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. Sabre Online goes mobile
Sabre-connected travel management companies and their travellers across Australia and New Zealand are now able to access Sabre Online on any HTML5 mobile device.
Sabre Online is designed for corporate travel authorisers and provides the ability to approve ticketing ahead of deadline in a single click, and instantly message their travel management companies.
Now, the system Sabre Online is giving these authorisers and travellers even more control from the small screen, with the ability to make their own compliant flight, hotel and car rental reservations.
2. Nepal update: Australians flown out + operators cancel tours
Image: Humans of Nepal/Facebook
Over 100 Australians were flown out of Nepal yesterday, six days after the 7.9 magnitude quack shook the destination.
Evacuated on two Royal Australian Air Force jets, they were flown to Bangkok where they will board flights back to Australia.
Alice Forest, 27, told the Sydney Morning Herald she was relieved to get away from the aftershocks that are still occurring regularly in Nepal.
3. 6 reasons travellers will want the Grand Tour of Switzerland
Switzerland Tourism is making travel around the country easier for travellers, with an all new pre-planned Grand Tour of the destination.
Unveiled in Sydney this week, the Grand Tour of Switzerland is a new initiative by the country’s tourism bureau to excite, entice and surprise travellers.
Director Australia and New Zealand, Mark Wettstein said the tour isn’t just a one-time promotion, but an ongoing, integral part of the bureau’s offerings.
4. ‘Name Your Own Price’ with ReadyRooms
ReadyRooms is giving travel agents more control over the cost of their clients’ holidays, with a new ‘Name Your Own Price’ functionality.
Available through search, compare and booking site, it allows agents to increase the total value of a booking by a maximum of 25 percent.
It also means, they can now discount the value of their gross booking from the original Gross Sell Price to the Nett Sell Price.
5. Time to renew ATAS
It’s coming up to a year since the ATAS officially replaced the TCF, which means its time for participants to renew their accreditation.
The process can be done online and AFTA said reminder communications will be sent to members.
According to the travel agent group, within a year, travel agents from 3,000 locations signed up to the accreditation scheme.
General Manager, Gary O’Riordan said it is a ‘great milestone’ and illustration of the industry backing the association.
“AFTA is now in a position to showcase its members to Australian consumers and there is strong evidence that brand awareness amongst consumers is growing rapidly as we remain committed to promoting the benefits of booking travel via an accredited agent now and into the future.”
Gary O’Riordan, AFTA General Manager
6. INCENTIVE: Rock it out in Montreal with Contiki
Calling all travel agents, get ready to ‘Rock Around the World’, more specifically Montreal, with Contiki.
The youth tour operator is giving agents the chance to be win a trip to Montreal and rock it out at the three-day festival, Osheaga, as part of its top-seller famil this year.
Previously ‘Rock Around the World’ has taken top Australian agents to some of the world’s hottest festivals including Coachella, Benicassim and Lollapalooza.
7. Build to WIN your own bucket-list holiday
London, Los Angeles or snorkeling in Fiji? Always dreamt about planning your own bucket-list holiday? Now you have the chance to take it without paying a cent…
To celebrate the launch of their new website, Creative Holidays is offering agents the chance to create and then WIN their own dream holiday.
For the chance to win, agents are being invited to design their dream holiday to the value of $15,000 at creativeholidays.com/win by adding flights, hotels, transfers and tours into the shopping cart and saving the quote.
8. Cash for Queensland tourism
The Sunshine State will receive over $360,000 in funding from the Australian government to fund three projects designed to boost tourism numbers.
Revealed by the Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb, the funding stems from a partnership between the federal and state governments as part of the Tourism Demand Driver Infrastructure (TDDI) Programme, and will be followed by funding of $7.5 million over the next three years.
The three projects to receive funding this financial year are Wi-Fi infrastructure; Gold Coast quality service initiative; and industry capability.
As part of the Wi-Fi project, Queensland will introduce free hotspots in the North Burnett region and in 17 visitor information centres across the state.
‘Embracing 2018: Gold Coast Quality Service Initiative’ is a program designed to improve service culture and promote new standards of quality in preparation for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
And industry capability focuses on providing opportunities for small-to-medium tourism operators.
9. Royal Brunei’s ‘Dream’ Down Under
Royal Brunei Airlines this month celebrated the first anniversary since launching Boeing 787 Dreamliner services between Melbourne and Brunei.
In the last 12 months, the airline says it carried some 130,000 passengers on the route, making them the fourth largest for transporting passengers internationally from Melbourne to the UAE and London.
Country Manager Australia, Brett McDougall, said the figures are pleasing and cement the airline’s position in the Australian marketplace.
“It’s a testament to the excellent level of comfort and award-winning guest experience offered on board our Dreamliner aircraft plus our very good value air fares.”
Brett McDougall, Royal Brunei Country Manager Australia
10. Introducing… the selfie arm
You never need to travel alone again… well at least your friends won’t think you’re travelling alone with the new ‘selfie arm’.
We’re not joking, this is actually a thing.
And yes, it’s an arm to take photos with – nothing else (naughty naughty).