Tourism Taskforce Calls for More Sydney Flights to Boost Tourism Revenue

- Admin - Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Recently, a tourism taskforce has asked Sydney Airport to relax its aircraft movement cap to make room for more visitors to the city. The report, done by the Visitor Economy Taskforce, suggests that the Federal Government should raise the peak hour cap from 80 to 90 aircraft movements, and from 24 to 35 between 5am and 6am.  Click Here To Read More

What Australians Want From Their Overseas Holidays

- Admin - Sunday, January 20, 2013

Australians like to travel abroad and spend money and have adventures while they’re at it. But for nations looking to attract Australian travellers, they need to know much more than that.  Click Here To Read More

Australians Prefer Home for the Holidays

- Admin - Thursday, January 10, 2013

According to a study done by Deloitte, Australians have been travelling much more in their own country, rather than taking trips abroad for their holidays. Previously, Australians often spent their holiday money in the U.S., Thailand and Bali, but an increase in domestic visitor nights has broken the record for Australian hotel occupancy rates.  Click Here To Read More

More Visitors from SE Asia Expected Over Three Year Period

- Admin - Sunday, December 30, 2012

By 2015, tourism coming from Indonesia and Malaysia is expected to rapidly rise, even while the number of Australians holidaying overseas is slowing down. Lachlan Smirl, Deloitte Access Economics Corporate Finance Director, believes the newly cashed-up middle class emerging from Asia is to thank, and that the Australian tourism industry will benefit. He said that in addition to proximity, “Income growth is also an important driver of travel, and on that front the outlook for Indonesia is also strong, with projected growth in real GDP of between six and seven per cent over the next three years.” It was projected that visitor arrivals from India, China, and Indonesia will grow by about seven per cent, while Malaysian arrivals should grow by about 4.3 per cent over the three-year period. This is good news for the tourism industry, and especially the hotel industry, as Mr Smirl goes on to say that more investment is needed for the accommodation sector. Finding accommodation in the large east coast cities is likely to remain difficult for the time being, but finding accommodation in Port Macquarie and other smaller east coast centres will be far easier.  Click Here To Read More

New Tourism Australia Campaign Secures Iconic Aussie Song

- Admin - Thursday, December 20, 2012

Iva Davies has recently given his iconic song away for free to celebrate its 30th anniversary on the newest Tourism Australia online video. The Icehouse song, Great Southern Land, is the feature of the video, with Davies singing the lyrics along with Katie Noonan, Eskimo Joe, Cut Copy, the Sydney Philharmonia Choir and other Australians against iconic Australian backdrops. “The song has been heavily guarded,” he said, “and I couldn’t think of a better use for it than celebrating Australia.” The song was inspired by Davies’ first trip away from home in 1981. He penned it after suffering a bout of homesickness while touring Europe and America, and the song went on to become the first single off the breakthrough record, Primitive Man. Tourism Australia Managing Director Andrew McEvoy said that he’s not surprised that Davies allowed them to use the song. He said of Davies, “He’s a genuine ambassador for this country and is very proud of his legacy. ”Hotels in Port Macquarie are particularly excited as they expect to have increased tourist traffic due to its proximity to Davies’ hometown of Wauchope, NSW.  Click Here To Read More

Solid Line-up Announced for Festival of the Sun 2012

- Admin - Monday, December 10, 2012

Over the last several years, the Festival of the Sun (FOTSUN) has become one of the must-attend music festivals. With the first line-up just recently announced, it’s obvious that this year is going to be another great year of sun and music at the Port Macquarie seaside. On December 14 and 15, some of the best Australian musical talent will be taking to the stage at Port Macquarie’s Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park, and leading the pack will be the neo-soul maverick Kimbra and her band. Joining the NZ-via-Melbourne songstress is more Australian talent, including Dead Letter Circus, the funk-hop of Hermitude, rockers The Datsuns, as well as the extremely talented roots duo Busby Marou. Also on the bill you will find Jackson Firebird, The Cairos, DZ Deathrays, Husky, Dirty Little Rebels -- the list goes on. FOTSUN is truly a fantastic Aussie event and there is plenty of accommodation in Port Macquarie to suit the needs of any type of music lover.  Click Here To Read More

Plans for the Port Macquarie Foreshore Back on the Table

- Admin - Friday, November 30, 2012

Plans to redevelop the Port Macquarie Foreshore are back on the table following the announcement that the NSW Government has issued Council a $10,000 grant for the project. Andrew Stoner, the Oxley MP and Deputy Premier, feels that now that the plans are up and running again, it’s important that the community has strong input as to what they’d like to see there, such as more Port Macquarie accommodation, restaurants, parks and so forth. “The community has been engaged in the past, putting forward some terrific ideas to ensure this wonderful piece of land remains publicly accessible and is improved into the future,” he said. “Sadly, the former Labor Government shelved that and introduced a plan of its own, so this $10,000 will ensure the community plan gets back on track.” He is also hoping that the redevelopment plan will be finished by later this year so that this amazing piece of land can get developed in the way the community sees fit.   Click Here To Read More

Award-winning Glasshouse Still Not Safe from Ambivalent Locals

- Admin - Tuesday, November 20, 2012

The Glasshouse has been Port Macquarie’s entertainment hub for a while now, and has recently been named Australia’s performing arts centre of the year. Of course, that doesn’t erase the years of controversy it has caused since its inception. But whether you love it or hate it, there is no denying the fact that the Glasshouse has certainly attracted some major talent into the town, causing Port Macquarie hotels and restaurants to fill up and the town to become more vibrant. Besides the national accolades, the building that is costing ratepayers $6 million per year to run continues to be the talk of the town regarding its future viability and the budgetary headaches it causes for the city council. Lisa Interman and Peter Besseling are both vying for the job of Mayor in the upcoming local government elections, and they both certainly have strong opinions as to what the future of the Glasshouse might look like.  Click Here To Read More