New wireless-tracking wristbands designed to make the "Most Magical Place on Earth" even more hassle-free will hit Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., over the next few months.

The "MagicBands" will be linked to customers' credit-card information and function as room keys and park entry passes, thanks to radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips, which are most commonly used in wireless toll collection and public-transit turnstiles.

The MagicBands are part of a bigger system called "MyMagic+," which also allows the theme park to collect sensitive personal information, including names of guests both young and old, their purchasing and riding patterns and real-time location data.

"Imagine booking guaranteed ride times for your favorite shows and attractions even before setting foot in the park," wrote Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, in a blog posting on Monday. "With MyMagic+, guests will be able to do that and more, enabling them to spend more time together and creating an experience that’s better for everyone."

Consumers Can Control Data
Compared with many companies foraying deeper into the world of data collection, Disney seems to make it very easy for customers to control what and how much information is shared with whom or to opt out of the program completely.

The New York Times reports that, for example, mascot characters could use the information transmitted by the MagicBands to greet visiting children by name — and even wish them happy birthday if so informed. But parents could also choose not to share their children's information with park employees in that manner.

The Times said a new part of the official Disney World website, called "My Disney Experience," makes it fairly straightforward to manage MagicBand privacy controls for each member of a family. (There's already a MyDisneyExperience app for iOS and Android devices.)

Parents could share more information about themselves and less about their children, or choose whether to link a credit card to the wristband or simply use it as a ticket to a park or attraction.

Is Mickey Watching Me?
The operation is a huge one. Analysts told the Times that they estimate the cost of installing the system, which will impact 60,000 employees and more than 100,000 guests every day, at somewhere between $800 million and $1 billion.

Some commenters on the StitchKingdom Disney fan site said they felt "a bit creeped out" and "not terribly comfortable with the idea" in response to an article on MyMagic+ posted in March. But most commenters there and on other Disney fan sites either thought MyMagic+ was a great idea, or lamented that its users would be able to jump queues ahead of holders of other premium Disney ticket options.

There's no word on when the MyMagic+ program will spread to the four other Disney theme parks in southern California, Japan, Paris and Hong Kong.

G’day USA 2013
Tourism Australia is building on the momentum of recent growth in US visitor numbers to Australia by showcasing Australia’s destination appeal at this year’s 10th anniversary of G’day USA 2013.

US visitor numbers to Australia grew steadily over 2012, with a more than four percent increase in the calendar year to October and eight percent growth in the month of October compared with the same month the prior year.  Further, International Visitor Survey data showed US visitor expenditure grew 12 percent in the year to September to over $2.3 billion.

Tourism Australia’s Vice President, the Americas, Jane Whitehead, said:  “These numbers are encouraging and show that more Americans are recognizing Australia’s many attractions as a vacation destination.

“We are seeing particularly high growth in the target segment that is the primary focus of our marketing efforts, the 45 years + affluent traveler.  This segment grew 12 percent in visitor numbers, 23 percent in expenditure and spent 26 percent more nights exploring Australia’s many attractions beyond the gateway cities,” Mrs. Whitehead said. 

“Australia is also being increasingly recognized as a premier destination for business events.  In the year to October, convention and conference visitors from the US to Australia rose 30 percent.”

The improvement in arrivals comes as Tourism Australia has undertaken a major investment in the North American market with the latest evolution of its ‘There’s Nothing like Australia’ campaign across broadcast, print, digital and social channels.

Mrs. Whitehead said ‘There’s Nothing like Australia’ is resonating with Americans, “With this campaign, we are leading with some of the best experiences we have to offer and showcasing why, whatever you may be looking for from a vacation, you will find it in Australia.”

"This week we will also kick off a four month campaign with Qantas that will build on the momentum we are seeing," said Mrs. Whitehead.

Ellen Degeneres Show
Australia is also attracting many high profile Americans.  On The Ellen Degeneres Show this week, Ellen announced that she will be heading to Melbourne and Sydney.  With Swisse Wellness ambassador Nicole Kidman, she told 400 of her excited audience members that they would also be offered trips to Australia.  The trips are a joint initiative of Swisse and Qantas Airways.

“Ellen has a strong following in the US and will do a fantastic job in shining the media spotlight on the country, just as Oprah did in 2010,” Mrs. Whitehead said.

“As with Oprah, she’ll be sending a big audience to Australia and the Australian tourism industry will reap the benefits as those people explore the delights of Sydney and Melbourne.”

Mrs. Whitehead said the initiative was a huge win for Australia as recent consumer research undertaken by BDA Marketing Planning for Tourism Australia showed that once Americans visited Australia, they rated it top amongst all destinations on many factors that influence their choice of vacation destination.

“While Australia is generally recognized by Americans as having outstanding natural beauty, great beaches, friendly people and unique wildlife, the research showed that Americans that visited Australia were surprised to discover the exceptional standard of the country’s food and wine and rich native heritage and activities and in fact found it led the world in these areas.”

As part of its strategy to support the US travel industry in marketing and selling Australia effectively, Tourism Australia this week ran an inaugural two-day Tourism Summit as part of the G’Day USA program and in partnership with Destination NSW, the South Australia Tourism Commission, Tourism and Events Queensland, Tourism Victoria and Qantas Airways.

The event was attended by around 115 travel industry leaders who came to hear insights from dozens of experts from leading travel and related brands including American Express, Google, Facebook, Travel Channel and Afar on a range of topics from consumer behavior to infrastructure changes and digital and social media strategy.

Source: Tourism Australia.