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. Qantas celebrates anniversary with retro revival
For the first time in Qantas’ 94 year history, the airline will introduce a “retro” livery on one of its brand new Boeing 737 aircraft as a flying tribute to 70 years of its iconic kangaroo logo. Group Executive for Brand, Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Olivia Wirth said the kangaroo that now features on the tail of every single Qantas aircraft is well and truly part of the Australian story.
“Our kangaroo logo represents our proud history, inextricably linked with the development of commercial aviation in Australia,” she said.
“It has also become a symbol of ‘home’ to Australians travelling both here and abroad.”
The Boeing 737, featuring the retro livery, will arrive from the Boeing Factory in Seattle in late November. It will be the 75th Boeing 737-800 to join the Qantas fleet.
Read on for more.
2. Australia enjoying biggest tourism boom since Olympics
“Not since the Olympics” have we experienced such a tourism boom.
With the dollar declining significantly in September, the tourism industry is set to be the big winner in 2014 with a double-digit growth in arrivals recorded over the last 12 months.
International travellers from Malaysia, China and India are leading the trend with Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan increasing 8.2 per cent in short-term arrivals.
According to Tourism Australia, almost half of all international visitors to Australia travelled for the purpose of holiday. Those visiting friends and relatives accounted for 28 per cent.
“We haven’t seen these sorts of international arrivals numbers since the days of the Sydney 2000 Olympics,” Tourism Australia managing director, John O’Sullivan said.
Read on for more.
3. Scoot’s new 787 shaping up in Seattle
Scoot’s first 787-9 Dreamliner undergoing final assembly at Boeing, is progressing well since the process started a few weeks ago.
The major 787 fuselage components have now been joined to reveal the distinctive, streamlined look of the Dreamliner.
“Seeing our first 787 as one complete structure is a further reminder that delivery isn’t too far away,” Campbell Wilson, CEO of Scoot said.
“Anticipation is certainly building within Scoot, and we can’t wait to see our first 787, dubbed “Dream Start”, in the bright and cheerful Scoot livery, and to soon introduce greater comfort, better amenities and continued fantastic value fares to our guests.”
4. LAN blushing in honour of Breast Cancer Awareness
Starting this week, three aircrafts operating domestic LAN routes will fly with the pink ribbon in support of the International Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign.
LAN Airlines is also encouraging prevention by providing more than 400 free mammograms to employees and women from the community in Santiago, Concepcion, Puerto Montt and Valparaiso, through the Arturo López Pérez Foundation’s mobile clinic.
In addition, throughout the month of October, sales executives, counter staff, cabin crew and pilots will wear a pink ribbon on their uniform symbolising the fight against breast cancer, bringing awareness throughout the region.
According to recent data, breast cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide.
In Australia, breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women. According to Breast Cancer Network Australia, in 2014 it is estimated that 15,270 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.
5. PARKROYAL’s ground-breaking development hits Melbourne docklands
The Hon Matthew Guy, MLC and the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, attended the ground breaking ceremony to celebrate the commencement of construction of The Altus, PARKROYAL Melbourne hotel and apartment development at Digital Harbour in Melbourne Docklands.
They were joined by Digital Harbour Holdings and Altus Development who, through a design and development process overseen by Places Victoria, conceived this project.
Under the management of the venture partners the outcome of the development process will see the creation of a landmark building at the northern gateway to the Docklands precinct.
The 37-storey landmark tower, scheduled to launch in 2016, will offer a luxurious standard of living in Melbourne’s dynamic and evolving Docklands.
The development will complete the northern gateway to Docklands and the Central Business District and will offer 266 superbly appointed rooms under the hotel component and 331 separately accessed residential apartments. The Altus will be delivered by Probuild Constructions (Aust) Pty Ltd. Probuild, designed by Moull Murray Architects and managed by Singapore-based Pan Pacific Hotels Group.
6. Film to provide international visitors a different take on our Indigenous heritage
Tourism Australia is partnering with an award winning team for a new film project which will see renowned Director/Cinematographer Warwick Thornton direct a three-minute film promoting Australia’s Indigenous tourism experiences to international visitors.
Thornton, who directed acclaimed films such as Samson and Delilah and The Sapphires, will be collaborating with critically-acclaimed Australian director Brendan Fletcher (Mad Bastards) on the short film. Together, Thornton and Fletcher have decades of experience making films with Indigenous people.
The project, which is an initiative of Tourism Australia (in partnership with Austrade), aims to dispel some of the misconceptions that Indigenous tourism experiences can only be found in hot, dry and remote areas.
Tourism Australia Managing Director John O’Sullivan said the project aimed to bring to life the range and depth of Australia’s world-class Indigenous tourism experiences on film to motivate international visitors to experience it for themselves.
“Australia’s Indigenous tourism experiences are a unique and important part of Australia’s tourism offering for international visitors,” Mr O’Sullivan said.
“Tourism Australia is committed to bringing Indigenous tourism experiences to the fore through its global marketing of Australia.”
7. IHG shelters in a storm
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) recently held its global awareness and fund-raising event in aid of IHG® Shelter In a Storm, the company’s disaster relief programme and one of its three core corporate responsibility initiatives.
The annual IHG “Race Around the World” event, saw more than 177,000 colleagues from IHG’s corporate offices and hotels across 67 countries globally carry out activities pledged to raise funds for the programme. Nearly 170,000 pledges were fulfilled across IHG’s corporate offices and hotels in Asia, Middle East and Africa. For each activity, IHG made a donation of (US) $1 to the IHG Shelter Fund, a ready pool of resources amassed through fundraising activities throughout the year to respond as soon as disasters strike.
“We are really excited to be joining IHG colleagues from across the world to do what we can in raising awareness and funds for IHG Shelter in a Storm,” Bill Edwards, IHG Head of Operations Australasia said.
“Our pledges were not only great fun, but they also generated a huge amount of engagement among our people and of course raised money for what is a fantastic cause.”
In Sydney, activities pledged by the corporate office included a leisurely Botanic Gardens walk and a delicious baking competition dubbed, The Cake War.
8. Princess docks in Melbourne during their busiest cruise season yet
As the popularity of cruising surges across Australia, Princess Cruises has kickstarted Victoria’s busiest cruise season with the arrival of superliner Dawn Princess in Melbourne yesterday.
Dawn Princess will be based in Melbourne for the next six months, headlining a summer cruise season which will see 28 ships make 78 calls to the city between October 2014 and April 2015. This represents an increase of 16 per cent on the 67 visits made during the 2013-14 season, and a 34 per cent increase on the 58 visits the season prior.
With three Princess ships – Dawn Princess, Diamond Princess and Sun Princess – making 24 calls this summer, including Dawn Princess’ 14 turnaround visits, the cruise line will account for almost a third of the mega Melbourne season and is set to contribute more than $18 million into the State economy between October and April.
Dawn Princess alone will carry more than 30,000 holidaymakers on cruises from Melbourne this summer, with many of them spending time in the city pre and post cruise.
9. MTA to move GC HQ to Melbourne during conference
Mobile Travel Agents has commenced relocating its full head office support team from its Gold Coast HQ to the Park Hyatt Melbourne to make sure the company’s day to day business carries on uninterrupted when the three-day ‘Imagine-Believe-Achieve’ national conference kicks off on Friday afternoon.
Describing the move as “mammoth but essential”, MTA co-managing director, Karen Merricks said the company had an obligation to ensure day to day business systems remained functional, irrespective of the location.
“Just because we are away on a conference for three days doesn’t mean business comes to a halt,” she said.
“We have a duty to ensure we provide both our MTA members and their clients with support on a 24 hour, seven days a week basis.”
10. New research suggests technologies vital for industry meetings
New research released today by American Express Meetings & Events explores the many ways emerging technologies are changing the meetings industry landscape. The research, titled “GREAT EXPECTATIONS: The Evolving Landscape of Technology in Meetings”, also considered how innovation can be harnessed to increase engagement and productivity and generate a greater return on a meetings investment.
“Over the past decade, smartphones and wireless data have revolutionised the meeting and events experience for both planners and attendees, enabling the possibility of anywhere, anytime participation via virtual technologies and the integration of apps into meeting programs,” said Issa Jouaneh, Vice President and General Manager, American Express Meetings & Events.
“What our research has found, however, is that there can be an ‘expectation gap’ between the technologies meeting planners believe should be incorporated into an event, and the solutions attendees expect to be part of their meeting experience. What they have in common is that as good as technology is, there is simply no substitute for in-person meetings.”
The research also discovered that meeting apps have increased in popularity. Of those surveyed, 67 percent of meeting planners found event apps to be important, compared to 55 percent of attendees. The use of social media in the meeting and events space has grown exponentially in recent years, with meeting planners and attendees using social tools to communicate, obtain information and share feedback in real time.