Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Marine Travel Trade is a newsletter for the adventure travel agents and the marine tourism industry. With the latest news, product udpates, staff appointments and business profiles. A Pacific Marinelife Institute publication.
Citation preview
Pacific Marinelife Institute launched a
new design for its Seastar Marine
Tourism Rating in April 2011. The new
simplified rating‟s logo retains the marine
theme with the recognisable seastar and
is designed to be more easily interpreted
by the travelling public, as well as still
strongly associate the marine adventure
certification program with the Institute.
Available exclusively to members of the
Institute‟s Adventure Network, Seastar
Marine Tourism Ratings allow travellers
and agents to easily recognise the
quality of a marine tourism adventure, as
well as be confident that operators who
display the Seastar are actively involved
in conservation programs and offsetting
their eco footprint.
At the same time as launching the new
Seastar Rating brand, the Institute rolled
out a revised Standards and audit
system for the program, that aimed to
retain the high quality of product in the
program, but make it easier for the
Member Operators to comply with the
audit and minimum standard
requirements.
“We listened to the concerns of many
operators that the time taken to meet the
compliance requirements of the many
certification programs was becoming
harder to justify”, Institute Director David
Joyce said when launching the revised
program. “Our aim has always been to
make it easy for the travelling public to
identify the quality of different marine
tourism products, improve the standards
within the industry and encourage tour
operators to play an active role in marine
conservation and research”.
Seastar Rated businesses are required
to comply with 7 Essential Standards,
play an active role in Pacific Marinelife
Institute research and conservation
programs, offset a percentage of their
eco footprint and allow travellers to be
part of marine ecosystem protection.
Seastar Marine Tourism Rating is
awarded in 18 different categories that
include Sport Fishing Adventure, Whale
Adventure and Dive Expedition.
MarineTravel TRADE May 2011. Marine Travel Trade. A Pacific Marinelife Institute Publication. Explore and Protect.
Seastar Rating Logo Updated Adventures on show at Sanctuary Cove
The 23rd Sanctuary Cove International
Boat Show is on this month from the
19th - 22nd. Not only is it a showcase of
boats and marine equipment, many
marine adventures display during the
show. Read more on page 3.
Medallions for marine adventure crew
Marine adventure crews around the
Pacific, including Australia can now
apply for a Pacific Marinelife Institute
Marine Crew Medallion. The crew
medallions are designed to recognise
the experience of each crew member
and when be used in the marketing
materials of the operator, make it easier
for agents to determine the quality of
crew. Read more on page 4.
2011 O2G Challenge Oceans 2 Green Program will launch its
2011 O2G Challenge in May. Marine
adventure operators, travel agents and
service providers can take up the O2G
challenge to offset 20 percent of their
eco footprint in 2011. Oceans 2 Green
allows businesses to offset their carbon
emissions, as well as diving, fishing and
vessel impacts; through a series of
rehabilitation programs. More on page 5.
LATEST PRODUCT NEWS FOR THE MARINE TOURISM INDUSTRY AND ADVENTURE TRAVEL AGENTS
Finance solutions for your new location.
Finance solutions for Business I Equipment I Marine I Motor Vehicle I Home Phone Dale Joyce on 0407 738 644. ASIC Lic. 385211
The Challenge is coming. June 2011. Making fishing adventures even more rewarding.
A Pacific Marinelife Institute Event
Oceania Sportfish Trophy
Sanctuary Cove on Queensland‟s Gold
Coast is home to one of the best marine
lifestyle showcases in the southern
hemisphere from May 19 – 22, 2011.
Amongst the millions of dollars of small
and luxury boats, it is also the prefect
place to showcase some of the region‟s
marine adventures. For travel agents
and businesses who operator away
from the „agency hubs‟ of the capital
cities or in remote locations, it is also
the prefect place to do business.
Travel agents living in Brisbane, Gold
Coast or Sydney can take advantage of
meeting some of the operators and in
many cases stepping on board their
vessels or ones, very similar to those
used by these charter and expedition
companies.
Displaying at this year‟s Sanctuary
Cove International Boat Show is The
Great Escape Charter Company that
operates a boutique expedition boat in
the Kimberley's in Western Australia.
Also on show is a number of the charter
yacht companies including Whitsunday
Escape, Cumberland Yacht Charters,
Charter Yachts Australia, Queensland
Yacht Charters (Whitsundays) and
Whitsunday Rent - A - Yacht. Tourism
Tasmania is also showcasing some its
marine adventure wonders.
Sanctuary Cove International Boat
Show is open 9am - 5pm Thursday 19th
– Sunday 22nd May. Online ticket
prices start at $A22 one day adult;
$A40 two-day adult; children 14 years
and under have free entry. For details:
www.sanctuarycoveboatshow.com.au
Publishing Editor: David Joyce, P: 0412761016, E: [email protected]. Marine Travel Trade is published monthly by the Pacific Marinelife Institute P/L. ABN 12 009 767. 68/88 Cotlew Street, Southport, Queensland, Australia 4215. All mail to: PO Box 721 Southport QLD 4215. Web: www.marinelifetraveller.blogspot.com. Email: [email protected]
New voices for marine tourism adventures
Our Pacific Region has certainly taken
hits during an eventful first four months of
2011. Many favourite tourism destinations
and tour operators are struggling. So we
thought it timely to launch Marine Travel
Trade News.
Marine Travel Trade will focus on the
latest news, product developments and
specials from the marine tourism industry
and help improve knowledge within
domestic and international travel agents
about this diverse and sometimes
specialised adventure industry .
Marine Travel Trade will also keep agents
up to date with the latest news from the
Institute‟s very own expedition products,
volunteer programs and certification
schemes. And while trade is the focus of
this monthly publication, Pacific Marinelife
Institute is also launching in June a new
digital magazine targeting consumers
called - Marinelife Traveller.
Right along Australia‟s East Coast and
east into the Pacific, tourism is trying to
recover. We hope these new voices for
an industry that is vital to each and every
economy and environment, go someway
to helping promote that we are open for
business and ready to welcome.
David Joyce
Publishing Editor
Pacific Marinelife Institute
Adventures on show at Sanctuary Cove International Boast Show
EDITOR‟S VIEW + NEWS
Marine Travel Trade I Page 3
News. Appointments. Product Updates. It is all in MarineTravelTrade. Do not miss an issue.
Ph
oto
s:
Sa
nctu
ary
Co
ve
In
tern
ation
al B
oa
t S
ho
w
NEWS
Page 4 I Marine Travel Trade
New Green Island GM The Quicksilver Group has announced
the appointment of Sue O‟Donnell as
Green Island Resort‟s new General
Manager. Green Island Resort is a
beautiful 46 room eco-sensitive resort
located 45 minutes from Cairns on the
Great Barrier Reef.
Blue Lagoon Cruises Fuel Levy
Blue Lagoon Cruises in Fiji will introduce
a FJ$25 per person per day fuel
surcharge. Applicable to all passengers
aged 15 years and over, the surcharge
applies to all reservations embarking on
or after 23rd May. For more information
visit: www.bluelagooncruises.com
Marine Crew Medallion Pacific Marinelife Institute has launched
a new Marine Crew Medallion to award
crew, captains and guides as they reach
experience milestones. Medallions will
be awarded after 1 year, 5, 10 and 25
years of experience in categories such
as Adventure Skipper, Gamefishing
Deckhand, Sportfishing Guide, Scuba
Dive Instructor and Helmet Dive Guide.
Each category, in addition to the years of
experience will require minimum number
of days or dives, and all crew will be
required to meet minimum training
standards. As well, all Medallion holders
will be required to support Institute
research projects and abide by a set of
essential standards.
Operators can promote the Medallion
Status of their crew, and agents as well
as travellers will be able to use the
Medallions to identify the experience and
environmental commitment of the people
guiding their adventure. For more
information contact David Joyce at,
Passions new dive site available soon
Passions of Paradise, the Cairns based
sailing adventure operating to the Great
Barrier Reef has a new dive site and it
was a hit with a group of travel and tour
agents when they encountered sharks,
turtles, fish and breathtaking coral on a
recent trip. Long Bombie has not been
dived by many people, yet Passions of
Paradise will have the moorings finished
soon so the location can be shared with
everyone. For more information visit:
www.passions.com.au
2011 Dive Fiesta in Fiji to prove popular
2011 Fiji Dive Fiesta will be hosted in
Kadavu, Beqa and the Pacific Coast
from 21 - 28 May 2011. Sponsored by
Tourism Fiji, Air Pacific and FIHTA Dive
Committee, the event is expected to
attract a large number of international
dive specialists, tour consultants and
wholesalers. For more information
contact Tourism Fiji‟s Senior Marketing
Officer Thomas Valentine via email:
2011 O2G Challenge Oceans 2 Green Program will launch its
2011 O2G Challenge in late May. Marine
adventure operators, travel agents and
service providers can take up the O2G
challenge to offset 20 percent of their
eco footprint in 2011. Oceans 2 Green
allows businesses to offset their carbon
emissions, as well as diving, fishing and
vessel impacts; through a series of
rehabilitation programs. Visit the O2G
page on the Institute‟s blog for the latest:
www.pacificmarinelife.blogspot.com
Blog Network going live Marinelife Blog Network will be fully live
by June 2011. The first of the blogs are
already live, and when completed will
offer readers easy access to travel,
marine conservation, boating, dive,
fishing and dolphin news. Part of the
network includes blogs for different
sectors of the marine industry. Updated
weekly, and linked from the weekly or
monthly e-newsletters, the blogs offer a
great outlet for operators and agents to
post news and the latest offers. Visit:
www.pacificmarinelife.blogspot.com.
New Adventure Guides New marine adventure guides will target
adventure travellers, divers and anglers.
Published by Marinelife Media, a division
of the Pacific Marinelife Institute, each
annual guide will be updated quarterly
and available on Issuu and linked from
the Institute‟s e-newsletters. Special
edition guides such as „Island Stays in
the Pacific‟ or „OnH2O Destinations‟ will
also be published each year. Institute
Project Partners receive free listings,
while Adventure Network members
receive a premium listing. Resorts and
other service providers in each region
can advertise in the guides. For more
information on being part of the guides,
contact David Joyce on 0412 761 016 or
Finance solutions for Business I Equipment I Marine I Motor Vehicle I Home Phone Dale Joyce on 0407 738 644. ASIC Lic. 385211
No matter if it is computers or desks
Kekoa Sportfishing Adventures
Sport and game fishing is simply what Capt Luke Fallon and
his wife Kelly live and breathe. With the beautiful 56ft custom
Sportfisher, Kekoa as their base, they offer liveaboard barra
and gamefishing adventures off Queensland‟s Cape York and
on the Great Barrier Reef.
Between April and June Kekoa is based along the Cape York's
western coastline south of Weipa. From customised tenders
anglers fish the rivers for Barramundi, Mangrove Jack, Salmon,
Tarpon, Fingermark and Estuary Cod.
Kekoa is the prefect sportfishing base, offering a personalised
experience for up to four anglers. Specifically designed for its
dual sportfish and game fishing role, Kekoa has a plush air-
conditioned saloon with deep leather lounges, inlaid coffee and
dinning table and the latest entertainment systems. Forward
are comfortable four-berth and double cabins, with access to
well appointment ensuites.
From September, Luke moves Kekoa to the reefs around the
famous Lizard Island to chase and release the giant black
marlin the region is renowned for. The northern Great Barrier
Reef also offers the opportunity for some spectacular
snorkelling, diving and spear fishing. The thrills and excitement
all captured on camera by Kelly and the memories posted on
her well respected Black Marlin Blog.
For more information:
Kekoa Sportfishing Adventures
5 Seastar Rated Gamefishing and Sportfishing Expedition
Phone: 0428 789 840
Web: www.kekoa.com.au
Askari - Hardcore Gamefishing
Askari is a beautiful 56ft Assegai custom Sportfisher, built for
one purpose, to put Hardcore clients in the middle of giant
black marlin action off Cairns. In only a short number of
seasons, Askari with experienced Captain Corey Hard at the
helm has achieved an impressive tally of tag and releases.
Available for charter off Cairns from September to November
for the Great Barrier Reef‟s heavy tackle season, and Port
Stephens from February to March or Gold Coast from May to
June for some light tackle gamefishing; Askari and the
Hardcore Team will impress any angler.
Step aboard Askari and you are in gamefishing heaven. The
vessel is the best of Australian craftsmanship. Inside the
saloon is a welcoming place after a day‟s fishing off the edge of
the reef or to watch the action during the day through the large
motorised windows, that when opened, means you are still part
of the action happening outside in the cockpit. The food
created by the team is impressive, as is the day‟s fishing action
captured from one of the many onboard cameras and replayed
on the large LCD TV during the evening.
Well appointed accommodation will suit both a family or group
of friends. The latest in communications will keep you in touch
with world and Askari‟s range and comforts means it can fish
out into the yet to be explored Coral Sea.
For more information:
Hardcore Gamefishing - Askari
5 Seastar Rated Gamefishing Expedition
Phone: 0433 747 413
Web: www.hardcoregamefishing.com.au
PROFILE
Marine Travel Trade I Page 5
cars, boats or buses. Talk to PMIFBS.
Finance solutions for Business I Equipment I Marine I Motor Vehicle I Home Phone Dale Joyce on 0407 738 644. ASIC Lic. 385211
Ph
oto
s:
Ke
lly F
allo
n,
Ke
koa
Sp
ort
fishin
g,
Aska
ri C
ha
rters
, B
ill B
illso
n
Hervey Bay Whale Watch
Australian whale watching pioneers Brian and Jill Perry were
the first to offer adventures to watch the gentle giants in the
Bay in 1987. Since then, their Hervey Bay Whale Watch, and
themselves, have collected a combined 30 awards.
Hervey Bay Whale Watch‟s Quick Cat II is an eco friendly
catamaran that has three viewing decks, with disable access to
the main and foredeck. The large foredeck is accessed by
ramps and has a tiered viewing area. Both the lower and upper
rear decks have curved rails to make it easier to view the
whales, and two large bow spits give passengers the chance to
watch the dolphins bow riding when conditions are favourable.
Other innovations on board include a hydrophone so that
passengers can hear the whale‟s songs, and underwater
cameras that beam vision of the whales to screens around the
vessel. Passengers can purchase some of the day‟s footage
after each trip as a great memento of their Hervey Bay whale
watch adventure.
Hervey Bay Whale Watch offers two half day whale watching
adventures each day from mid-July to November, departing at
7am and 1pm. Every young passenger receives a guide to
Hervey Bay Whale Watching. Morning/Afternoon tea, including
their famous home-made muffins is included, as is Courtesy
pick-up and a whale sighting guarantee.
For more information:
Hervey Bay Whale Watch
5 Seastar Rated Whale Adventure
Phone: 07 4128 9611
Web: www.herveybaywhalewatch.com.au
Pennicott Wilderness Journeys Tasmania‟s southern coastal wilderness is truly breathtaking
and one of the best ways to experience its wonders is with one
the Pennicott Wilderness Journeys.
Robert Pennicott and his wife Michaye Boulter have been
operating Bruny Island Charters out of Adventure Bay since
October 1999, and started operating Tasman Cruises out of
the historic Port Arthur region in 2007. Using a fleet of rigid hull
Inflatables, they specialise in offering their clients tours that
reveal the splendour and wonders of Southern Tasmania.
The company‟s custom built marine „eco cruises‟ are ideal for
viewing the spectacular coastline and abundant sea and
coastal wildlife. Covered open-aired tiered seating means an
excellent all-round view and connection with the environment.
The vessels which have unequalled sea-keeping abilities are
safe, comfortable and gentle on the environment.
Pennicott Wilderness Journeys‟ three hour adventure tours
around Bruny Island or from Port Arthur to Eaglehawk Neck will
provide your clients with the chance to see Australia‟s high sea
cliffs, enter deep sea caves and join in the search for abundant
sea and costal wildlife such as seals, dolphins and birds of
prey. From September to December and again between April
and May, there is the chance to observe humpback and
southern right whales on their migration.
For more information:
Bruny Island Charters Tasman Cruises
03 62931465 03 6250 2200
www.brunyislandcruises.com.au www.tasmancruises.com.au
Both adventures are 4½ Seastar Rated Marine Adventures
PROFILE
Page 6 I Marine Travel Trade
Is it time for a new home. Talk to PMIFBS.
Finance solutions for Business I Equipment I Marine I Motor Vehicle I Home Phone Dale Joyce on 0407 738 644. ASIC Lic. 385211
Ph
oto
s:
Herv
ey B
ay W
hale
Watc
h, T
asm
an
Cru
ise
s
Photo courtesy of: Seawalker @ Green Island
Where’s your next marine adventure....
Seawalker Green Island 5 Seastar Rated Helmet Dive Adventure Green Island Dive Centre Phone: 0407 581 096 www.seawalker.com.au
Queensland Scuba Dive Company Reefhabitat Project Partner Berth 91 Mariners Cove Marina, Gold Coast Phone: 61 7 5564 0058 www.qldscubadive.com.au
Hervey Bay Whale Watching 5 Seastar Rated Whale Adventure Urangan Harbour, Hervey Bay Phone: 61 7 4128 9611 www.herveybaywhalewatch.com.au
That’s Awesome 4½ Seastar Rated Whale Adventure Urangan Harbour, Hervey Bay Phone: 1800 653 775 www.awesomeadventure.com.au
Bruny Island Charters 4½ Seastar Rated Marine Adventure Adventure Bay, Tasmania Phone: 61 3 6293 1465 www.brunyislandcruises.com.au
Tasman Cruises 4½ Seastar Rated Marine Adventure Port Arthur, Tasmania Phone 61 3 6250 2200 www.tasmancruises.com.au
Calypso Mango Charters Premium Seastar Gamefishing Adventure Marina Mirage, Port Douglas Enquires: Marinelife Expeditions 0412 761 016
Askari Charters 5 Seastar Rated Gamefishing Expedition Cairns Marlin Marina, Cairns Phone: 0433 747 413 www.hardcoregamefishing.com.au
Sea Probe Fishing Charters 5 Seastar Rated Reef Fishing Adventure Southport Broadwater, Gold Coast Phone: 0400 312 330 www.seaprobecharters.com
Coral Sea Charter Company 5 Seastar Rated Reef Fishing Expedition Mackay Marina, Mackay Phone: 61 7 4955 5032 www.coralseacharter.com.au
Kekoa Sport and Gamefishing 5 Seastar Rated Sportfishing Expedition 5 Seastar Rated Gamefishing Expedition Cairns Marlin Marina, Cairns Phone: 0428 789 840 www.kekoa.com.au
For more information contact: Pacific Marinelife Institute www.marinelifetraveller.blogspot.com
Seawalker @ Green Island. Click to visit - www.seawalker.com.au.
Offsets that make a real difference to our oceans and coastal ecosystems.
