Category: tourism

World’s Best Cyclists to Return to South Australia in 2023

South Australia’s (SA) roads will once again play host to the world’s best cyclists when the Santos Tour Down Under returns to the state in January 2023. The ten-day Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) event, scheduled from Jan. 13 to 23, 2023, will kick off the international cycling calendar for the first time since 2020. Santos…


New Zealand Reopens for Tourism Earlier Than Expected

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced today the country will reopen its border to tourists earlier than planned, hoping an influx of tourists during the winter holidays would accelerate the recovery from the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. “Reopening in time for the upcoming Australian school holidays will help spur our economic recovery…


China’s Employment and Tourism Data Reveal a Sinking Economy

Commentary A recent Chinese state media report once again recognized the Chinese market is facing pressure due to weak consumer spending and high unemployment. The last time the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) mentioned the weakened market was in December 2021, when Party leader Xi Jinping presided over an annual central economic work conference in Beijing. But…


Ducks, Dung, and Hay in Eastern Turkey

I’m in Kastamonu, five hours northeast of the Turkish capital of Ankara. It’s a town that has yet to figure out the business of tourism. The business hotel where I’m staying is cheap and comfortable, but not slick. I hand a postcard to the boy at the desk, hoping he can mail it for me….


South Australian Labor Party to Bring Array of New Events to State if Elected

South Australian Labor Leader Peter Malinauskas has unveiled his plan to revive COVID-19-impacted tourism in the state with investments to lure new events and tourists to South Australia (SA) if elected Premier this month. Malinauskas has pledged $40 million over four years to bring new events that would attract interstate and international visitors to the…


What if San Francisco Does Not Recover?

San Francisco looks worse now than I’ve ever seen it. Like any major city, San Francisco had bad areas before 2020—those rough areas you knew to avoid—but you could go anywhere else, basically unmolested. Today is something entirely different. The streets are dirty. Homeless encampments, trash, and excrement can be found all over. Car break-ins…


South Australian Government Pledges $25 Million to Expand Nature-Based Tourism in State

South Australian (SA) Premier Steven Marshall has announced his government will invest $25 million into nature-based tourism in the state’s regions to attract tourists and create local jobs if he is re-elected in March. Making the announcement at the Star of Greece restaurant in Port Willunga, around 35km south of Adelaide, and a previous recipient…


Australia’s NT Leader Explains Why Border Restrictions Dropped Despite Former Tough Stance

Northern Territory (NT) Chief Minister Michael Gunner has provided an explanation as to why entry restrictions to the Australian territory have been removed despite having previously taken a hard line on COVID-19 vaccination status and testing. In a statement released over the weekend, Gunner said that the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus is now…


Northern Territory Cruise Ship Industry One Step Closer to Fully Re-Opening

Cruise ships may soon be sailing into Northern Territory (NT) waters again after the NT Chief Health Officer updated a health direction to increase the number of passengers and crew allowed on board ships docking in the Territory from 150 to 350. The decision comes as part of a staged re-opening of the cruise industry,…


Northern Territory Government Pledges $12.8 Million to Lure International Travellers and Workers

Australia’s Northern Territory (NT ) Government will invest $12.8 million (US$9.1 million) into attracting international travellers and workers back to the NT after pandemic border closures and restrictions have led to critical skill shortages across the Territory. The incentives will capitalise on the Federal Government’s recent announcement that international borders will re-open to fully vaccinated travellers on…