TOURISM CREATING WEALTH OF JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR LAO PEOPLE

The United Nations’ World Travel and Tourism Council unveiled its latest report recently, which indicated that tourism has directly resulted in 114,000 jobs being created in Laos.

This is expected to rise to 121,000 jobs in 2028, which will represent about 3 percent of total employment.

As a whole, tourism and related services have generated over 385,000 jobs in the country, helping to improve per-capita income for the Lao people, particularly the poor.

Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr Ounthuang Khaophanh, told recently that tourism was one of the top five income earners for Laos, driving economic growth and contributing to poverty alleviation.

In addition, tourism has resulted in the improvement of services and infrastructure including roads, as well as the construction of new hotels, restaurants, airports and other facilities.

According to a report in The ASEAN Post, improving the tourism sector will certainly help the country gain much needed additional revenue.

“The growth of the tourism sector would also be key in developing tourist related infrastructure such as airports and road links,” stated The ASEAN Post.

In 2017, the total contribution from travel and tourism to Laos’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was around US$2 billion, which accounted for 13.7 percent of total GDP. This figure is expected to rise to US$3.3 billion by 2028.

Given that tourism plays a significant role for the Lao economy, the government launched the Visit Laos Year 2018 campaign to attract more tourists.

All provinces are holding activities as part of a nationwide effort to bring at least 5 million tourists to the country and generate revenue of about US$900 million.

Read full article at Inquirer New: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/995821/tourism-creating-wealth-of-job-opportunities-for-lao-people#ixzz5K6yYG84d

http://www.mekongtourism.org/

SYDNEY 7s TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Image credit: Getty Images

The non-stop action and entertainment of the HSBC Sydney 7s continues in 2019 with tickets now on sale to the iconic tournament that will be held from 1-3 February.

Teams from all over the world will descend on Spotless Stadium at Sydney Olympic Park to battle it out in the annual men's and women's World Series events.

NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said, “Western Sydney is the home of some of Australia’s biggest sporting events and most passionate sports fans, who will create an incredible atmosphere at Spotless Stadium.

“The Sydney 7s is synonymous with three days of festivities and Western Sydney hotels, restaurants and attractions are set to reap the benefits with visitors travelling from around Australia and the world to support their team.

“I encourage everyone to get their tickets early and start planning an extended stay.”

Tickets are on sale now via Ticketek.

Getabaruwa Esala Perahara 2018

Getabaruwa Esala perahara 2018 will be held from 20th - 26th September 2018 at the Getabaru Rajamaha Vihara temple in Deniyaya.

The Esala Perahera in Kandy is one of the oldest and grandest of all Buddhist festivals in Sri Lanka, featuring dancers, jugglers, musicians, fire-breathers, and lavishly decorated elephants.

The Sinhalese term ‘Perahera’ means a parade of musicians, dancers, singers, acrobats and various other performers accompanied by a large number of caparisoned Tuskers and Elephants parading the streets in celebration of a religious event.

Floriade is Australia’s Biggest Celebration of Spring

Floriade is Australia’s biggest celebration of spring. This iconic Canberra event will run from Saturday 15 September until Sunday 14 October 2018.

Floriade isn’t just celebrating the start of spring and the blossoming of more than one million bulbs and annuals, we’re celebrating the best of Pop Culture! Revel in an impressive array of retro inspired flowerbeds and a festival program brimming with live music, horticultural displays and unmissable entertainment.

Open daily from 9.30am – 5.30pm, weather permitting. Last entry to the event is 30 minutes before closing.

GETTING TO FLORIADE
Arrive any which way you can.

BY AIR
Direct international flights to Canberra departing from Singapore or Wellington, New Zealand are available with Singapore Airlines. Daily domestic flights are also available to Canberra. Canberra Airport is located a short 20 minute drive from Commonwealth Park.

BY LAND
Driving to Canberra is a breeze. Australia’s capital is a three hour drive from Sydney and an eight hour drive from Melbourne. Once in Canberra, visitors to Floriade can walk, ride bikes, catch public transport, drive, take a ferry, taxi or rideshare to Commonwealth Park.

PARKING

Parking at Acton Park across from Commonwealth Park is limited. Floriade is an easy walk from parking options in the Parliamentary Triangle, London Circuit, the Canberra Centre, CIT Reid or the National Convention Centre. Pick-up and set-down at the Regatta Point Entry Gate is permitted for less mobile passengers.

FREE SHUTTLE BUS
Courtesy of the Canberra Centre, a free shuttle bus will operate all 30 days of Floriade. Stopping at select city locations the shuttle bus will make round trips daily, between the hours of 10am – 6pm.

https://floriadeaustralia.com/

China Eastern's seasonal service

China Eastern Airlines will add a new seasonal service between Shanghai and Cairns, commencing mid-December with three flights per week.

The additional flights demonstrate the confidence in Tropical North Queensland as a tourism destination of choice from our biggest international market and will deliver additional Chinese travellers through the peak New Year period.

The flights complement the existing routes to Cairns from Guangzhou and Shenzhen, providing travellers with another opportunity to choose Tropical North Queensland as their gateway to and from Australia.

EVITA REHEARSALS KICK OFF IN SYDNEY

Rehearsals for the Australian production of Evita have commenced in Sydney, with the musical opening at the Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House, on 13 September.

Evita charts the story of Eva Perón, wife of former Argentine dictator Juan Perón, from her humble beginnings, through to the extraordinary wealth and status which ultimately led her to be heralded the ‘spiritual leader of the nation’.

This recreation of the original West End and Broadway production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita, has Tina Arena in the lead as Eva Perón, alongside Paulo Szot as Juan Perón.

Evita has received more than 20 major awards and features some of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s best loved songs, including Don’t Cry For Me Argentina and Another Suitcase in Another Hall.

The Australian premiere has been secured exclusively for Sydney by the Government’s tourism and major events agency Destination NSW. 

Visit evitathemusical.com.au for details and tickets.

Vishuddhi Haramba Martial Arts Show

Visit Kandy Annual cultural show promotional programme is organized by the Department of Trade, Commerce & Tourism Central Province to promote Central Province Tourism in Sri Lanka.

Visit Kandy 2018 programme will be performed “Vishuddhi Haramba Martial Arts” show and Kandyan Dance on 26th August 2018 at 6.30pm to 8.00pm at Hotel Topaz premises Kandy.

http://www.srilanka.travel/

Return of Japanese charters

In October Cairns will welcome the first charter flights of Japanese international high school students since 2015. Three schools will send groups of students to experience two-night farm stays in the Tablelands, followed by time in Cairns to enjoy the Skyrail or the Great Barrier Reef.

The combination of experiential learning in a World Heritage environment together with English language study is what made Cairns the chosen destination for JTB Corporation who are coordinating the charters.

TEQ's Japan team will work with JTB Corporation to continue to position Queensland as an edu-tourism destination and attract more groups like this.

PATA: MEKONG TOURISM GROWS 13%

More than 59 million travellers visited the five countries that are members of the Greater Mekong Sub-region during 2017, according to the Pacific Asia Travel Association’s Annual Tourism Monitor 2018.

Monitoring travel movements in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, the report noted arrivals grew 13% giving the region 59.9 million arrivals.

However, Thailand dominates the inbound travel count accounting for more than 35 million, while Vietnam, is the second largest with 12.9 million arrivals in 2017.

The good news for the GMS five is the robust 13% growth rate that out performs the average growth rate of 5.8% for the Asia-Pacific region.

The positive performance added 6.9 million visits to the GMS countries, while collectively the five countries had a 48.4% market share when compared with all tourist arrivals to the 10-member ASEAN bloc of which they are members.

“As a bloc, these five destinations are coming close to equalling the volume of foreign arrivals into the other destinations of the Southeast Asia sub-region,” the PATA annual report noted.

The two big players in the GMS are Thailand with a 59% share of the Mekong travel pie and Vietnam a 22% slice.

“This represents a slight loss of share for Thailand since 2013, but an increase for Vietnam as that destination makes its presence in the international travel arena increasingly felt.”

Asia remains the dominant supplier of foreign arrivals to the GMS countries, followed by Europe, but travel from the latter is losing ground to massive surges from China and South Korea.

The two countries led the list of top 10 travel suppliers to the GMS in 2017. China supplied 16 million, up 22.8% and South Korea 4.7 million, up 31.3%.

The others were: Laos 2.1 million, up 20.3%; Russia 1.4 million (+23%); India 1.5 million (+17.9%); Thailand 3.1 million (+6.9%); Cambodia 1.1 million (+21.2%); Japan 2.7 million (+6.7%), Taiwan 1.4 (+14.2%); USA 2 million (+7.6%).

The report suggested there was considerable potential to increase arrivals from Vietnam to other GMS countries while tapping the potential of Indonesia and Singapore.

(Note: China is the sixth member of the GMS, but data for China was not included).

Link to annual report at Pata’s online store:
https://pata.org/store/publications/annual-tourism-monitor-2018-early-edition/?utm_source=ATM2018EarlyEdition

SPRING HAS SPRUNG AT CENTENNIAL PARKLANDS

Centennial Parklands

Centennial Parklands has released their Spring season What’s On Program, with festivals, concerts, camping and more.

On 2 September is the Father's Day Festival, where the Blak Markets and IMF Warrior Run come to Centennial Parklands. Try bushfood from the BBQ, learn traditional arts and watch a warrior dance at this family-friendly festival.

For a unique camping experience just 10 minutes from Sydney CBD, Park after Dark will be held on 14 September, 12 October and 9 November. Families and friends can enjoy an authentic camping experience with campfire stories, nocturnal wildlife tours, Tent Assembly 101 plus a fully catered BBQ breakfast and dinner.

Other not-to-be-missed Spring events include the Sydney Running Festival, Walking in Ancestors Footprints Workshop and Tracks, Trails, and Treasure Hunts - Wild Play for Families.

One of Sydney’s best-loved parks, Centennial Parklands won gold in the World Urban Parks inaugural 2018 International Large Urban Parks Awards. The 360-hectare swathe of undulating parkland and woods in Sydney's inner east is the city's greatest green space.

Discover the full Spring What’s On program and school holiday events here.