Admit it: 2009 was a year to forget
Speaking to operators during Melbourne Expo last weekend, it struck me that things must be getting better – because people were finally prepared to admit how bad the back end of 2009 was. Read more »
Time to get in the face(book) of independent travellers
News that a survey of UK Facebook users has found most prefer to book travel online is the least surprising thing I’ve heard since I was told I had passed my Australian citizenship test with a score of 100 per cent. Read more »
Exhibit A: Proof that backpacking has a public relations problem
My good friend Peter McMahon sent me an interesting link this week. Read more »
Backpacking and English language schools – a match made in heaven or hell?
News that all GEOS English language schools in Australia have closed with debts in excess of A$10 million comes at an unfortunate time for backpacking, which has recently started cosying up to an industry which brought 160,000 young people to Australia in 2008. Read more »
Beware a hungry media pack on the scent of a good story
If proof were needed that backpacker vehicle rental companies are now well and truly in the spotlight, look no further than yesterday’s Northern Territory News, which carries a story about two travellers left stranded in the Outback when their Backpacker Campervan broke down, allegedly due to poor maintenance. Read more »
Wicked Campers’ problems could be the start of a crackdown on backpacker car rental companies nationwide
Wicked Campers is back in the news after claims in the national media that the majority of its Queensland fleet has been withdrawn over safety concerns. Wicked owner John Webb has refuted the claims, stating only around 50 of the company’s Queensland-registered vehicles have been voluntarily removed from service with 611 still on the road. Read more »
New year’s resolutions for 2010
As new year is the time for resolutions, I thought I’d take the liberty of making a few on behalf of the industry. Unlike my own (to stop swearing), I’m hoping the following will last beyond the first week back at work. Read more »
Don’t let a good story get in the way of the facts
We’ve been copping a bit of flak this week for our alleged negativity in reporting the deaths of four young travellers in Australia and the headline on our story about the latest International Visitor Survey, which focused on the decline in backpacker numbers rather than the increase in spend and length of stay. Read more »
King’s Cross Car Market remembered…
The world famous King’s Cross Car Market that operated since 1991 from the King’s Cross Car park is sadly no longer. The old car market was an institution, a place where backpackers would arrive with the most amazing array of Aussie automotive buckets you were ever likely to see in one place. Good cars, cheap cars, outrageously over-priced cars, cars full of camping gear and outdoor gadgetry, cars on their last legs, cars that entered and never left, vans, bloody Kombi Vans, 4×4’s, and lots of Ford Falcon Stationwagons.
Peter Burke, Travellers Auto Barn. Read more >>
Losing $62 million in revenue could be considered careless
Okay, it’s been a tough year, but it could have been worse. Imagine if you ran a business where the average yield was up 12 per cent to $6171, but the number of customers you’d welcomed through your doors had fallen by 10,000. Imagine seeing nearly $62 million in potential revenue go up in smoke. Read more »
Act now before tragedy strikes
There’s been a lot of negative publicity recently about safety standards in the backpacking industry. Whether it’s campervan rental companies getting slammed on national television over alleged saftey breaches, or illegal hostels cramming people into overcrowded and potentially hazardous accommodation, it creates the misleading impression of an industry which fails to regulate itself and is prepared to play fast and loose with people’s safety in order to make a quick buck. Read more »
Second year WHVs: backpackers are only cheating because the system’s flawed
The backpacking industry needs to be very careful how it responds to news that the Department of Immigration and Citizenship is cracking down on fraudulent second-year working holiday visa (WHV) applications. Read more »
YATEC Diary – 6th session
Fantales, Sherbies and Minties added a sweet twist to the Young Australian Tourism Export Council’s National Development Program last week, with participants given a lesson on negotiation and networking. Read more »
YATEC Diary – 5th session
Presentation and sales skills were the topic for discussion for participants of the Young Australian Tourism Export Council’s National Development Program last week. Read more »
YATEC Diary – 4th session
How can we as an industry keep up in the fast moving world of technology and social media? This is the question that was discussed at the fourth session of the Australian Tourism Export Council’s National Development Program. Read more »
YATEC Diary – 3rd session
The topic for discussion for the third session of the YATEC National Development Program was the ever-changing product distribution channel, with participants introduced to the ways in which technology and consumer demand is changing the traditional model. Read more »
YATEC Diary – 2nd session
Western versus Eastern markets as well as countries providing increasing visitor numbers were on the agenda for the second session of the Young Australian Tourism Export Council’s National Development Program last week. Read more »
No wonder Australia’s backpacking industry is the envy of the world
In this guest posting, ATEC Industry Development Manager Jennifer Woodbridge reflects on another hugely successful World Youth & Student Travel Conference for Australia’s backpacking industry.
Many of you would agree that 2009 has been a tough year for tourism. But, as ever, our true Aussie spirit shone through, with the youth sector responding with strength, confidence and cohesiveness, choosing to look to the future rather than be discouraged by the challenges of the past year. Read more »
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BOA Golf Day
20 August 2010
@ Eastlakes Golf Club, Sydney -
BOA Annual General Meeting
02 September 2010
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Australian International Education Conference
12 October 2010
@ Sydney, Australia -
World Youth & Student Travel Conference
17 October 2010
@ Beijing, China -
BOA Melbourne Cup Day Lunch
02 November 2010
@ Side Bar, Wake Up, Sydney -
Independent Travel Exchange
03 November 2010
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Golden Backpack Awards
04 November 2010
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Adventure Backpacker and Industry Conference
04 November 2010
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Sydney Adventure Travel and Backpackers Expo - 6 & 7 November
06 November 2010
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BOA Christmas Party
09 December 2010
