Ninety Nations to Visit Melbourne for UN Conference

Melbourne has secured a prestigious UN Meeting, marking the first time the event has ever been held in Australia.

More than 1,200 delegates will be welcomed to Melbourne in September 2010 to attend the United Nations (UN) 63rd Annual Department of Public Information Non-Governmental Organisation Conference (DPI/NGO).

The Business Event win was announced today by Sandra Chipchase, CEO of the Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau, which secured the event for Melbourne.

“This is a definite coup for Melbourne, being only the third city outside the UN’s New York headquarters to host the event in more than 60 years.”

Ms Chipchase said that in addition to the direct benefits of the event, the size and reputation of the conference would have the added-value of creating future bidding opportunities within the NGO and health fields.

“Cementing Melbourne’s worldwide reputation for medicine and science, the conference will focus on ‘Global Health’, and will feature eminent speakers, possibly including the Secretary General of the United Nations.

“The UN DPI/NGO Conference will provide the opportunity for the global NGO community to share knowledge and experience about how to best promote and contribute to the advancement of global health.”

Ms Chipchase said that the three day UN DPI/NGO Conference is estimated to inject $3.8m into the Victorian State economy.

“In addition to providing an important boost for the local economy, we also know from the Melbourne Convention Delegate Study that international conventions create new tourists and significant new export dollars and visitation for Melbourne and Victoria.

“The Delegate Study showed that conventions are also a catalyst for regional travel, with almost half of all delegates attending conventions in Melbourne also undertaking pre- and post-event touring throughout the State.

“Representatives from more than 90 countries are expected to attend this conference, in turn providing valuable worldwide exposure for Melbourne.”

Leigh Harry, Chief Executive of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre said: “With Melbourne being the chosen destination in Australia to host many of the world’s major health conventions, we look forward to welcoming the 63rd United Nations DPI/NGO Conference and delegates from all over the world to the Melbourne Convention Centre in 2010.”

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Source: 22 Feb 10 (TravMedia)

Australia’s Tourist Arrivals Tops 12 million (Melbourne Tourism)

Australia’s Tourist Arrivals Tops 12 million

The number of international visitors coming to Australia has remained steady despite the tough conditions for tourism globally, according to the latest new tourism figures.
Figures released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics have highlighted Australia’s “resilience in the difficult economic climate”. Approximately 12.4 million people arrived in Australia during 2009 and 12.3 million left, making the total number of arrivals and departures almost 25 million.
Original forecasts predicted international departures would fall by almost 3 per cent last year, however they rose by over 8 per cent as Australia's economy fared relatively well throughout the global economic downturn. A record 6.3 million Australian residents made short-term departures, up from 5.8 million in 2008, according to the ABS research. The top three destinations for Australian travellers were New Zealand, the USA and Indonesia were while tourists visiting Australia were most likely to come from New Zealand, the UK and the USA. Traditionally strong markets such as Japan and Korea posted significant declines in arrivals mainly due to their local economic conditions.

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SEE The Merchants of Bollywood in Melbourne

The International smash hit returns to Australian Stages after its triumphant World tour. The theatrical dance spectacular has been seen by over 2-million People worldwide.

The glamour and glitter that is Bollywood returns to Australian Stages in 2010 following its worldwide success and rave reviews. “The Merchants of Bollywood” features a cast of 40 performers direct from Film City Mumbai- the home of Bollywood cinema.

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Crown Conference Centre Opens Tomorrow (Melbourne CBD)

The anticipated Crown Conference Centre will officially open tomorrow as Australia’s only purpose-built hotel convention facility catering for large residential conferences, meetings, product launches and exhibitions.

The extension will enable the centre to accommodate up to 840 delegates with 20 concurrent rooms, all on one site.

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