New safety rules for NZ adventure tourism

NEW ZEALAND adventure tourism operators will have to pass a new safety audit.

Stung by accusations of lax standards after a number of incidents involving foreign tourists, Labour Minister Simon Bridges has released a new safety audit standard which adventure tourism operators need to pass before they can be registered.

"It sets out the requirements operators must comply with to reduce risks in providing adventure activities," Mr Bridges said on Thursday.

"There will always be a level of risk with these types of activities, but commercial operators must take all practicable steps to operate safely."

Operators will be re-audited every three years, and it will be an offence to offer any adventure activities as defined by the regulations without being registered.

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Keep it social, tourism group urges

Cheer squad: Australian tourism businesses should recruit their fans to act as social media ambassadors, Tourism Australia says. Picture: Bridgeclimb Source: Supplied

SMALL businesses and tourism operators are being recruited as social media ambassadors in a national publicity drive to make Australia the world's most Tweeted-about holiday destination.

Tourism Australia has published a set of social media guidelines to help turn the almost one million people working in the nation's tourism sector into the world's biggest online marketing team.

The guidelines recommend small tourism operators create social media platforms that allow their fans to be "the hero" such as Facebook pages that feature user-submitted photographs and content, and to give fans "compelling stories" they want to share on their social networks.

Tourism Australia Managing Director Andrew McEvoy said the organisation wanted to build on Australia's status as 2012's most popular travel destination on Facebook, Google Plus and Instagram.

"Ultimately, we want our four million Facebook fans, the 23 million Australians who live here and the 6.1 million people who visited last year to become part of the world's biggest social media team and ambassadors for our country," he said.

"The more operators willing and able to become part of our social media team, to share their great tourism experiences and demonstrate Australia as an aspiring travel destination, the better."

Tourism Australia has released a new advertisement with a new take on the famous Icehouse song Great Southern Land.

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Short films spearhead tourism push

Tourism Australia is launching a series of short films showcasing Australia's best nature experiences, people and wildlife. Source: Supplied

• Gallery: Sydney Harbour, National Landscape
• Tourism Australia is launching a series of short films
• Sydney Harbour has been added to a National Landscapes program

AUSTRALIA'S best nature and wildlife experiences will be showcased in a collection of short films which will be shown around the world.

Tourism Australia today launched the Wildiaries National Landscapes Series featuring 16 short films which will be rolled out on social media such as Facebook and on its website.

Sydney Harbour also became the 16th area to be added to Australia's National Landscapes program - a partnership with Parks Australia which recognises places of great cultural, natural and spiritual significance including World Heritage-listed sites.

The Sydney Harbour National Landscape stretches across 1000sq km of beaches and rivers, islands and bushland from Royal National Park in the south to Barrenjoey Headland in the north and west to Parramatta Park, taking in the Georges, Hawkesbury, Parramatta and Lane Cove rivers.

Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson and Environment Minister Tony Burke announced the new tourism push for Sydney's spectacular Harbour.

"It is fitting that spectacular Sydney Harbour joins Australia's National Landscapes collection, which now showcases 16 iconic Australian environments and their people, from the Red Centre to the Great Barrier Reef and to Tasmania's Island Heritage," he said.

Sydney Harbour named as a National Landscape.

Australia's National Landscapes program - Kayaking on Sydney Harbour.

"With our world-famous harbour at its heart, this landscape is the first glimpse that welcomes 42 per cent of international visitors to Australia.

"Sydney Harbour offers a taste of the uniquely Australian natural and cultural experiences that our international visitors are looking for, particularly in markets such as China."

Environment Minister Tony Burke said visitors are spoiled with opportunities to discover Australia's Aboriginal and convict heritage and encounter native wildlife, right on the city's doorstep.

"When you have landmarks as iconic as the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, it's easy for people to make the mistake that they can take a photograph in each direction and they have seen Sydney Harbor," he said.

"The reason for recognising our Harbour on the National Landscapes is for people to realise there is easily a week of exploring you can do around Sydney Harbour and still find new experiences and life long memories every day.

Mr Burke said Sydney offered World Heritage-listed convict sites at Cockatoo Island and Parramatta's Old Government House as well as the one o'clock cannon which still strikes at historic Fort Denison.

Australia's National Landscapes program - Sydney Harbour.

"Beneath the busy water traffic lives a surprising wealth of marine life, with more than 580 species of fish and a chance to see whales, little penguins, dolphins, even kelp forests with sea dragons," he said.

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