Research and Markets: The 2010 Travel & Tourism Market Research Handbook

June 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

DUBLIN–(Business Wire)–
Research and Markets
(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c08aab/the_2010_travel) has
announced the addition of the “The 2010 Travel & Tourism Market Research
Handbook” book to their offering.

This is the eleventh edition of the Travel & Tourism Market Research Handbook.
This market research handbook is designed to be a strategic business planning
resource for executives in all travel and tourism organizations. Previous
editions were purchased by virtually all state travel offices, most convention
and visitor bureaus, and dozens of corporations in all sectors of the travel and
tourism business, making this the best-selling publication of its kind.

With thorough and in-depth assessment of the travel market, this report covers
such key topics as air travel, business travel, car rental agencies, casinos,
cruises, cultural and heritage tourism, fairs and festivals, hotels and resorts,
leisure & family travel, nightlife, parks, recreational activities, seasonal
travel, spas, spectator sports, theme parks, traveller shopping, and more.

The handbook presents visitor and expenditure statistics for major cities and
tourist destinations based on RKMA survey data.

The 2010 Travel & Tourism Market Research Handbook will guide tourism
development with its analysis of traveller activities, online travel planning,
promotional strategies, and outlooks for 2010 and 2011.

Over 1,400 website links directly embedded into the electronic edition will
direct you to additional market research information and other resources.

For more information visit

http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c08aab/the_2010_travel

Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager
press@researchandmarkets.com
U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907
Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Copyright Business Wire 2010

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Travelport Promotes Hiroshi Shimizu as Worldspan’s Commercial Head in Japan, Korea and Guam

May 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

TOKYO, May 30 (MARKET WIRE) —
Travelport, one of the world’s largest global distribution system (GDS)
providers and operators of the Apollo, Galileo and Worldspan platforms,
has promoted Hiroshi Shimizu to Worldspan’s Commercial Head in Japan,
South Korea and Guam. The promotion takes effect immediately.

As commercial head, Shimizu will be directly responsible for Worldspan
supplier and subscriber sales in Japan. He will also oversee the
contribution of Worldspan’s official distributors in South Korea and Guam.

In addition, Shimizu will be responsible for Travelport’s airline
relationships in Japan and South Korea as well as Travelport GDS’
partners including hotel, rail and car hire for Japan, Korea, Guam and
Fiji.

“We are delighted that Hiroshi-san has moved into this role that builds
on his knowledge of Worldspan and also the airlines in North Asia. He is
a seasoned sales professional with almost two decades in airline sales
and a further three in the GDS business,” said Shelley Beasley, Managing
Director, Pacific, Travelport GDS.

Shimizu joined Worldspan in 2007, the same year that it was acquired by
Travelport. During his time with Worldspan and Travelport, Shimizu has
been Airline Sales Manager, Pacific and was most recently Business
Development Manager (Supplier Services), Pacific.

Prior to joining the company, Shimizu spent almost 20 years in airline
roles including more than a decade with Qantas and Qantas Holidays.
Shimizu started his career in travel and tourism in Sydney coordinating
Japanese visitor programmes in Australia.

About Travelport
Travelport is one of the world’s largest travel
conglomerates offering broad based business services to companies
operating in the global travel industry. Travelport is comprised of the
global distribution system (GDS) business that includes the Worldspan and
Galileo brands; GTA, a leading global, multi-channel provider of hotel
and ground services and Airline IT Solutions, which hosts mission
critical applications and provides business and data analysis solutions
for major airlines. With 2008 revenues of US$2.5 billion, Travelport
operates in 160 countries and has approximately 5,300 employees.

Travelport also owns approximately 48% of Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW), a
leading global online travel company. Travelport is a private company
owned by The Blackstone Group, One Equity Partners, Technology Crossover
Ventures and Travelport management.

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Contact:

Double Edge PR
Michelle Larmer or Zina Zhang
+612 9957 1352
michelle@doubleedge.com.au / zina@doubleedge.com.au

Copyright 2010, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

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Travelport Promotes Hiroshi Shimizu as Worldspan’s Commercial Head in Japan, Korea and Guam

May 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

TOKYO, May 30 (MARKET WIRE) —
Travelport, one of the world’s largest global distribution system (GDS)
providers and operators of the Apollo, Galileo and Worldspan platforms,
has promoted Hiroshi Shimizu to Worldspan’s Commercial Head in Japan,
South Korea and Guam. The promotion takes effect immediately.

As commercial head, Shimizu will be directly responsible for Worldspan
supplier and subscriber sales in Japan. He will also oversee the
contribution of Worldspan’s official distributors in South Korea and Guam.

In addition, Shimizu will be responsible for Travelport’s airline
relationships in Japan and South Korea as well as Travelport GDS’
partners including hotel, rail and car hire for Japan, Korea, Guam and
Fiji.

“We are delighted that Hiroshi-san has moved into this role that builds
on his knowledge of Worldspan and also the airlines in North Asia. He is
a seasoned sales professional with almost two decades in airline sales
and a further three in the GDS business,” said Shelley Beasley, Managing
Director, Pacific, Travelport GDS.

Shimizu joined Worldspan in 2007, the same year that it was acquired by
Travelport. During his time with Worldspan and Travelport, Shimizu has
been Airline Sales Manager, Pacific and was most recently Business
Development Manager (Supplier Services), Pacific.

Prior to joining the company, Shimizu spent almost 20 years in airline
roles including more than a decade with Qantas and Qantas Holidays.
Shimizu started his career in travel and tourism in Sydney coordinating
Japanese visitor programmes in Australia.

About Travelport
Travelport is one of the world’s largest travel
conglomerates offering broad based business services to companies
operating in the global travel industry. Travelport is comprised of the
global distribution system (GDS) business that includes the Worldspan and
Galileo brands; GTA, a leading global, multi-channel provider of hotel
and ground services and Airline IT Solutions, which hosts mission
critical applications and provides business and data analysis solutions
for major airlines. With 2008 revenues of US$2.5 billion, Travelport
operates in 160 countries and has approximately 5,300 employees.

Travelport also owns approximately 48% of Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW), a
leading global online travel company. Travelport is a private company
owned by The Blackstone Group, One Equity Partners, Technology Crossover
Ventures and Travelport management.

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=1255358

Contact:

Double Edge PR
Michelle Larmer or Zina Zhang
+612 9957 1352
michelle@doubleedge.com.au / zina@doubleedge.com.au

Copyright 2010, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Drunken tourists banned from fish market

April 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The early-morning tuna fish auction in the Japanese capital Tokyo has been closed to visitors for a month after traders complained tourists were hampering business.

Market workers say camera flashes obscure their hand signals during bidding.

There has also been outrage at some drunken visitors from the city’s nightclubs embracing and kissing the tuna.

The sale of tuna at the market usually draws hundreds of sightseers.

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Funding snub sinks dive wreck plans

April 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A proposal to create the first artificial dive wreck in the Whitsundays, off north Queensland, has failed to secure Federal Government funding.

The dive wreck steering committee applied for a $500,000 grant late last year to get the project off the ground.

The grant would have also paid the $100,000 fee to have the project assessed by the Great Barrier Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA).

Committee chairman Mark Turner says the Government’s decision is a setback.

“I think there’s still sufficient impetus and enthusiasm within the local diving community to see this happen,” he said.

“We know it’s going to take time, we know it’s going to be a long, hard process to get it up and running.

“The first problem is for us to find $100,000 worth of funding to get through the GBRMPA approval process. We think that if we can raise that money and at least get the wheels with this approvals process, that’ll set us on the way.”

Mr Turner says the group remains committed to the project.

“It was never ever going to be quick and it was never ever going to be easy but I think the benefits to the diving community and to Queensland are worthwhile persevering with it,” he said.

“In the Whitsundays we’ve got some magnificent coral reef diving. If we can augment that with two or three dive wreck sites, that makes diving opportunities here in the Whitsundays attractive to a world standard.”

Mr Turner says it is an important project for the region, but admits it will be hard to raise the money locally.

“With tourism the way it’s been travelling in more recent times, I think it wouldn’t be too hard to figure out that it would be a big ask for the local community to try and stump that up,” he said.

“We’ll be looking for support from wherever we can find it. Now that might be support over a number of different areas, but certainly the local dive community will support it where we can and we’ve shown that in the past.”

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US-bound flyers face new security checks

April 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The United States has announced that it will begin using new security protocols for people flying into the country.

The change in security procedures is the result of a review ordered by President Obama after the Christmas Day attempt to blow up a jet heading for Detroit.

The so-called underpants bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was a young Nigerian man travelling from Amsterdam to Detroit.

He was able to board the flight even though US intelligence had been alerted to information on him.

After the Christmas day bombing attempt last year the US imposed extra scrutiny on all passengers arriving from a list of 14 mostly Muslim countries.

The new system will be more targeted and will be based on intelligence about any traveller whose travel patterns or personal traits create suspicions.

The system is designed to pick up fragments of information about passengers such as their travel history and their nationality and match them against intelligence reports.

If the cross-referencing raises any concerns, the person will be barred from boarding the plane.

All passengers have been told to expect increased use of explosive trace detections, advanced imaging technology, sniffer dogs and pat downs.

US government guidelines prohibit authorities from singling out people on the basis of race or ethnicity, but the Christmas Day plot swiftly recharged the delicate debate surrounding racial profiling.

In the wake of the botched bombing at least one lawmaker, Republican Peter King from New York, called for US authorities to be less hesitant on the issue.

“The fact is, while the overwhelming majority of Muslims are outstanding people, on the other hand 100 per cent of the Islamic terrorists are Muslims, and that is our main enemy today,” he told Fox News after Abdulmutallab was apprehended.

Since December the Obama administration has meanwhile also pledged to boost airport security by speeding up the installation of full body scanners at US airports, and to increase funding for federal air marshals on flights deemed most at risk.

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Algae not tipped to cut Easter tourist numbers

April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Tourism operators along the Murray River are confident of strong returns this Easter, despite an algae outbreak.

Blue-green algae has been slowly dissipating along the river, but some operators are concerned that it could harm visitation.

Simon Latchford from Echuca-Moama Tourism says the industry performed well last Easter, despite the algal bloom.

He says the situation is much better this year and he is expecting more tourists to visit this Easter.

“Last Easter was a challenging Easter. Regardless of that we still reported good numbers last year, it was a very healthy Easter. This Easter should be outstanding because we don’t have blue-green algae and the climate’s a lot kinder,” he said.

Meanwhile, a Lake Hume tourism operator says it is booked out this Easter, despite the algal bloom.

Matt Downie from the Lake Hume Tourism Park says there has been a few cancellations but people are continuing to use the lake.

“We’ve had one or two cancellations and that’s just based on what people have read in the newspaper where they’ve lived. We still have people out skiing every weekend on the lake, especially where we are,” he said.

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Algae outbreak doesn’t deter Easter tourists

March 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Mildura’s tourism operators say the city is almost booked out, despite a blue-green algae outbreak affecting the region for the second successive Easter.

The outbreak has been moving along central section of the Murray River for the past month and arrived at the Mildura Weir yesterday afternoon.

A red alert is in place from Lock 11 to Colignan, but Lower Murray Water says levels are dropping between Colignan and Karadoc.

Mildura Tourism’s Rod Trowbridge says the visitor centre is fielding calls from people planning to spend Easter along the river, but have been very few cancellations.

“Blue-green algae does not wreck a holiday in Mildura,” he said.

“There are safe parts of the river and I think the industry is being very responsible.

“Certainly I think the houseboat operators are going to great lengths to make sure their particular customers are steered towards the safer waters downstream.”

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Roadworks delays expected for SA Easter travellers

March 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Transport Department concedes Adelaide motorists can expect traffic delays over Easter, despite efforts to minimise disruption.

It says major roadworks will be suspended in several areas but there will still be speed restrictions, including a 40-kilometre-per-hour limit at the Main South Road-Victor Harbor Road turn-off.

The Dukes Highway will also have 40kph sections.

To the north, Port Wakefield Road at Waterloo Corner will be affected by Northern Expressway work.

Flett Steele from the Transport Department says motorists, as always, will need to be patient over the holiday period.

“There are a lot of minor roadworks around the state that we have delayed over Easter,” he said.

“We try and delay as much as possible over both Easter and Christmas breaks to allow traffic through, but I think you need to remember that we’re in a period of record investment in road infrastructure at the moment.”

Detailed roadworks information is available on 1300 361 033 and on the Transport SA website

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More tourists spending more money

March 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

There has been a 15 per cent increase in visitors to the Riverina region and a $38 million rise in associated spending.

Riverina Regional Tourism says the National Visitors Survey shows the region had 954,000 overnight visitors last year.

Wagga Wagga, Griffith and Deniliquin were the most popular destinations and eating out at restaurants was the most popular visitor activity.

The chairman of Riverina Regional Tourism, Ken Murphy, says spending rose from $268 million in 2008 to $306 million last year.

“All our board’s really happy about it because we’ve had quite a few successful campaigns running and I think they’re obviously starting to pay off not only in visitor numbers but visitor spend,” he said.

“Certainly right across the board, I think all our promotions, visiting friends and relatives has been very successful but I think our other programs as well.”

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Darwin could be new spiritual capital

March 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A business lecturer from Charles Darwin University says the Top End could become the spiritual tourism capital of south-east Asia.

Farooq Haq says Darwin’s central location, multicultural society and impressive natural landscape make it the perfect place for inter-faith meetings, religious camps and spiritual holidays.

He says local businesses could cash in on a Territory wide spiritual tourism campaign.

“The new term we need is spiritual tourism, which will tell people that it is not only an excitement or an experience of travelling but it’s also something spiritual that people gain something that they can’t really express,” he said.

Mr Farooq says people are bored with Northern Territory Indigenous and wildlife tourism campaigns.

He says many people want to use their holidays to reconnect with the natural environment.

“What can be done from a marketing perspective is to market those places as spiritual tourism destinations and add up the value of that place.

“Have a conference, have a meeting or have like a gathering of religious leaders from five, six religions.”

The CEO of Tourism NT, Maree Tetlow, says current campaigns focus on spirited travellers not spirituality.

She says the Territory’s tourism industry is outperforming most other Australian jurisdictions and the campaigns do not need to be changed.

“The nature and the interwoven elements of nature and culture are really what the Territory has to offer and if anything we’re really only seeing increased interest in that,” she said.

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Council puts brakes on bike hire scheme

March 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Gold Coast City Council is voting against a foreshore bicycle hire scheme strongly supported by Mayor Ron Clarke.

Councillor Clarke says he is disappointed at the decision after fighting for the scheme for 12 months.

He says he believes the system would have been another tourist attraction.

“We get almost 6six million day visitors each year,” Cr Clarke said.

“If you divide that into public holidays that’s 48,000 every public holiday including weekends down here on the coast.

“Most of [the visitors are] coming into the coastal areas, the foreshore and the beaches and this is an added attraction for them.”

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Port lodges Nobbys Headland plans

March 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Newcastle Port Corporation has revived plans for a restaurant and accommodation on Nobbys Headland, lodging its own proposal for the site.

Newcastle restaurateur Neil Slater gave up on his plans for the site after being forced to scale back the project due to heritage concerns.

Mr Slater said the changes had made his proposal obsolete.

The port corporation’s plan, which has been lodged with Newcastle council, includes seven accommodation units, a 46-seat restaurant and a takeaway food outlet.

It also involves the demolition of garages and alterations to the existing lighthouse buildings.

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The once and future king

March 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The King still lives in Two Rocks, about 60 kilometres north of Perth.

A giant limestone sculpture, King Neptune was once the star attraction at the Atlantis Marine Park.

Today, twenty years after his last official photo, he’s weathered and covered in graffiti, standing in an abandoned park overrun with weeds and rubbish.

With new calls to build a theme park in WA, will the ruins of Atlantis serve as a warning to budding entrepreneurs?

Or could this be Neptune’s chance to reign again?

Origins

The Atlantis Marine Park opened to a great reception in 1981.

Home to seven trained bottlenose dolphins, the park was a major feature of Alan Bond’s ambitious Yanchep Sun City.

In the 1970s, Bond had bought about 20,000 acres of a failing sheep station in Yanchep with a vision of creating a massive resort and residential area.

Atlantis was a jewel in the crown, with families from WA and beyond flocking to the park to watch the live dolphin show, swim in the pools, ride pedal boats and have their obligatory photo with King Neptune.

“It attracted hundreds of thousands of people a week,” says Terry Loftus, a former councillor at the City of Wanneroo.

According to Mr Loftus, Bond had plans to expand the park even further.

“He never got past stage one with Atlantis,” Mr Loftus says.

“If you look at his forward plans, he had monorails going around the place, it would have put Disneyland to shame.”

But, financial problems forced an end to King Neptune’s reign, with the park shut down after just nine years of operation.

“I think it was the saddest day Two Rocks ever experienced when they closed it down,” Mr Loftus says.

“It was the death knell of Two Rocks.”

The lost city

Today, the ruin of Atlantis is a popular spot for dog walkers.

Overrun by nature, there’s little evidence left of the manicured lawns and winding pathways of the popular 1980s theme park.

King Neptune still looks out over the ocean, but his nails and teeth have been painted a lurid green and he’s covered in graffiti.

Most of the dolphins of Atlantis were set free in the 1990s.

“We still have some of the dolphins swim off the Two Rocks Marina,” Mr Loftus said.

“The crayfishermen see them regularly.”

Terry Loftus has been a long-time campaigner for Atlantis to be reopened, and has written at length about the issue in the local newspaper he runs with his wife.

He was given fresh hope when the Tourism Council called for new attractions to help lure more international visitors to Western Australia.

“Why does Queensland keep getting the people?” asks President Paul King.

“There’s a direct relationship between the number of airports, the low cost flights and services that they have and the fun and theme parks and natural attractions that they offer, all throughout their state, from Cairns or Cooktown, all the way down to the Gold Coast,” he says.

He says a new theme park in Perth could help attract return visitors to WA, especially those from Asia.

“Let’s find ways to keep them coming back as visitors rather than people who just want to mine our state and put it on ships and take it away” he says.

Terry Loftus believes a new Atlantis could be the answer.

“I think there’s a huge opportunity for whether it’s Atlantis or some type of theme park in this region,” he says.

“If they build a massive theme park, it would be an instant attraction.”

Paul King agrees that Yanchep could be a good location for a big development.

“There’s some big projects being mooted up there and there’s a lot of people living in the northern corridor now,” he says.

Cashed up

Both agree it will take someone with a big vision and a lot of money to turn their theme park dreams into a reality.

The State Government says it won’t be the one to make it happen but will assist any company looking to invest in a major attraction for WA.

At this stage, it seems unlikely King Neptune will rule over a new court any time soon.

But, Terry Loftus says he’s still got what it takes.

“We still get international tourists coming to see King Neptune, walking through a derelict park to get their photo taken in front of the statue,” he says.

The King also has a band of loyal subjects on Facebook.

More than 700 people are fans of the page, “Bring back Atlantis Marine Park”, with members posting photos and memories of their visit to Atlantis.

It seems Neptune truly is a once and future king.

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Kakadu tourists to be slugged $25

March 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Passes into Kakadu National Park go on sale today ahead of the reintroduction of park fees in 10 days time.

From April 1, a $25 park fee will apply to visitors over the age of 16.

Northern Territory residents will be exempt from the fee but must be able to show proof of residency.

The passes can be bought from agents in Darwin and Jabiru from today and those who enter the park without a pass risk being fined.

Parks Australia says the passes are being brought in to help manage the park and improve visitor services.

Just under 40 per cent of the revenue from the fees will be passed onto the Aboriginal Land Trust and will then be distributed to Kakadu’s traditional owners.

Parks Australia is hoping to have an electronic ticketing system up and running next year.

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Parkes hosts heats for Elvis World Cup

March 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Elvis Presley’s former tour manager is among the judges at the first Australian qualifier for the Elvis World Cup.

Parkes is hosting the competition and the winner will progress to the final, which is being held in Wales on July 1.

Thirty-five tribute artists have entered.

Parkes tourism manager Kelly Hendry says it is a great coup to have Joe Esposito judging the competitors, along with former Wiggle Greg Page.

“They’ll be judging each entrant on a range of qualities including vocals, movement, tribute to Elvis, engagement of the audience,” she said

“They’re looking for the overall package.”

She says the town is well-qualified to host the event.

“It’s the first time that the Elvis World Cup has ever been held,” she said.

“Parkes is an obvious choice to hold the Australian qualifier given our status as Australia’s Elvis capital.

“We’re expecting several hundred people to attend the event.”

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Nightclub hours review prompts tourism fears

March 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A marketing executive says earlier closing times could make Surfers Paradise on Queensland’s Gold Coast less attractive to tourists.

A Queensland parliamentary committee review of liquor licensing laws studied alcohol-related violence and says nightclubs in entertainment precincts should close no later than 2:00am (AEST) on weekdays and 4:00am on weekends.

Graham Downie, from the Surfers Paradise Alliance, says rival international destinations offer 24-hour entertainment.

“I would think the reduction in hours would make trading conditions quite difficult for the operators which could cause a reduction in nightclubs,” he said.

“The bigger concern I have is that we don’t want tourists feeling there is nothing to do in Surfers Paradise.”

Mr Downie says the earlier closing times could also cause problems during the V8 Carnivale on the Gold Coast later this year.

He says that could leave race fans at a loose end.

“When you do have a group of people who have come for the entertainment of a major event such as that who do want to party on and there’s no facility to do so, what do they do?” he said.

“People don’t give nightclubs enough credit for the excellent controls they do have in the premises. I would rather have them in the nightclubs than on the streets.”

Alcohol-fuelled violence

Meanwhile, the Cairns City Licensees Safety Association (CCLSA) in far north Queensland says winding back weekend trading hours for licensed premises will not curb alcohol-fuelled violence.

CCLSA president Paul Garnham says reducing trading hours would create more problems on the streets.

“I think it will hurt business. What happens once we start reducing hours, we start getting people out on the street all at the same time, thus making it harder to get people away,” he said.

“Our biggest problem … at the end of the night is getting people home and getting people out of the CBD.”

He says the focus should be on handing down tougher penalties for offenders.

“Because the penalties aren’t high enough for them, they just go out and repeat offend all the time,” he said.

“If we looked at the fines we dished out for those sort of people, maybe if some of the fines for them were the same for bar staff or management or security in licensed venues, maybe they would be having a good look at the way they behave when they go out.”

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Whitsundays visitor numbers slump

March 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New data from the National Visitor Survey shows there has been a dramatic drop in the number of people visiting the Whitsundays in north Queensland.

The survey found 100,000 fewer people visited the region in 2009 compared to 2008.

Tourism Whitsundays chief executive Peter O’Reilly says the figures are not completely accurate and says the decrease is about 8 per cent over three years.

He says all tourism businesses need to make more of an effort to improve marketing.

“We did it very well as a region in that immediate period following the launch of the 74 islands brand and that’s sort of eased in recent times,” he said.

“I think we sort of sat back and said, ‘look how well we’re doing’.

“Domestically we’ve really slowed dramatically and so we need to look at ways of addressing that.”

Mr O’Reilly says the region has a lot of work to do to attract domestic travellers.

“We’ve seen huge increases of Australians into Bali and Fiji – I think that’s certainly hurting us,” he said.

“If you look at the increase in outbound tourism since 2003, it’s just gone up and up and there’s no doubt that that’s going to impact on us as well.”

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Council: Sandbar not to blame for diverted ship

March 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Eurobodalla Shire Council’s General Manager says an un-dredged sandbar is not to blame for this week’s failed cruise ship docking at Batemans Bay in the New South Wales South East.

The Dutch liner, Volendam, was supposed to have docked at the town with 1500 crew and passengers, but unexpectedly moored at Eden.

Passengers were told they could not be ferried to shore because the sandbar was too shallow.

But General Manager, Paul Anderson, says a meeting between the ship’s agents, the Council and Maritime New South Wales has dismissed that suggestion.

“The issue is not really with the bar itself,” he said.

“There were some concerns and there were some misunderstandings with respect to the depth of the bar and what that actually meant.

“The issue is really about safety of the passengers, getting them on and off the tenders that will bring them in and out of the bay and onto the wharf structures.

“We need to do some work on that.”

For more, go to the South East News blog at http://bit.ly/dgL1SN

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Gold Coast records visitor increase

March 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A Gold Coast tourism industry executive says the city has fought through a difficult 2009 to record an overall increase in visitor numbers.

The latest Tourism Research Australia figures show domestic overnight visitors fell but day trips and international tourists produced an overall increase of 6.2 per cent.

Gold Coast Tourism chief executive Martin Winter says the number of day trip visitors increased by almost 13 per cent.

“This is something we’ve been working on very aggressively over the last 18 months,” he said.

“Our focus has been to bring back those visitors that once enjoyed and loved the Gold Coast.

“The drive market from Brisbane and Toowoomba and around those regions to come back into the Gold Coast and once again visit us and stay here.”

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