Skill up on all you need to know with bite sized travel news designed specifically to help you, the Travel Agent, be your best.
Read on for this week’s travel news that Travel Agents need to know:
1. The winners of Viking’s incentive is…
Viking Cruises has announced the winners of its 8-day ocean and 8-day river cruise, as part of the cruise operator’s July to September trade incentive. To win, the Travel Agents had to book and deposit the most river cruises or the most ocean cruises between 1 July and 30 September 2017.
Juliet Stott of Global Journeys is the deserving winner of a 2017 8-day Danube Waltz (Christmas Markets) river cruise.
Juliet will take in the highlights of Passau, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest, while cruising leisurely through spectacular scenery and visiting the famous European Christmas markets.
Phoebe King, Manager of Moment Travel, won an 8-day Turquoise Caribbean Seas ocean cruise. She will explore the magnificent Mayan treasures of the western Caribbean on this cruise from Miami to Miami in December.
Congrats guys!
2. Over 200 Agents sign up to become Solomon Islands specialists
The Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau’s ‘Hapi Isles Specialists’ agents’ online training program has signed up more than 200 consultants on both sides of the Tasman within five weeks of its launch.
SIVB CEO, Josefa ‘Jo’ Tuamoto said the result underlined the steadily growing interest the industry is taking in the destination and mirrored the Solomon Islands’ steadily growing international visitation which has continued to increase year on year by some 7 per cent for the past four years.
A total of 125 Australian and 85 New Zealand Agents have signed up for the program which was launched in mid-September.
To date the newly-recruited ‘Hapi Isles Specialists’ have completed over 700 of these modules which include information on the Solomon Islands’ unique culture, reef and wreck diving, WWII history, sport fishing, weddings/romantic travel, surfing and bird watching.
3. Greater Palm Springs Oasis Lounge takes over Flight Centre
Alexandra Sparr of Greater Palm Springs CVB and Jamie Swan of Delta Air Lines hosted an activation at the Flight Centre Hyperstore in Sydney’s CBD on October 26 and 27.
Customers were treated to a taste of Greater Palm Springs as the Oasis Lounge treated its guests to a sample of the wellness and relaxation aspects the destination has to offer, including massage chairs, putt putt golf, a juice bar and virtual reality experience provided by Delta Air Lines.
While consumers were able to indulge in relaxation, they were also in for a chance to win free giveaways and a trip to Greater Palm Springs.
4. Carnival Australia moves to Chatswood
Carnival Australia has moved home from North Sydney to 465 Victoria Avenue Chatswood.
Those who get a chance to visit the new digs will spot a very familiar model of Pacific Aria in the foyer — it moved with the company.
Carnival Australia reception is on Level 5.
5. A new Adina is coming to Brisbane
TFE Hotels will open the new Adina Apartment Hotel Brisbane in a restored heritage building at 171 George Street in February 2018. The property will have 220 apartments, and a signature restaurant and bar in the vast ground floor lobby space that celebrates its Art Deco origins.
Typical of the brand, the hotel will provide guests with the comforts of home, offering spacious apartments with their own kitchen, laundry and living room, or studios with kitchenettes, all with full hotel services including 24-hour reception and a fitness centre with excellent gym equipment and a pool.
Located at 171 George Street, Adina Apartment Hotel Brisbane will be within easy reach of the city’s main attractions, with Queen Street Mall, Queensland Art Gallery and the bustling Southbank Precinct all only a short stroll away, as well as many of Brisbane’s premier restaurants and bars.
6. Cover-More becomes official travel insurance partner for Arsenal
Arsenal Football Club has announced Cover-More as its Official Travel Insurance Partner for three seasons.
The partnership gives the global specialist and integrated travel insurance and medical assistance provider a number of rights and areas of exclusive access.
From December 2017, Cover-More will create Arsenal travel insurance, car-hire insurance and match ticket cancellation insurance solutions for fans attending and travelling to games throughout the season. They will also develop insurance packages for supporters that cover the club’s pre-season tours.
7. Uluru most awarded region among travellers
Uluru was a big winner at the Australian Traveller People’s Choice Awards as the most awarded region in Australia, scooping five awards: Outback Destination, Outback Adventure, Tour Experience and the coveted Dream Experience and most Recommended Experience.
Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia’s CEO Andrew Williams commented: “This is an overwhelming endorsement for Uluru and we are very proud to have worked alongside the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park team to help make this happen.”
8. China Airlines extends partnership with Sabre
Sabre Corporation announced a partnership with China Airlines that will modernize and transform the airlines’ operational systems and processes.
The partnership will provide China Airlines with Sabre AirCentre Movement Manager solution, which provides operations controllers with the capability of monitoring status of flights, making the overall network more efficient.
The addition of Sabre AirCentre Movement Manager will increase on-time performance by communicating movement or irregular operations information simultaneously to other flight operations personnel, eliminating the need for duplicate data entry and makes problem resolution more efficient. By reducing operational-related delays and cancellations, airlines will improve their travellers’ experience too.