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. Trump issues another travel ban, this time it’s on your carry-on electronics
Is it a safety measure? A strike at Muslim-majority countries? Or an attempt to encourage people to fly with US airlines? Either way, President Trump has signed off on another controversial travel ruling, which the UK is allegedly planning to replicate.
US leaders announced this week that passengers travelling to the United States from airports in 10 Middle Eastern and African cities will not be permitted to have electronic devices larger than a mobile phone in their carry-on.
No tablets, DVD players, laptops and cameras will be allowed in the main cabin, meaning passengers will have to store their personal devices in their check-in luggage.
2. Peru flooding – what Agents need to know
Image: dwnews/Twitter
More than 70 people have been killed and hundreds more displaced this week in heavy rainfall pouring over parts of Peru.
The popular tourist destination is experiencing 10 times more rainfall than usual for this time of the year, according to reports, which has caused rivers to overflow, mudslides and the worst flooding in the country in decades.
Tourism leaders from PROMPERU issued an update saying that severe weather conditions were triggered by the ‘El Nino Costero’ phenomenon and that the government to working in affected areas to assist victims and commence structural repairs.
3. International Day of Happiness – here’s how the travel industry smiled
Name one thing in the world we can all agree makes almost everyone happy – TRAVEL!
So it should come as no surprise that earlier this week tour operators, airlines and cruise lines joined in on International Day of Happiness, a movement designed to make the world a happier place.
Here’s how the industry smiled:
4. Cathay Pacific sends more A350s to Australia
Cathay Pacific announced it will introduce the first scheduled A350 service into Perth on its daily service (CX170/171), and introduce a second A350 into Melbourne (CX163/178) from 29 October 2017. The announcement comes less than two months after the airline started its first A350 service into Melbourne in February and next week it will commence daily A350 flights into Brisbane.
The brand new Airbus A350-900 features the latest in aviation technology – combining advanced aerodynamics, state-of-the-art technology and innovative designs and takes travelling well to a new level. From a quieter cabin to LED mood lighting, the new aircraft improves passenger comfort and helps travellers arrive to their destination feeling refreshed.
Cathay Pacific’s General Manager Southwest Pacific, Nelson Chin, said: “We’ve been flying into Perth since 1970 and we’re thrilled to be introducing our newest aircraft on our direct services to and from Hong Kong. It not only means a bigger aircraft, it also offers more comfortable cabins and more seats using our very latest designs.”
5. Regent Seven Seas’ new Atlas Brochure is available for Agents
Regent Seven Seas Cruises (RSSC) has just made its comprehensive cruise Atlas brochure available for Australian Travel Sgents who can order their copies through Brochure Flow or through the company’s website.
All four of Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ luxurious vessels – Voyager, Navigator, Mariner and Explorer – are featured in the Atlas brochure, coupled with stunning images of both the on board experience as well as the ports of call.
Itineraries include a variety of adventures throughout the Pacific, starting with Alaska in summer 2018 on board Seven Seas Mariner. Seven Seas Explorer returns to Europe for a third consecutive summer season in May 2018, and will sail throughout the Mediterranean, North and Baltic Seas. Seven Seas Voyager will also sail the Mediterranean in summer 2018, with many 7-night itineraries that include calls at some of the region’s most chic destinations. Seven Seas Navigator will sail a range of unforgettable Canada and New England cruises between New York and Montréal in 2018 to showcase the autumn foliage and exciting cities of Quebec and the Northeast U.S.
Click here to view the brochure.
6. Travelmarvel opens preview bookings for Canada & Alaska 2018
Travelmarvel has opened 2018 bookings for select Canada & Alaska tours, as departures for 2017 continue to sell out.
Included in the new brochure is the 21-day Reflections of the Rockies & Alaska Cruise, commencing in the picturesque Victoria on Vancouver Island and travelling across British Columbia to Whistler and Blue River, before crossing into Alberta bound for Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff.
For Agents with clients looking to also explore Canada’s eastern provinces, bookings are also open for the 28 day Highlights of Eastern & Western Canada With Alaska Cruise, which includes Toronto and Niagara Falls, the city of Ottawa, Quebec City and Montreal.
7. Travel Associates appoints new GM
Travel Associates has announced the appointment of highly regarded travel professional Sally Sylvester to the position of General Manager.
Sally brings a wealth of experience to the role having worked for Flight Centre Travel Group for more than 18 years.
Drawn to the industry through a lifelong passion for travel, she began her career as a sales consultant, progressing through the ranks to team leader and then employing and developing staff as an area leader. Prior to her appointment as GM for Travel Associates, Sally spent eight years in charge of strategic plans, deployment and follow through of the Flight Centre Brand Retail operation in New South Wales and the ACT.
8. CATO holds focus group with Tourism Offices
Dennis Bunnik, Chairman, CATO, Peter Bailey, General Manager, CATO and Julie King, Committee Member, CATO held the first Tourism Office focus group meeting to obtain input for CATO’s strategy to provide more value to this important membership category.
Present were representatives from GTI Tourism, ATOUT France, Gate 7, Catalonia Tourism, Switzerland Tourism, Destination Canada, Dubai Tourism and Abu Dhabi Tourism.
9. Travellers Choice Agents help celebrate Norfolk Island century
You might think that after visiting Norfolk Island 99 times, very little about the destination would surprise you. Not so for David Bantoft, whose 100th visit to the Pacific paradise was made even more memorable when the locals caught him off-guard with a special honorary dinner.
Helping Bantoft celebrate his ton at the surprise party – held at the pirate-themed restaurant The Jolly Roger – were nine Travellers Choice members.
The group, on a Norfolk Select famil, explored the destination on a car rally, walked through the National Park for a cliff-top breakfast, survived a Murder Mystery Dinner, and floated over Emily Bay in a glass bottom boat.
Bantoft says many of his 100 visits to the island have involved tour groups or agent famils, and the most rewarding element of any trip is seeing first time visitors experience the destination’s beauty and the warmth of the local culture.
10. Sell Hong Kong like a master by doing this one simply thing
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a one-stop-shop to help you sell Hong Kong like a true master, like a Travel Agent Bruce Lee? And wouldn’t it be awesome if you could achieve that mastery in minutes, not years?
Well there is, and it’s called PartnerNet – an easy to use trade portal that’s been developed by Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) to help transform agents from Hong Kong newbies to Hong Kong experts.
Because at the end of the day, the more confident you are about Hong Kong (or any other destination for that matter), the better you’ll be able to sell it.
11. Agents: Excite Holidays is what you’ve been searching for
Hours spent scratching your head and tunnelling through the travel landscape in search of the perfect product for your clients has been relegated to nostalgia, thanks to Excite Holidays’ new search bar.
Fast. Sleek. Simple.
These three attributes have completely informed the design of an all new search bar that promises to make life as a Travel Agent just that little bit easier.