We’ve done all the hard work, so you don’t have to! Read on for our top ten travel industry news stories of the day we think you need to know.
1. Is this Australia’s best kept secret?
For those of us who have never trekked that way it’s hard to believe this may be true, but it comes as no surprise to those in the know.
The Mudgee Region has tied with Orange in NSW for the title of ‘Best Kept Secret’ in this year’s Australian Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards.
The two destinations beat Broome and Exmouth in Western Australia and Ballarat in Victoria.
2. Egypt tourism rising as operators return
Political turmoil is doing little to deter travellers from seeing Egypt’s historical wonders, according to figures that show its tourism industry is bouncing back.
A total of 2.77 million tourists visited Egypt during the third quarter – an increase of 70 percent compared to the same quarter the prior year.
This brought the total number of visitors between January and September to around 7.27 million.
3. INCENTIVE: $500 commission on convertibles
Convertible Caravans is offering agents a $500 bonus commission on bookings of eight or more participants travelling together on the same Classic Caravan itinerary next year.
The offer is valid until 31 December 2015.
Convertible Caravans is a combination of group touring and self driving that allows participants to travel to and from destinations on their own, while knowing they are in the safety of a group.
How does it work? Every traveller drives their own luxury sedan or convertible vehicle, which has been fitted with a GPS. A ‘concierge’ or tour leader sets the GPS with a new driving course every day and guests travel the route to meet up with the rest of the group later that evening.
If travellers want to take an independent route, the concierge will set it in the GPS the day before.
The Classic itinerary travels around France for eight nights on set departures.
In the 2015 brochure, the operator has also created new packages to cater to different types of travellers, whether they’re golfers, foodies, need assistance or want to travel with friends.
4. Are you a safari expert?
Image: Donovan van Staden/Shutterstock
Lions, rhinoceroses and elephants. Oh my!
Over 400 travel agents around Australia have signed up to become experts in African wildlife, according to Bench International.
Martin Edwards, the Safari operator’s general manager said that within a month of launching the company’s free online training platform, 50 consultants have already completed the course to become ‘African Experts’.
The Agents’ Portal is accessible on Bench’s website and is made up of five modules. Each module represents one of Africa’s big five animals – buffalo, elephant, lion, rhinoceros and leopard.
The platform also has videos on various destinations, information on how to get there, various seasons of travel and other general information.
Have you started the course? Let us know what you think of it so far below.
5. Travelling + snowball fights in Switzerland
Seven top selling TravelManagers explored mountain ranges and glaciers, visited the lake town of Montreaux and explored Castle Chillon during a recent nine-night famil to Switzerland.
The group got to fly to the country and then use a Swiss Pass to move from one city to another via train, bus and boat.
Other highlights of the famil included a visit to Olympic City of Lausanne. It is home to the International Olympic Committee and famed as the smallest city in the world to have a metro system.
6. Brochures of the week
Beyond Travel goes to Russia and beyond in 2015 while Intrepid treks further into less-explored Asian destinations.
Travelmarvel will cruise the Kimberley and Top End aboard aboard Coral Princess and Infinity says ‘aloha’ with three new genre sections in its new Hawaii brochure.
7. Hotels awards and renovations
Australia’s hotel industry proves it is among the best in the world by winning new awards and continuously evolving its product.
This week, Hamilton Island and the island’s luxury resort, qualia won three Australian Travellers awards for ‘Best Luxury Resort in Australia’; ‘Best Spa in Australia’; and ‘Australia’s most beautiful island getaway’.
In total, the hotel and island have received 14 totals accolades this year alone.
qualia’s general manager, Matthew Taverner said the property and destination are viewed as the ‘epitome of luxury in Australia’.
Meanwhile, major changes are coming to the Holiday Inn Perth City Centre and Oaks Plaza Pier in Adelaide, as both properties undergo major upgrades.
All the tiles in and around the pool at Oaks Plaza Pier have been replaced.
The ceiling and pool walls have also been repainted for a more refreshed look.
A new sauna will be installed later this month to complement the resort’s selection of leisure facilities.
Work at The Holiday Inn Perth City Centre will start in January next year and will include a modern upgrade in guest rooms, public areas and food and beverage outlets.
The $12 million makeover will see a new al fresco dining area fitted on the street level.
Renovations will take place between 09:00 and 17:00 Monday to Friday to minimise disruptions to hotel guests.
8. APT introduces Bordeaux
APT will set sail to Bordeaux in 2016, as an extension to its French river cruise program.
The cruise line will relocate its 74-suite AmaDolce from its base on the Danube to the Garonne and Dordogne river in South Western France early 2016.
There the vessel will sail on a series of cruises that focus on the region’s culture, wine and gourmet heritage.
Further details will be released in early 2015 in the Europe River Cruising 2016 brochure due out early next year.
9. Summer in Sydney
It’s getting hot (and incredibly beautiful) down here and what better way to showcase our summer assets to the world than through a creative video.
Destination NSW has released a timelapse video this week capturing the sights and sounds of Sydney’s summer in action.
Running for one minute and thirty seconds, the camera takes viewers on a double-deck bus tour of the harbour; to lunch at a seaside restaurant; on a cruise from Manly Wharf; up the Opera House steps; and to the top of Harbour Bridge.
Check out the video above.
According to recent figures, Sydney welcomes around 15 million visitors between October and March each year.
This figures is expected to grow to 17 million this coming season, with visitors made up of regional, interstate and international arrivals.
For more information on Sydney visit: http://www.sydney.com
10. How accurate are sniffer dogs?
Sniffers dogs – we’ve all seen them jumping up on our luggage at the airport or circling our bags at the cruise terminal.
They’re police officers’ best friends and they’re on a mission to find illegal drugs.
But how accurate are these gorgeous hounds?
The NSW Police Force says they’re very reliable, but new figures suggest otherwise.
According to data obtained by the NSW Greens, 735 strips searches were conducted in 2013 because a police dog indicated the person had drugs on them.
Of that number, 61 percent of those searched had no drugs.
The Greens say around 500 people a year are put through ‘appalling humiliation’, such as strip searches and squatting over a mirror.
However, NSW Police says officers don’t carry out the cavity searches and more than 80 percent of sniffer dog indications have resulted in drugs being found or a confession of having recently come into contact with drugs.