We’ve done all the hard work, so you don’t have to! Read on for our top ten travel news stories we think you need to know today.
1. The 10 most dependable airlines in the world
A flight can make or break a holiday – literally – especially those that have tours and connections timed right down to the second.
While deals or onboard luxurious are key drivers when it comes to travellers selecting an airline, those that are looking to get somewhere quickly and on-time may want to look at carriers that fall under the ‘dependable’ category.
Travel site, WanderBat teamed up with CBS MoneyWatch to find out exactly which airlines are not only getting their passengers to the destination on-time, but also offer low costs to check bags and have a younger average age for its fleet.
2. Red Centre tourism gets a joint push
The South Australian and Northern Territory Government have signed a new joint agreement that will see the two work closer together on a range of issues including tourism.
Announced late last week, the Memorandum of Understanding was co-signed by South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill and Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles.
The agreement will see the two government work closer on new infrastructure, environmental conservation and more importantly tourism.
3. Groupon shuts down Side Tours
Although the website says it’s still working on launching in new cities, including Sydney, Groupon has announced it is planning on shutting down its tour and activities platform, SideTour.com.
The website was acquired by Groupon in September 2013 and has been run independently since.
However, Groupon says it will cease operations of Groupon from 1 June and consolidate the company into Groupon’s website.
In an email to subscribers, the company said users will be redirected to Groupon.com and events created in SideTour will be re-created to fit Groupon.
“If you’re interested in moving your events to Groupon, there will have to be changes to the structure of your experience to make it work in Groupon’s marketplace, including the implementation of discounting and a potential change in revenue share.”
SideTour email to customers
4. New guide to Hawaii
Everything you need to sell Hawaii to your clients can be found in the 2015 edition of the Discover Hawai’i guide launched this month.
The 92-page guide is available for free in hard copy, as an online ‘flip’ book or printer friendly version and covers all of the essential areas for planning a Hawai‘i holiday including expert advice; hot shopping, dining and entertainment tips as well as an endless variety of holiday options.
The guide presents an overview of the six visitable Hawaiian Islands of O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, Maui, Hawai‘i Island (Big Island), Lana‘i and Moloka‘i to help visitors decide which unique island experience would suit them.
From the more adventurous options of exploring an active volcano or hiking through a rainforest on Hawai‘i Island, to reconnecting with nature taking in the beauty of Waimea Canyon and the Na Pali Coast on Kaua‘i.
Alternatively one can soak up the sun or snorkel in the turquoise ocean on some of the world’s most beautiful beaches on Maui, or shop us a storm on Kalakaua Avenue and ride a seemingly endless wave at Waikiki Beach on O‘ahu.
5. WIN a $15,000 holiday!
There’s nothing like putting together your dream holiday itinerary. Now imagine getting it practically for free.
Creative Holidays is celebrating the launch of its new website by giving travel agents the chance to win a $15,000 holiday you’ve built on your own.
By using content in Creative Holidays’ extensive list of brochures, you simply build your dream holiday at creativeholidays.com/agents
After adding flights, hotels, transfers and experience in a shopping cart, you then tell the company in 25 words or less what your favourite feature of the new website is and why?
Entries are coming in quick so be sure to get yours in by 29 May 2015 to be in the running.
Click here for more information.
6. Pan Pacific’s two dozen award nominations
2015 is proving to be a good year for the Pan Pacific Hotels Group, as the group secures a total of 27 nominations at the Asia & Australasia, Caribbean & North America regional World Travel Awards.
Regarded as the most prestigious and comprehensive awards programme in the travel and tourism industry, the annual World Travel Awards covers the globe with a series of regional gala ceremonies to recognise individual and collective successes within each key geographical region.
All regional winners then compete in a final round of voting to decide who will triumph at the World Travel Awards Grand Final which will be held in Marrakech, Morocco on 6 December this year.
Among the awards Pan Pacific is up for include ‘Australasia’s Leading Airport Hotel’ with PARKROYAL Melbourne Airport; ‘Asia’s Leading Lifestyle Hotel Brand’; and ‘Canada’s Leading Business Hotel’.
7. APT takes helloworld agents to Broadway
[L-R]: Nicole Tucker, helloworld Blacktown; Trudy Bean, helloworld Hornsby; Gada Selim, helloworld Miranda; Ryan Montgomery, APT; Teneille Ireland, helloworld Belmont; Nicole Adams, helloworld Belmont; Lesley Moore, helloworld Mona Vale; Janene Pendleton, helloworld Drummoyne; Alison Watts, helloworld head office; and Claire Haggarty, APT.
It was smiles all round as a group of helloworld travel agents recently joined hosts APT at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney to watch the much celebrated French musical Les Misérables.
The special evening was arranged to celebrate APT’s new Bordeaux river cruising program, which will see the award-winning luxury cruise and tour operator set sail along the beautiful waterways of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers in 2016.
To commemorate the new cruises, APT is having a Companion Fly Free sales on May to November departures for its new all inclusive eight-day Bordeaux River Cruise, priced from $4,695 per person.
Offer is valid until 30 April 2015 and terms and conditions apply.
8. My, my this airline crew performance is awesome!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDQzLqwElGM
Now this is how you celebrate a milestone!
One LOT Polish Airline passenger was serenaded by airline ground crew for being the half a millionth traveller to fly on the carrier’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Captured on the video above, the man is seen handing over his passport when suddenly the airline worker broke out in song.
We may be a little late with this one, because it happened in November last year, but it was too good not to share.
9. All Nippon Airways adopts ‘The Force’
‘The Force’ is coming to Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) in the form of a new Star Wars branded plane.
The airline is jumping on the Sci-Fi bandwagon, with the announcement dropping on the day the trailer for the seventh installment of the movie series was released.
Side note: how awesome does the movie look?!
10. How these unwanted plane passengers are getting onboard
Germs – the unavoidable plane passengers nobody wants onboard that will be there no matter how much we sanitise.
There’s no surprise in that, but what you might find a little shocking is how they’re getting onboard.
While one would expect the unwanted plane passenger to come from coughing or a lack of hand sanitisation, a study on British travellers found a shocking number of dirt came from travellers’ handheld electronics such as mobile phones and tablets.