Category Archives: Tourism (Australia)

Mayors in NSW holiday hotspots consider short-term rental caps after 60-day limit proposed

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Blue Mountains among the regions examining advice from state’s Independent Planning Commission

Mayors across New South Wales will look to adopt strict limits on short-term holiday rentals to address housing shortages if the state government accepts recommendations to allow the Byron shire council to impose a 60-day annual cap.

Amid warnings from Airbnb that such a cap would cause a hit to Byron Bay’s economy, the Blue Mountains mayor, Mark Greenhill, said he would jump at the chance to impose a similar cap in the region, which is facing comparable pressures.

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NSW’s most popular holiday spots divided over limits on Airbnb rentals

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Not all councils agree on best way to tackle homelessness caused in part by popularity of short-term rentals such as Airbnb

Councils responsible for some of New South Wales’ most popular tourism destinations are urging the incoming Minns government to give them the power to further restrict short-term holiday rentals.

In December, the Byron shire council, which has the highest rate of homelessness in the state outside Sydney, voted in favour of introducing a 90-day cap on some short-term holiday rentals in an effort to generate more long-term rental supply.

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Australia’s airlines and airports urged to improve treatment of travellers with disabilities

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Disability royal commissioner writes to company bosses after hearing of people dropped on the floor and discrimination against assistance dogs

The chair of the disability royal commission has written to Australian airline and airport chiefs about improving their treatment of travellers with disabilities, after the inquiry heard stories of people dropped on the floor and discrimination against assistance dogs.

The royal commission has so far heard that people with disabilities are routinely subject to violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation when flying domestically, with participants telling the inquiry they felt airlines were “dehumanising” them and that complaints were rarely followed up. Advocates have told Guardian Australia that complaining through the Australian Human Rights Commission is often the only way to seek recourse.

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Flood-hit Murray River caravan parks miss out on vital holiday tourism as clean-up continues

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Piles of rubbish fill the space normally taken by summer visitors, with businesses facing the loss of a season’s earnings

Caravan parks and more than 100 national parks remain closed across New South Wales and Victoria after widespread flooding damaged infrastructure, filled waterholes with debris and made some areas unsafe for swimming.

The summer holidays would usually be the busiest time of year for the McLean Beach holiday park in Deniliquin, in the NSW Riverina region.

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Travel between China and Australia tipped to rebound rapidly as Chinese airlines ramp up flights

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Industry hopes China’s reopening might bring wider benefits for travellers with more airfare price competition

Chinese airlines are ramping up flights to Australia as Covid restrictions ease, boosting the prospects for a rapid rebound in travel between the two nations.

Airports said the market was dynamic with carriers large and small restarting routes dormant during the pandemic years, with more flights likely to be added as demand picks up.

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Australia’s tourism body wants to lift working holiday visa age limit to 50

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Lifting age eligibility rules would help attract a wider range of skilled workers and professionals, Tourism and Transport Forum boss says

Australia’s peak tourism body wants the working holiday visa age cut-off to be lifted to provide a wider range of skilled workers and professionals.

The federal government is conducting a migration review to find ways of addressing worker shortages across Australia.

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‘The new Paul Hogan’: Australia unveils new tourism ambassador Ruby the Roo

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Tourism Australia hopes cartoon mascot, voiced by actor Rose Byrne, will entice international travellers

Tourism Australia has revealed a computer-generated kangaroo named Ruby Roo as “the new Paul Hogan”, an unofficial national mascot they hope will entice international travellers to Australia.

The latest global campaign, featuring the cartoon creature voiced by Australian actor Rose Byrne, was unveiled to the world on a major digital billboard in Tokyo on Tuesday, kickstarting a world tour to officially launch in New York on 19 October.

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Australia won’t ban Russian tourists but is considering reopening embassy in Kyiv

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Acting prime minister Richard Marles also flags further military aid after Ukraine’s ambassador requests Hawkei four-wheel drive vehicles

Australia won’t ban Russian tourists from entering the country as requested by Ukraine’s ambassador but is “assessing” whether to reopen the Australian embassy in Kyiv.

The acting prime minister, Richard Marles, also said on Sunday that Australia was considering sending further military aid to Ukraine to bolster existing commitments.

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Airport chaos disrupts holiday plans of hundreds of thousands of Australians

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Technical issues, wet weather, school holidays and staff shortages blamed for long queues

As airport queues stretched out the door on Saturday wreaking havoc on the holiday plans of hundreds of thousands of travellers, Sydney airport said people arriving too far in advance for their flight was exacerbating problems caused by wet weather, school holidays and continuing staff shortages.

In Sydney, Guardian Australia understands there were technical issues with luggage check-in systems across several domestic airlines on Friday and Saturday, which have contributed to long queues at baggage drops.

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Bluebird days: bumper snow and clear skies welcome relief for Australia’s ski resorts

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Pandemic-hit resorts in Victoria and NSW celebrate perfect conditions and more forecast snow

The bumper start to the Australian snow season has continued, with perfect conditions and “bluebird days” at resorts this weekend and more snow forecast for the alps in the coming week.

Early snowfall has already seen decades-long records broken across Victoria and New South Wales, where resorts at Mt Buller, Thredbo and Perisher were able to open well before the official start to the snow season on the June long weekend.

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‘Great equaliser’: fears higher parking costs may limit access to iconic Sydney beaches

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NSW Council of Social Services says councils should not make beach visits out of reach for lower-income families

A trip to the beach is about to get more expensive as parking rates rise in some parts of Sydney, causing concerns they will put some of city’s best natural wonders out of reach for lower-income families already facing increasing cost-of-living pressures.

Mosman council said it will increase parking rates by up to 75% at popular spots, including Balmoral Beach.

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Australia’s consumer watchdog launches legal action against Airbnb for alleged misleading prices

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ACCC is seeking compensation for Australian customers who were quoted accommodation prices in USD but charged in AUD

The consumer watchdog has launched legal action against Airbnb for allegedly misleading thousands of customers into believing accommodation prices were in Australian dollars when they were actually in US currency.

In a statement filed with the federal court, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is seeking compensation for the customers, who it claims were misled from at least January 2018 until August 2021 because the prices displayed to some Airbnb users did not mention that they were in US dollars, with reference to the foreign currency in the fine print.

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Horizontal Falls accident: 12 seriously injured after boat capsizes at Western Australia beauty spot

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Tourist boat is believed to have capsized at Talbot Bay, about 250km north-east of Broome

Investigators are probing what caused a serious jet boat incident in one of Western Australia’s most remote locations as rescuers worked into the late afternoon to winch injured tourists off a pontoon at Horizontal Falls.

The boat Falls Express was carrying 26 passengers and two crew when it ran into trouble at the tourist hotspot in the Kimberley region of WA at 7.15am on Friday.

Horizontal Falls is touted as one of the greatest natural wonders of the world with huge nine-metre tides that surge through narrow cliffs cut into two gorges in the McLarty Ranges. Jet boats ride the “horizontal” rivers created by the fast-moving tides.

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Return of the ten pound Pom as South Australia moves to fill post-pandemic job vacancies

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The 2022 scheme is more limited – and expensive – than the original but is billed as a big step in reopening the backpacker market

The so-called ten pound Pom scheme has been reborn as a tourism campaign to bring British backpackers back to Australia in the wake of the pandemic.

After the second world war, the Australian government lured hundreds of thousands of Britons over the seas with a £10 ticket to boost the population and supply post-war industries with workers.

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‘Today we rejoined the world’: hugs, tears and Vegemite as Australia reopens international borders

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Emotional scenes at Sydney airport as families, friends and lovers reunite after 704 days of Covid restrictions

There were tears, DJs, Vegemite and drag queens as families, friends and lovers reunited at Sydney airport after the resumption of all international travel to Australia.

While a number of expert bodies including the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the European Council have warned against travel to Australia due to soaring Covid-19 case numbers over summer, the federal government has vowed to keep the borders open.

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Australia to reopen international border on 21 February

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Scott Morrison announces all fully vaccinated visa holders will be able to enter, two years after Covid border closure

Australia will open its border for fully vaccinated tourists and all visa holders, a decision branded “bittersweet” by those who have missed funerals in recent weeks due to ongoing restrictions.

Scott Morrison on Monday announced the nation would open to all fully vaccinated visa holders, including tourists, on 21 February, almost two years after borders were first closed.

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‘I can’t see any positives’: return of cruise ships may bring a storm of protest to regional Australian ports

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Post-Covid cruising industry wants picturesque towns on its itineraries, while locals fear the pollution and damage the ships can bring

As a teenager, Dylan Boag couldn’t wait to move to the city, but when he finally arrived, all he could think about was getting back home to the pristine waters of Jervis Bay, 200km south of Sydney.

Today the 30-year-old runs an eco-tourism company in the 102sq km-bay with his partner, Lara Hindmarsh.

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Victorious over Covid, Australia and New Zealand grapple with vaccine rollout

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Australia’s glacially slow delivery of jabs derided as a ‘farce’, while in New Zealand only 4.5% of eligible people have been vaccinated

They were held up as Covid success stories, two countries at the bottom of the world that kept outbreaks under control and deaths low as the pandemic swept the rest of the globe.

Daily life in cities including Sydney and Auckland now feels largely back to pre-pandemic normal – restaurants are full, theatres are open, masks are scarce and offices are busy. A degree of international travel is also a reality thanks to the new “trans-Tasman travel bubble” – a two-way quarantine-free corridor between the neighbours.

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Trans-Tasman travel bubble between New Zealand and Australia to start on 19 April

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New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern warns that further Covid-19 outbreaks could mean border closures return

After nearly a year shut off from the world, New Zealand is cracking open its borders, with a trans-Tasman travel bubble allowing two-way quarantine-free travel with Australia.

The NZ prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, announced on Tuesday the bubble would open from 19 April, allowing quarantine-free travel between the two nations. Travellers from New Zealand have been able to enter selected Australian states without quarantining since October but the arrangements did not apply in the other direction.

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Labor questions why majority of destinations for cheap flights are marginal seats

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The $1.2bn package to provide cheap flights has already been dismissed as ‘second-rate’ by tourism sector, as opposition questions scope

Labor has questioned why 13 regions to benefit from half-price flights to boost tourism include marginal seats in Tasmania and Queensland while neighbouring areas miss out.

The Morrison government on Thursday unveiled its $1.2bn tourism and aviation rescue package combining discount flights with business loans – but the scheme has already been labelled “second-rate” by the two sectors that warn it is an incomplete replacement for jobkeeper wage subsidies.

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