Australia, NZ & South Pacific

Can Luxury Hospitality Play a Key Role in Land Conservation?

Samantha Shankman, Skift

Outside of Africa where poaching, forestry, and resource exploitation can also threaten wildlife habitats, luxury hospitality leaders are playing a role in protecting land and creating opportunities around conservation.

Australia Pours $52 Million Into Tackling Tourism’s ‘Biggest Challenge in Living Memory’

Raini Hamdi, Skift

A look at where the money will be spent shows Australia is putting it in all the right places with just one thing in mind: getting tourists back. This is what's needed as figures are showing massive losses.

Intrepid Partners With Ctrip to Popularize Green Trips in China

Raini Hamdi, Skift

Both partners seek growth when the home markets aren’t expanding as much as before. Intrepid needs Ctrip’s user base of 300 million while Ctrip needs Intrepid’s kind of journeys. But doubtful if sustainable travel will instantly be the norm in China. It's a start.

Tourism Australia Fights Another Fire: Stemming Potential Cancellations

Raini Hamdi, Skift

Bookings to Australia from international markets such as Asia, where millions will be traveling during the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday season, are said to be holding up. A lot of businesses are hoping that’s the case. Australia can do with some cheer.

Months of Unprecedented Fires Ravage Australia’s Tourism Industry

Rosie Spinks, Skift

The tragic state of the wildfires raging across Australia bodes well for nothing — including the country's tourism industry.

Tourists Flee Australia’s Worst Wildfire Season on Record

Tristan Lavalette, Associated Press

Australian officials have called the current wildfire season its worst on record, a fact that does not bode well for tourism in the future of extreme weather events.

Qantas, Expedia and Others Eye This Australian Luxury Online Travel Agency: Here’s Why

Raini Hamdi, Skift

Luxury Escapes, which is expanding next into the U.S. and China, is drawing not just more affluent travelers but potential investors, with Qantas Airways being tipped to be making an offer

Cruise Tourists Among Those Caught Up in Deadly Volcano Eruption in New Zealand

Matthew Brocket, Bloomberg

Derision Greets Tourism Australia’s New ‘Philausophy’ Campaign

Raini Hamdi, Skift

After a sad South Australia tourism campaign last month, Tourism Australia's new “philausophy” campaign is just too much to handle for the local media Down Under.

Australia Has Closed Uluru to Climbers — That’s a Good Thing for Tourism

Adam Minter, Bloomberg

The closure of a sacred site in Australia's Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park — once a must-do tourist attraction known as Ayers Rock — is indicative of the way mass tourism can change for the better.

Australia’s China Travel Slump: A Blip or Something Bigger?

Martin Kelly, Skift

After years of phenomenal growth, Chinese inbound tourism has hit the wall in Australia. It’s a pivotal moment for an industry that has enjoyed a golden run over the past decade. The question now is what does the future hold for Australia’s international tourism industry? For now, the answer is far from clear.

Australia Looks to Diversify Beyond Chinese Travelers Under Its New Tourism Boss

Raini Hamdi, Skift

The head of Tourism Australia has the right training, for sure, as Australia seeks to increase foreign arrivals. She was overseeing its international offices, and knows only too well that there is more competition for the global wallet.