1) Flight Centre eyes Ireland
Flight Centre Travel Group Limited has expanded its presence in Europe after buying Irish travel management business Travelplan Corporate Limited. The deal, expected to be finalised this week, was a sound strategic acquisition that represents a cost effective, profitable and low risk entry to an important hub for corporate clients, according to Flight Centre. Flight Centre now has 2,660 businesses across Australia, the US, Canada, South Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
2) Aus attracts traditional markets back
Traditionally Australia’s strong tourism markets, the UK, United States and Europe have shown a healthy re-engagement over the past 12 months, according to ATEC Managing Director, Peter Shelley. Results from the latest International Visitor Survey showed a growth in visitors of 6 percent to reach 5.9 million in the 12 months to December 2013. While China has been a focal point for the past few years with visitor numbers up 14 percent, figures showed a return to good growth in markets including the UK (12 percent growth) and the USA with (9 percent growth).
3) Fine dining at 35,000ft
Cathay Pacific has taken fine dining to the skies with their partnership with Tosca, the Michelin-starred fine-dining Italian restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton in Hong Kong. The newly special inflight menu is available to First and Business Class passengers onboard selected flights departing from Hong Kong until 31 July 2014. The delicious menu comprises of starters, pastas, entrées and desserts, all authentic Italian dishes at heart but with added elements of sophistication. In addition Cathay Pacific’s regional airline Dragonair has announced the introduction of a new inflight menu featuring authentic European dishes inspired by Hugo’s, the fine-dining restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui.
4) IATA urges unified focus
In order to deliver a sustainable aviation future, aviation stakeholders need to stay focused and unified, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Speaking at the 7th Air Transport Action Group Environmental Summit in Geneva, IATA Director General and Tony Tyler said the strength of the aviation industry’s response to the environmental challenge has been founded on our unity of purpose. “Working together, we have demonstrated progress with more efficient operations, investments in technology and by driving improvements in the use of infrastructure,” said Mr Tyler. Convinced that the industry is only just getting started, Mr Tyler concluded by saying the best is yet to come, and sustainability will be a critical key to unlocking our future and the benefits that aviation will deliver to the world.
5) Guide to travelling with kids
Travelling with children has become easier thanks to the release of InterContinental Hotels and Resorts Insider Guide to Travelling with Children. The third in the Insider Guide series, this guide is an essential handbook for guests planning to travel with their children, collating InterContinental insider knowledge and external industry expert opinions from countries across Asia, Middle East and Africa. It includes top travel tips, local insights and exciting itineraries, including suggestions on engaging the young ones from the planning stage.
6) Atlantis Palm resort gets visual
With its first ever brand campaign; Atlantis The Palm Resort has released an innovative multi-channel campaign that takes audiences on a visual journey. The push designed to engage audiences in a captivating visual story that will transport holidaymakers into another world has been dubbed ‘Check into Another World’. The new ad, centres around an 80-second TV commercial, with music composed especially for the campaign, and also comes in 30-second and 60-second versions, combines live action footage and visual effects, forming the basis of the magical migration journey that audiences are taken on. Already attracting over half a million views on YouTube for all three versions and a reach of over 157,000 on Facebook in just 14 days, the ad is already proving to be a hit.
7) Government to boost Mexico tourism
Mexico’s travel and tourism is expected to grow thanks to less stringent travel measures, tourism campaigns, better economic conditions and industrial activity. According to a new report from Timetric, Tourism in Mexico faces a promising future and the government is backing that. Investing a gross sum of MXN4.0 trillion (US$315 billion), the Mexican government plans to complete works on developing infrastructure key for tourism through to 2018. New visa and travel regulations will also help increase international tourist levels. Popular campaigns such as ‘Mexico: The Place You Thought You Knew’, initiated in 2010 have been designed to attract 50 million international tourists annually by 2018.
8) Creative first-hand famils
Creative Holidays are giving agents first-hand experience with their agent educational schedule for the next quarter taking agents to explore destinations around the globe ranging from serene beaches and bustling cities. Creative Holidays Head of Sales and Distribution Jasna Stevanja said they have a long legacy of supporting travel agents by helping them extend their knowledge with first-hand in-destination educational opportunities. Last year the wholesaler hosted over 400 agents, with this year just as busy with multiple departures scheduled every month. “We know that consumers trust first-hand knowledge and referrals based on personal experience so our goal is to provide agents with the confidence to sell that only having walked the streets, tasted the local food and interacted with locals provides,” said Ms Stevanja.
9) Partnership to boost Singapore’s visitors
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Singapore Airlines (SIA) are working together to attract more visitors from key source markets. Running until 30 June 2015, the strategic partnership will invest SGD4 million into a global marketing collaboration targeting a broad spectrum of leisure, cruise and business visitors. The focus will be on visitors from Australia, China, Germany, India, Japan, the UK and the USA. As a pre-cursor to this new global partnership, SIA and STB worked together to enhance the Singapore Stopover Holiday1 (SSH) package in 2013, with the incorporation of features that make the package more appealing to travellers and has since seen double-digit growth in bookings over the same period in the previous year.
10) Christchurch’s icy transformation
Christchurch will become an icy city for the Antarctic Festival later held from 26 September to 12 October. Known as NZ IceFest 2014, the event celebrates New Zealand’s and Christchurch’s unique relationship with Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. NZ IceFest 2014 bring the world’s attention to the importance of the mysterious continent by providing a unique and quirky Antarctic experience, a host of speaker events, exhibitions and interactive kids’ activities. By night it will transform with an Antarctic bar and live music. A comprehensive Antarctic Film Festival programme will also be developed, including feature length films as well as short films, covering a wide range of topics such as climate change to adventure and history.
11) EK incentive to the World Cup
Commencing 5 May, agents who book their clients on Emirates flights can have a chance to win a trip to the FIFA World Cup. Two lucky agents from Australia and one from New Zealand will win the ultimate Emirates FIFA World Cup experience. Simply log all eligible Emirates tickets to go in the draw to win. Each of the three major prize winners will receive one return Economy Emirates flight to Brazil via Dubai, one ticket to the opening ceremony and the first match of the competition between Croatia and Brazil, as well as exclusive access to the pre and post-match hospitality area. In addition, the airline is offering 21 daily prizes of AUD$200 pre-paid Visa cards across three weeks.
12) BA sponsors business event
British Airways is the sole aviation sponsor for World Business Forum held for the first time in Australia. Running for more than 10 years, the forum is one of the world’s foremost business, management and leadership events and this year is being hosted at The Star in Sydney. Opening on 28 May, the two day event will see 2,500 of the top executives in the country convene for a series of talks from some of the world’s pioneering thought leaders, including Michael Porter the best selling author and Professor of Harvard Business School, Randi Zuckerberg the former CMO of Facebook and the Hon. John Howard, the 25th Prime Minister of Australia.
13) APT webinars takes guests worldwide
Travel agents should encourage their clients to sign up for APT’s May webinars, designed to take guests around the world while finding out about the various products the Australian tour operator offers. The webinar on 21 May 2014 at 11am covers Europe River Cruising and the session on 27 May at 11am discovers South America.Travel agents can register their clients by visiting www.aptouring.com.au/webinars or alternatively, clients can register themselves.
14) Queen Mary 2 welcomes film greats
Award-winning film director Wes Anderson and his esteemed colleagues, actors Tilda Swinton and Jason Schwartzman with screenplay writer-producer Roman Coppola will sail on Queen Mary 2 next month. The 13 June transatlantic crossing will give guests onboard an exclusive opportunity to participate in multiple film screenings and a Q&A session with the entire group in Queen Mary 2’s Royal Court Theatre. The seven night cruise departs New York and will screen Mr Anderson’s newest film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, which also stars Ms Swinton and Mr Schwartzman.
15) Mr Harvey joins itravel as Brand Ambassador
Mr Scott Harvey has been appointed as the brand ambassador of itravel. Mr Harvey said he was excited about this opportunity and that “itravel are extremely aware that the success of their business is based on the success of each individual franchise and that those offices have a voice.”
16) ACCC cross-appeals Flight Centre
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) have lodged a cross-appeal following an appeal by Flight Centre against recent price fixing charges. A penalty judgment of the Federal Court was handed down on 28 March 2014, ordering Flight Centre to pay penalties totalling $11M for repeatedly attempting to enter into anti-competitive arrangements with three international airlines to eliminate differences in the international air fares offered to customers. The ACCC’s cross-appeal will contend penalties imposed do not provide adequate deterrence, given His Honour’s findings about the nature of the conduct and the size and financial strength of Flight Centre.
17) TA campaign food focused
Exceptional food and wine experiences from around Australia are playing a starring role in Tourism Australia’s latest campaign, Restaurant Australia. In an effort to convert the global appetite for Australia as a travel destination into more visits, the new $10 million campaign is based on the idea of Australia being the world’s greatest restaurant. Speaking at the launch at Sydney’s award-winning Quay Restaurant, Tourism Australia Managing Director John O’Sullivan said the roll-out of the campaign would occur in stages, starting firstly with the ‘Rally Cry’ to encourage Australian operators with a food and wine focus to get involved ahead of ‘Ignite the World’ consumer promotions in international markets and culminating in a spectacular ‘Invite the World’ gala dinner in Tasmania in November. The new advertising creative includes broadcast ad (for TV, cinema and online) and print; a dedicated online hub (www.australia.com/restaurantaustralia) for Australian businesses to share their food and wine experiences with the world, a strong focus on using digital channels, social media and advocacy, consumer promotions in a dozen key international markets and attendance by 80 international media and key food and wine influencers at the ‘Invite the World to Dinner’ gala event at Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Tasmania.
18) Vivid from the Harbour
Captain Cook Cruises will take guests right in the thick of the action on Sydney Harbour for Sydney’s Vivid Festival. Offering a variety of ferry and dining cruises, Captain Cook Cruise passengers can see the city come alive in a spectacular array of lights and projections across Sydney’s most famous landmarks from 23 May to 09 June 2014. Cruises have been specially designed to complement the Vivid Light walk with over 60 interactive light installations from Sydney Cove, through The Rocks to Walsh Bay and Darling Harbour.
19) Qantas puts A380 on Dallas route
From September 2014, Qantas will replace the Boeing 747 with an Airbus A380 on the Sydney-Dallas/Fort Worth route. The change to the A380 service is the result of several scheduling changes designed to unlock more flying time, as flagged in February this year under the Qantas Transformation Program, according to Qantas Group Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce. “Aircraft are one of our biggest fixed costs and maximising the amount of time they spend in the air is good news for our customers and for Qantas – especially when it comes to the A380,” Mr Joyce added. The additional range of the A380 over the B747 it replaces on the Dallas route will see the return service operate direct to Sydney rather than via Brisbane. The larger aircraft also means Qantas will fly six return services per week between Sydney and Dallas (every day except Tuesdays) compared to seven days a week with the B747. This represents a net increase of seats on the route by more than 10 per cent per week.
20) Canada’s first aboriginal-themed hotel
Visitors to Vancouver can now immerse themselves in Canada’s rich First Nations culture at the entirely aboriginal-themed hotel, the Skwachàys Lodge. Opening this month, the 18-room boutique arts hotel features distinctly cultural accommodations, built within two floors of the Vancouver Native Housing Society, between Gastown and Chinatown. The building includes an aboriginal art gallery and 25 residential units for the artists. This experiential hotel is the first in the country and was designed by six aboriginal artists and Vancouver-based interior design firms. It includes unique themes such as animal spirits, indigenous carvings, blankets and paintings while featuring a sweat lodge and gathering places, an artist’s workshop, smudge room (a room for religious ceremonies) and guest lounge.
21) ACTE and CAPA join for events
A significant Alliance Partnership between the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) in Australia/New Zealand and the Australia-based Centre for Aviation, CAPA will see them collaborate to deliver the region’s two ‘must-attend’ Educational & Networking events this year. CAPA Corporate Travel Summit will be held on 6 August 2014 in Sydney and the ACTE Corporate Travel Education Conference will follow in December 2014 in Sydney.
22) CLIA Australasia grows partnerships
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia’s has announced the addition of executive partner ranks with Kuoni Group Travel and Cruise Abroad. Welcoming the new members, CLIA Australasia General Manager Brett Jardine said organisations from across the travel industry were realising the benefits of being a member of the cruise industry body. Cruise Abroad is a wholesale cruise seller while Kuoni Group Travel offers tailor-made outbound group touring itineraries for travel agents and wholesalers around the world. The latest members follow a growing list of partner ranks including last month’s addition of Wild Earth Travel and the South Pacific Cruise Alliance.
23) FJ announces key appointments
Continuing on its path to enhanced profitability, growth and a global footprint by restructuring its commercial area, Fiji Airways has announced two key senior appointments. The Sales and Marketing functions have now been separated from Commercial Strategy, Revenue Management and Network & Fleet Planning, with the airline appointing Australian Otto Gergye in the newly created position of Executive General Manager Sales and Marketing.
24) Carnival taps into Aus beers
Carnival Cruise Lines are tapping into Australians’ thirst for quality craft beer, offering its own bespoke ale on its its Sydney-based ships. Capturing the spirit of a holiday at sea, the cruise line’s ground-breaking Thirsty Frog Summer Ale is a refreshing beer which was created in partnership with Sydney’s award-winning Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel. Starting 1 June, the 100 per cent natural ale will be on tap across 14 bars on the cruise line’s Sydney-based Carnival Spirit, as well as onboard its latest Australian ship, Carnival Legend, when it debuts in Sydney in September. The beer is expected to be a favourite among guests, according to Carnival Cruise Lines Vice President Australia Jennifer Vandekreeke.
25) Marriott expands mobile functionality
Marriott Hotels is putting the world in the hands of their guests, expanding theirMobile Check-in and Check-out function for Marriott Rewards Members to nearly 500 hotels. This means Marriott Rewards guests from London to Dubai to Shanghai to Mexico City to New York can simply check-in and checkout using the wildly popular Marriott Mobile app on their smartphone. The app was first introduced last year at its hotels in the United States and Canada. Since then the app has expanded to include Marriott Hotels in every continent across nearly 500 properties.
26) Uniworld fit for a Queen
Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection will launch its new Masterpiece Super Ship S.S Maria Theresa in spring 2015. Inspired by and fit for a Queen, the S.S. Maria Theresa is befittingly named after the Archduchess of Austria and Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, the great Maria Theresa who reigned from 1740 to 1780. The ship will sail this very region on Uniworld’s European Jewels from Budapest to Amsterdam itinerary, as well as on Tulips & Windmills, Danube Holiday Markets and Enchanting Christmas & New Year’s cruises.
27) Relax, Refresh, Repeat with Rocky Mountaineer
Rocky Mountaineer has launched the new Free Hotel Offer for guests booking a qualifying holiday package of six or more nights. From now until 27 June 2014, guests will receive an additional hotel night in Vancouver, BC allowing them to relax, refresh, and repeat, and further explore this world-class city. New qualifying Coastal Passage bookings receive an added value of up to $750 per couple, which includes an extra hotel night in Seattle, WA and a complimentary dinner and breakfast at the hotel.
28) Sofitel opens in Xian
Sofitel has opened its 19th property in Greater China, the heritage building of Legend People’s Grand Hotel Xian. The property is the first hotel in Greater China to join Sofitel’s exclusive ultra-luxe Legend Collection. The People’s Grand Hotel Xianis part of Renmin Square, an extensive hotel complex (all under management by Sofitel’s parent company, the Accor Hotel group) within a 40,000 m² landscaped garden. Ideally located inside the Ming Dynasty city walls at the heart of historic Xian, the hotel is only a 15 minute walk to the world’s first museum, the Forest of Steles, or to the colourful Moslem quarter where traders have flourished in the spice-laden air for many centuries.
29) Mile high club act caught out
A young British woman has been caught having sex in an airplane bathroom while her parents were on the same flight, according to the Daily Mail. The woman, said to be in her 20’s, was on a Virgin Atlantic flight to Las Vegas and didn’t let the fact that her parents were sitting next to her stop her from having sex with a man in the plane’s bathroom. The two went to the bathroom together and it wasn’t long before their cries of ecstasy got the attention of the entire plane and drew complaints from passengers. Crew, who then forced the door open, were then faced with the woman who was outraged to be disturbed in the middle of the act and became hostile, screaming at the crew and refusing to go back to her seat. Airplane staff had no choice but to handcuff her to her seat. Virgin Atlantic said behaviour like this cannot be tolerated and the company will continue to discipline any sort perpetrators of this nature.
Was sourced from carryon
