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. A gigantic beast arrived in Australia – and she’s a cruising beauty
You’ve seen her in images, you’ve seen her in promotional ads, and now Australia, you get to see her in real life. She’s Royal Caribbean’s newest gigantic and technologically advanced beast, and she’s finally here.
For a year-and-a-half – since the day Ovation of the Seas’ visit was first announced – the country’s biggest cruisers (and some of the newbies that caught that enticing Royal Caribbean ad on the telly) have patiently waited for her arrival.
They read through KarryOn articles on where she’ll be sailing during her time Down Under, all the many features she has onboard and they even scrolled through pics of her floating out of the shipyard.
2. A new airline is taking Western Australians to Bali
Air competition to Bali is set to get a little heated from Western Australia, when Indonesian airline Batik Air enters the market.
The carrier received approval from the Australian Civil Aviation Authority to commence services on the route either later this month or early next year.
Lion Air Group, parent company of Batik Air, confirmed the airline is aiming for a December or January, and is just currently working through the paperwork.
3. TravelManagers is halfway to reaching 1,000 Agents
It’s quality over quantity over at TravelManagers, but when the company is halfway to reaching 1,000 Agents, there’s definitely a reason to celebrate.
This week, the home-based agency signed its 500th personal travel manager… Corinne Mutz.
Corinne, the South Australian representative for Upper Sturt, returns to the company after first joining in 2009. She said it was the flexibility of working from home that lured her back to the business.
4. Good news is finally coming out of Malaysia
Two years ago, Malaysia’s tourism industry was hit by not one, but two aviation disasters that sent international arrivals spiraling from all major markets.
The country’s flag carrier, Malaysia Airlines, was forced to adjust and consolidate operations in order to reduce financial loss, as the country’s tourism leaders watched visitor numbers fall despite ongoing marketing activities.
Director General of the country’s tourism board, Datuk Seri Mirza Mohammed Taiyab, described the 24-month period as tough, but says the country is finally moving out of the hard period and into a promising future.
5. Find out why this hog is walking around San Fran airport in wings
What’s the oddest thing you’ve seen passing through an international airport? A flash mob proposal? Sex toys? A human head?
How about a pig dressed in wings and a purple tutu?
That was the sight travellers arriving and departing from San Francisco International Airport received this week when the gateway welcomed the newest member of its Wag Brigade.
6. Agents, don’t just read about Princess, experience it
Princess Cruises is making it easier for Agents to tour its local ships by introducing a new online booking system to streamline the registration process.
Travel Agents can now signal their interest to tour any one of Princess’ five local ships at any port in Australia or New Zealand via the One Source website – a change for previously when they relied on their local business development manager.
Princess Cruises Head of Sales Brett Wendorf said the initiative was another step by Princess to engage with more Agents. It also offers consultants easy access to Princess deals, training and marketing tools.
Click here to view the system.
7. Becoming a Qantas expert is easy
Shouldn’t learning be fun and engaging? And shouldn’t it be possible to learn at your own pace and in your own time, whether that’s on your daily commute, a spare five minutes at home, or face-to-face?
Yes, it should, and thankfully Qantas totally gets it.
The new Qantas Learning Hub makes it easy for Travel Agents around the country to learn everything there is to know about the Flying Kangaroo: from support, sales, and fares, right through to product, networks and partner alliances – all accessible 24/7 on your desktop, mobile or tablet.
8. Italian train reservations open for winter & spring
Melbourne-based rail specialist International Rail has announced that the reservation booking system for Italian trains are now open for beyond mid-December travel when the timetables are updated for the winter and spring seasons.
Agents can now make live bookings online for travel up until mid-April, 2017, on all high-speed and regional train services on the Trenitalia network.
Managing director Jonathan Hume said this is highly beneficial for agents as most Australians prefer arranging rail bookings in advance and that this change allows greater flexibility and cheaper fares for agents and their clients.
Click here for more information.
9. Contours Travel sweeps Agents off to Peru
Not five days, not eight days, not even 10 days, BUT 15 days of Peru was what this group of Agents got to experience during a recent Contours Travel famil.
Eight consultants flew to the country with LATAM before making their way to Lima, Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley, Cuzco, Lake Titicaca, Arequipa, Colca Canyon and the Amazon region.
A highlight of the trip was taking an adventure on the Tambopata River in Peru.
Click here for more pictures.
10. The Encore is ours, Seabourn shouted
There was plenty of cause to celebrate in the Seabourn Sydney office last week following the handover of the world’s newest ultra-luxury ship, Seabourn Encore.
Members of the sales, marketing and call centre team enjoyed a glass of Nicolas Feuillatte, the house champagne served across the all-inclusive Seabourn fleet, to mark the delivery of the all-suite vessel from Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy on 30 November.
Seabourn Encore will be officially christened at a ceremony in Singapore on 7 January next year before setting sail for Australia. She’ll arrive in Darwin on 22 December 2017 followed by Queensland and Sydney.
This week’s competitions
Christmas Travel Gift Guide Bonanza Giveaway
Those who love to travel are always looking for the latest gadgets to make the journey just a little easier and more fun. Enter our Christmas Gift Guide for your chance to WIN!