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Tag: Melbourne

  • Asia-Pacific’s Travel Industry Could Be the First to Recover by 2023

    Asia-Pacific’s Travel Industry Could Be the First to Recover by 2023

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    The recently released ‘Travel & Tourism Economic Impact’ report indicates the travel industry in Asia-Pacific may be the only one worldwide to recover by 2023.

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    Nov 2, 2022 08:00 AEDT


    MELBOURNE, Australia, November 2, 2022 (Newswire.com)
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    According to Inspiring Vacations, provider of exciting worldwide experiences including tours to Alaska, Scandinavia tours and everywhere in between, the pace of recovery for the tourism industry has been strong, as more places reduce or remove travel restrictions and the demand pent up during the pandemic is released.

    Inspiring Vacations explains that certain factors pose a risk to the recovery of the travel industry around the world including rising inflation, high energy prices, labour shortages at airports and lockdowns in China.

    Despite these concerns, the annual report produced by London-based World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) shows that Asia-Pacific is expected to recover at an incredibly strong pace. The report highlighted that tourism revenue dropped in the Asia-Pacific by 59% in 2020, which was more than anywhere else in the world.

    The Alaska tours operator explains that in 2021, with most countries in the region maintaining strong border restrictions, recovery to the travel industry was muted. The WTTC report showed revenue from tourism in Asia-Pacific contributed only 16% to regional gross domestic product while in Europe that figure was 28% and 23% in North America.

    This year, however, the WTTC report indicates that Asia-Pacific travel revenue is expected to contribute 71% to the overall economy. Inspiring Vacations says travel in the region is skyrocketing, with restrictions eased or removed in most countries.

    The WTTC report expects Asia-Pacific’s travel industry to continue to gain traction with positive growth forecast in 2023 and 2024. It estimates that by 2025, travel revenue will contribute 32% more to the region’s GDP than pre-pandemic levels.

    In more exciting news for the industry, the WTTC report predicts that 126 million new jobs will be added in the next decade, with 65% of the new jobs expected to be in Asia-Pacific.

    A proudly Australian owned and operarted company, Inspiring Vacations offers tours to suit everyone at unbeatable, value for money prices. To discover more about exciting worldwide experiences including guided tours of Alaska and tours to Scandinavia, get in touch with Inspiring Vacations.

    Source: Inspiring Vacations

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  • Experts Explain the Importance of International Travel Insurance

    Experts Explain the Importance of International Travel Insurance

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    Travel insurance can save travellers from potential headaches as well as protecting them from having to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars from their own wallet.

    Press Release
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    Oct 31, 2022 11:58 AEDT


    MELBOURNE, Australia, October 31, 2022 (Newswire.com)
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    According to travel industry experts, Inspiring Vacations, who offers outstanding experiences around the world including tours to Egypt and tours of Cape York, whether travellers are in the research phase of planning a trip or they’ve already booked, now is the time to ensure they are covered. Here they share why it’s critical to invest in travel insurance.

    As Inspiring Vacations explains, the cost of travel insurance varies based on the destination, duration of the trip and the traveller’s personal characteristics such as age and the kind of cover they would like. Essentially, the cost of travel insurance is calculated based on the amount of risk to the insurer. While some travellers may not deem it necessary, Inspiring Vacations says the potential loss from a cancelled trip, delay or emergency is likely to be greater. 

    Insurance for international trips such as Egypt tours tends to be pricier than domestic travel such as tours to Cape York and insurance for each country or region attracts different levels of risk determined by insurance companies. 

    Travel insurance can help cover emergency medical treatments, which is especially relevant for those with any pre existing medical conditions or those planning to travel for a significant amount of time. Some insurers won’t cover pre existing medical conditions while others will increase the premiums to compensate for the risk.

    Inspiring Vacations explains that even if a country has nationalised health care, non citizens may not be covered and those without travel insurance can be stuck paying hefty medical bills out of pocket. 

    Trip cancellation is included in many comprehensive travel insurance plans, with the potential for travellers to claim up to a 100% reimbursement for a pre paid trip. Inspiring Vacations says there are many reasons a trip may need to be cancelled such as unexpected injury or illness or another situation out of the traveller’s control. As with any type of insurance policy, Inspiring Vacations recommends travellers carefully review the acceptable reasons for a trip cancellation approved by the insurance provider.

    To discover the great range of experiences on offer such as Cape York tours and the best guided tours Egypt wide, get in touch with Inspiring Vacations.

    Source: Inspiring Vacations

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  • As Politics Take A Back Seat Momentarily, The Rare India-Pakistan Match Will Stop The Cricket World

    As Politics Take A Back Seat Momentarily, The Rare India-Pakistan Match Will Stop The Cricket World

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    Indicative of the magnetic power of bitter rivals India and Pakistan, rare contests which provide a spell on the entire cricket world, especially their legions of obsessive fans, predicting Melbourne’s temperamental weather has become something of a pastime in recent days.

    The forecast for the T20 World Cup blockbuster days out looked dire for the packed clash on Sunday at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, expected to attract more than 92,000 fans, a figure that is only bettered by Grand Finals in the Australian Football League – the indigenous ‘footy’ code being the most popular sport Down Under.

    Prognosticating Melbourne’s weather is almost pointless. Anyone who has been there can attest that with Victoria’s capital renowned for having four seasons in one day and, fortunately, perhaps willed by the hopes of the entire cricket world, the forecast has improved dramatically and on match eve there appears little prospect of inclement conditions.

    The International Cricket Council, most notably, will be breathing a sigh of relief with Australian newspaper The Daily Telegraph reporting that refunds would have cost the governing body several millions if it was a washout. Wild weather lashed the east coast of Australia last week although the tournament’s opening week in Geelong and Hobart was mostly unaffected.

    Fans too will be overjoyed with India and Pakistan rarely playing each other in cricket—a sport that is almost a religion across a region of about 1.6 billion people – due to political differences with India’s government not allowing its national cricket team to play their arch-nemesis in bilaterals.

    Even though it is a travesty that they don’t play each other in Tests, the last being 15 years ago, the scarcity does add to the anticipation with massive television numbers guaranteed every time they do meet.

    The foes produced the highest watched match of the men’s World Cup in 2019 with a worldwide television audience of 273 million and more than 50 million digital-only viewers, according to the ICC.

    It is not hyperbolic to state that it will be the most watched sports event in the world this weekend.

    And it will be the third match between them in the past couple of months with the teams splitting five-wicket victories at the Asia Cup. But politics continue to fester in the backdrop, interfering this wonderful rivalry, underlined by BCCI secretary Jay Shah, probably the most influential figure in cricket who doubles as the Asian Cricket Council president, publicly stating that next year’s Asia Cup will have to be shifted away from Pakistan.

    The final decision is expected from India’s home ministry although India’s sports minister Anurag Thakur said he is “expecting” Pakistan to play the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.

    After a long period as vagabonds, unable to play at home most of last decade due to security concerns, Pakistan have returned home and even hosted previously reticent Australia and England this year. Enticing India, however, looms as an entirely different challenge.

    Attempting to thaw relations, Pakistan Cricket Board boss Ramiz Raja, the charismatic former captain then turned popular broadcaster, has tried to pursue more cordial relations with his counterparts since taking the reins just over 12 months ago.

    He has proposed more matches between Pakistan and India through triangular and quadrangular One-Day International series although they haven’t gotten off the ground just yet.

    “We saw the world stop when India and Pakistan played at the Asia Cup,” Raja recently told me. ”We have that power at the Asian level to organize more Asia Cups which would see more matches between India and Pakistan. It’s an iconic rivalry, the people want it. The more the merrier.”

    Unlike his predecessor Ehsan Mani, a former ICC president, who recently told me that India shouldn’t have the lion share of the ICC’s revenue funding, Raja has been much more diplomatic.

    In the ICC’s current cycle surplus from 2015-2023, according to documents seen, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) receive $371 million well ahead of England ($127 million) while seven Full Members, including Pakistan, are allocated $117 million.

    “I’m happy for India to take the most because they make almost all of what is in the ICC’s coffers,” Raja said.

    The teams themselves have seemingly gotten on well with each other, playing with smiles and sportsmanship, which should act as a unifying tool, something that political and cricket leaders from both countries would be wise to take heed of.

    But with all eyes watching, fueled by massive stakes in the T20 World Cup opener for both teams, the MCG will be a cauldron amid an electric atmosphere crammed with probably the two most passionate fan bases in cricket.

    If the rain stays away.

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    Tristan Lavalette, Contributor

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  • T20 World Cup: India vs Pakistan on Sunday; When and where to watch

    T20 World Cup: India vs Pakistan on Sunday; When and where to watch

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    The much-awaited clash between India and Pakistan in T20 World Cup is scheduled for Sunday, October 23.  The live streaming of the match, which will be played on Australia’s Melbourne Cricket Ground, will begin at 1:30 pm IST. Cricket fans can catch up live-streaming on Disney+Hotstar, Star Sports, and DTH channels.

    How to watch T20 World Cup: India vs Pakistan online

    To watch online, viewers will have to choose a subscription plan on Disney+Hotstar. Through the app, cricket fans can watch live updates on smartphones, PCs, etc.  

    However, weather can play a spoilsport as there is a high chance of rain on the day. As per the local Met department, there is an 80 to 90 percent chance of rainfall, the volume of which could be between 1mm to 5 mm. The department has also predicted thunderstorms.

    This will not be the first time that an India versus Pakistan T20 World Cup match gets threatened by rain. In 2016, while playing at Eden Gardens, the two neighbouring teams were bothered by the sharp spell of evening showers and puddles of water in the outfield.

    Indian Team Squad for T20 World Cup

    Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar

    Pakistan Team Squad for T20 World Cup

    Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi
     

    Also read: Snake spotted on field during India vs South Africa T20 match

    Also read: Delhi Metro extends last train timings for India-South Africa 3rd ODI match today; check revised schedule

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  • HeadBox Products Are Helping Melbourne Venues Maximise Bookings Ahead of the Christmas Period

    HeadBox Products Are Helping Melbourne Venues Maximise Bookings Ahead of the Christmas Period

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    With the busy Christmas period around the corner, HeadBox is making the connection between bookers and venues as seamless as possible.

    Press Release
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    Oct 17, 2022


    MELBOURNE, Australia, October 17, 2022 (Newswire.com)
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    According to Australia’s fastest-growing event tech company, HeadBox, demand for Christmas enquiries with function venues Melbourne-wide has been building over the past few months. In the last two months, HeadBox has seen over $1.2 million worth of Melbourne-based leads come through the platform, with 1,000 messages sent by venues as they prepare for their busiest season.

    Designed to streamline the booking process for both bookers and venues, HeadBox products such as Lead Feed and 3D tours are supporting venues to fill up their end-of-year event schedules, maximising revenue for the year.

    HeadBox says it has seen an uptick in party venues Melbourne wide locking in 3D models as a unique sales tool. Designed to increase digital engagement and secure more revenue for venues, HeadBox 3D virtual venue tours allow for bookings to be made for Christmas parties, without venues and bookers having to conduct multiple site visits, saving time and money.

    With the Christmas period being a prime time for venues to maximise revenue, HeadBox says using the 3D tool will help them stand out against the competition. A multi-dimensional sales and marketing tool that utilises dolls house 3D technology, HeadBox reports that their 3D tool delivers a 2.4% increase in mailer click-through rates as well as 35% more qualified enquiries and a 300% increase in dwell time. Venues with 3D tours see an average of 48% more digital engagement on their listings.

    In addition to 3D tours, HeadBox’s Lead Feed also gives venues a chance to maximise bookings in a proactive way. Instead of waiting for the right enquiries to come to them, HeadBox explains that Lead Feed enables venues to reach out to leads, putting the power back in their hands. 

    Lead Feed offers clever filtering options, allowing function rooms Melbourne-wide to save time and only interact with opportunities that work for them. With instant notifications about new leads, venues can stay ahead of the competition by being the first to respond to fresh leads and increase their chances of securing the booking. 

    To learn more about 3D venue tours and Lead Feed, contact HeadBox today.

    Source: HeadBox AU

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  • Homes inundated by swollen rivers in Australian floods

    Homes inundated by swollen rivers in Australian floods

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    CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Homes were flooded in Melbourne and other cities in Australia’s southeast on Friday with rivers forecast to remain dangerously high for days.

    About 70 residents were told to leave the suburb of Maribyrnong in Melbourne’s northwest, along with hundreds in the Victoria state cities of Benalla and Wedderburn, authorities said. Melbourne is Australia’s second-most populous city with 5 million people.

    About 500 homes in Victoria were flooded and another 500 had been isolated by floodwater, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said. Those numbers would increase, he said.

    Most of the state was experiencing a “very, very, significant rainfall event and it comes, of course, with the ground completely sodden,” Andrews said.

    “The real challenge now is we’ve got another rain event next week and the Bureau (of Meteorology) forecasting more rain throughout the next six-to-eight week period and it won’t take a lot of additional water for there to be further flood events,” Andrews added. “So this has only just started and it’s going to be with us for a while.”

    Andrews said 4,700 homes were without power, more than the 3,500 that Victoria State Emergency Service had reported earlier on Friday.

    The Bureau of Meteorology said major-to-record flooding was occurring or was forecast to occur on many rivers in Victoria and the island state of Tasmania to the south.

    North of Victoria, moderate-to-major flooding was occurring along several rivers in inland New South Wales state, the bureau said.

    A 63-year-old man was reported missing in floodwater in New South Wales on Tuesday and a person was reported missing in central Victoria on Friday, officials said. No details of the person missing from the Victorian town of Newbridge have been released.

    Police on Tuesday found the body of a 46-year-old man in his submerged car in floodwater near the New South Wales city of Bathurst, west of Sydney, a day after he died.

    The State Emergency Service said it had carried out 108 flood rescues in Victoria in the past 48 hours.

    State Emergency Service commander Josh Gamble said complacency was the main reason for people getting into trouble.

    “That is quite significant and we haven’t had that many flood rescues for quite some time, for some years in fact,” Gamble said.

    “Many of these people are putting their own lives at risk, their own children in some circumstances, but more importantly, other community members and responders and that’s in all parts of the state not just metropolitan areas,” Gamble added.

    Evacuation orders were also in place for the town of Rochester on the Campaspe River, north of Melbourne, and the central Victorian towns of Carisbrook and Seymour on the Goulburn River.

    In New South Wales, 550 people have been isolated or evacuated from the town of Forbes as the Lachlan River flooded, authorities said.

    South of Forbes, parts of the city of Wagga Wagga were evacuated due to the Murrumbidgee River breaking its banks.

    “Fortunately, the Murrumbidgee River peaked on Thursday and we’re starting to see the floodwaters decline in those areas,” New South Wales State Emergency Service official Andrew Edmunds said.

    In Tasmania, north coast residents were moving to higher ground with river levels forecast to rise and the major port of Devonport was closed on Friday due to flooding of the Mersey River.

    The bureau said flood peaks on the Meander and Macquarie rivers in Tasmania were likely to be the highest on record.

    The North Esk and Mersey rivers may peak around the same levels as they did during major floods in 2016, when three people drowned, the bureau said.

    The bureau last month declared that a La Niña weather pattern, which is associated with above-average rainfall in eastern Australia, was underway in the Pacific.

    The bureau forecast that the La Niña event may peak during the current Southern Hemisphere spring and return to neutral conditions early next year.

    La Niña is the cooler flip side of the better-known drying El Niño pattern. La Niña occurs when equatorial trade winds become stronger, changing ocean surface currents and drawing up cooler deep water.

    It is the third La Niña since 2019 became Australia’s hottest and driest year on record.

    That year came to a catastrophic conclusion with wildfires fueled by drought that directly or indirectly killed more than 400 people, destroyed more than 3,000 homes and razed 19 million hectares (47 million acres) of woods, farmland and city fringes.

    Sydney, New South Wales’ capital and Australia’s largest city, last week beat its 1950 record to make 2022 its wettest-ever year.

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  • Flood warnings as southeast Australia lashed by heavy rain

    Flood warnings as southeast Australia lashed by heavy rain

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    CANBERRA, Australia — Flood warnings were issued, hundreds of homes were evacuated, thousands more lost power and a man was missing as heavy rain lashed southeast Australia on Thursday.

    Rivers across Australia’s most populous states, New South Wales and Victoria, and the island state of Tasmania were rising dangerously with catchments soaked by months of above-average rainfall.

    Around 250 homes in the New South Wales city of Forbes, west of Sydney, were ordered to be evacuated by Thursday night ahead of major flooding.

    The State Emergency Service issued an order for 17 streets including the central downtown precinct to be evacuated by 8 p.m., (0900 GMT) with the Lachlan River expected to reach a major flood peak of 10.6 meters (34 feet, 9 inches) by Friday.

    Police said a 63-year-old man was last seen on Tuesday on a rural property on the Lachlan River near the New South Wales town of Hillston, west of Sydney. He was reported missing hours later but emergency crews have failed to find any sign of him.

    Police on Tuesday found the body of a 46-year-old man in his submerged car in floodwater near the city of Bathurst, west of Sydney.

    To the south in Victoria, emergency crews rescued at least 23 people driving through floodwaters in rural areas after heavy overnight rain, officials said.

    Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews urged people not to drive or walk into floodwaters.

    “It’s very dangerous for you, and it’s also very dangerous for the person who has to come to rescue you,” Andrews said.

    State Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said the heavy rain would reach metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria’s capital and Australia’s most populous city after Sydney, late Thursday.

    Officials have been door-knocking along the Maribyrnong River in inner-Melbourne to ensure residents were ready to evacuate if necessary.

    “We will see significant rainfall across the metropolitan area and … see potential for flash flooding,” Crisp said.

    Sarah-Jane Gill, a manager at the Rochester Riverside Holiday Park in the town of Rochester, north of Melbourne, said she had evacuated guests on Thursday as the Campaspe River rose.

    “It is scary. You laugh in the face of it all, but we’re very nervous,” Gill said.

    The Bureau of Meteorology has issued major flood warnings for the Campaspe and another four Victorian waterways.

    The Campaspe’s peak at Rochester on Friday could exceed a record 9.12 meters (29 feet, 11 inches) set in 2011. That could flood 250 Rochester homes above the floorboards and isolate another 700 homes, the State Emergency Service said.

    Nearly 10,000 homes in Victoria were without power overnight, with hundreds yet to be restored, said the State Control Center, which manages Victoria’s emergencies, and electricity distributor Powercor.

    In the northern Tasmanian town of Railton, 90 homes were threatened by floodwaters after overnight rain.

    The State Emergency Service issued an emergency warning for Railton, urging residents to prepare to evacuate.

    The state’s northern half was on high alert for flash flooding, with heavy rain forecast to continue into Friday morning.

    State Emergency Service director Leon Smith said flood peaks in northern Tasmania might reach levels last experienced in 2016 when three people drowned.

    “It is a very dynamic situation that we’re monitoring, but inevitably we will see flooding that will have significant consequences,” Smith said.

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  • Top Private School in Melbourne Says ‘Cognitive Flexibility’ Key to Learning and Creativity

    Top Private School in Melbourne Says ‘Cognitive Flexibility’ Key to Learning and Creativity

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    Cognitive flexibility allows people to switch gears and find new approaches to solve problems and its importance extends well beyond the classroom.

    Press Release
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    updated: Aug 19, 2021


    MELBOURNE, Australia, August 19, 2021 (Newswire.com)
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    Originally coined by scientists in the 1960s, ‘cognitive flexibility’ is about being flexible in the way someone learns. In essence, it is the ability to adapt behaviours and thinking in response to the environment. Regarded as one of the best private schools Melbourne wide, Haileybury says flexible thinking is the key to creativity and supports academic work and skills such as problem solving.

    According to Haileybury, cognitive flexibility is a skill which enables people to switch between different concepts or adapt behaviour to achieve goals in a rational way. Unlike working memory, it is largely independent of IQ. While IQ is often hailed as a crucial driver of success, particularly in fields such as science, innovation and technology, creativity is also an important quality for accomplishment in these areas.

    Haileybury explains that several factors challenge cognitive flexibility, including confirmation bias, in which people shape the information given to them to match their view or seek out information they agree with. Information bottleneck can also be an issue, where people can’t look clearly at the information in front of them because there is too much to process. Additionally, for many people, following the same steps and making the same decisions as in the past because they are familiar and comfortable is a challenge to cognitive flexibility.

    Students who exhibit strength in cognitive flexibility can handle transitions easily, shifting between subjects and tasks in stride. Haileybury says these students often have success in tasks that require them to apply learning in one area to problem solving in another context.

    Deemed the best private school Melbourne wide, Haileybury says the good news is that students can be trained in cognitive flexibility. Common strategies for enhancing cognitive flexibility resembles strategies for boosting divergent thinking, creativity and openness. To think flexibly, people must be able to draw from multiple reserves of knowledge and memory to engage with a task or problem.

    In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, students have been forced to adapt their daily living, learn school lessons in a new way and socialise differently. According to Haileybury, this is training them in cognitive flexibility and helps students build higher resilience to negative events in the future.

    As the top private school Melbourne wide, Haileybury says teaching students cognitive flexibility is essential to help them maximise their potential and also for society to flourish in the future.

    Source: Haileybury

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