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The Daily Travel Agent Bite: Thurs 12 Jan

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. Resuming flights to Bali is “a matter of priority” for Tigerair

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Tigerair is working closely with Indonesia’s leaders to resolve an ‘administrative’ issue, which forced the carrier to ground all services to and from Bali yesterday.

The indefinite suspension on all daily flights from Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth to Bali came after a sudden rule change by the Indonesian Government, according to the airline.

The budget airline claims it was in compliance with all original conditions, however, the Director General of Air Transport in Indonesia said there was a breach in licence conditions, specifically ticketing arrangements.

Read on

 

2. You won’t believe how many people visited L.A. & Vegas

Las Vegas

Donald, a tough dollar and internationally reported attacks haven’t ‘Trumped’ on the USA’s tourism industry over the past year, in fact it’s done the complete opposite over on the West Coast.

Both Las Vegas and Los Angeles – two right-of-passage cities for most Aussies heading to the US for the first time – revealed today that last year the number of arrivals spiked so high, they broke previous visitor arrival records.

Over in L.A., some 47.3 million people travelled to the City of Angels (or if you prefer the La La Land nickname, City of Stars) – that’s not only more than the entire population of Argentina (43.8 million), but an incredible 1.7 million increase on 2015.

Read on

 

3. Meet Travellers Choice’s new Business Development Manager NSW/ACT

Travellers Choice

Travellers Choice has appointed Sharon Orchin as its new Sydney-based Business Development Manager for New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.

Orchin brings a broad range of experience to the role, having previously worked with some of the travel industry’s leading brands, including Flight Centre, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Sabre and Air New Zealand.

In her new role Orchin is responsible for supporting Travellers Choice members’ sales and marketing activities, driving expansion of the national retail group’s network, and liaising with preferred suppliers.

Congratulations Sharon!

 

4. Aurora Expeditions appoints new CEO

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Robert Halfpenny has jumped over from Globus to Aurora Expeditions where he’ll head up the expedition cruise company as the new Chief Executive Officer.

Commencing 1 February 2017, Halfpenny brings over 25 years of travel industry experience to the position having previously held senior roles with Globus, Virgin Australia, the Travel Corporation and, most recently, Rocky Mountaineer.

The appointment follows the resignation of previous CEO Lisa Bolton in September last year. Halfpenny says he’s looking forward to entering the “fast-growing expedition cruising sector” and leading Aurora into a new phase of growth.

Congratulations Robert.

 

5. AAT Kings releases 2017/18 Australia & NZ short breaks brochure

AAT Kings 2

AAT Kings is bringing Australia and New Zealand to life through new trips in its newly released 2017/18 Short Breaks brochure.

Packed with 60 two-to-seven day short holidays, the program has experiences from the stunning Queensland coastline to the great glaciers of New Zealand.

New over the next year is the Family Shindig trip to Uluru, which gives guests the chance to take part in involvement in an exclusive wildlife conservation project, dot-paint with a local Anangu artist and more.

 

6. Heads up Agents, Cathay Pacific is moving its JFK operations

Travel Agent Cathay Pacific JFK

Cathay Pacific is relocating its operations in New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) from terminal 7 to terminal 8.

The move is being made on 15 January and is designed to be more beneficial to customers by making it easier to catch connecting flights with Cathay or the airline’s oneworld partner, American Airlines.

Flight CX845, with a scheduled departure of 00.45 local time on 15 January, will be Cathay Pacific’s final departure from Terminal 7. All subsequent flights to Hong Kong will depart from Terminal 8, which is the largest passenger terminal at JFK and twice the size of Madison Square Garden.

 

7. Miami in complete Bliss with Norwegian’s new ship

Norwegian Cruise Line

See that beautifully decorated vessel up there? Her name is Norwegian Bliss, she will be Norwegian Cruise Line’s 16th ship and the cruise line has just confirmed she’ll be homeporting in Miami.

While sadly that’s not Australia, the decision does give Aussies looking to cruise from the Cruising Capital more choice.

Her homeport begins from November 2018 – after her inaugural season in Alaska – and will see her sailing on Caribbean itineraries including the seven-day trip from PortMiami with stops in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands; Tortola, British Virgin Islands and Nassau, Bahamas.

 

8. Product Managers hit up the City of Angels

Travel Agent

Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board (L.A. Tourism) and American Airlines flew seven lucky Product Managers from leading Australian and New Zealand wholesale travel brands across the Pacific and to the City of Angels.

The VIP were given the star treatment in L.A. where they saw firsthand the reinvigorated premium hotel offerings in the city, while also visiting tourism attractions, making important relationships with on-the-ground providers and experiencing American Airlines route from both Sydney and Auckland to LAX.

Highlights of the trip included dinners and drinks atop of trendy rooftop bars, witnessing the spectacular view from the iconic ‘Hollywood’ sign, stopping by the city’s variety of beaches, getting a taste of the glitz and glam in Beverly Hills, seeing the revitalisation of Downtown and even enjoying a little Korean in Ktown.

What are your thoughts on today’s travel news?