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Tourism bosses in Australia are hoping the ‘Oprah Effect’ will help to revitalise the industry.

Oprah Winfrey is there with her entourage to record some shows in front of the iconic Sydney Opera House. As well as presenting Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure, the queen of US TV will also be flown around the country to do a series of travelogues.

Tourism Australia’s Managing Director, Andrew McEvoy, told the federal senate recently that Oprah’s core audience demographic of middle-income women aged 25-54 was right at the heart of the people that Australia wanted to influence. “They are the decision makers in travel and tourism,” he said.

Justin Wastnage, a writer on Travel Weekly, says visitor interest in Australia is high in the United States, frequently topping wish-list destinations, yet successive advertising campaigns have failed to shift Americans from thinkers to doers.

The advertising guru Todd Sampson reckons Winfrey to be the most effective brand endorser in the world, but Mr McEvoy sounded a warning that she was not the ‘silver bullet’ for Australian tourism. “The quality and appeal of the Australian product and people’s ability to fly here easily and affordably will determine success in the next decade,” he said.

by Andy Moreton

Australia is one of the ‘must-see’ places in the world, and Luxique has a selection of luxury hotels in Sydney and all the other major cities.

A campaign has begun to try to prevent British tourists from getting into difficulties in the strong surf on Australian beaches. There have been a growing number of incidents in recent years – some fatal.

The British Consulate in Sydney has joined with Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) to create a series of advertisements warning travellers about the dangers. These hazards include strong rip tides, large waves, wayward surfboards and ‘things that sting’. The ads will be shown on flights to Australia from Britain during the busy tourist season from November to April.

Alcohol is often a factor. Anthony Bradstreet, the public safety education co-ordinator at SLSA said the main message to British visitors was ‘don’t drink and drown’. “You do lose a lot of swimming ability if you have been drinking – you can get quite disorientated,” he said.

Mr Bradstreet stressed that it was also important to remember that holidaymakers should swim between the red and yellow flags, where lifeguards watched the water. “If we can’t see you, we can’t save you.”

by Andy Moreton

If you’re planning a visit to Australia’s most vibrant city, check out Luxique’s selection of luxury hotels in Sydney.

The organisation representing flight attendants in Australia wants airlines to stop portraying female cabin crew as sex objects in advertising campaigns.

The Flight Attendants’ Association of Australia singled out a recent advertisement for a Russian regional airline, Avianova, which it said was ‘demeaning’. It features four ‘stewardesses’ stripping to bikinis before suggestively washing and hosing down one of the aircraft. (Inevitably, the advert attracted more than 200,000 views on YouTube in just a fortnight.)

Speaking to The Australian newspaper, union official Jo Ann Davidson commented: “Such suggestive advertising … sends wrong messages and puts cabin crew at risk of sexual harassment and abuse.”

“It’s a sad reflection of the attitude of the airlines’ executives – dare I say more than likely middle-aged males – towards cabin crew, in particular female cabin crew, by portraying them in such a demeaning, distasteful and irrelevant manner,” added Ms Davidson.

Virgin Atlantic’s 25th anniversary campaign, featuring passengers ogling glamorous female flight attendants as they walked through an airport, has also prompted complaints of sexism.

by Andy Moreton

A French exotic dancer has caused outrage in Australia by performing a strip show on one of the country’s most famous tourist attractions, Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock.

Alizee Sery put on the show for a friend with a video camera. The video – which was posted on YouTube – shows her climbing the red sandstone monolith in conventional dress and then stripping at the top to a white bikini, white high-heeled boots and a bushman’s hat.

The 1,142ft high rock is sacred to Australia’s Aborigines, who have asked tourists to respect its significance and not even to climb it. What Miss Sery had done, said one, was the equivalent of someone defecating on the steps of the Vatican.

Ms Sery insisted that she hadn’t meant to offend anyone – it was more of a tribute to the greatness of the rock. “What we need to remember is that traditionally, the Aboriginal people were living naked. So stripping down was a return to what it was like. After such a hard climb, when you reach the top, the view and the magic of the place gives you an amazing feeling of peace and freedom. You want to sing, dance –and strip.”

This explanation didn’t cut much ice with the Central Land Council, which represents the traditional owners of Uluru. The Director, David Ross, said Ms Sery should be deported.

by Andy Moreton

Luxique offers a range of luxury hotels in Sydney, Melbourne and many other parts of Australia.

When Australia launches a push for the tourist dollar, the campaign is nearly always controversial.

‘Where the bloody hell are you?’ in 2006, for instance, proved a complete failure and was withdrawn. The UK advertising authority, for one, didn’t care for the use of the world ‘bloody’, and the Japanese didn’t understand it.

The slogan this year seems altogether less in-your-face: ‘There is nothing like Australia’. The promotion, aimed at recapturing flagging tourist revenues, will be rolled out in two stages with an Internet campaign followed by adverts for TV and cinemas.

Gone are the bikini-clad models and high-profile actors of campaigns past, replaced by ‘everyday’ Australians who’ve been invited to become part of the brand by competing to submit photographs and descriptions of their favourite local destinations.

“We have to have a strategy that survives … we actually think this has some longevity,” said Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson.

Unfortunately, the campaign was immediately hi-jacked. A spoof website used the slogan alongside some unsavoury images from Australia’s recent past.

by Andy Moreton

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I’ve just got back from a short visit to Melbourne, Australia and return to a subject I touched on more than two years ago – trams.

In a modern city fizzing with fashion, great nightlife and elegant dining, you’d think trams would stand out as a bit passé. Not a bit of it – they’re part of the fabric of Melbourne, providing a convenient and environmentally friendly way to get around. And one route – the City Circle tram – is free, dropping you off close to various visitor attractions.

I loved Melbourne – it has everything you’d expect from a major city, plus a beach area (St Kilda) only a tram ride away. The Eureka Skydeck provides the best views of the city, the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) tour is a must if you’re a cricket fan, and the best free attraction in my opinion is the Royal Botanic Gardens – a glorious place to spend some leisure time.

My only regret is that I was too early for three major events in the city: the International Flower and Garden Show (March 24–28), the International Comedy Festival (March 24–April 18) and, of course, the Formula 1 Grand Prix (March 28).

by Andy Moreton

If you’re thinking of heading Down Under, Luxique offers six luxury hotels in Melbourne, all with their own special features.

For the fifth year in a row, France has topped a list of the best places in the world to live.

International Living magazine’s 30th Quality of Life Index surveyed almost 200 countries across nine categories, including cost of living, culture/leisure, environment, and safety/risk.

“In France, life is savoured,” said International Living publisher, Jackie Flynn. “I don’t think anyone would disagree that France is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, where there is so much pride in all the small details. The French love little window boxes filled with flowers, tidy gardens, pretty sidewalk cafes and clean streets.”

International Living paid particular attention to provincial France, praising the affordability and services outside Paris, especially for retired people and their families.

Australia jumped up the rankings from fifth to second place on the strength of its economic recovery, while the US dropped from third to seventh. International Living claimed that sustaining the ‘American Dream’ had escalated out of the reach of many.

Top Ten
1. France
2. Australia
3. Switzerland
4. Germany
5. New Zealand
6. Luxembourg
7. United States
8. Belgium
9. Canada
10. Italy

The UK’s position? A lowly 25th behind the Czech Republic and Lithuania.

by Andy Moreton

Luxique can help you book some of the finest luxury hotels in Paris and in many other areas of beautiful France.

I suppose we’ve all been guilty of lifting some little thing from our hotel room – a pen, a pair of slippers, the copy of Vogue stamped ‘do not remove’ …

But according to the Australian Hotel Association (AHA), millions of dollars are lost in the industry every year because of theft. Little items like the above are overlooked, but it seems that some guests are tempted to take everything that is, or isn’t, nailed down.

In Australia, that’s included a toilet flushing mechanism, a TV set with base, and a giant metal statue of a kangaroo.

They’re apparently known in the business as ‘five-fingered discounts’. Men and women are equally guilty, although obviously their needs differ. Women are more likely to pouch designer toiletries and towels. Men are tempted by bottle openers, shoe shine kits, glasses and items from the mini bar.

Inappropriate souvenir-taking can mean hefty fines and even jail. “Major international hotels within Australia do not turn a blind eye to anything that is unlawfully taken from hotel rooms,” says the AHA. “Most, if not all, have a zero tolerance policy on this issue.”

by Andy Moreton

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The Australians are to try a new strategy for keeping beachgoers safe from shark attacks off Sydney in the forthcoming summer months.

They’re going to try helicopter patrols during weekends and public holidays in December and January when the waters off Sydney are at their most crowded.

The trial will take in the 51 beaches between Newcastle to the north and Wollongong to the south, including the popular Manly and Bondi beaches, which are already protected by shark nets.

The New South Wales minister responsible, Ian MacDonald, said nets and common sense were still the best way to avoid a shark attack, but the government had a duty to do all it could to protect bathers.

Three people have been attacked by sharks off Sydney this year, although Mr MacDonald observed:

“You’re more likely to be killed driving to the beach than being taken by a shark.”

Marine experts say that environmental protection of Sydney’s beaches and harbour has created a cleaner sea, but is also attracting sharks closer to shore as they chase fish.

by Andy Moreton

If you’re planning a visit to Australia’s most vibrant city, check out Luxique’s selection of luxury hotels in Sydney.

One of the most famous tourist attractions in the world – the Sydney Harbour Bridge – was turned into a giant picnic area last weekend.

Six thousand people, who’d won their places in a lottery, settled down to enjoy breakfast on the bridge, which had special turf laid on it for the occasion. The 100,000 drivers who normally use the eight-lane bridge every day had to make alternative arrangements.

The picnic was part of a month-long festival of food, art, comedy and outdoor living and it might now become an annual event.

A government spokesman said: “I don’t think we were ever doubtful of the success of this event today. It was a unique world first for this iconic attraction. This type of event typifies the Australian personality.”

by Andy Moreton

The Harbour Bridge, the Opera House … there’s so much to see in Australia’s liveliest city and Luxique has a varied selection of the finest luxury hotels in Sydney.