BridgeClimb has launched a new initiative supporting and encouraging acrophobia sufferers to pledge to overcome their nerves and climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge. With help from a Clinical Psychologist, BridgeClimb has developed an ultimate online toolkit hosting top tips, expert videos, support tools, blogs, a hero gallery and a pledge page completion. Acrophobia sufferers who make a #BridgeClimbPledge have the chance to win a special televised Face your Fear coaching seminar and Climb with personal Climb Leaders. More than 3.2 million people have reached the summit from 137 countries.

Further information: http://www.bridgeclimb.com/face-your-fear

A new rollercoaster zipline is located at the TreeTop Adventure Park in Ourimbah State Forest on the NSW Central Coast and is the first in the world using new high wire technology created by Australian innovators. The one kilometre long Crazy Rider is triple the length of any existing tree-based ride in the world and combines the suspense and thrill of a rollercoaster with the amazing flying sensations of a zipline. It was developed following a $200,000 Australian Government tourism grant and represents two years of R&D and 5,000 hours of construction and trialling.

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

Tigerair Australia has launched a marketing campaign for Australians who don't fly as often as they would like but still want to be part of a frequent flyer scheme that offers regular updates, deals and other rewards. Lead by a 90 second commercial named Chickens the Infrequent Flyer Club campaign will involve integrated marketing across YouTube, cinema, radio and digital to drive traffic to the website and further increase brand awareness and consideration across Australia. Since its inception in April, the Infrequent Flyer Club has boosted the airline's total membership database to over 500,000.

Further information: http://infrequentflyers.com/

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
0HT2pPfre9M&feature=youtu.be

Intercontinental Hotels Group is joining forces with Norland Nannies to get expert guidance on babysitting and staff recruitment to ensure families have the best quality care when they stay at an InterContinental hotel or resort. The partnership aims to improve the InterContinental brand's children's program, Planet Trekkers, which includes tailored services, dining and interactive activities that are specifically created for families with children aged four to 12.

Further information: http://www.ihg.com/intercontinental/hotels/gb/
en/global/explore/planet-trekkers?cm_mmc=
OSMAM-IC2-US-EN-planettrekkers-vanity

Scandic To Go is delivering a pop-up hotel room to any location picked by the customer. Instead of picking a location and then trying to find a hotel nearby, the service lets guests select the exact location of their hotel room. The Nordic hospitality chain has built a special mobile hotel room complete with two beds, bathroom and a terrace area for enjoying the sights of their chosen destination. Guests can enjoy free wifi, fresh towels, complimentary toiletries and breakfast.

Further information: http://www.scandichotels.com/to-go/

As part of Tourism Australia's Restaurant Australia campaign more than 80 of the world's most influential and respected food and wine VIPs visited MONA in Tasmania on 14 November 2014 to take part in a country-wide gastronomic tour and gala dinner. The influencers came from 16 different countries and included more than 40 food and wine writers and journalists, 17 celebrity chefs, eight bloggers, one sommelier as well as five broadcast celebrities. Through their broadcast, readerships and social media channels the guests had an international reach of more than 400 million fans and followers.

Further information: http://restaurant.australia.com/en/

North Korea has launched a tourism web portal aimed specifically at attracting foreign visitors. It is the first attempt by the country to target foreign tourists and will feature detailed information on the tourist attractions, hotels and tour programs through stories and video content. It also displays flight schedules for the few direct flights to Pyongyang including Beijing and Vladivostok.

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

Tourism Australia and Austrade have created an app containing information, statistics, contacts and opportunities for investors interested in short term accommodation and attractions in Australia. The app was first developed for the Australian Investment Forum held during the Sydney B20 in July. The Australian Tourism - Open for Investment app is available to download for free from the Apple iTunes online store.

Further information: https://itunes.apple.com/app/australian-tourism-open-for/id923361732

Destination NSW has announced the first Australian campaign with UnionPay International aimed to encourage Chinese people to visit and spend more in Sydney and New South Wales. UnionPay International is the international business arm of China UnionPay, which has more than 4.5 billion cardholders worldwide, and China, the company's headquarters, is New South Wales' number one inbound tourism market. The partnership is designed to incentivise visitors from China by offering rebates to cardholders who purchase travel to Sydney and New South Wales.

Further information: http://www.destinationnsw.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/20141119-New-partnership-boost-NSW-Chinese-visitor-market.pdf

Australia's largest hotel operator, Accor and Greening Australia have announced a new agreement that will see more than 50,000 trees planted over five years across Australia. As part of Accor's Plant for the Planet program, trees will be planted to support several of Greening Australia's large scale restoration projects across the country including Peel Biolink, Habitat 141 and Sydney's Cumberland Plain Woodland.

Further information: http://www.accor.com/en/sustainable-development.html

The world's first Sustainable Destinations Global Top 100 has been unveiled to celebrate the management efforts of the world's most sustainable tourist destinations. The list is a joint initiative of four leading organisations and the result of open calls in the social media, followed by a selection process involving 30 international experts. It aims to recognise tourism destinations that have worked hard to make a difference based on the Global Sustainable Tourism Review and performance against key criteria including nature, environment, culture and tradition, social well-being, green economy and certified green tourism policy.

Further information: http://greendestinations.info/top100/

Yonderbound is a website that pays travellers for posting their opinions and generating hotel sales. Users simply write reviews of the hotels, hostels and resorts visited which can then be grouped by theme or location to create a travel guide called a Yonderbox. Every time a reader clicks through to place a hotel booking from the review, the writer gains Yondercredits in the form of 70% of any profit the site makes. Each review continues to make money so long as readers carry on booking their holiday through the site. The credits can then be redeemed to pay for the writer's next trip.

Further information: https://yonderbound.com/

Video: http://vimeo.com/80561244

Taking social media in travel to a whole new level, a US company has launched a Twitter-based hotel booking service. The 'TweetStay' service matches customers with independent hotels via Twitter, as long as they are staying within 30 days. Twitter users make a request by tweeting with the hashtag #tweetstay, stating where they want to stay and when. Stayful then negotiates a rate with a boutique hotel and tweets back a link. At present, the service is available in key US cities including Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami.

Further information: https://stayful.com/

The 2014 Accorhotels Social Media Monitor provides insights into the ways travellers engage with social media before, during and after their trips. The findings suggest that travellers are now spending as much time researching, planning, boasting about and reporting on their travels as they do actually relaxing on a beach or exploring new destinations while on holiday. Accor worked with ORC International to survey over 6500 travellers across 13 countries to uncover the social media habits of its guests across Asia Pacific.

Further information: http://www.mynewsdesk.com/sg/accor-hotels/pressreleases/accor-asia-pacific-survey-shows-whatsapp-when-it-comes-to-social-media-habits-of-travellers-1070771

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_SG55y6pmU

Results from the latest TripAdvisor TripBarometer Survey show the key motivation or driver for travel worldwide is for people to enhance their perspective. The tourism survey highlights country, regional and global travel trends according to more than 53,000 travellers and hoteliers around the world. This is the fourth edition of the bi-annual study which focuses on the psychology of travel and is conducted by independent research firm Ipsos.

Further information: http://www.tripadvisor.com/PressCenter-i289-c1-Press_Releases.html

The World Travel Market Global Trends Report 2014 highlights the emerging trends in the global travel and tourism industry. The report has been at the forefront of predicting major trends in the travel and tourism industry since its launch in 2006 and identifies trends that will shape the global travel industry in the year ahead as identified by travel experts from Euromonitor International.

Further information: http://www.wtmlondon.com/files/wtm_global_trends
_2014.pdf

MasterCard is launching a campaign to encourage work-obsessed Americans to take some well-earned time off. The travel-focused campaign, One More Day, invites consumers to make a social pledge to take #OneMoreDay of vacation to travel, to spend time with family and friends, and to experience new things. Last year, American workers left 429 million vacation days on the table according to a U.S. Travel Association study.

Further information: http://www.priceless.com/travel/

The first Destinations for All World Summit held in Montreal Canada during October 2014 saw 30 countries and 300 participants adopt the Declaration One World for Everyone. The 'Montreal Declaration' lists 40 specific measures for implementing globally and in their respective countries including the World Tourism Organization recommendations on Accessible Tourism. These are intended for businesses in the tourism, travel and transportation sectors, as well as for local, national and international authorities.

Further information: http://www.destinationsforall2014.com/en/declaration

A Global Cafe was recently held in Brisbane in the lead up to the G20 Leaders Summit. The program featured more than 70 speakers and thought leaders from around the world who discussed issues of local and global importance across five themes Improving Human Life, Tourism's New Frontiers, The Digital Age, Cities of the Future and Powering Future Economies.

Further information: http://www.choosebrisbane.com/g20-brisbane/global-cafe

The 7th International Tourism Conference will be held in Manali, India from 6 - 8 February 2015. The conference organised by the Indian Tourism and Hospitality Congress is expected to shed new light on policies and measures that developing countries need to pursue to develop an internationally competitive tourism sector as part of national strategies towards inclusive and sustainable growth and development.

Further information: http://tourismcongress.wordpress.com/

The 5th International Symposium and Annual Conference of Partners of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism is scheduled for 23 - 25 February 2015 in Namibia. This will be the final event of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism as it transitions to the 10YFP Programme on Sustainable Tourism.

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