News & Resources

The latest Thompson Okanagan tourism industry news from TOTA, tourism businesses, and communities.

 
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Australia to Ease International Border Restrictions from November

Australia’s International Borders will Reopen in November for States with 80 Percent Vaccination Rates

Australia has announced it will reopen its international borders in November for states with at least 80 percent of the population vaccinated. Commercial flights out of the country will resume for vaccinated travellers, with service to destinations including Canada and the US. In addition, fully vaccinated Australians arriving home will be able to quarantine at their house for a week, instead of paying thousands of dollars to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks.

 

Australia has announced it will reopen its international borders in November for states with at least 80 percent of the population vaccinated.

Commercial flights out of the country will resume for vaccinated travellers, with service to destinations including Canada and the US. In addition, fully vaccinated Australians arriving home will be able to quarantine at their house for a week, instead of paying thousands of dollars to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks.

 
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Destination Canada: Australia Global Tourism Watch

Destination Canada

2017 Australia Public Summary Report

Read the Full Report Here: 2017 Destination Canada Australia Public Summary Report

Key Highlights Include:

Market Potential:

  • The immediate potential market increased significantly from the previous year: 2.67 million travellers are definitely or very likely to visit Canada in the next 2 years (versus 1.95 million in 2016).

Competitive Environment:

  • Although results are consistent to 2016, Canada’s ranking on unaided consideration moved from 6th to 4th in 2017. The US remains in 1st position, followed by the UK and Japan.

  • Knowledge of Canada has improved, resulting in a move up from 12th spot in 2016 to 7th place.

Path-to-Purchase:

  • Younger travellers aged 25-34 are more likely to be actively planning a trip to Canada.

  • Canada is a top performer when it comes to converting awareness into dreaming, but only average at converting travellers further along the purchase cycle.

  • Additional focus could be placed on moving travellers from creating a vacation movie to itinerary planning, where Canada performs much weaker than the US.

Destinations: 

  • There are several significant shifts in likelihood to visit in 2017, with the Prairies, Regina, Mont Tremblant, and Fredericton trending downwards year-over-year.

  • St. John’s saw a significant increase as the most appealing destination.

Vacation Activities:

  • Natural attractions, Northern lights, cruises, historical sites, and local food and drink are the top trip anchor activities Australian travellers.

  • Popular activities that Canada could better promote to Australian travellers: historical sites, Northern lights, food and drink festivals, breweries/wineries, exploring places most tourists won’t go, fall colours, and spring blossoms.

Barriers:

  • Cost remains the key barrier to visiting Canada, followed by distance to travel.

  • Concerns about safety and delays/hassles at airports and borders are up significantly in 2017.

  • For younger travellers aged 25-34, concerns about lack of vacation time and language barriers are higher.

  • Older travellers 55+, have fewer barriers to visiting and are most likely to say nothing will prevent them from travelling to Canada.

For more research information by TOTA, Visit us online at: https://totabc.org/research/

For more research information by Destination Canada, Visit: https://www.destinationcanada.com/en/research

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