Stunt riding and an Australian BBQ add to the true-blue flavour of the $10 million tourism venture opened near Port Douglas on Thursday (May 28).

Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism Steve Wettenhall and Member for Cook Jason O’Brien officially opened the spectacular show to a select audience of 180 VIPs.

The Australian Muster experience will provide its visitors with an up close and personal view of daily life on a cattle station – enjoying spectacular entertainment from the sidelines as stockmen deftly muster cattle and brave bucking bulls.

Owned and managed by Mossman-based cattleman Gordon Pringle and marketed by Parker Travel Collection, the Australian Muster Experience is staged at a purpose-built facility backing on to the beautiful rainforest of Daintree National Park at Miallo, a short drive north of Port Douglas.

With seating for 400 people, the $10 million tourist venture is also targeting the lucrative business events tourism market with its unique outback dining experience within easy reach of Cairns and Port Douglas.

“An authentic Australian outback experience on a cattle station is a must on many travel itineraries following the interest generated by the movie Australia,” said Mr Pringle, who runs cattle on several nearby properties.

“The Australian Muster Experience allows visitors to experience the excitement of life on a working cattle station while visiting the twin World Heritage areas of the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics rainforest in Tropical North Queensland.”

The Stockman’s Lunch Muster and the Grand Outback Experience for dinner operate Wednesdays to Fridays at the 19th century inspired outback cattle station, uniquely framed by rainforest and with spectacular views to Port Douglas.

The Australian Muster Experience is also part of Port Douglas Carnivale with extreme bull riding and some of the best bucking bulls in the country featuring on the Saturday night program (May 30).

Two people can experience the Australian Muster Experience for the price of one as an opening special until the end of June. For more information go to www.australianmusterexperience.com

Left to Right: Sharon Issack - AOT Account Manager Victoria, Emma O’Brien – AOT Account Manager Victoria, Todd Cornford – National Sales Manager, Parker Travel Collection and Jill Lance – AOT Account Manager Victoria.

Always at the forefront of developing innovative ways to market Queensland, Parker Travel Collection steps up to the plate once again with the launch of its biggest ever domestic retail campaign: 2009 QUEENSLAND HOT DEALS TO COOL PLACES.

Kicking off this month with the launch of its eighth season, Hot Deals to Cool Places is a campaign focused on selling Queensland holidays to Australians. Key to its success is capturing the attention of travel agents with a user-friendly brochure or guide to Queensland.

For the coming 2009-2010 travel season, Hot Deals to Cool Places campaign has been built around the launch of its 16 page, full colour brochure of special offers and value-added packages to key destinations within Queensland.

“This brochure is designed to be the travel agents’ quick-sell bible to Queensland. While compelling the agents’ call-to-action with hot deals and packages (strategically aimed at boosting visitation at various times throughout the year), we place high priority on its destination information and content.

“This season, like never before, the brochure is bursting at the seams with tips, tricks and general hints on how to get the most out of each region, city, town or village featured,” he said.

Mr Parker said Australia’s travel industry is now being flooded with 60 000 brochures via brochure distribution and personal mail systems – as well as sales calls on travel agencies throughout Melbourne, Sydney, Country NSW, Brisbane and south east Queensland.

“Our sales call mission has already begun and will continue over the coming months while garnering extra profile through industry advertising campaigns promoting HOT DEALS integrity as an effective sales tool for Queensland.

“This will be our biggest campaign ever with 5000 retails sales calls conducted over the next six months with more campaigns to come. Our message is simple, ‘c'mon Australia, come to Queensland - it really is beautiful one day and perfect the next!

“It’s imperative we remain aggressive in the selling Queensland as a holiday destination - targetting Australia as our most important market,” he said.

While continually striving to bring Queensland - via interesting and exclusive products and packages - to the market, Parker Travel Collection is proud to include several new experiences in this year’s campaign. As follows:

• Paradise Palms Resort and Country Club; opened in March, the resort is Australia's newest golf course accommodation.
• The Australian Mustering Experience; ‘live’ outback mustering experience operating three days and nights a week out of Port Douglas.
• New DFO shopping tours in Cairns; opening this month.
• Boutique, 84 room Portal Hotel in Brisbane city; opened in March and with the very chic O bar & restaurant.

Parker Travel Collection’s Hot Deals to Cool Places campaign secured its place in the Tropical North Queensland’s Tourism Award’s Hall of Fame in 2007 for Product Marketing

Todd Parker, Managing Director, Parker Travel Collection celebrates the launch of first ever dedicated QLD campaign in Guam with David Kendall, Director of Micronesia Sales and Marketing, Continental Airlines.

The team at Parker Travel Collection have notched up another first with the launch last week of Guam’s first ever dedicated Queensland campaign.

Entitled Queensland Hot Deals (GUAM), the campaign was created by Parker Travel Collection in conjunction with Continental Airlines to essentially support the carrier’s five flights weekly between Guam and Cairns.

Speaking about the campaign, Mr Parker said the campaign is designed to compel Micronesia’s visitor market with a series of pay/stay offers and packages that are commissionable to travel agencies.

“This campaign is innovative in several respects, not the least of which dictates a percentage of every sale goes back to Continental Airlines to assist with the development of tourism business into Guam.

“These flights are fundamental to the future sustainability of Tropical North Queensland’s tourism industry as they provide a convenient travel option for both Japanese and Micronesians visitors. And I believe this trend will continue with Guam’s US military that is destined to increase significantly with the planned relocation of Japan’s Okinawa US military base,” said Mr Parker.

Queensland Hot Deals with Continental Airlines is just one of many campaigns created by Parker Travel Collection to develop new markets and service them over the long term.

Paradise Palms Resort and Country Club opened today with guests booked in at the 4.5 star, 96-room golf course accommodation.

To celebrate the opening, Paradise Palms Resort and Country Club is offering a special of $99 per night for a minimum two-night stay. The rates are on sale until April 30 for travel until September 30 and do not include housekeeping services.

Developed at a cost of $20 million by HS Vision Group, Paradise Palms’ resort accommodation is destined to become a sought after destination for golf tours, weddings, corporate events, conferences, or those in need of an idyllic getaway within the picturesque confines of one of Australia’s top 100 golf courses.

Situated adjacent to Paradise Palms’ impressive Queenslander clubhouse, the new resort accommodation will provide guests with their own exclusive precinct and private access to a range of quality recreation/resort facilities set within tropical gardens and swimming pools.

Designed to suit the needs of both discerning leisure and corporate guests, accommodation includes a choice of hotel rooms and one or two bedroom self-contained apartments.

The resort’s interior décor has been designed to be sympathetic with the surrounding environment while providing all the comforts and practicality of a resort lifestyle. Quality furnishings and a contemporary fit-out are conveyed in subtle earthy hues set against bright white, metallic artworks and modern timber and leather furniture.

Guests will enjoy close access to the clubhouse’s newly opened 59 Restaurant and Bar, pro-shop, conference centre and the 18-hole golf course. The facilities will be further expanded to include a day spa, health club, 2000sp. M themed children’s playground and mini golf.

Paradise Palms Resort and Country Club is situated on Cairns’ northern beaches just 20 minutes north of the city and 30 minutes south of PortDouglas. The 126ha property is framed by rainforest covered mountains with a picturesque undulation landscape affording panoramic ocean views.

               

Following a successful opening in August, Brett Stallbaum, Manager of Mamu Rainforest Canopy Walkway is proud to announce that in its first two months of operation over 8000 people experienced the new icon.

To further spread the word, a major film shoot was recently undertaken to capture the beauty of the attraction and its surrounding environment. The result is a fully established photo and film library ready for distribution, including several versions of a short training film on Mamu. The film was released late last week to the Tropical North Queensland Visitors Information Centre to its band of volunteers and can be viewed above.

Mr Stallbaum’s team are now working with Mamu’s sales and marketing appointed partner, Parker Travel Collection, to spread the word across the world using its newly released ‘media’ comprising moving footage and imagery. The objective is to reach millions across the world using distribution via tourism authorities, online, wholesale and retail travel agents.

Mr Stallbaum said “This project has allowed Government and private sectors to work together in harmony, and now we have the visual imagery to show the rest of the world and attract even more people to the region.”

This imagery is an important tool in the sales and marketing process, Todd Parker, Managing Director of Parker Travel Collection congratulated the attraction for investing in the image and film footage library.

According to Mr Parker, “Its readiness for distribution is perfect timing. With ‘Australia’ the movie in the headlines and its stunning rainforest imagery, the media produced will effectively highlight our domestic and international visitors to the depth of experiences available in Tropical North QLD.”                                                                                   

 

This year Parker Travel Collection launched its global tourism marketing network with new divisions established for the Asian and Continental European markets. This week the expansion continued with the opening of a sales office in Korea.

This latest development was celebrated on Thursday 31 July 2008, with an official opening attended by 70 tourism industry professionals and performed by Queensland’s Minister for Tourism, Regional Development and Industry, Hon. Desley Boyle MP.

The event took place at Paradise Palms Resort and Country Club’s newly opened venue, Fifty Nine Restaurant and Bar from 6pm. Along with Parker Travel Collection’s team from Cairns, Gold Coast, Sydney and Melbourne offices, this event will serve as an opportunity for key members of the region’s tourism industry to meet with new staff, Ronnie Kim, Irene Park and Henry Han.

According to Todd Parker, managing director of Parker Travel Collection, this event signifies the opening of a dedicated sales office in Seoul and sub-branch in Daegu.

“Parker Travel Collection’s Korean Sales Office will be located in well-known tourism company, Korean Tourism Relations (KTR) that is headed up by Ronnie Kim and supported by Irene Park.

“KTR has been extremely successful in the tourism marketing arena promoting Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort and will now add Parker Travel Collection’s portfolio of quality tourism products,” said Todd.

In Korea, Henry Han has been appointed by Mr Parker to look after his company’s interests and in so doing, will be responsible for retail and wholesale selling, training and staying in touch with frontline sellers on a daily basis.

Mr Parker says Korea is a burgeoning tourism marketplace with the second biggest honeymoon market in the world and as such, will be one of his company’s key areas of focus. Others include business incentive style travel, groups, golf and a new program for families. The new Korean language brochure is available online –
www.parkertravelcollection.com/attachments/PTCMEMBERBROKOREAN.pdf
brochures are also printed in Spanish, Chinese and English as part of our global services.

Following the success of Thursday night’s event marking the launch of Parker Travel Collection’s sales office in Korea, Mr Parker would like to acknowledge Minister Boyle’s commitment to tourism and willingness to face all challenges head on.

“We greatly appreciate Desley’s support for our latest development that occurs at a time when tough economic conditions require a much greater focus. This is a time to try new ideas and as has been our mantra from the outset, we want to lead the market. In practice, this requires scientific selling and frequency of contact with travel companies to ensure we remain ‘front of mind,” said Todd.

The Lakes Cairns Resort and Spa has blitzed this year’s HMAA Awards achieving five out of five category wins at last night’s gala in Brisbane.

An elated Craig Biber, General Manager of The Lakes Cairns Resort and Spa and Vision Hotels and Resorts said he was delighted with the award-haul that exceeded expectation to win everything they entered and more.

While the overall highlight was being named Property of the Year, there was a great deal of personal satisfaction for key team members with Mr Biber winning the new A.C.E.S. Award for his individual contribution to the industry and Executive Housekeeper, Jean Lapthorne awarded Department Manager of the Year.

In addition to these awards, The Lakes Cairns Resort and Spa won Best Resort Award while Human Resources Manager, Tess Pinches, who was instrumental in the resort’s training success, was in attendance to accept the Training Award.

Mr Biber said last night’s success is down to a fantastic team of people who work hard to position The Lakes Cairns Resort and Spa as a leading accommodation provider with outstanding surroundings, facilities and service.

“This success is also testament to the skill and dedication of our Director of Sales and Marketing, Rosie Douglas,” said Craig.

He continued, “What we have achieved is extra special considering we are an emerging marketing brand competing against established global hotel organisations.”

The Lakes Cairns Resort and Spa’s recognition at this year’s HMAA awards caps off an award-winning week with the property’s housekeeping department winning both categories (Jean Lapthorne won Housekeepers Trophy of Excellence and Sue Affleck named Rising Star of the Year) at the inaugural Housekeepers Awards in Cairns and signature restaurant, Lago named Hotel/Motel Restaurant of the Year at the local Restaurant and Caterer’s Awards for the third year running.

The Lakes Cairns Resort and Spa is a member of Vision Hotels and Resorts. For more information, visit www.thelakescairns.com.au or www.visionhotelsandresorts.com.au

As the General Manager of Australia’s leading tourism marketing company, Parker Travel Collection, Brock Parker says the current travel trend seeing more and more Australians travelling outbound is the reason behind the appointment of National Sales Manager, Todd Cornford (pictured left).

“With the Aussie dollar hitting a record high and the cost of international air travel dipping to new found lows, we understand and appreciate the reason behind this current trend. But instead of accepting the situation as it is, we are going to fight even harder for our market share.

“In his new role, Todd will be largely responsible for Australian retail management, product training and domestic market support,” said Mr Parker.

Parker Travel Collection wants to make sure domestic tourism maintains a strong presence in the key markets of NSW and Victoria in particular. With Todd at the helm, Parker Travel’s domestic team will launch several initiatives in coming weeks to stimulate travel to the sunshine state including the launch of their well known and award winning Hot Deals to Cool Places campaign.

Todd brings extensive knowledge of the Australian market to his National Sales Manager role, primarily working with the domestic market over the last four years with Australian Pacific Touring.

“Todd's professionalism and high customer service standards, together with a genuine passion to further himself through all facets of the tourism industry place him in a favourable position to excel in his role,” said Mr Parker.

EUROPEAN EXPANSION IMPORTANT for TOURISM FUTURE

Following the launch of its Eastern Hemisphere division in February, Australia's leading tourism marketing company, Parker Travel Collection continues its global expansion program with the appointment of a European Sales Director.

This latest development signifies Parker Travel Collection's commitment to providing a global presence and ongoing faith in the future of Australia's inbound tourism from the key markets of Europe.

As a testament of their confidence in the European market, Parker Travel Collection's Managing Director Todd Parker, has announced the signing of Ms Maria Haglund.

"Maria joins Parker Travel Collection with a wealth of experience in Europe, most recently as a special consultant to the Sydney Opera House. Her role as Director of Sales - Europe has been created especially to focus on generating business from continental markets and our agenda to offer tourism marketing service solutions on a global scale," said Mr Parker.

Keen to dispel rumours threatening the success of Australia's tourism industry, Parker Travel Collection says the situation is definitely not 'doom and gloom' for key international markets in Europe. Robbie Bastion touched down in his home town of Cairns this week after attending the International Tourisme Bourse (ITB)in Berlin. While away, he also conducted a program of sales calls in Munich, Paris, London and Manchester.

ITB is ranked as the largest travel trade show in the world with over 100,000 exhibitors from 62 countries in attendance.

"There's no doubt that 2007 was a very challenging year for tourism from all markets and 2008 has started the same way. However, there are definite signs of resurgence in the vital European markets in the not too distant future.

"By the end of 2007, German visitation to Australia was up two per cent and markets that had been quiet for some years - Italy, Scandinavia and the Netherlands - are all showing signs of a return to more prosperous times.

Cairns. Friday 16 November 2007.The managing director of Parker Travel Collection, Todd Parker is delighted to announce the appointment of Skye Collie as sales executive whose key responsibilities will be retail agent training in the UK and Australia, on-line support and Tourism Business Development.

A self-confessed ‘travel bug’, Skye Collie recently returned to Australia after six years working in the UK travel industry; spending two years with Lunn Poly (now Thomson holidays) before moving to Quest Travel where she spent four years creating tailor-made, long-haul holidays.

According to Mr Parker, Skye will be a valuable member of his team. “She has extensive knowledge of product in Australia and New Zealand and vast experience of directional selling.

“In retail sales she developed a thorough understanding of airline contracts and routings and enjoys an excellent reputation for delivering superb customer service.”

While Skye is a born and bred Queenslander – growing up on the Sunshine Coast - she will now call Cairns home - however her new sales executive role will see her returning to the UK for several months at a time to conduct and oversee retail agent training of Parker Travel Collection’s tourism product portfolio.

Parker Travel Collection is a Tourism Business Development Company that has offices in Cairns, the Gold Coast and Melbourne.