AUSTRALIA has a proud history of horror movies, many based on its haunting landscape.But is our talent for films like Wolf Creek, Razorback and Undead chasing potential tourists away or creating “dark” drawcards?Queensland University of Technology researcher Mark David Ryan completed his doctorate looking at the growing horror movie industry in Australia.He says the rich, unique landscape of this country often serves as a major character in horror films.
IN an offer almost too good to be true, British travellers will soon be able to fly to Australia for less than the price of a guide book.In a take on the term £10 Pom, originally coined to describe British citizens who migrated to Australia after World War II, the scheme will allow Brits to travel Down Under for just STG10 ($20.42).The move to boost the tourism industry will see 150 Qantas tickets to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane or Adelaide available for anyone with a valid Working Holiday Visa.
A FORMER Queensland police officer is accused of bashing three tourists while allegedly yelling: “This is my town.”Senior constable Benjamin Thomas Price, 32, kicked and punched bleeding and handcuffed tourist Timothy Steele in Airlie Beach before jamming a fire hose into his mouth, reports the Courier Mail.The Proserpine Magistrate’s Court heard during the prolonged assault outside Airlie Beach police station in May last year, the uniformed officer bashed his victim beyond recognition.
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A VICTORIAN woman holidaying in Bali has become one of Indonesia’s first swine flu patients, prompting concerns that Australian tourists may spread the virus.Bobbie Masoner, 22, a British artist from Melbourne, tested positive for swine flu on Wednesday and remains in a Balinese hospital.Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said she was “very worried” Australians travelling to the holiday destination would circulate the virus. “We have to be more vigilant about Australian tourists so there won’t be more cases of H1N1 from Australia,” she said.
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AN ADELAIDE hotel has stunned its competitors by being rated Australia’s best by a global tourism booking website.Majestic Roof Garden Hotel at Frome St, city, is rated 24th in the world in the most applauded 1000 hotels on the Expedia Insiders’ Select list published yesterday by expedia.The list takes into account more than 160,000 travellers’ opinions, balanced with value and input from Expedia’s hotel experts.The next best Australian hotel on the list is the Sheraton on the Park, Sydney, at 38th. Meridien at Port Douglas is 65th and the Lakes Cairns Resort & Spa is 80th. Adelaide’s Hilton International is at 752nd.
AMATEUR photographers are queuing up to pay $25 each for a 2 ½-hour tour of homes destroyed in the Black Saturday bushfires, in a move that has angered Tourism Victoria.Jo-Anne Kasch has started tours of the bushfire-ravaged town of Narbethong, about 15km from Marysville.Ms Kasch has been running the bus tours for about 10 days from the Black Spur Inn where she works, charging $25 including a three-course meal.However, the tour has angered Tourism Victoria who is calling for people to boycott the tour.”We wouldn’t be encouraging people to take tours like this,” Tourism Victoria communications manager Ali Garner said.”We wouldn’t be supporting people profiting from others’ suffering and loss.”
A DEADLY brawl between bikies that rolled through a domestic terminal at Sydney Airport was unplanned, sparked by the chance encounter of rival members on a flight from Melbourne, a court has been told.Anthony Zervas, 29, was yesterday bludgeoned to death at Qantas’s T3 terminal in a brawl involving members of the Hells Angels and Comancheros bikie gangs.Four men accused of being involved faced Sydney’s Central Local Court today.
TOURISTS could soon be allowed to hunt crocodiles with the Northern Territory Government renewing a push to allow safaris to help cull the predators.The government is expected to increase the crocodile cull in the rural area, following the death of 11-year-old Briony Anne Goodsell in Lambells Lagoon, reports the Northern Territory News.Tourism Minister Chris Burns said he still supported calls for crocodile safari hunting.This has renewed calls for crocodile safaris to help with the cull.
AUSTRALIAN authorities have launched a major marketing blitz to attract tourists after a toxic spill off the popular northeast coast blackened beaches and threatened wildlife.Visitor numbers have plunged since the Hong Kong-flagged Pacific Adventurer spilled a combination of oil and ammonium nitrate fertiliser into waters off Queensland’s pristine northeast.”This campaign will very clearly say we’re back in business,” said Paul Lucas, Queensland state’s deputy premier.
Australians splurged on cruise holidays in 2008, with figures showing 26 per cent growth in the sector in spite of the global economic downturn.It comes as the number of international tourists visiting Australia fell by 131,000, dragging the overall visitor numbers down.But a record 330,949 Australian passengers took a cruise holiday last year, making it the strongest growth in five years, statistics released by the International Cruise Council reveal.
