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Thurs 5 Mar: 10 travel stories you need to know today

We’ve done all the hard work, so you don’t have to! Read on for the top ten travel stories you need to know today.

We’ve done all the hard work, so you don’t have to! Read on for the top ten travel stories you need to know today.

1. Agent sued for $80k. Are your clients protected?

Travel insurance

Insurance companies are reiterating the need for travel insurance after a US man launched an $80,000 case against his consultant.

Matthew Goldstein launched the case against Manhattan-based Bond Street Travel Inc. CEO Richard Nigosian after losing thousands when he cancelled his African safari honeymoon for fear of Ebola, New York Post reported.

In the lawsuit, Goldstein faulted the agent for not advising the couple to take out insurance that would cover cancellations.

Read on

 

2. Virgin Bootscoots from Sydney to Tamworth in new route

Virgin arrives in Tamworth

Virgin boss John Borghetti celebrates the new route with NSW Deputy Premier Troy Grant.

Virgin Australia’s boss John Borghetti touched down in regional New South Wales to introduce new flights between Sydney and Tamworth.

Commencing 25 May 2015, the airline will fly its 68-passenger ATR-72 Turboprop aircraft on six return services between Tamworth and Sydney every week.

This will increase competition on the route, which is also currently serviced by Qantas.

Read on

 

3. Travellers Choice network grows with new store

Travellers Choice

Say hello to the team at Whyalla Travel & Cruise (L-R) Bill Heron, Vivienne Burgess, Ann-Marie Rademaker, Melissa Frick, and Don Milne.

Travellers Choice continues its rapid expansion in South Australia, as a well established retail agency in the historic seaport of Whyalla joins the group’s network.

Also known as the ‘Steel City’, Whyalla is the third most populous city in South Australia, following Adelaide and Mount Gambier.

Although originally known for its ship-building heritage – in the travel industry it will now be popular for being the seventh regional city in South Australia to have a Travellers Choice associated store in the last 12 months.

Other stores to join the group’s network were located in Ceduna, Roxby Downs, Naracoorte, Port Lincoln, Mount Gambier and Beachport.

Read on

 

4. New Caledonia reckons Aussie travellers are up for it

New Caledonia

Your clients may be more keen than ever to book a holiday to New Caledonia this year, as the island nation hones in on Aussie travellers.

According to New Caledonia Tourism’s Sales and Marketing Director, Caroline Brunel this year the tourist group will focus on building its brand Down Under through new partnerships in the market.

The announcement comes as latest visitor figures confirmed more Australians are keen to experience the destination’s Europe-meets-island atmosphere.

Read on

 

5. British Airways is better than Apple. It’s official.

British_Airways_KarryOn

Congratulations to British Airways for securing the two Superbrands awards.

British Airways has ‘done the double’ at the Superbrands 2015 awards, winning both the Business and Consumer titles.

The airline also secured the Consumer Superbrands title last year – making it the first time any carrier has secured both the top titles.

It means that British Airways has beaten Apple, Virgin Atlantic, Microsoft and Visa to the top business brand slot and Rolex, BBC, Microsoft and Nike to the best consumer brand accolade.

The UK’s Consumer Superbrands are chosen by the British public in a national survey of 2,500 adults, while the Business Superbrands are chosen by a panel of marketing experts and 2,000 individual business professionals from across the UK.

British Airways’ Keith Williams sent a big thank you to the airline’s customers for helping secure the spot.

“Everything we do is for them so to be recognised by both travellers and businesses alike means an enormous amount to all of us at British Airways.”

Keith Williams, British Airways Executive Chairman

 

6. NSW injects $6 million in regional conferences

karryon_networking-secondpost

Less than a month after injecting $6 million into Sydney’s events sector, the NSW Government has announced it will spend another $6 million to implement a new strategy designed to secure more events and conferences for regional areas.

Destination NSW will work with the tourism and hospitality industry to develop the Regional Conference Strategy by 5 May.

Under the Strategy, a new business unit will be formed, which Tourism Accommodation Association (TAA) says will help counteract the expected decline in regional NSW’s share of the State visitor nights.

TAA (acting) chief executive Carol Giuseppi, said the Premier’s announcement was a very positive step for hoteliers and tourism operators in regional NSW.

 

7. Amadeus streamlines payments with Elavon

Luggage

Amadeus teams up with Elavon to help airlines streamline payments.

Amadeus teamed up with Elavon – a global payment provider – to bring simpler and streamlined payment processing solutions to airlines.

Elavon Travel Symposium will be integrated into Amadeus Payments Platform (APP) to allow airlines to process their payments directly through the APP.

Currently around 50 airlines work with Elavon to manage their payment acceptance.

Similarly, airlines connected to the APP can now access Elavon’s advanced payment processing solutions. In doing so, they will be able to manage charge back services and reduce the cost of card acceptance with Elavon’s global processing capabilities in more than 30 countries.

Celia Pereiro, head of travel payments at Amadeus, said the group understands the complexity of processing payments within the travel industry and bringing new payment solutions will allow airline customers to expand their global presence and streamline their payment processes.

 

8. Check out the ‘Eiffel Tower of Dubai’

Dubai’s Government has revealed plans to bring a touch of France to the UAE by means of a new landmark project dubbed the ‘Eiffel Tower of Dubai’.

But don’t be fooled by the name, the actual building looks nothing like the Eiffel Tower.

As pictured above, the ‘Museum of the Future’ will be a circular complex with a large hole in the centre.

Set for a 2017 opening, the museum has the motto ‘see the future, create the future’. This is reflected in the design.

According to architect Shaun Killa, the solid part of the building represents what we know of the future and the hole represents what we don’t know.

What do you think of the ‘Eiffel Tower of Dubai’?

 

9. Snaps from Travel Counsellors Canberra conference

NTK feature

The Travel Counsellors’ crew dress to the nines for the annual conference.

Agents, tour operators, management, tourist boards and hoteliers met up in Canberra on the weekend for the annual Travel Counsellors conference.

Held at the Hotel Realm, around 150 attendees spent three days discussing new products and future plans for the home-based agency group.

Travel Counsellors at their annual conference feature

Another great pic of the guys from the annual event.

A highlight of the three-day event was when Managing Director, Steve Byrne told consultants that there is ‘huge potential’ in the Australian market, which Travel Counsellors intends to fill. Read on

Over the course of the weekend the company welcomed special guest speakers including one of Australia’s most well respected athletes, Kurt Fearnley.

Read on

 

 10. Flight Centre sends Sunrise to Hawaii

Hawaii

Expect an influx of travellers keen to visit Hawaii next week, as an Australian breakfast show heads to the destination with Flight Centre, Hawaii Tourism and Jetstar.

Sunrise’s Kochie, Sam and the rest of the morning crew will use Hawaii’s stunning beaches as the backdrop for their live morning show for the week to showcase the best of the island to Aussie viewers.

The daily broadcast will take place on the beach at the four-star Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu with the weather reports to be broadcast from other parts of the island including Maui and Oahu.

Read on

 

Need to Know Extra: Toddler gets family kicked off flight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOPGTQQFBNg

It was quite a scene on a Cathay Pacific plane when a misbehaving toddler refused to wear his seatbelt.

According to reports, it all started when crew were preparing guests for takeoff and found the three-year-old refusing to take his own seat and buckle up.

His mother asked if he could sit on her lap, however, this was refused because the lap rule only applies to children under the age of two.

This didn’t sit well with the boy or his parents, who continued to ask for the boy to sit on his lap.

After a bit of back and forth with crew, restless passengers stepped in and one even asked crew to call the police.

“We are customers too. Why are you two allows to harass all the passengers onboard?”

This then lead to the husband saying that he would refuse to get off the plane if other passengers didn’t stop harassing him.

Eventually the mother carried the boy off the plane while the father collected their belongings.

CX654 took off from Bangkok International Airport for Hong Kong half an hour behind schedule.

What are your thoughts on today’s news?