Session to help Gladstone city get ready for cruises

GET the party started when Carnival Australia comes to town with an information session on the future of cruise liners in Gladstone.

Gladstone Area Promotion and Development Ltd and Carnival Australia will present on the P&O Cruise Liners as part of a business leaders' luncheon.

P&O Cruises announced in August that Gladstone would be a port of call for up to 10,000 passengers a year from 2016, with ships to dock at Auckland Point.

The luncheon is presented by GAPDL in partnership with Gladstone Regional Council and Gladstone Ports Corporation.

GAPDL chief executive Glenn Churchill will give an insight on destination tourism development and regional development priority projects, while product manager Sarah Budd and director Michael Mihajlov will talk for Carnival Australia.

The luncheon will be followed by an information session with a question and answer session, giving people an opportunity to expand further on individual and business opportunities/ learnings, and any other creative discussion points to ensure we are "Region Ready".

The luncheon will be held at the Oaks Grand Gladstone on Tuesday, October 21, from 11.30am-2pm.

Source: http://www.gladstoneobserver.com.au/news/liners-on-the-horizon/2413873/

Welcome Back to Sydney Carnival Spirit

Welcome Back to Sydney Carnival Spirit

Welcome Back to Sydney Carnival Spirit

Carnival Spirit is the first Spirit-class cruise ship for Carnival Cruise Lines. She is also the first new "Fun Ship" to sail to Alaska and Hawaii. 

Eighty percent of the cabins are on the outside of the ship, and of these outside cabins, 80% have balconies. 

In January, 2012, Carnival Spirit went to dry dock and was fitted with some of the latest that cruisers want to have, including Carnival Waterworks (Waterpark at Sea), and the steepest waterslide at sea, a new creation, Green Thunder. 

Her current home port Sydney, Australia is where she then sails to New Caledonia, Fiji, Vanuatu and New Zealand

Sydney Wins Best in Show

Sydney has once again been recognised as one of the world’s best festival and event cities, taking home an award at the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) annual convention and expo held in Kansas City, USA.

“This award is a source of great pride for Sydney and demonstrates the Harbour City's position as one of the world's leading destination for tourism and events,” Destination NSW chief executive officer, Sandra Chipchase said.

“Securing major events has been a priority for Destination NSW, the Government's tourism and major events agency, as we work towards achieving our goal of doubling overnight visitor expenditure by 2020.”

The latest award marks five years in row Sydney has won at the festival, and also comes after Destination NSW had secured a string of major event investments and wins this year including the 2014 Opening Series Major League Baseball, international soccer tournaments, Hanada Opera on Sydney Harbour and the Australian premiere of the Lion King and Matilda the Musical, amongst others.

“Since Destination NSW was created, we have been focused on developing the Sydney and NSW Events Calendar as the most compelling in Australia and this award proves that we are achieving that goal,” Chipchase said.

“Sydney is Australia's global city. In the year ending June 2014, Sydney welcomed 32.5 million visitors who not only experienced the excellent events on offer but also our city's beautiful beaches, park, food and wine, galleries and museums, shopping and other great attractions.”

IFEA president, Steven Schmader said Sydney had  set as an example for “global peers to aspire to”.

Newcastle, NSW, was also named as a World Festival and Event City for the second time at expo and sits alongside Sydney as one of six cities Global Cities for Events and Festivals recognised at the 2014 awards.

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