Lack of infrastructure could unravel booming Australian cruise industry

by Daisy Melwani, e-travelblackboard


The Australian cruising industry yet again experienced double digit growth for its fifth consecutive year; however with the lack of urgent infrastructure development in key ports experts warn the bubble may eventually burst.

Speaking at the 2010 Partnership Summit, , Carnival Australia CEO Ann Sherry described Sydney and Auckland's current port-situation as an infrastrture dilemma which was frustrating and slow moving, saying it was critical to develop facilities to keep pace with the growing cruise market.

The ICCA reported an 11 per cent growth to nearly 367,000 Australians having cruised in 2009, with market penetration also increasing to 1.7 per cent, most of which has been attributed to Carnival Australia's commitment to the region, leading the growth with supply.

"Any discussion of infrastructure ultimately becomes Sydney-centric or Auckland-centric. Sydney and Auckland are both key to the industry's continued expansion and positive customer sentiment. Both cities are cruising hubs for the South Pacific and magnets for visitors for our global brands," Ms Sherry said.

"The brutal truth is that if cruise facilities aren't up to scratch in Sydney and Auckland, the international cruise ships from the global brands won't come to our region"

"That's not just bad news for Sydney and Auckland; it would also be a hammer blow for the smaller interstate ports"

Ms Sherry said discussions were well underway with federal and state governments reminding them the urgent need to invest in appropriate infrastructure, but said the problems also flowed through to the various port authorities causing even further delays due to the fragmentation of decision makers.

Ms Sherry said the biggest challenge was making port authorities and government bodies understand the potential tourism value of upgrading infrastructure for the cruising sector. She also said the industry as a whole lacked proper long term pre-planning capabilities.

"We are running a business that's ambitious for growth, but the pace of it is not a business like pace," Ms Sherry said commenting on her talks with government bodies. "It's like we're not as ambitious enough in this tourism sector … there aren't enough voices so it is a problem to galvanize the growth and experiences for all sectors."

Read More

Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa wins at Australian Hotels Association Awards

Australia's first conservation-based luxury resort, Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa, has received the Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award as well as Best Environment Initiative and Regional Deluxe Accommodation of the Year in the annual Australian Hotels Association (NSW) Accommodation Awards for Excellence.

Wolgan Valley was presented the awards at a gala presentation dinner, attended by dignitaries and 600 of the industry's business leaders and members. Now in its thirteenth year, these prestigious Awards recognise the leaders in hospitality and honour the achievements of excellence in a wide range of categories in the accommodation industry.

Tony Williams Senior Vice President, Emirates Hotels & Resorts said: "With Wolgan Valley it was always Emirates' intention to showcase the enormous tourism potential in Australia; and careful, deliberate efforts were made to ensure the resort highlighted the luxury experiences available in Australia, and grow this sector of the market. We are certainly very pleased to have our commitments recognised in this manner."  

Joost Heymeijer, General Manager, Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa added: "It is a great honour to receive these awards. Wolgan Valley has only been open six months, and to win such prestigious awards, and be recognised by our industry colleagues and peers is an enormous achievement for the resort and Emirates.

"Wolgan Valley adds value to the Australian luxury travel experience, and we see the resort becoming a highlight of many Australian itineraries, as well as a favourite corporate venue for business leaders."

Wolgan Valley's awards in the competitive categories of Best Environment Initiative and Regional Deluxe Accommodation of the Year cements the Emirates Hotels & Resorts' property on the Australian tourism landscape.  The resort was also awarded in a new award category launched in 2010 for Outstanding Contribution to Tourism which acknowledges the resort's unique place in the industry and its ability to set new standards and benchmarks in the Australian industry.

Since its October 2009 opening, Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa has also been awarded the following accolades:

• Conde Nast US and Conde Nast UK "Hot List" (Spa and Resort categories).
• National Trust Heritage Awards - for its work in restoring the original 1832 farmhouse. 
• Luxury Travel Magazine - Gold List Awards. (Voted by readers "Most desired new resort to visit in the world")
• Nominated, with Emirates Hotels & Resorts, in the World Travel & Tourism Council's "Tourism for Tomorrow" Awards.

Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa will go onto the AHA National Awards which will be presented in September this year.

Combining the expectations of the high-end traveller with a commitment to broader social, ecological and environmental sustainability, Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa is redefining what traditional luxury means to travellers.

Wolgan Valley provides its guests unique experiences and insights into this fascinating continent, with in-depth experiences of its wildlife, history and cultural heritage. The resort is fully inclusive, and includes all its meals and on-site activities in its rates; with a major focus of the guest experience being the quality of Australia's finest produce and select ranges of regional fine wines and all non-alcoholic beverages.

Located between two of Australia's most prominent national parks, and bordering the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, Wolgan Valley was selected by Emirates after an extensive research for a location that lent itself to world-class conservation-based practices.  The secluded resort also incorporates the 'Timeless Spa' branded facility offering guests world-class spa treatments in a luxurious setting of commanding views of the spectacular the valley below.

The resort has recently become the first hotel in the world to achieve carbon neutral certification from an internationally accredited greenhouse gas certification scheme. Wolgan Valley is also a proud member of Leading Hotels of the World, the world's largest luxury hospitality organisation, representing more than 450 of the finest hotels, resorts and spas.

Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa:

Tel.: +61 2 9290 9733 – Fax: +61 2 6350 1801

Street Address: 2600 Wolgan Road, Wolgan Valley, Lithgow 2790 NSW, Australia
Postal Address: PO Box 390, Lithgow 2790 NSW, Australia
Visit www.wolganvalley.com - Email: info@wolganvalley.com


About Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa

Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa opened in October 2009.

Located within its own 4,000 acre conservation reserve and nestled between two national parks bordering the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, the conservation-based Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa sets new standards in luxury travel. Combining the expectations of the high-end traveller with the broader social, ecological and environmental aspects of the resort, it will be the only experience of its kind in Australia.

This secluded resort features 40 individual suites surrounded by private decks, each having its own indoor/outdoor swimming pool. Its architecture is designed to be reminiscent of traditional rural Australian homesteads.

As Emirates Hotels & Resorts' first hospitality development outside Dubai, the Au$125 million project was built on the same principles as Emirates' acclaimed Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa, fully integrated into its environment and supporting wide-ranging conservation practices. These will focus on endangered species protection and the planting of thousands of native trees indigenous to the area, including one of the world's rarest trees, the Wollemi Pine.

"Wolgan Valley's combination of luxury, iconic location and outstanding conservation values, truly cannot be paralleled," said Tony Williams, Senior Vice President, Resorts & Projects, Emirates Hotels & Resorts. "It provides the essential Australian experience which exposes the visitor to an understanding of the amazing continent and its heritage."


About Emirates Hotels & Resorts:

Emirates Hotels & Resorts is Emirates Airline's premier hospitality management division comprising a growing portfolio of award-winning luxury conservation-based resorts, five-star hotels and lifestyle Spas.

For over 10 years, Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa has showcased the success of Emirates Hotels & Resorts' conservation-based philosophy. The same philosophy is followed at the other two Emirates Hotels & Resorts conservation-based properties; the Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa in Australia's Blue Mountains, which opened in October, and at the Cap Ternay Resort & Spa in the Seychelles, which is now under planning.  

The Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve and the Wolgan Valley Wildlife Conservancy, where Al Maha and Wolgan Valley are respectively located, are sponsored by Emirates and under the management of Emirates Hotels & Resorts.

For further information, visit www.emirateshotelsresorts.com

Read More

Pinctada Cable Beach Joins Virtuoso

PINCTADA CABLE BEACH JOINS VIRTUOSO'S PRESTIGIOUS GLOBAL NETWORK

Pinctada Cable Beach, Broome's new award-winning 5-star spa resort, has become one of only 20 Australian hotels to be included in the prestigious Virtuoso Hotels & Resorts Program, the industry's leading luxury travel network.

Acceptance into Virtuoso's by-invitation-only global network will see Pinctada Cable Beach supported by more than 300 leading travel agencies in 22 countries, including the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand as well as South American and Caribbean nations.

Pinctada Cable Beach, a $33 million development and the first full service hotel to be built in Broome for two decades, was officially opened on August 5 2009.  The 72-room spa resort offers an intimate environment that reflects the distinctive landscape, culture and heritage of Broome, the famous pearling town nestled by the Indian Ocean high on the coast of north west Australia.

"We are delighted to be able to welcome our newest property, Pinctada Cable Beach." said Albert Herrera, Vice President of Hotels, Destinations & Tours at Virtuoso.  "The resort is both a tranquil retreat and an ideal base for exploring the beauty and wonders of this region and I am sure that it will not only be popular with our travel agency membership in Australia, but will serve as an authentic and evocative introduction to one of Australia's best beaches."

Marilynne Paspaley AM, Founder and Managing Director of Pinctada Hotels & Resorts, said the invitation to join the Virtuoso program is an honour, particularly as it comes within a year of her flagship resort's opening.

"Virtuoso travel advisors are among the most prestigious worldwide and are particularly stringent in their standards and expectations," Marilynne said.  "Virtuoso also recognises that travellers these days are looking for an experience that touches and positively influences their lives. I am honoured and delighted that Virtuoso has recognised these values in Pinctada Cable Beach.  In developing Pinctada Cable Beach, my vision was not only to create a world-class hotel in the world-class destination that is the Kimberley, but also to offer an experience which connects travellers with this unique destination – and, an environment where they feel so nurtured that they can truly relax and reconnect with themselves, their family or their friends."

Acceptance into the Virtuoso program follows the Western Australia AHA Aon Awards for Hotel Excellence last November when Pinctada Cable Beach was twice honoured, winning both the Regional Accommodation Hotel/Resort of the Year and also the Accommodation Hotel/Resort Restaurant Award for SELENE Brasserie.

Pinctada Cable Beach features a signature menu designed by award-winning author chef Greg Malouf of MoMo restaurant.  Another highlight is the world-class Pinctada Spa, Australia's only LI'TYA concept spa. Pinctada Spa's extensive treatment menu features award-winning LI'TYA Spa Care from the Aboriginal Dreamtime, based on Australian native botanicals and tapping into 40,000 years of indigenous plant wisdom and holistic healing to rejuvenate the spirit.

Pinctada Cable Beach, which offers 24-hour personalised service as well as customised Kimberley experiences, is nestled in native bushland a short stroll from Broome's iconic Cable Beach.  The design of the spa resort respects Broome's past while intelligent water and energy management systems embrace the future.  Pinctada Cable Beach also features graciously sized guest rooms, BRIZO Pool Bar, NYX Bar, Meditative Gardens, a guest fitness room, resort boutique and the asymmetrical Maxima Pool with its 25m lap lane and spa nooks.


Pinctada Hotels & Resorts, founded by Marilynne Paspaley AM, offers four bespoke hotels in the distinctive Australian landscape that is the Kimberley. Pinctada reflects the spirit, culture, heritage and landscape of the Kimberley offering personalised service and customised experiences.

Broome:
·         Pinctada Cable Beach: 2009 WA AHA Aon Hotel Awards For Excellence: Best Regional Resort/Hotel and Best Resort Restaurant (SELENE Brasserie)

·         McAlpine House: 2008 WA AHA Aon Hotel Awards For Excellence: Best Regional Resort/Hotel
·         Captain Kennedy House

Kununurra:
·         The Kimberley Grande

Bookings:

E: stay@pinctada.com.au T: +61 (0)8 9193 8340 or 1800 PINCTADA, 1800 746 282 (tollfree within Australia)

www.pinctada.com.au

Read More