We’ve done all the hard work, so you don’t have to! Read on for the top ten travel news stories we think you need to know today.
1. Is Qantas sending the Dreamliner to mainland Europe?
Qantas and Emirates have started mapping out the future of their alliance and it could see the Flying Kangaroo travelling to mainland Europe while its Gulf partner services new Australian cities.
The long-term strategy was reportedly discussed between Qantas chief Alan Joyce and Emirates’ president Tim Clark last week and would include a considerable upgrade to the existing code over the next three to five year.
Currently, the agreement which launched in 2013, includes shared lounges and an exchange of frequent flyer points as well as 14 daily code share services between Australia and Dubai.
2. Aussie dollar boosts inbound tourism
The falling Australian dollar may not be good news for Aussie travellers but it’s definitely inspiring more international holidaymakers to head on over to our side of the globe.
According to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures, the country welcomed 619,300 short-term visitors in August, up 1.9 percent compared to July this year.
Data showed travellers from China and Hong Kong really are the fastest growing markets to Australia, with levels for the year soaring closer to 1.2 million.
On another note, fewer Australians departed the country during the month of August, with only 784,400 taking a short term trip, down 0.7 percent compared to the prior month.
3. NT fire threatens historical Australian sites
Thousands of Aboriginal artworks are at risk of being destroyed or severely damaged by an uranium mine fire in the NT, according to an Aboriginal corporation.
The fire that began in Ranger last week is spreading toward Kakadu National Park – the home of various plant species, native wildlife and indigenous artwork from prehistoric times.
Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation CEO, Justin O’Brien, has warned that more needs to be done to stop the fire from reaching the significant cultural sites with artwork and structures of up to 50,000 years old.
4. Did Jennifer Aniston just stick it to American Airlines?
It appears so in this new ad for UAE carrier Emirates which features Jennifer Aniston awaking from a nightmare to rate the Emirates A380 the best in the sky.
In the comedic one minute ad, recently appointed Emirates Ambassador Jennifer Aniston appears wearing a white robe carrying a loofah and back scrubber and walks through the cabin to ask an attendant “where the shower is?”.
“There are no showers on here ma’am“ responds the guffawing attendant.
5. Helloworld agents cruising for a ScholarSHIP
A number of helloworld agents have jumped aboard the group’s first cruise training program, hello ScholarSHIP, after seeing the financial benefits of the growing cruise sector,
The training program, which launched earlier this year, was created with the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) to support agents with local cruising information and updates.
So far, 60 agents have signed up to become cruise experts through the six-month program.
6. Very cool or waste of fuel?
Virgin Australia received mixed responses from social media users over the weekend after outlining the shape of the AFL Premiership Cup in Melbourne on AFL Grand Final day.
The stunt was part of the airline’s sponsorship of the annual sporting event and followed the release of football-related ads in the lead up to the big game.
Virgin took to Twitter on Sunday to celebrate its aircraft feat.
7. New design, new tours & a Big One
Wendy Wu Tours’ new china program hasn’t just been completely redesigned, it has received a range of new offerings including new tours dedicated to experiential travel.
The five new ‘Discovery Tours’ range from 11 to 28 days and allow guests to get up close and personal with cultures in lesser visited locations in smaller groups of up to 18 people.
According to Managing Director Alan Alcock, the new tours come after receiving feedback from guests and retail agents.
“We are constantly exploring new areas of China to delve into, between our team on the ground in China, product managers and Wendy Wu herself- we are able to create new and exciting tour itineraries suitable for both first time and repeat visitors,” he said.
There’s also the introduction of the “China: The Big One” (the longest China tour yet) that is aimed at active travellers wishing to see all the main areas in China in both the north, central and south.
Covering ten cities it takes in the highlights of the busy cities, scenic rural areas, ancient towns, breathtaking mountains and gorges and a three night Yangtze River cruise.
Click here to request a brochure.
8. Accor enters the Philippines
AccorHotels has announced it will enter the Philippines market this month with the launch of Novotel Manila Araneta Center.
Located within the Araneta Center, the 24-storey hotel features 401 contemporary rooms and suites and an executive sky-lounge with a 360-degree view of the metropolis. It will offer the largest number of rooms in Quezon City to date.
The hotel is located 15 kilometres from the airport, and is also a few steps away from light rail and metro rail stations, bus stops and jeepney terminals to places of interest such as the Sining Saysay Gallery in Gateway Tower 1, the SMART Araneta Coliseum, Gateway Mall and Ali Mall.
It is also situated near the re-opened Kia Theatre (formerly New Frontier Theater), a 2,500-seat indoor music performance and event space, and Gateway Tower 2, a dedicated facility for information technology, telecommunications and business processing-oriented companies within the Araneta Center, which will open in the first quarter of 2016.
Inside, it was two new dining concepts such as Food Exchange Manila – a 208-seat contemporary restaurant serving an array of international cuisine with dishes prepared at live cooking stations; and Gourmet Bar by Novotel – serving refreshing signature drinks as well as freshly brewed coffee and using organic produce grown and harvested from a dedicated farm in San Mateo, Rizal.
Click here for more information.
9. APT takes ‘The Best’ to Douro
APT treated its 2015 Top Achievers to an all-inclusive 12-day luxury journey along the Douro River from Portugal to Spain.
The group enjoy three nights in Lisbon before setting sail along the river aboard luxury vessel, MS AmaVida.
The all inclusive itinerary took agents to two vibrant cities in two very different countries, against the backdrop of Portugal’s Douro river, one of the most picturesque regions of western Europe.
The journey commenced with three nights in Lisbon, discovering Portugal’s capital city, whilst staying at the Four Seasons Ritz Hotel.
Travelling up to Porto, they then spent seven nights aboard the MS AmaVida, a vessel with features including a refreshing swimming pool atop the expansive sun deck. Each agent was treated to their own private balcony suite onboard the vessel which is custom designed for the Douro.
Following the cruise they explored Madrid, staying at the Westin Palace Hotel in Madrid.
Back Row [L-R]: Karen Turner – Escape Travel The Glen; Rohan Ford – Cruiseabout Kew; Kate Arnold – Sylvania Travel & Cruise; Jacqui Ingram – Flying Colours Travel; Helen Paulus – Geelong Travel; Jocelyn Foster – Our Vacation Centre; Gabrielle Abbott – Andrew Jones Travel; and Nilla Spark – Travel with Purpose.
Front Row [L-R]: Julie Clarkson – helloworld Croydon Hills; Maxine Hodis – Flight Centre Eastland; Jenny Kater – Coopers Travel; and Deb Bond – Our Vacation Centre.
Front Row Kneeling: Rowena Morris, Susan Haberle and Jo Ellies – APT; with Andrew Guillaume – helloworld Wheelers Hill.
Click here for more APT news.
10. Hotel guests & their bad habits
The truth about taking a holiday and staying at a hotel is that sometimes (more often than not) we come across certain behaviours and habits we just can’t stand.
And while we only have to tolerate it for a short period of time (unless you’re on an extensive getaway), we just can’t seem to get passed how annoying some people can be.
Expedia went out and surveyed a number of its website visitors, asking them to rank the most frustrating behaviours of fellow hotel guests.
Vice President, John Morrey, said while etiquette changes, most hotel guests tend to be annoying by the same behaviour – disrespect of others.