EAT MERIMBULA 2017: THE BEST FROM LAND AND SEA

The Sapphire Coast’s premium food festival is taking place next month and will deliver a market style feast of award-winning produce.

Seafood lovers can tantalise their tasebuds with Rock Oysters from five famous estuaries, Eden Mussels, Kingfish fresh from Twofold Bay, and local snapper, squid, prawns and bugs.

There will also be locally farmed pork and lamb, and wines from Rusty Fig, Rocky Hall, and Longstocking Brewery’s craft beers.

The festival celebrates the region’s best chefs and food entrepreneurs, and will take place on Sunday, 12 March 2017.

Bring a picnic rug and settle in for a lakeside feast. Dishes are capped at $8.

Click here to find out more.

Canberra's Bumper March Events Line Up

As Canberra turns 104, there's never been more to do in the capital with a stellar line up of events, exhibitions and festivals.

Enlighten 2017 presented by Singapore Airlines (3-12 March) and the Canberra Balloon Spectacular (11-19 March) return to excite visitors from dawn to dusk. Enlighten allows visitors to explore our national attractions after dark while enjoying architectural projections on Canberra's iconic buildings and experience several Australian first performances and installations. The Canberra Balloon Spectacular will see more than 40 balloons float across Canberra skies as the sun rises, including Hummingbird and Smurf balloons from the United States and Belgium respectively, making their Australian debut.

Throughout the month, The Canberra Times Good Food Month (1-31 March) will be feeding Canberra's appetite for delicious and diverse food. After you've experienced the Asian delights of the Enlighten Night Noodle Market (3-12 March) during Enlighten, the jam-packed program continues. Among the events is your opportunity to discover the next generation of talent at the Young Chef lunch (26 March) at Aubergine restaurant, or indulge in an exploration of sweet and sour flavour profiles at the White Rabbit Cocktail Room hosted Dinner Down the Rabbit Hole (16 March).

Canberra celebrates its 104th birthday over the Canberra Day long weekend (11-13 March). Begin the celebrations by checking out David Attenborough's Virtual Reality Experiences at the National Museum of Australia, hear the works of ABBA unlike you've ever heard them before with a Canberra Symphony Orchestra performance Symphony in the Park before coming together to rock out to Hoodoo Gurus and Havana Brown at the Canberra Day celebrations.

There's something for all the family over Canberra's bumper sporting weekend (18-19 March). AFL Women's GIANTS will kick off the weekend on Saturday 18 March, as they take on the Western Bulldogs. On Sunday 19 March, the GIANTS Netball challenges the Adelaide Thunderbirds at AIS Arena, before GIO Stadium sees the Canberra Raiders taking on the West Tigers. Bring the kids down to the shores of Lake Burley Griffin to enjoy a magnificent display of fireworks set to a soundtrack broadcast on Hit104.7 for Skyfire 2017.

Questacon, the recent recipient of the 2016 Qantas Australian Tourism Award gold medal for tourist attraction, will launch their latest exhibit Above and Beyond on 25 March. Presented in conjunction with Boeing, this ultimate interactive exhibit will allow visitors to pilot a drone, test-fly a supersonic jet and experience flight as a bird – one for flight enthusiasts of all ages.

Ending the month of festivities on a high, the Canberra District Wine Week (31 March – 9 April) celebrates this region's wine vintages with wine tastings, food matchings and tours across the region. From Gundaroo to Bungendore and more, this is an opportunity to taste the best of this renowned region.

March is also the month to get cultured: from the Versailles: Treasures from the Palace exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia to Canberra's largest contemporary arts festival Art, Not Apart (18 March). If that's not enough, check out the Canberra Comedy Festival (20-26 March) at various venues across the city.

With this jam packed schedule of events, please visit the CBR 31 Days for a guide to Canberra's March events: http://canberra.com.au/31days/

For more information about what's on in Canberra, and to book accommodation, go to www.visitcanberra.com.au

4 WAYS TO KICK UP YOUR HEELS IN CANADA

1. Dawson City Music Festival, Yukon Territory

Revel in great music, friendly people, and authentic grassroots spirit in the heart of Yukon’s Klondike at the Dawson City Music Festival from 21 – 23 July 2017. Legendary among performers and music lovers across the world, the festival is famous for its annual line-up of Canada’s finest musical talent, presented against a backdrop of spectacular northern wilderness. Historic Dawson City offers the perfect backdrop to this diverse music festival, offering evening performances and afternoon workshops in intimate venues.

2. Calgary Stampede, Alberta

Hides are raw, hearts untamed, and the world’s toughest rodeo stock walk on two legs at what’s known as The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth – The Calgary Stampede, taking place from 7 – 16 July, 2017. Australians flock to this event in huge numbers each year, eager to rub shoulders with some of the toughest cowboys and cowgirls in the world. A prize pool of over two million dollars makes Calgary Stampede the world’s richest tournament-style rodeo. Contestants compete in bareback, bull riding, barrel racing, saddle bronc, steer wrestling, and down roping.

3. Canada Pride, Montreal, Quebec

Montreal is set to host the inaugural Canada Pride for 10 days in 2017, featuring sporting events, a conference on LGBTI+ rights and a phenomenal parade. From 11 – 20 August, Canada Pride will celebrate the country’s LGBTI movement as Montreal marks the 375th anniversary of the city’s founding and the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation. The program will include two days of sports activities and a major national conference on LGBT rights. The event will then be hosted by a different Canadian city every four years ensuring global visibility for its LGBTI community.

4. George Street Festival, St John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador

From 27 July to 2 August 2017, more than 120,000 people will stroll through George Street in Downtown St John’s for the annual festival. George Street is famous for comprising two blocks of bars, pubs, restaurants – and nothing else. It's the centre of the entertainment district and has been a magnet for musicians and their fans for decades. During the festival, George Street is gated with a small admission fee charged, to allow revellers to wander freely from restaurant to bar, and enjoy the non-stop concerts at Prince Edward Plaza. Find out more at GeorgeStreetLive.ca

Destination Canada 1045 Howe Street Suite 800 Vancouver, BC V6Z 2A9 Canada

Destination Canada 1045, rue Howe, bureau 800, Vancouver (Colombie-Britannique) V6Z 2A9, Canada

https://www.destinationcanada.com/en/

What’s on in the Whitsundays? Your update...

Whitsunday SUP Challenge 2017

May 7-13
Stand-Up Paddle (SUP) boarding is a rapidly growing sport in Australia
and nowhere more so than in the Whitsundays, where the annual SUP Challenge has really taken off. Spend a week cruising around the beautiful Whitsunday islands on a boat with SUP races, lessons, workshops, parties, dinners and more!
Find out more >>

Whitsunday Writers Festival 2017 

June 16 - 18
Held in Airlie Beach at LURE Abell Point Marina, the annual Whitsunday Writers Festival is fast becoming a not-to-be-missed festival in northern Queensland with stimulating workshops, fascinating authors talks, delicious food and stunning views of the marina and Coral Sea.
Find out more >>

Airlie Beach Running Festival 2017

July 16
Sponsored by Cruise Whitsundays, last year's event attracted more than 600 participants of all ages and abilities across a number of races including the Cruise Whitsundays Half Marathon, 10km Challenge, Balance Podiatry 5km, 5km Business Team Challenge and the Bendigo Bank 2km Kids Fun Run.

Find out more >>

MORE INFORMATION

Visit Tourism Whitsundays website for the latest deals and to download the Visitor Guide.

Or talk to one of our friendly team at the Whitsunday Region Information Centre for more information on accommodation, tours and great holiday packages!

Phone: +61 7 4945 3967

Email: info@tourismwhitsundays.com.au

DUAL PRICING A PAIN POINT IN MYANMAR, THAILAND TRAVEL?

Myanmar Tourism Federation and the Tourism Authority of Thailand recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promote tourism between the two countries — “Two Countries, One Destination” — but Don Ross asks, will it resolve “major pain points”?

“They claim [the MoU] will have positive impact on the tourism industries in both Thailand and Myanmar, but neither organisation is in a position to introduce measures to streamline travel and remove the pain points plaguing overland travel. That is in the hands of ministries and they are ignoring even the most obvious pain points that hinder tourism growth.”

“The press statement of the two agencies failed to identify the major problem facing visitors travelling from Chiang Rai to points in Myanmar. Airlines double the fares for foreigners on domestic services out of Tachilek airport. They will also have to book the flight locally through a travel agency in Tachilek town after crossing the border. None of the airlines offer online booking and payment for flights out of Tachilek.

“This is a major pain point and some travel executives told TTR Weekly they believe Myanmar is now the only country in Asia with a dual airfare policy for domestic airline sectors.”

Full story at TTR Weekly.

Techmix to co-locate at CeBIT Australia, with international speakers from adidas and NET-A-PORTER confirmed

The third annual Techmix event has joined forces for the first time with CeBIT Australia, Asia Pacific’s largest and longest running business technology event, to co-host Australia’s premier marketing, customer experience and product technology event on Wednesday, 24 May 2017 at the International Convention Centre Sydney.

Hosted by the Association for Data-driven Marketing & Advertising (ADMA) and AIMIA, Digital Industry Association of Australia, the one-day event goes beyond traditional marketing parameters to embrace elements of customer experience, product innovation and implementation and more. Three targeted event streams will delve deep into technology and how it has transformed customer reach, marketing performance and customer experience.

Attendees will include senior professionals from across marketing and advertising, digital, product, social media, data and analytics, UX and UI, as well as a broad range of technologist functions.

In a major coup for Australian digital leaders, international headline speakers include Florian Reichelsdorfer, Global Director Entertainment & Influencer Marketing (EIM) at adidas who will share his insights into holistic EIM strategies, and Andres Sosa, Co-president – Sales, Marketing & Creative at THE OUTNET.COM (YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP) who will share digital content strategies for high-performance growth.

Ahead of his keynote at Techmix, Reichelsdorfer provided insight into his presentation which will draw from his experiences at adidas over the past decade.

“In addition to talking about digital and social marketing amplification through entertainment and influencer marketing, I will give holistic insight on where online and offline meets, and how entertainment and influencer marketing is positioned within the adidas brand.

“adidas has a long history with influencer marketing that can be traced back to founder, Adi Dassler and the brand’s relationship with athletes and pop culture icons, including Muhammad Ali and Bob Marley. Since the beginning, adidas has proudly embraced cultural influencers and consumer behavior to inspire brand engagement,” said Reichelsdorfer.

With a diverse background, Sosa will have valuable cross appeal for both ADMA and AIMIA members. As a proven high-performance growth marketer and brand builder, he is responsible for revenue, customer acquisition, satisfaction, and retention. Sosa also oversees creative, content and marketing strategies to differentiate and position THE OUTNET and develop new markets.

Jodie Sangster, CEO of ADMA and AIMIA commented on the growth of Techmix over the last two years and what it means to partner with Asia Pacific’s largest business technology event.

“Techmix 2017 is set to be bigger and better than ever, with myriad leading local and international experts from adidas and NET-A-PORTER to IAG and eBay. Our partnership with CeBIT Australia, represents the event’s growth and the increased influence technology has, and will continue to have on marketing strategy and implementation, along with our dedication to remaining Australia’s premier marketing, customer experience and product technology event,” said Sangster.

Showcasing the very best from the industry, additional Techmix speakers include:

• Harriet Wakelam, Director – Human Centred Design, IAG
• Mitchell Mackey, Asia-Pacific Marketing Director, Ansell Healthcare
• Yunyeong Kim, Director Categories & Strategic Partnerships, eBay
• Renae Smith, Chief Marketing Officer, AIA Australia
• Peter Carr, Director, Future Tech Industries Accelerator and President, Australian Mobile Industry Association
• Stephen Rodway, Marketing Automation & Customer Journey Leader, ANZ Digital Marketing & eCommerce, 3M
• Carolyn Bendall, Head of Marketing – Australia Division, ANZ Bank

Co-locating with CeBIT Australia for the first time, Techmix is an industry-leading one day program that brings together professionals from all corners of the customer experience world – including marketing and creative technologists, growth hackers, digital strategists and designers to learn, network and share best practice. The event includes three event streams and will showcase over 25 live technology demonstrations.

www.cebit.com.au | www.techmix.com.au

Festival celebrates song, dance of southern Viet Nam

Mekong Delta Music Festival 2014

This year’s Mekong Delta Music Festival (March 9-12) will celebrate Don Ca Tai Tu song and dance that took root in southern Viet Nam in the late nineteenth century.

During the event set to transpire at the Cao Van Lau Cai Luong Theatre in the province of Hau Giang, some 300 artists from across the south will perform hundreds of songs and instrumental musical pieces, says the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The opening ceremony will include performances of the ever popular song Da Co Hoai Lang (Night Drumbeats for an Absent Husband), written in 1919 by composer Cao Van Lau, a native of the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu.

Instruments for Don Ca Tai Tu performances include the moon-shaped lute (kim), two-stringed fiddle (co), 16-string zither (tranh), pear-shaped lute (ty ba), percussion (song lang), monochord (bau) and bamboo flute (sao).

The violin and guitar are adapted. The guitar used by Don Ca Tai Tu artists has a deep, hollowed-out finger board, enabling musicians to play special ornamentation characteristic of Don Ca Tai Tu.

Explore the USA from coast to coast.

United connects Melbourne and Sydney with top United States cities. Enjoy more of the day at your destination with early arrivals and flights aboard one of United's new Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes on select routes.

San Francisco is home to the Golden Gate bridge, cable cars and some of the largest tech companies in the world. Los Angeles is the gateway to the glamour of Beverly Hills and Hollywood, as well as laid back Southern California beaches. Try your luck in Las Vegas at one of the glittering Las Vegas Strip casinos, or dance the night away with celebrity DJs and musicians.

On the East Coast, take a bite out of the Big Apple and explore New York City's world-famous landmarks, shopping and entertainment. Washington, DC, the nation's capital, offers endless historical and cultural exploration through a variety of museums and monuments.

Between the two coasts, Chicago offers stunning architecture and renowned restaurants. In Houston, discover what it takes to get to a different world at the Space Center.

Be sure to check out our other Special Offers.

The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) will be staged from 4-15 April 2018.

• More than 6,600 athletes and team officials from 70 Commonwealth nations and territories will come to Australia to share in the excitement of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018). The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) will be the largest event to be staged in Australia this decade.
• The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) will feature the largest integrated sports program in Commonwealth Games history, comprising 18 sports and seven para-sports.  Unlike the Olympic Games, all para-sports event medals at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) will count towards the medal tally for national teams and be contested alongside non-para sport events.
• Beach Volleyball will make its Commonwealth Games debut at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018), allowing Queensland’s iconic beaches to be showcased to the world.
• The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) will put the Gold Coast, Queensland and Australia on the world sporting stage.
• More than 1400 staff will be employed by GOLDOC at its peak to help deliver the best Commonwealth Games the world has ever seen.
• Four new state-of-the-art venues will be constructed for Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) and 12 existing venues will undergo extensive upgrades transforming them into world-class sporting locations that will be outstanding community legacies. 
• All venues are on track to be delivered on budget and at least 12 months ahead of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018). 
• The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) will create a legacy for all Australians by creating unforgettable memories as the world unites to Share the Dream.
• Australia will host the world’s greatest athletes at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018), including Olympic champions, world-class sporting greats and up-and-coming sports stars. 
• The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) will provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Australian athletes to compete in a global sporting event on home soil. 
• In the sports to be contested at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018), more than half of the London 2012 Olympic Games medallists were from Commonwealth countries.
• Following the Rio 2016 Olympics, the eyes of the world will turn to Australia as we prepare to once again be placed on the world sporting stage. 
• In a nationwide first for Australian events, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) will deliver a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) which will contribute towards creating meaningful outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through reconciliation focused activities. 
• More than 3000 international media will attend The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) and broadcast to a global audience of more than 1.5 billion.

GC2018 https://www.gc2018.com/

Kinosaki & Yukata

In Kinosaki, the charm and nostalgia of traditional Japan lives on. Putting on a yukata (light kimonos that are easy to walk around in) and walking through the beautiful, pedestrian friendly streets of Kinosaki as you visit the various hot springs, shops and restaurants/cafes makes you feel like you have gone back in time. It is an atmosphere and charm that is simply not found anywhere else in the Japan of today.

Kinosaki & Yukata

Yukata are a light, cotton kimono that were traditionally worn as before/after bathing clothes. Over the years, yukata became a more general wear garment. The have the appearance of the more ornamental kimono but are much easier to both put on and walk around in. Yukata are often worn with wooden sandals called “geta”. As western clothing became more common in Japan, yukata and geta were worn less and less. In modern day Japan you almost never see them except at special events (summer festivals, etc.), but in Kinosaki Onsen the charm, comfort and convenience of yukata are an everyday presence.

Although certainly not required to enjoy Kinosaki, wearing a yukata on your visit adds a great deal of pleasure and culture to the experience of hot springs, ryokan, street markets, and enjoying the local cuisine, such as fresh crab and the famous Tajima beef (the stock cattle of Kobe beef). Kinosaki is a very yukata-friendly town and we invite you to experience this part of traditional Japan on your visit with us.

Where can I get a yukata?

The most common way to get a yukata is at the ryokan you are staying at.
Your room should already have several yukata stored and available for use both inside and outside the ryokan.

Simply select a yukata you like and put it on! Some ryokans may also offer a larger selection of yukata to pick from or rent.

If you aren’t staying at a ryokan then direct rental might be an option.

Kahoru Beauty Parlor in Kinosaki offers rental of men’s and women’s yukata. For an additional fee, assistance in wearing the yukata can be provided. If you visit the hot springs you will be taking your yukata on and off quite a bit, so instruction will also be provided on how to put it back on yourself. Please contact Kahoru Beauty Parlor beforehand to arrange your rental:

Kahoru Beauty Parlor (Kahoru biyou-shitsu)

Telephone:0796-32-4180
Fees:2,000 yen for 2 day rental, 300 yen for dressing assistance* Yukata rental is provided from June to October, only