We’ve done all the hard work, so you don’t have to! Read on for the top ten travel industry news stories of the day we think you need to know.
1. Cebu Pacific adds services to Sydney
Image: OlegD/Shutterstock
Lonely Planet’s top destination is becoming even more accessible to Australian travellers, with additional services flying into the Philippines.
Cebu Pacific Air announced this week it would increase flights between Sydney and Manila from four to five times weekly.
The announcement comes six months after the airline kicked off services between the two destinations.
2. Westin goes sugar-free with new ambassador
Westin Hotels & Resorts has appointed author and sugar-free lifestyle advocate, Sarah Wilson as the newest Asia Pacific Westin well-being brand ambassador.
Wilson, the author of ‘I Quit Sugar’ and ‘I Quit Sugar For Life’, went down the sugar-free path almost four years ago after she was diagnosed with autoimmune disease – a breakdown in the immune system that sees the body fight off good cells.
Speaking at The Westin Sydney earlier this month she told media she tried everything to fix the issue, but only saw results after taking sugar completely out of her diet. This included cutting out chocolate, lollies, soft drinks and even meals that have even the slightest bit of sugar.
3. Oman sets sails in Sydney
Oman will take centre stage on the iconic Sydney Harbour ‘stadium’ this week with one of their country’s most successful sailing vessels ‘The Wave Muscat’, vying to take out the Extreme 40’s Sailing title for 2014.
It will also be taking centre stage on the harbour foreshore with the Sultanate of Oman showcasing their unique destination and offering two lucky visitors a chance to experience Oman for themselves.
The Oman Sail fleet, consisting of the two times crowned champion ‘The Wave Muscat’ and ‘Oman Air’, compete worldwide at almost every level in a bid to hone Omani sailing skills by racing with and against some of the best on water.
The objective of the Extreme sailing series is to bring sailing into an arena making it accessible to large audiences promoting it as a spectator event.
Not only will visitors to the event be able to witness an exciting sailing competition, they will be able to experience Oman as it activates an exciting 144 square metre exhibition alongside the series sponsor Land Rover at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair.
Visit KarryOn tomorrow for more information from Extreme 40’s.
4. Get your CLIA Awards nominations in!
If you haven’t already nominated your favourite cruise sellers then be sure to get it done before 19 December, when nominations for the 2014 Cruise Industry Awards close.
Brett Jardine, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia general manager, said 2014 has seen some ‘outstanding’ work in cruise and he looks forward to more nominations, particularly in the ‘Agency and Network Promotion of the Year’.
“These awards recognise the most outstanding consumer promotions by CLIA cruise agents in Australia and New Zealand and after such a massive year, there is a lot of great work to applaud.”
Brett Jardine, CLIA Australasia GM
5. Free food on flights out of Adelaide
Free food anyone?
Commencing 4 February guests flying on Virgin Australia’s domestic flights out of Adelaide will receive complimentary snacks.
A slice of banana bread, a bacon and spring onion muffin or pumpkin dip served with lavosh bread will be offered with complimentary tea, coffee, juice and water to guests travelling from Adelaide to Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Coolangatta, Perth and Sydney.
Additional snacks will also be on offer for guests to purchase.
“The snacks will vary depending on the length of the flight, so guests travelling to Melbourne will receive something smaller like a cranberry and nut bar, while on the longer flights to Perth guests will be offered something like a gourmet sandwich accompanied by something sweet for dessert.”
Danielle Keighery, Virgin Australia group executive public affairs
6. Agents explore ‘Magnificent Europe’
APT took a group of top performing agents to Europe for a week-long ‘Magnificent Europe’ river cruise between Nuremberg and Amsterdam.
During the journey, agents indulged in a chocolate-themed walking tour in Cologne and wandered through Amsterdam’s flower markets.
They also enjoyed APT’s signature experiences such as a stop by the local wine festival in Kitzingen. They also visited Princess Heide von Hohenzollern at the Namedy Castle in Andernach and dined in the castle’s Hall of Mirrors.
7. History, scenery and culture in Norfolk
A group of Travellers Choice members experienced Norfolk’s history, landscapes and culture on a recent educational to the island.
Led by supplier, Norfolk Select, the itinerary included a visit to Fletcher’s Mutiny Cyclorama, which uses artwork, text and sound to bring alive the story of the island’s infamous rebellion ‘Bounty’ and how descendants still live on the island.
The group took cooking classes by renowned chef, Kim Wilson. He taught them a few island dishes. There was also a dinner at the Fish Fry at Puppy’s Point, where they enjoyed the day’s catch as the sun set.
8. Sabre gets festive!
Sabre celebrated Christmas with around 150 industry friends at the Hilton Sydney earlier this month.
The festive event was hosted by Jeremy van de Klundert, Managing Director of Sabre Pacific and Hans Belle, Vice President and General Manager of the Sabre Travel Network and was mixed with acrobats, contortionists and other acts.
Van de klundert played on the acrobatic theme saying that it was great to have so many of our top customers with us to celebrate the end of an amazing year in which we’ve stretched the team and our technology in so many different directions.
Were you at the party? Let us know what you loved below.
9. Ferry around the Greek Islands on a rail pass
Image: Olga Gavrilova/Shutterstock
Eurail has a new rail package, which allows travellers to use the pass on ferries around Greece and the Mediterranean.
Available from 1 January 2015, the ‘Attica Pass’ gives access two people access to six ferry crossings between Greece and Italy and four that can be used in the Greek Islands for island hopping. It covers any ferries operating under the Attica Brand (Superfast, Blue Star and Anek Lines)
International Rail director, Jonathan Hume said it has been many years since a pass has been available for Greek Island Hopping and is pleased to be able to offer it to the Australian market.
“This new travel option will be very popular with agents looking to tie in an all-inclusive package for their clients as most of them doing extensive travel around Europe will often require a mixture of rail and ferry passes to see the Mediterranean region.”
Jonathan Hume, International Rail direction
10. You won’t believe how many reviews this person made on TripAdvisor
Image: Gil C/Shutterstock
Tripadvisor has announced its top contributors of 2014, with Jolyon Philcox being Australia’s top contributor.
Jolyon has taken out the top spot of most reviews, most international reviews and most attractions reviewed.
According to the online review site, the website now features around 200 million reviews from the global travel community, covering more than 4.4 million businesses and properties in 145,000 destinations.
The most content uploaded by one person this year was username, KNE1005, who posted feedback 7,911 times.
Most international reviews (reviews made outside of Australia) was by Jolyon67 who left her opinion on 1,233 products. Jolyon67 must’ve spent 2014 visiting a lot of attractions because he or she posted 1,208 attraction reviews, while the most accommodation reviews, 87, came from SuzieLee71
Meanwhile, Cathay&Gary posted 1,714 photos and KVE1005 spent a lot of time chatting on the forums, with 7,922 forum posts.
WOW!