Melbourne Aquarium – Amazing Worlds to Discover
Melbourne Aquarium offers four amazing world’s filled with beautiful and unique aquatic animals. Start your journey in the stunning state-of-the-art Antarctic exhibit, home to cheeky Gentoo and King penguins and now Australia’s first Gentoo penguin chicks. Prepare to be surprised as you explore the depths of the ocean in Weird and Wonderful then journey from River to Reef and explore the newly refurbished and amazingly vibrant Coral Atoll. Finish in the awe-inspiring Sharks Alive, see the 2.2 million litre Oceanarium’s most unique and newest residents, baby Hammerheads, they are nothing like you have ever seen before. With daily animal feeding shows and diver presentations adding to the adventure Melbourne Aquarium is an aquatic wonderland for all ages to enjoy.
Click here to visit the Melbourne Aquarium website.
December 22, 2010 at 12:16 am | Featured Business | No comment
Merry Christmas from ATAP
Thank you for all of your support throughout 2010. We look forward to working with you again through 2011. Please note that the ATAP office will be closed from 5pm 23rd December 2010 to 9.00am 4th January 2011.
December 21, 2010 at 3:31 pm | General | No comment
Interactive Destination Marketing
Marketing is often one of the most complex, time consuming task for running a tourism business. In this age of technological advances there are so many different mediums in which a business, township or region can promote its tourism assets.
Here at ATAP we like to keep an eye out for any interesting marketing ideas and update accredited operators with opportunities to explore such concepts.
Recently we came across Tourism Alive, a website package that includes interactive mapping, an iPhone app and social network connections. And whilst the package is mainly designed to provide region/area wide content we thought the content provided was a simple to use, interactive and allows the owner to self manage the information provided.
The best part about the Tourism Alive package? The program designers are keen to help to promote accredited businesses and can incorporate the accreditation logo into the business listings. In addition accredited Visitor Information Centres details can be incorporated to ensure the visitor know where to go for a local, professional information source.
We are always willing to support those that support ATAP, particularly those that are happy to promote accredited businesses. If you would like to know more about Tourism Alive please click here for their brochure [PDF: 2.27MB].
Please note that we are simply providing information on a service that is available that we deem to be worthy of promoting. Tourism Alive is not a compulsory program, a business connected to ATAP nor do we receive any incentives to promote the product.
December 21, 2010 at 2:54 pm | General | No comment
Bushfire Safety Advice for Travellers – an update from Tourism Victoria
In preparation for the 2010-2011 summer, Tourism Victoria is currently revising last year’s bushfire materials to enhance the latest information available.
Developed in collaboration with CFA and Department of Sustainability and Environment, Tourism Victoria’s suite of free materials inform visitors of the importance of bushfire safety.
A brochure, Bushfire Safety Advice for Travellers, provides important tips for staying, camping, hiking and driving in fire-prone areas. It also provides advice on Neighbourhood Safe Places, the new Total Fire Ban districts across the state and other bushfire safety initiative relevant to visitors.
Other free initiatives include key tags, fridge magnets, fact sheets for hotel compendiums, Total Fire Ban signs for Visitor Information Centres and door hangers for accommodation providers.
Email alerts will be sent when the materials become available.
Visitor Information Centres can request bulk quantities of the brochure and supporting materials by completing an order form via brochures@tourism.vic.gov.au.
December 21, 2010 at 2:43 pm | General | No comment
ATAP Article in Travel Talk
An editorial ‘Ticks are Good for Business’ is to be published in the Dec/Jan addition of TravelTalk – the Trade and Consumer edition.
This article highlights the benefits of accreditation to both the consumer, the industry and to the individual operators. Traveltalk is Australia’s highest circulating travel industry magazine. It is published monthly, and services the Asia-Pacific tourism industry, and is circulated to every travel agency in Australia, as well as an additional subscriber base of travel-related organisations.
The magazine features news on current industry issues, destination updates, special reports, coverage on happenings within the industry, staff movements and new product as well as information on better business practices and technology with the aim of providing travel sellers with an overview of monthly tourism developments.
Traveltalk’s key role is to provide travel agents with news and current information on developments relating to Australia’s inbound and outbound tourism industry – information which will assist them to build better businesses, sell more product, develop simple, more effective business systems and compete more effectively.
If you would like to read the article please click here [PDF: 681KB]
December 21, 2010 at 1:29 pm | General | No comment
Fire safety for liquor licensees – an update from Tourism Alliance
Licensees should be aware that there are new regulations surrounding fire safety coming into force in the coming months. This new law will apply to all liquor licences.
Fire safety inspectors from the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) and the Country Fire Authority (CFA) will have the power to enter and search licensed premises (and areas in close proximity to the licensed area like the kitchen) without notice, where the fire safety inspector suspects a serious fire threat.
If the fire safety inspector believes a serious fire threat exists, he or she can ask the Director of Liquor Licensing (the Director) to immediately order the evacuation and closure of the licensed premises until the threat is rectified.
If the Director closes the premises, it is an offence for the licensee to allow anyone to enter unless they are carrying out work to rectify the threat.
If appropriate, the fire safety inspector may allow the licensee an opportunity to rectify the serious fire threat immediately before asking the Director to order the closure and evacuation of the premises.
Once the licensee has undertaken any required rectification work, the licensee can ask for the work to be inspected. The fire safety inspector will need to reinspect the premises within 48 hours.
Following an inspection, if the fire safety inspector is satisfied, he or she will ask the Director to immediately revoke the order to close the premises.
Conditions that may constitute, alone or in combination, a serious fire threat are:
- locked and blocked exit doors
- obscured exit signage
- disconnected or faulty alarm systems.
These new laws do not alter the relevant building standards for fire safety in licensed premises. Instead, they provide new powers to enforce existing standards.
Licensees are encouraged to inform themselves of the standards relevant to their premises and ensure compliance to protect the safety of staff and the general public.
Photo by Michael Doss – Creative Commons BY-SA 2.0
