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The Daily Travel Agent Bite: Thurs 23 Feb

Skill up on all you need to know with bite sized travel news designed specifically to help you, the Travel Agent, be your best today and tomorrow.

Skill up on all you need to know with bite sized travel news designed specifically to help you, the Travel Agent, be your best today and tomorrow.

1. Qantas reports epic profits and half year results

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In news that’s great for the industry and shareholders alike, Qantas has reported some extremely positive financial results, with profits numbering in the millions.

Qantas today reported an Underlying Profit Before Tax of $852 million and a Statutory Profit Before Tax of $715 million for the six months ended 31 December 2016.

These results reflect a strong performance in a mixed global aviation market, with the national carrier’s integrated Group strategy and ongoing transformation enabling it to keep delivering value for shareholders while investing for customers.

Read on.

 

2.Qantas reveals next generation Premium Economy seat

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In addition to reporting fantastic half year results today, Qantas has also revealed its sexy next generation Premium Economy seat, and boy is it looking pretty schmick!

Wider and offering more functional space overall, the next generation Premium Economy seat – which will debut on the airline’s fleet of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners from October – also has a unique recline motion that provides a class-leading level of comfort: When the rear of the seat reclines, several sections shift to support your body as you move into a more relaxing position.

Read on.

 

3. Airbnb continues to make strong gains

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Despite the actual legality of the short-term accommodation sharing platform, Airbnb has continued to grow from strength to strength, with a new report indicating an 8.7 per cent growth in the last year.

The Deloitte Tourism Hotels Market Outlook report has also shown that growth in the traditional hotel accommodation market has slowed right down, from 9.7 percent last year to just 1.2 percent.

According to the report, the number of travellers using Airbnb accomodation instead of hotel accommodation grew by 11.5 percent last year, whilst the number of people using the accomodation platform to visit friends and family members grew by 9 percent.

Read on.

 

4. AIME wraps up in Melbourne

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The 25th annual Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME) wrapped up in Melbourne yesterday, an event that saw exhibitors and delegates in the region get together for two days of networking, learning and activities.

Initial feedback from the exhibitors has been extremely positive, with some exhibitors already seeing their return on investment on day one.

Ian Wainwright, Event Director – Reed Travel Exhibitions, said AIME has experienced a successful two days, bringing together a diverse and quality-centric place for exhibitors and buyers to meet and do business on the show floor.

“I am thrilled with the results from the past two days, everyone involved in AIME has shown us why Australia is so equipped to hold events. Having had 25 successful AIME’s, we look forward to the 26th show in 2018,” he said.

 

5. New AVIS app puts control into customers’ hands

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Avis Australia has continued to roll out a new app nationally that literally puts the power to hire a car into your hands.

Launching in Sydney and Melbourne after successful launches in Brisbane and Adelaide last month, the contactless car hire app looks set to revolutionise the car hire experience for consumers and businesses alike, saving them both time and money.

Some of the key features of the app include the ability to be notified when the hire car is ready for pick-up, the ability to extend hire with the push of a button, and a whole host of other features that put more control into the consumer’s hands.

The new app is available at Avis airport locations in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide.

 

6. Geckos new ‘unknown’ one-off Geckos Festivals trips

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Responding to the growing demand amongst millennials for authentic travel experiences that are more local and off the beaten track, Geckos Adventures has launched a new range of ‘unknown’ one-off Geckos Festivals trips.

The new experiences include a mix of food, music, and cultural festivals that will mean Geckos travellers could find themselves dancing in the streets at Morocco’s colourful Gnaoua Festival, getting elbow-deep in pickled cabbage at South Korea’s Kimchi Festival or doing the conga at Santiago de Cuba’s annual Carnival.

“While Oktoberfest and La Tomatina might have long been on every Aussie traveller’s bucket-lists, the overwhelming popularity of these events means you’re often surrounded by crowds of tourists or in long lines for overcrowded beer tents” says James Thornton, Managing Director of Intrepid Group.

“We believe this next generation are savvy travellers– they’re more interested in spending their holidays dancing in the laneways of Essaouira or parading through Manhattan streets on Halloween.”

For more information on these exciting new festivals, visit www.geckosadventures.com

 

7. Win a 7-night Cuban getaway with TravelCube

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To celebrate its new 2017 Beach Collection brochure (which now features 10,000 properties around the world!), TravelCube is giving Travel Agents the chance to win an unforgettable seven-night trip to Cuba, along with weekly ‘beach breaks’.

Now how awesome is that?!

To be in the running, agents need to book a TravelCube beach product between 15 February and 29 March. At the end of each week, the agent with the most beach properties booked and paid for will win one of the following prizes:

-five nights’ at the Sheraton Mirage, Gold Coast(week one)

-five nights’ at the Marriott Resort & Spa, Nai Yang Beach, Thailand(week two)

-four nights’ at the Pacific Beach Waikiki and two nights at the Honua Kai Maui, Hawaii(week three)

-four nights’ at the Sheraton Tokoriki and two nights at Sheraton Fiji(week four)

-four nights’ at the Sheraton Bali, two nights at the Royal Beach Seminyak and two nights at Istana Rama, Bali (week five)

The agent that makes the most Beach Collection bookings during the incentive period will then win seven nights’ accommodation in Cuba – three nights at the Hotel Memories Miramar in Havana and four nights at the Memories Varadero – along with $3,000 worth of airfares.

More information on TravelCube’s Beach Collection incentive is available here.

 

8. Velocity FF partners with EnergyAustralia

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Starting from tomorrow, Velocity Frequent Flyer members will receive a range of new rewards and benefits in response to Virgin Australia partnering up with EnergyAustralia, one of Australia’s leading energy companies.

For example, members can receive up to 20,000 Velocity Points for new EnergyAustralia customers who sign up to an eligible gas and electricity account and link their Velocity membership before 3 May 2017, as well as a $100 Virgin Australia Holidays voucher for existing EnergyAustralia customers who link their Velocity membership.

Both new and existing customers who have linked their EnergyAustralia and Velocity accounts will also receive 2,000 Velocity Points for each of their energy accounts on their anniversaries of joining EnergyAustralia. As an added bonus, all existing EnergyAustralia customers who are not already Velocity members will receive 1,000 Velocity Points when they join Velocity and link their memberships before 3 May 2017.

 

9. Air Asia reports strong financial results for 4Q16

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Low cost carrier Air Asia has today reported its financial results for the Fourth Quarter (“4Q16”) and Full Financial Year ended 31 December 2016, with the airline posting a quarterly revenue of RM1.17 billion, up 39% from the same quarter last year.

The strong revenue recorded was on the back of a 40% year-on-year (“YoY”) growth in the number of passengers carried to 1.38 million which was in line with the 44% Available Seat per Kilometer (“ASK”) capacity growth, allowing the Company to record a load factor of 81%. Average base fare was down by 4% to RM565 mainly attributed to increased frequencies to Australia and promotional fares offered on new routes.

During the quarter under review, the Company posted a robust operating profit of RM100.1 million (up 14% YoY) and net operating profit of RM100.7 million (up 34% YoY). Net Profit after Tax (PAT) stood at 39.0 million, down 80% YoY, due to an unrealised foreign exchange loss of RM93.2 million, owing to unfavourable foreign currency movements in 4Q16.

 

10. Virtuoso records outstanding growth

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Virtuoso, the world’s leading luxury travel network, has had a pretty impressive last 12 months, with the Asia-Pacific region now boasting more than 1000 luxury advisors working through the Virtuoso network and recording outstanding agency, advisor and production growth.

Global results in 2016 reveal Virtuoso added 39 new agency locations across 23 countries with a 37 percent increase in annual production, whilst Virtuoso Asia Pacific growth rates for 2016 revealed an advisor growth rate of 21 percent, total volume growth rate up 34 percent, and member agencies up 12 percent to 48.

“These tremendous results for the Asia-Pacific region are part of the overall success Virtuoso is experiencing globally,” Virtuoso Asia-Pacific Managing Director, Michael Londregan said.

 

11. World Expeditions Canada Australia Tour

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Discover why Canada is a top destination in 2017 with World Expeditions in a series of free events across Australia.

Join Great Canadian Trails expert, Keri May, at the free events to be held at 6pm on  Tuesday, 28 February (Sydney),   Wednesday 1 March (Melbourne) and Thursday, 2 March (Brisbane)at World Expeditions’ city offices.

Canada boasts 47 National Parks and Reserves, dozens of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves, hundreds of thousands of lakes, a handful of stunning mountain ranges and the longest coastline in the world and World Expeditions’ 29 adventures there are a great way to see some of its most scenically stunning regions.

Register online at www.worldexpeditions.com

 

12. Agents explore Nepal with On The Go Tours

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On The Go Tours, an award-winning tour operator specialising in locally led group tours and tailor-made holidays to over 60 worldwide destinations, recently hosted a group of global travel agents in Nepal on a specialised version of their Nepal Encompassed nine day tour.

Following Nepal’s devastating earthquake in 2015, the tourism sector has been slow to recover so On The Go Tours has been working to bring visitors back to this incredible part of the world and play a part in the country’s long recovery process.

The group included global representatives from the Flight Centre Group as well as the international On The Go Tours network. Flight Centre representatives came from the northern and southern hemisphere including; Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

The nine-day itinerary was led by On The Go Tours expert local guide Anil and took the group to experience Nepal’s many breathtaking many attractions. As well as the ancient cities, temples, palaces, mountain ranges, a game park and waterfalls, agents were taken to a local school and a Tibetan refugee camp.

What are your thoughts on today’s travel news?