Experience Tours Australia - ETA

26/08/2020

SaveAussieTourism An Open Letter to the State Governments Dear State Premiers and Chief Ministers, We are appealing to you on behalf of the Australian tourism industry as well as the myriad industries that both rely on and support it across the nation’s metropolitan, regional and rural economies. ...

15/03/2020

URGENT MESSAGE TO OUR GLOBAL PARTNERS - WITH ARRIVALS INTO AUSTRALIA OVER THE NEXT 14 DAYS......
SUNDAY 4PM
The Prime Minister of Australia has announced all International arrivals from 12 Midnight tonight - must go into 14 day Self imposed Home based quarantine - applicable to all International Tourists and Australians returning home.
What is not clear is the detail - as we have many arrivals in the Air at the moment - we are not sure if they can fly home immediately or they have to stay in quarantine.. (AOT will work on these details with the Government).
AOT is running reports on Sunday night for the most immediate arrivals and our Reservations Team will be in contact shortly.
Our After Hours Telephone is in Operation and our Reservations Centre will be fully staffed to handle Clients calls.
Kindest Regards
Gary Paterson
GM AOT Inbound Brands
[email protected]
T: +61 431 077 771 (whatsapp enabled)

06/02/2020

The regeneration has started 😊 😊

29/01/2020

There is no better time to come visit Australia...

We want to send our mates around the world a big thank you for all your love and support. We hope you'll come visit soon!

09/01/2020

Friday 10.01.2020 UPDATE 10.30am

The good news is that the resurgence of the Kangaroo Island fires - overnight has now been down graded to a watch and act scenario for both fires.

It is very windy on KI and we have had some rain.

Unfortunately - Today there is no tourists permitted to travel to the Island as the fire fighters are moving in equipment - and supplies for KI residents such as food and water.
Also government departments are checking on burning trees, road closures, water plants etc etc.

We will have another update at 5pm today about the potential opportunity of weekend arrivals for KI.

09/01/2020

Stay up to date with the latest destination information ....

Get the latest bushfire updates, travel advice and safety alerts for travelling to Australia. Stay informed and find the most up-to-date information here.

06/01/2020

Kangaroo Island Update ... (Monday 06.01.2020)

We are very sad to report that both Southern Ocean Lodge & Kangaroo Island Wilderness Retreat - did not survive the ferocious fires in parts of Kangaroo island and both were destroyed over the weekend. All guests and staff were evacuated early enough and were safely accommodated elsewhere.

Our Inbound Reservations teams in Sydney and Melbourne have run reports and all Agents and Passengers are being contacted and some guests are already here in Australia will be offered alternative accommodation options both on the K.I. or other locations.

Thankfully - 75% of this beautiful Island was not effected by the fires and many suppliers have already resumed full service or will do by the end of the week. Some of the Day Touring will now have amended Itineraries but there is still an enormous amount to see and do in the unaffected areas of Kangaroo Island.

The entire Australian Tourism community is fully supportive of getting KI back to normal as soon as possible.

Here is some of the pics why we love K.I

06/01/2020

Today - Helloworld Travel has donated 2,000 bales of hay (or 10 entire truckloads of feed and 575,000 litres of water to the Australian farmers effected by the terrible drought and fires over the past 3 - 4 weeks.

FYI > This donation was arranged via https://www.buyabale.com.au/

04/01/2020

Southern Ocean Lodge - Kangaroo Island ...

Baillie Lodges regrets to advise that Southern Ocean Lodge on South Australia’s Kangaroo Island has sustained significant damage by bushfire during the afternoon of Friday January 3, 2020.

All guests and most lodge staff were evacuated to Kingscote and Adelaide earlier on Friday before the threat intensified. A small team of six senior staff members remained onsite to monitor the situation and activate the lodge’s fire emergency plan.

Whilst the lodge has sustained structural damage, all guests and staff have been safely evacuated and no injuries have been sustained.

Baillie Lodges would like to thank Lodge Managers John Hird and Alison Heath and their team for their outstanding dedication in this crisis and for successfully managing this very difficult situation.

Southern Ocean Lodge is now closed. It is currently too early to accurately estimate a reopening date. The Southern Ocean Lodge team will embark on contacting guests as well as travel industry partners over the coming days to make alternative arrangements for upcoming reservations.

Should you require further information or support at this time, please contact Baillie Lodges Reservations on +61 2 9918 4355 or email [email protected]

04/01/2020

Good morning,

Due to the worsening bush fire situation on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Where we now know we have many roads closed off - The National Park is closed - Day Tour has been suspended till mid next week - many tourist attractions are also closed. It is with a heavy heart that we will evacuate all existing Kangaroo Island passengers and not send anyone to the Island for the next 48hrs.

The spectacular Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island has been heavily damaged by fire in their location overnight and is now closed to further notice. Our Reservations Centres will now be running Southern Ocean reports and will be in contact in due time.

Sealink is running extra ferry services to Kangaroo Island bringing in Firefighters and the expectation that anyone who wants to leave the Island today Saturday will be able to do so. Due to sheer volume of people involved Residents and Tourists at Kangaroo Island - ticket amendments will be made at the ferry terminal and not by phone.

Our Reservations Centres in Sydney and Melbourne have additional staff working over the weekend and will be available to talk with any of the effected passengers and re-book new services for them as required.

AOT INBOUND - MELBOURNE
+61 3 9867 9590 (09.00hr to 18.00hrs)
+61 407 308771 - EN (After Hours duty manger)
+61 411 762 192 - IT (After Hours duty manager)

EXPERIENCE TOURS - MELBOURNE
+61 3 9326 9011 (09.00 to 18.00hrs)
+61 411 636 747 (After Hours Duty Manager)

ATS PACIFIC - SYDNEY
+61 2 8229 4811 (09.00hr to 18.00hrs)
+61 2 8229 4811 (Afterhours - follow the prompts)

Our staff have been rebooking effected passengers in Adelaide, Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley, and Coonawarra, where the temperatures are expected very mild till next Wednesday.

Our staff are here to assist and all management are on duty during this difficult period.

Gary Paterson
M. +61 431 077 771
[email protected]

Neale Herridge
M. +61 418 408 315
[email protected]

14/12/2019

INDIA MUMBAI (Andheri East)

We are honoured to introduce you to the Number 1 Sales and Reservation support team in India.

The team from AOT India and the former entire Wel Travel team are now one. Delivering India Agents same day service and local support from India's most respected and experienced team.

Stay posted for all the new special event, sporting and theatre packages coming to the Indian market for the first time.

Lots more to come in early new year please ensure you like our new India pages to stay up to date.

AOT Inbound India sales support.

10/12/2019

~Adverse Weather Conditions | NSW Fires - 10 December 2019~

The NSW Rural Fires Service (RFS) has advised that 85 fires continue to burn in the state with 42 of them being uncontained. One fire on the Central Coast is currently an Emergency Warning.

All fires are in rural areas and having little to no impact on tourist areas. All major roads and highways remain open.

Sydney has been blanketed by bushfire smoke with Sydney Harbour ferries suspended due to poor visibility.
Smoke has also activated alarms in some city buildings and train stations.

A southerly change is expected to move through Sydney late this afternoon which will drop temperatures as it passes and ease the very high smoke levels being experienced, especially in coastal areas. 　　　
　
For the latest updates, please refer to the following websites:
https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fires-near-me

NSW: 　https://www.livetraffic.com/

We are continuing to monitor the situation and will contact passengers to re-arrange itineraries if necessary.

This page displays all bush and grass fires attended by fire services in NSW and other incidents attended by NSW RFS volunteers. 

02/12/2019

Adverse Weather Conditions | NSW Fires -
A total of 125 fires continue to burn across NSW with 2 areas of concern being the Shoalhaven Region and the Blue Mountains.

Major roads in and around the Blue Mountains are currently open with the fire now being controlled. As a precautionary measure, Scenic World will be closed until Saturday 07 December.

The fire in the Shoalhaven is at Emergency Level and has closed the Princes Highway at Dolphin Point however diversions are in place.

For the latest updates, please refer to the following websites:

https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fires-near-me

NSW: https://www.livetraffic.com/

We are continuing to monitor the situation and will contact passengers to re-arrange itineraries if necessary.

Heavy smoke is affecting Sydney and other parts of NSW. This is being blown from large bush fires. If you are easily affected by smoke, take precautions such as staying indoors, avoiding exercise, and using reliever medicine. Further information.

29/11/2019

Today – we say goodbye to our General Manager, Mr Frank Chou who is retiring after 12 years at ETA.

We will miss him and we wish him the best of good health and happiness.

27/11/2019

Shared from our friends at the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) - https://bit.ly/35BUl9C

With India now our fastest growing export tourism market and Indian visitor numbers expected to grow by more than 20% in the next two years, Australian tourism businesses will have access to a new industry program designed to support them in catering to this fast emerging market. Launched today at A...

26/11/2019

Cairns Aquarium - are excited to announce the launch of their new experience, Aquarium by Night. As the sun goes down on the Great Barrier Reef, a whole new world awakens. Guests now have the opportunity to discover the nocturnal behaviours of the reef and rainforest creatures after dark at Cairns Aquarium.

21/11/2019

NEWS FLASH
Perth - Shanghai non-stop seasonal service begins 15 JAN 2020 with China Eastern

15/11/2019

Further to our update yesterday, the Bureau of Meteorology has advised milder temperatures over the next few days are expected to provide some relief to parts of NSW where fires continue to burn.

In Queensland, 61 fires continue to burn with the warmer weather expected to persist over the weekend.

There are currently three ‘Emergency Level’ fires in NSW and one in Queensland.

For the latest updates, please refer to the following websites:

https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fires-near-me

https://www.ruralfire.qld.gov.au/map/Pages/default.aspx

There are currently no major roads or highways closed and up-to-date information can be found on:

NSW: https://www.livetraffic.com/
Queensland: https://qldtraffic.qld.gov.au/

We are continuing to monitor the situation and will contact passengers to re-arrange itineraries if necessary.

Check - plan - go - with up-to-date traffic and travel information on road conditions, incidents, vehicle crashes, emergency roadworks, special events, road closures and congestion state-wide.

14/11/2019

Horrific bushfire conditions that plagued New South Wales and Queensland for days have eased overnight.

There are still out of control fires in both states and more than 1000 firefighters remain in the field to protect properties and concentrate on strengthening containment lines and extinguishing existing fires.

At this stage there is 1 Emergency Warning in NSW and none in Queensland.

For the latest updates, please refer to the following websites:

https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fires-near-me

https://www.ruralfire.qld.gov.au/map/Pages/default.aspx

There are currently no major roads or highways closed and up-to-date information can be found on:

NSW: 　 https://www.livetraffic.com/
Queensland: 　https://qldtraffic.qld.gov.au/

We are continuing to monitor the situation and will contact passengers to re-arrange itineraries if necessary.

Check - plan - go - with up-to-date traffic and travel information on road conditions, incidents, vehicle crashes, emergency roadworks, special events, road closures and congestion state-wide.

13/11/2019

Further to yesterday’s update, bush fires are continuing to pose a threat across NSW & Queensland.

In NSW, there are currently more than 83 fires burning across the state, 50 of which are not contained. None of these fires are at Emergency Level.

In Queensland, 72 fires are burning with one at Emergency Level. This fire is at Noosa North Shore where residents have been told to evacuate.

There are no properties or structures currently under threat.

Earlier today, Spicers Peak Lodge was evacuated due to a nearby fire which could worsen. The fire is not directly impacting properties at this time, however this could change quickly.

For the latest updates, please refer to the following websites:

https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fires-near-me
https://www.ruralfire.qld.gov.au/map/Pages/default.aspx

There are currently no major roads or highways closed and up-to-date information can be found on:

NSW: 　 https://www.livetraffic.com/
Queensland: 　https://qldtraffic.qld.gov.au/
　
We are continuing to monitor the situation and will contact passengers to re-arrange itineraries if necessary.

This page displays all bush and grass fires attended by fire services in NSW and other incidents attended by NSW RFS volunteers. 

12/11/2019

In NSW, there are currently more than 70 fires burning across the state. Several of the fires are at Emergency Level, most being in the mid-north region, however are all in rural areas at this stage. The Pacific Highway is currently closed in both directions between Bulahdelah & Taree and the New England Highway is also closed from just north of Tamworth to Bendemeer.
　
There are also over 50 fires still burning in Queensland however, again, there is no impact on tourist destinations.

The situation is constantly changing and very unpredictable. A cool change is expected early this evening which could see fires change direction.

For the latest updates, please refer to the following websites:

https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fires-near-me
https://www.ruralfire.qld.gov.au/map/Pages/default.aspx

NSW road closures can be found on:

https://www.livetraffic.com/

We are continuing to monitor the situation and will contact passengers to re-arrange itineraries if necessary.

CATASTROPHIC FIRE DANGER SYDNEY, HUNTER, ILLAWARRA/SHOALHAVEN - VERY DANGEROUS FIRE CONDITIONS TODAY - Statewide total fire ban in force. If you are threatened by fire, take action to protect your life. Avoid bush fire prone areas. Check the latest.

08/11/2019

Forced to shut its doors in September 2018, The Adina Apartment Hotel Brisbane will be back better than ever and open for bookings from November 25.

06/11/2019

Bailey, a Crystalbrook Collection Hotel officially opened its doors on Saturday 2nd November. 😁

04/11/2019

Tuesday 05 November 2019 is a Public Holiday in Victoria for the Melbourne Cup. The ETA Reservation team will be operating on skeleton staff with all other departments closed.