03 July 2009

Vote for natural icons that draw those travelling to Australia

Tourism Australia is urging people to cast their votes in the next few days for Australia’s two nominees in the New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign – Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef – to ensure these iconic natural landscapes make it through to the next round of the campaign.

The two wonders are considered a great draw for those travelling to Australia.

Uluru is currently lying in seventh place in its category and the Great Barrier Reef in third.

Tourism Australia is encouraging support  for Australia’s iconic wonders and asking people to lodge their vote by the close of stage two voting on Monday July 6, UK time.

Competition is tough, with Australia’s nominees up against some of nature’s all-time greats such as the Grand Canyon, Ha Long Bay and Mount Everest.

Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef are two of 261 nominated sites from 222 participating countries. Each is vying to sit within the top 77 ranking nominees (11 from each of the seven categories), when voting in stage two closes on 7 July 2009. Successful nominees will be assessed by the New7Wonders Panel of Experts and 21 finalists will be announced on 21 July 2009 to proceed to the final stage of voting, which concludes mid-2011.

All votes are monitored by the New7Wonders Foundation and will alter the standing of each nominee in real time. Every vote will therefore count, and if you voted in the previous stage, you can vote again now as everyone is eligible to vote once in each of the three stages.

Launched in 2007 by the New7Wonders Foundation, the New7Wonders of Nature campaign is a global search to recognise the seven most wondrous sites across the world through the eyes of the public.

More than one billion votes worldwide are forecast to determine the final New7Wonders of Nature.

If you are thinking about a short-term holiday in Australia, and do not hold an Australian or New Zealand passport, you will need an Australian travel visa to do so. The most common type is the Electronic Travel Authorisation, or ETA visa. This type of visa can be used to travel in Australia for up to three months, provided the holder does not participate in work whilst in the country.
As the ETA is electronic, it can be granted online within seconds and your passport does not need any paper labels or stamps.

 

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The Australian Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people emigrating to Australia.