CONGRATS ON AN IMPRESSIVE EVENT!
We are in awe of the support we received on Friday 19 October at the inaugural Social Tourism Forum in Australia. Huge thanks to everyone who joined us on the day.
“Congrats on an impressive event yesterday. Although I was only able to stay for 45 mins, it did give me a greater insight into the amazing work that you do.” – John Phillips (Director of Advancement, Brighton Grammar)
Alex Alexandrou, a former Board member, was our MC.
We were honoured that the Mayor, Bayside City Council, Cr Laurence Evans officially opened the Forum.
It was exciting to hear from one of our Ambassadors, Kat Stewart, who captured what Social Tourism is and the difference it can make to not only the individual, but the wider community.
All the Forum attendees were then requested by Rosemary Teed, our Founder/Director, to write a postcard to a friend/partner/colleague about their latest holiday and two special memories.
The postcard messages provided an example of the essence of Social Tourism, which has been operating in the UK and Europe for over sixty years. It’s not about the holiday; it’s what the holiday brings, including, but not limited to, special holiday memories that last for a life-time.
Annalise Tumbas, a recent first ever holiday recipient, then shared with Kat her memories of going on her first ever holiday, with her four sons, to Lorne in June 2018 and the impact that it has made on her family ever since.
“It was a pleasure to be a part of this event. I had such a great day and meeting all the wonderful people that are a part of this cause was a fantastic journey…. This has been a beautiful journey from the moment I spoke to you on the phone. I feel I have made a great friend that has changed mine and my children’s life.“– Annalise Tumbas, First Ever Holiday Recipient
We are extremely grateful to everyone who made this inaugural event possible and we are very excited to pioneer Social Tourism in Australia with your support. Thank you for coming with us on our journey.
“We were blown away with last Friday. The set up, the turn out, the organisation and the presenters. It really opened our eyes to how social tourism can help families and really showed how many people it takes to help send one family away. It was so humbling to hear from Annalise and how much her boys benefited from their time away. Sometimes we take the little things for granted, yet it is the little things that can really make a difference. Thank you for giving Mikayla (image below) the opportunity to help and contribute. Attending the forum really helped her to see how she was making a difference and how she was part of an amazing team of caring and selfless people. She is pumped and keen to start on the next lot of bears.” – Simon Wade, Mikayla’s Mum
See the full video below!