagues.

Further information: http://www.aacb.org.au

Environmental Guidelines for Finnish Meetings    

The Finland Convention Bureau has initiated a pilot project to develop guidelines for environmentally responsible meeting services. The bureau has commissioned Finnish consulting company Travelcon Oy which supplies sustainable development solutions to the travel industry

Travel Industry’s Jargon 

The travel industry’s first fully-interactive jargon buster website has been developed by the Travel Intelligence Network and is an A - Z of nearly 11,000 terms, acronyms, and expressions for business and leisure travel including, air, associations, car hire, catering, conference and meetings, cruising, currency, event management, hotels, rail travel and tourism.

The site provides concise definitions and explanations of travel industry terms and phrases.

Further information: http://www.traveljargon.org/

Tourism Towards 2030

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has launched a long-term research program - Future Vision: Tourism Towards 2030. The study will forecast international tourism growth by identifying future trends and their impact on tourism development.

The program will combine industry data with the views of UNWTO members, tourism practitioners, trends experts and academics from around the globe

. The study will provide a comprehensive view on the global and regional future tourism scenarios which will assist in the formulation of their tourism development and marketing strategies.

Further information: http://www.trajectorypartnership.com/

Tourism Futures National Conference 2009

Tourism Australia, Tourism Queensland and Gold Coast Tourism are staging the seventh National Conference on Tourism Futures from 17-19 August 2009. Convened by Tony Charters, the conference will be held at the Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa on the Gold Coast.

The theme ‘Redefining the Future’ will examine trends and opportunities that will reshape the future of the Australian tourism industry over the next ten years. The conference recognises that the growth of tourism relies on inputs across all dimensions of government, tourism authorities, industry, academia, research, and sectors such as transport, finance, environment and employment and training.

The Best Practice Forums on Day One are designed to provide cutting edge best practice updates, with a strong focus on the future - topics featuring innovation, trends, directions. Interactive forum discussions assisted by expert panels feature throughout the program. Expressions of Interest are currently being sought, please visit http://www.tourismfutures.com.au/callForPapers.html to submit a paper.

Further information: http://www.tourismfutures.com.au/

Australian Indigenous Tourism Conference 2009

The Western Australia Indigenous Tourism Operators Committee (WAITOC) is presenting the 2009 Australian Indigenous Tourism Conference.

The conference will be held in Townsville from March 24 to 27 2009 and is the premier forum for those with a common interest in Indigenous tourism to meet and form new partnerships.

It will focus on the environment, young people, business opportunities and maintaining the Indigenous culture.

Further information: http://www.aitc2009.com/

Sustainable Tourism International Symposium

The International Symposium on Sustainable Tourism Development to be held from 17 to 19 March 2009 in Québec, Canada.

The symposium will offer workshops and presentations on major issues related to the sustainable development of tourism.

Over 30 highly respected speakers will propose solutions and examples of best practices to adopt, the symposium will be an ideal place to exchange ideas and share success stories on the sustainable development of tourism.

Further information: http://www.bonjourquebec.com/mto/activites/symposium-developpement-durable/en/index.html

Queensland Information Centres Association Conference

Registrations are now open for the 2009 Conference and annual meeting of the Queensland Information Centres Association (QICA) to be held in Stanthorpe in February.

Topically for the Granite Belt, the theme of the three-day conference will be “Are You The Pick Of The Bunch?” The theme applies to the performance of visitor information centres in several categories applicable to awards to be made at the conference.

Conference details and the programme are now available on the QICA website.

Further information: http://www.qica.com.au/conference-2009

Big Response to Climate Change

The recently launched Climate Action Certification Program has received an overwhelming response from operators looking to certify their business for climate change.

Tony Charters and Associates was contracted by Ecotourism Australia, with the support of the South Australian Tourism Commission and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, to develop the climate change national certification scheme for broad scale use across the tourism industry.

Ninety businesses of all sizes across the sectors of tourism hotels, attractions, tours, transport, restaurants, travel agents, tourism commissions and industry bodies have registered their interest to complete the practical, and business-smart assessment.  Seventeen businesses are already certified and 22 are currently undergoing certification.  Carrying the Climate Action Australia rating will also give pro-active operators an edge in the highly competitive marketplace.

Further information: http://www.sustainabletourismaustralia.com/

Southern Star Observation Wheel

Australia’s first observation wheel, the Southern Star opened in December 2008 at the Docklands’ Waterfront City. Expected to attract 1.5 million guests in its first year, the 40 storey observation wheel has an impressive 120 metre orbit, and cost $100 million.

The project is claimed to be the largest capital expenditure on a tourist attraction in Australia since Movie World was built on the Gold Coast.

The wheel features 21 enclosed air-conditioned floor-to-ceiling glass cabins which can hold up to 20 people for the half an hour journey. The wheel will allow passengers to enjoy 360 degree views of Melbourne, Docklands and Port Phillip Bay.

Further information: http://www.thesouthernstar.com.au/

Novotel for Brisbane Airport

Brisbane Airport has been selected for Australia’s leading 4-star hotel brand and will join an extensive network of Novotel hotels at key airports around the world. Novotel Brisbane Airport is currently under construction and is scheduled for completion by October 2009.

The 156 room Novotel is being developed by Kenlynn Properties Australia as part of a new retail, commercial and recreational precinct that will comprise a DFO super-store, childcare centre, Woolworths supermarket and golf course.

The hotel will also feature a roof top terrace, gymnasium, lap pool, sauna, lobby bar, a la carte restaurant, underground parking and meeting rooms.

Further information: http://www.accor.com/gb/groupe/dev_hotelier/dev_hotelier.asp

Tourism in National Parks

The NSW State Government has released a report on opportunities for an enhanced level of sustainable nature tourism on NSW public lands, particularly national parks, marine parks and reserves.

Developed by the Tourism and National Parks Taskforce, the report has found the need to improve tourism National Parks as well as provide more opportunities for families including iconic walks, innovative low impact accommodation, interesting tours and experiences and cutting edge visitor facilities such as boardwalks and lookouts.

Further information: http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/local/index.aspx

Aviation Green Paper

The Federal Government has released a draft National Aviation Policy Statement (Green Paper) as part of developing an Aviation White Paper to guide the aviation industry's growth over the next decade. The aim is to give industry the certainty and incentive to plan and invest for the long term, to maintain and improve aviation safety and to give clear commitments to travellers, airport users and the communities affected by aviation activity.

Public consultation will close on 27 February 2009.

Eco Campers

KEA Campers has some of the newest and most environmentally-friendly campers on offer, with every vehicle featuring solar panelling, renewable materials, the most advanced emission control standards, best-practice waste management systems and the lowest fuel consumption rates of any campervan rental company across Australia, New Zealand and Southern Africa.

In Australia, KEA is the only campervan rental company to have achieved the Leave No Trace certification of the Campervan Motorhome Club of Australia.

Further information: http://au.keacampers.com/PageTransform.aspx?pageid=168&catid=24&lang=en

Solar City Hotel

Crowne Plaza Alice Springs will soon be home to the country’s largest building-mounted solar panel system. Due for completion in early 2009, the $3 million project will generate nearly 1,500 kilowatts per day which is enough to power more than 60 family homes.

The project is a joint initiative between Crowne Plaza Alice Springs and the Australian Government’s $94 million Solar Cities Program.