Victorian Tourism Destinations

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Around the Traps with ATAP

Congratulations to Melbourne Museum – Major Tourist Attraction of the Year!

Congratulations to Melbourne Museum, who were awarded Major Tourist Attraction at the 2011 RACV Victorian Tourism Awards. Held on Monday 14th November 2011 at Crown Palladium, the event saw over 1000 people come together to celebrate the leaders of the Victorian Tourism industry.

Service Skills Victoria and the Australian Tourism Accreditation Program would like to congratulate the following accredited operators who received awards:

William Angliss Institute Award for Tourism Education and Training
Finalist: Melbourne Tourism Industry Leadership Program

Destination Melbourne Award for Tour and/or Transport Operators
Winner: 12 Apostles Helicopters
Finalist: Sea All Dolphin Swims
Finalist: Escape Discovery Adventures
Crown Award for Tourism Wineries, Distilleries & Boutique Breweries
Winner: Montalto Vineyard and Olive Grove
Finalist: Domaine Chandon Australia
Finalist: Wild Dog Winery & Restaurant

Parks Victoria Award for Adventure Tourism
Finalist: Global Ballooning
Finalist: Sea All Dolphin Swims

Tourism Marketing
Winner: Baby Hammerheads at Melbourne Aquarium
Finalist: Sovereign Hill, 40th Birthday

RACV Award for Major Tour and/or Transport Operators
Winner: Driver Group/Gray Line

Qantas Award for Excellence in Sustainable Tourism
Winner & Hall of Fame: Alto Hotel on Bourke

Hanging Rock Winery Award for Tourist and Caravan Parks
Finalist: Anglesea Beachfront Family Caravan Park

City of Melbourne Award for Visitor Information and Services
Winner & Hall of Fame: Bendigo Visitor Centre
Finalist: Geelong Otway Tourism
Finalist: Frankston Visitor Information Centre

City of Melbourne Award for Specialised Tourism Services
Finalist: Leisure Options

Hosted Accommodation
Finalist: Montfort Manor

Herald Sun Award for Tourist Attractions
Winner: Rhyll Trout & Bush Tucker Farm
Finalist: Maru Koala and Animal Park

Deluxe Accommodation

Finalist: Emaroo Cottages
Finalist: Comfort Inn & Suites Blazing Stump

3AW Award for Young Achiever
Winner: Anita Donnelly

Unique Accommodation
Finalist: All Seasons Houseboats
Finalist: Tewksbury Lodge

Luxury Accommodation
Finalist: Boroka Downs

Melbourne Airport Award for Major Tourist Attractions
Finalist: Melbourne Aquarium
Finalist: Eureka Skydeck

Click here to view a full listing of the award winners on the Victorian Tourism Awards website.

 

TQUAL Marketing Update

T-QUAL is the Australian Government’s national tourism accreditation framework. Setting the national benchmark for quality across the tourism industry, it assesses and identifies quality accreditation, rating and certification programs. Businesses that are members of T-QUAL endorsed programs can display its logo, the T-QUAL Tick, in their marketing. The T-QUAL Tick helps consumers make more informed choices when selecting tourism products and services.
On behalf of the Tourism Quality Council of Australia (TQCA), Tourism Australia will market T-QUAL to the tourism industry and consumers.

Marketing Objectives

In July and August 2011, Tourism Australia undertook research across a number of age demographics to determine the direction of the marketing strategy.

Planned Marketing Activities

Industry: July 2011 – June 2012

Domestic Consumer: December 2011 – June 2012

International: June 2012

For ATAP accredited busiensses

You are eligible for T-QUAL Accreditation, free of charge. ATAP has been endorsed by T-QUAL Accreditation, which is the Australian Government’s partnership with quality tourism accreditation, rating and certification programs. We have undergone a thorough quality review to ensure our assessment standards reach T-QUAL’s federal and national quality benchmark.

As a T-QUAL endorsed program, we are able to extend this endorsement to our business members.

What are the benefits?

T-QUAL endorsed businesses are licensed to use the framework’s logo, the T-QUAL Tick, in their marketing. The T-QUAL Tick is an easily recognisable, national symbol of quality that consumers can look for when making Australian travel bookings. T-QUAL endorsed businesses that display the T-QUAL Tick will benefit from:

  1. Increased quality standards across the Australian tourism industry;
  2. Immediate and ongoing boost to credibility;
  3. Marketing that encourages consumers to book their products;
  4. Increased national and international exposure;
  5. Preferential listing on the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW) distribution network, such as Australia.com (for businesses that are a part of the ATDW);
  6. Increased online distribution via a partnership with TripAdvisor; and
  7. A competitive advantage that is likely to increase consumer take-up.

Signing up for T-QUAL

ATAP is licensed to issue T-QUAL Accreditation Sub-licences to our members, allowing them to market their quality tourism products with the T-QUAL Tick. Members are able to obtain Sub-licences free of charge. There is no cost for members to participate in T-QUAL. To request a Sub-licence, please contact us at info@atapvic.net.au.

 

Staff Training Initiatives

Many businesses are unaware that there are various funding programs available for staff training.

We have outlined below to two initiatives of particular interest. For more information about either program you should contact Skills Victoria on 03 9651 9999 or skillsvictoria@edumail.vic.gov.au, alternitavely you can view their website at skills.vic.gov.au.

The Victorian Training Guarantee

The Victorian Training Guarantee is a government initiative making vocational education and training more accessible to people who do not hold a post-school qualification. The initiative is also available to those who want to gain a higher level qualification than they already hold. Under the Guarantee, people will have access to government subsidised training places upon meeting eligibility criteria.

In 2011 you are eligible for a government subsidised training place if you:

- Meet one of the following citizen/residency status:

- And are any of the following:

Skills for Growth

Skills for Growth: the Workforce Development Program is a Victorian Government initiative dedicated to working with small and medium-sized businesses to explore training and education opportunities that will benefit the business and develop the skills of their staff.

The program will assist businesses in:

Participating in the program will lead to increased productivity, business growth and training solutions that meet your business needs.

Service Providers and Specialists will help you place staff into the identified training. Your business will then have appropriately trained staff to help tackle new challenges and make sure your business can adapt in a highly competitive and evolving market.

 

VTIC Quarterly Forum

VTIC’s next Quarterly Forum is on Monday 7th November at hte Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The topic ‘What will drive Asian visitation over hte next decade?’ provides participants with the opportunity to gain insights into the Asian markets and look at where the real potential lies for Victoria.

For more information on the event  and how to register, please read the invitation here.

 

Tourism and Events Christmas Party

One of the tourism and event industry’s most popular events of the year, the official end of year Christmas celebration, is being held on Wednesday, November 30th and you are invited!

Hosted by VTIC, this end of year celebration is a night of networking and entertainment.

For more infomration read the official invitation here.

We hope to see you all there!

 

Hints and Tips – Goal Setting

Setting business and marketing goals is often seen as writing down some dot points on what an owner feels business should be achieving e.g. being a leading tour operator. However goals are much more than one line of text.

A goal should be a driving force of your organisation. It should outline where you want your business to be, when you want to get there, how you are going to get there and who is responsible for its achievement. It should also have either quantitative or qualitative measures in place so that it can be appropriately monitored.

Without adequately setting goals the likelihood of achieving them becomes much harder.

One of the key theories in place are that goals should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based. This ensures that you are not setting your business up to fail and you can adequately monitor and review the progress of reaching your goal.

Another important component of goal setting is sharing it with your staff. Communicate with your team on what the business is trying to achieve, they can help to get there and may even come up with some great strategies along the way.

Use the online program for some great templates and further tips to goal setting for your business.

 

The Value of Visitor Information Centres

Tourism Research Australia and the South Australian Tourism Commission have conducted a study to research the impact of Regional Visitor Infomration Centres on visitor behaviour.

The research found that South Australia’s visitor information centres – and especially the staff who work in them – are increasing tourism income for local businesses. A particulary intersting finding was that 72% of respondents increased the duration of their stay as a result of infomration provided by the visitors centre.

To read the full report go to the Tourism Research Australia website

 

Melbourne Accommodation Guide

Destination Melbourne has commenced the creation of the Melbourne Accommodation Guide for 2012. This publication showcases the range of accommodation available in Melbourne, including comprehensive information on key features of each property, approximate price ranges, accreditations, star ratings and conference facilities.

From the Destination Melbourne Website:

This product has a great distribution network including the magazine Delicious and Executive PA, visitor information centres, the Melbourne homepage on TripAdvisor and many more.

For more information on how you can be involved in the Melbourne Accommodation Guide please contact Lisa Newman on (03) 9869 2406 or lisa@destinationmelbourne.com.au

 

Hosted Accommodation Australia Ltd Update

The peak industry group representing owner operated accommodation in Australia has changed its name to Hosted Accommodation Australia Ltd in an effort to better represent its entire membership.

The new name, which replaces Bed & Breakfast, Farmstay and Accommodation Australia, reflects the organisation’s widening membership base, which includes guesthouses and boutique hotels as well as bed and breakfasts, farmstays and self-catering accommodation.

The name change, adopted at a special general meeting, represents quality accommodation businesses that, while all unique, have one service in common – hosting.

The new name comes after research conducted by Victoria University revealed that the Australian public has a rigid opinion of what constitutes a bed and breakfast, self-catering accommodation, farmstay and guesthouse. The study found that the collective term Hosted Accommodation resonates most strongly with consumers; they understand intuitively that all of the above mentioned accommodation types fall under this term. The name change has the strong support of allied tourism industry bodies.

Geoffrey Chapman, the Director of Marketing for Hosted Accommodation Australia Ltd said the new title would better represent this sector of the tourism industry. He said the old name was too long and lost meaning when reduced to the acronym BBFAA. ”In trying to encapsulate in our old name the diversification of our member base we ended up with an unwieldy name,” he said. ”As quality hosting is a requirement of membership it was logical in making a name change to choose one that clearly reflects the values of our members.”

 

Getting Aussie Business Online

There are still free websites available under the Google and MYOB initative to get businesses online.

From the ATDW Website:

With over 80% of consumers planning and booking their holidays online it is imperative for tourism businesses to have an online presence.

Google and MYOB have joined forces to help 50,000 Australian businesses get online by offering Australian businesses a free website for 1 year and a free internet domain for 2 years.

This new initiative ‘Getting Aussie Business Online’ is a fantastic opportunity for Australian industry. As well as providing businesses with the tools to market their product online, businesses will also receive ongoing education and tips, plus a free advertising trial of Google Adwords to help promote their website.

To get your tourism business online visit www.gettingbusinessonline.com.au

 

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