By Ellen Boonstra, Asia correspondent >>

GIVING NEW MEANING to the phrase ‘close to nature’, Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort is giving guests a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend the night observing Thailand’s majestic elephants in their natural habitat – while staying in unique transparent Jungle Bubbles.

Unfolding across 160 acres of Northern Thailand’s ancient jungle, the resort is set atop a hill overlooking the Mekong and Ruak rivers.

The secluded location is exclusively positioned to take in majestic three-country views over the confluence of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar, and grazing elephants in the most stunning of natural settings below.  

Located in the jungle, the two pods are perched on raised wooden decks offering uninterrupted views of the elephants, as well as stargazing at night.

The Jungle Bubbles were custom designed by Eye In The Sky and are constructed with high-tech polyester fabric using exclusive ‘Precontraint technology’ – developed by innovative French materials company, the Serge Ferrari group – to create a milieu in which guests can enjoy an immersive, close-to-nature experience.

GLAMPING IT UP

To complete the glamour camping experience – known as ‘glamping’ – the well-appointed bubble accommodation is fully air-conditioned, offering 22 square metres of indoor floor space; a 4.5m diameter bedroom and living space, with a king bed and seating area under a transparent roof; and an enclosed, non-transparent ensuite shower and vanity.

Guests at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort can purchase the Jungle Bubble experience as an optional activity and spend the night from dusk till dawn, returning to the hotel in the morning.

Rates start from 17,700 Thai baht per night (A$850) for two people and this includes a delectable dinner basket; a fully stocked mini bar; 24-hour in-room dining service; and tea and coffee making facilities. 

As leaders in the field of ethical elephant tourism, the resort is the driving force behind the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation, set up primarily to help elephants that cannot help themselves.

The foundation assists local people that find themselves, through abuse or through circumstance, unable to provide and maintain an income for themselves, for their mahouts (people who work with elephants) and their families.

Here appropriate activities are designed that allow the elephant caretakers to raise the funds they need to look after the elephants without forcing them into activities they might not enjoy.

www.anantara.com/en/golden-triangle-chiang-rai

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BRISBANE hosted more than 940 business events worth an estimated $351 million in economic impact in the 2018-19 financial year, almost doubling the previous year's results according to the most recent Queensland Business Events Survey.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the Queensland Business Events Survey showed the meetings, incentives, conference and exhibition sector in Brisbane was enjoying "incredible success". Support of long-term exhibitions and conferences continues to pay off, in spite of visitor market fluctuations.

“2018-19 saw 209,000 delegates attend a business event in Brisbane, delivering 579,986 delegate days – a 44 percent increase on the previous financial year,” Cr Schrinner said.  

“The business events sector is vital to Brisbane, boosting our economy, growing our knowledge sectors and supporting our accommodation, venue, hospitality and service providers.

“The biennial Brisbane Truck Show always delivers a major economic boost, attracting over 34,000 visitors to the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre (BCEC) in May 2019 and generating an estimated $75 million in economic impact," he said.

“Brisbane’s world-leading research and expertise also secured international events including the Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology Congress with 1,500 delegates in April, and the Australasian Sonographers Association Annual Conference with 1,200 delegates in June.

“Our success continued throughout 2019 with the Asia Pacific Cities Summit and Mayor’s Forum in July. This event attracted 1,400 government, business and emerging leaders from 140 cities for four days of talks on the innovation, mobility, liveability and sustainability of cities.

“Held in November 2019, the strategically important International Air Transport Association (IATA) Slot Conference brought together 1,200 representatives from international airlines and airports to plan future flight schedules," Cr Schrinner said.

“Playing host to this conference gave us the opportunity to provide industry with a first-hand experience of Brisbane’s transformative growth and the mid-year opening of Brisbane Airport’s second runway, as we continue our focus on attracting new direct airline services.” 

Economic development board Brisbane Marketing worked with the State Government and Brisbane Airport Corporation to secure an AirAsia service from Bangkok (June 2019), Qantas services from San Francisco (February 2020) and Chicago (April 2020) and a Virgin service from Haneda, Tokyo (March 2020).

'TEAM EFFORT' PAYS OFF

Brisbane Marketing’s general manager of business and major events, Juliet Alabaster, said the city sets itself apart with a Team Brisbane approach to building its visitor economy.

“Our strategic partnerships with BCEC, all levels of government and industry trailblazers continue to produce successful bids and grow Brisbane’s profile as a leading business events destination,” Ms Alabaster said.

“A wave of tourism infrastructure including the Howard Smith Wharves dining, entertainment and events precinct, new four- and five-star hotels and experiences has also played a huge part in our ability to attract conferences and incentive events.

“Brisbane continues to break records with international and interstate visitation and spending at all-time highs, while BCEC enjoyed its most successful financial year ever and passenger numbers at Brisbane Airport during 2019 exceeded 24.1 million for the first time.”

Business events to be held in Brisbane in 2020 include:

• · Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) Asia Pacific Forum and Exhibition 2020 – BCEC, 800 attendees expected.
• · Hort Connections – BCEC, 1200 people.
• · 2020 Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction – BCEC, 2500 people.
• · 23rd International Congress on the Education of the Deaf (ICED 2020) – Royal ICC, 1000 people.
• · Flight Centre Global Gathering 2020 – 4000 people.
• · Land Forces 2020 – BCEC, 1000 people.
• · NKT-IKBU Buddhist International Fall Festival 2020 – Royal ICC, 2500 people.
• · Early Childhood Australia National Conference 2020 – BCEC, 2000 people.
• · Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists Congress 2020 – BCEC, 1500 people.
• · International Pediatric Sleep Association Congress (IPSA) and Sleep Down Under 2020 – BCEC, 1000 people.

www.brisbanemarketing.com.au

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THE Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) has congratulated Tourism Australia on launching the first step in its  Holiday Here This Year campaign.

“This campaign has been quick off the blocks and will work to capitalise on the good will and sentiment shared by all Australians in helping to get the communities affected by bushfires back on their feet,” ATEC managing director Peter Shelley said. 

“With tourism at the heart of so many regional communities, encouraging Australian’s to prioritise a holiday at home is a great way to support the rebuilding of these towns and recoup some of the summer’s lost revenue.

“Tourism Australia is leading the charge with their expertise and reach and it’s great to see the positive collaboration between our national and state based tourism marketing bodies in delivering a single message of recovery," Mr Shelley said.

“While getting our domestic market engaged is a great first step in helping the devastated regional communities, our international campaign needs to encompass support for every destination."

Mr Shelley said the bushfires have had a severe impact on the international perception of Australia as a travel destination with a 40 percent reduction in forward bookings from Western markets including the UK, Europe and the US and a 20 percent overall decline.

“Despite the fact that most of the favoured holiday spots for international visitors have been unaffected, people looking to visit Australia have been spooked," Mr Shelley said.

“While this domestic campaign is a great first step, we are keenly anticipating the next stage of the recovery campaign and its focus on rebuilding brand Australia for our international audience.” 

www.tourismdrivesgrowth.com.au

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THE Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) has welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement of a $76 million industry specific bushfire recovery fund.

“Today’s announcement of the Governments Rebuilding Australian Tourism package will be welcomed by tourism businesses across Australia,” ATEC managing director Peter Shelley said. 

“We applaud the key initiatives nominated to help the inbound tourism sector to recover, including an increase in international media and social media influencer engagement along with support for the Australian Tourism Exchange which is our largest annual trade show,' he said.

“While tourism businesses on the frontline of recent bushfires have an immediate need for support in their recovery, our global reputation as a holiday destination has been significantly impacted and we need to act urgently to reassure visitors that Australia is open for business.

“The inbound industry has experienced millions of dollars in cancellations from intending international travellers and we are also seeing a significant decrease in forward bookings which we have estimated will reduce inbound tourism revenue by up to $4.5 billion," Mr Shelley said.

“Timing is now of the essence with key booking windows from our larger international markets closing towards the end of February, therefore engaging these markets in the short term, especially via the established tourism trade channels will be critical.

“Our united strategy needs to be strong and nuanced, clearly defined, well-resourced and expertly executed in order to balance the swirling negative perceptions of Australia which have come off the back of the bushfires.

“Australia’s tourism industry is the economic backbone of many of the regional communities impacted by the recent bushfires.  As an industry employing one in 13 Australians and an inbound sector contributing more than $44bn a year to the national economy, we can’t afford to waste any time getting our export tourism outlook back on track," he said.

“While Australians understand the extent of the bushfire damage, and have already been keen to re-engage and support the affected areas, we need to work hard to positively influence the narrative around our global reputation as a leading tourism destination.”

www.toruismdrivesgrowth.com.au

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