Skill up on all you need to know with bite sized travel news designed specifically to help you, the Travel Agent, be your best today and tomorrow.
1. Etihad Airways help Sydneysiders beat the heat
With Sydney sweltering through one of the hottest summers on record, Etihad Airways’ cabin crew touched down in Australia to offer Sydneysiders some welcome respite from the heat.
Carrying eskies filled with ice-cold treats, the cabin crew took to the streets of the CBD, Newtown and Rushcutters Bay.
2. Emirates to unveil its enhanced Onboard Lounge
In exciting news, Emirates will be launching a series of new cabin products and enhancements in 2017 for both its A380 and Boeing 777 fleet, unveiling its enhanced Onboard Lounge in March in Berlin.
The new Emirates A380 Onboard Lounge will make its first public appearance at the Emirates Infinite Possibilities stand during ITB Berlin (8-12 March), one of the world’s largest tourism trade fairs.
It is currently being installed onto one of Emirates’ brand new A380 aircraft at Airbus’ facilities, and will make its operational debut in July 2017.
3. Cathay Pacific’s new in-flight beer
Beer tastes good on a cold day, on a hot day, in the mountains and by the sea. It also tastes good at 35,000 feet. But beer that’s been specifically brewed with high altitude flying in mind is even better.
That’s the consensus from the beer drinking masses with the launch of Cathay Pacific‘s own beer, which is the world’s first hand-crafted bottled beer specially brewed to be enjoyed whilst flying.
4. RAeS Division signs partnership with TIME
Two days ago in Sydney, the Australian Division of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) became a Silver Partner with the Travel Industry Mentor Experience (TIME).
In case you didn’t already know, TIME is an Australian-based, well-established and professionally run formal mentoring program for young executives in the Aviation, Travel, Tourism and Hospitality industries, open to all employees who have been in one of those industries for three years or more and have attained a mid-management level positions (such as team leader, operations manager, or manager).
The new partnership will see the RAeS Australian Division work with its Corporate Partners to provide mentoring opportunities for employees of partner companies and organisations.
5. Pullman Melbourne On The Park set for transformation
One of Melbourne’s most iconic hotels, Pullman Melbourne On The Park, is set to undergo an innovative $6million transformation that will give its ground floor a whole new identity.
The 419-room landmark hotel’s ground floor interior spaces (reception, arrival area, bar and restaurant) will be completely transformed, whilst respecting the hotel’s rich heritage, under the direction of national design practice ROTHELOWMAN, who have been appointed to manage the project.
The redevelopment will connect the external streetscape with the internal lobby, restaurant and bar with a radically redesigned series of interconnected spaces, positioning the hotel design in line with the Pullman Hotels & Resorts global cosmopolitan brand.
The project is scheduled for completion in July 2017
6. Couple get married onboard Pacific Jewel
In a story that’s sure to warm the heart of even the most cold-hearted cynic, a Port Macquarie couple recently got married onboard P&OCruises’ Pacific Jewel after bad weather prevented them from attending their planned beach wedding at Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast yesterday.
Instead of calling the wedding off due to strong winds and swells, Pacific Jewel Hotel Director, Melissa Yates, arranged for a special commitment service onboard Pacific Jewel. Whilst Captain Otty Ghoshroy couldn’t legally marry the couple, the rest of the day went ahead as planned with champagne, a wedding cake and a reception dinner in the ship’s main dining room. The bride even wore her beautiful wedding dress.
To ensure the couple still officially became man and wife, P&O later arranged for Ms Evans to fly to Gladstone to conduct the official wedding ceremony.
7. Emirates to begin flying to Cambodia
Phnom Penh in Cambodia will be the latest destination Emirates will serve from 1 July this year, with a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a two class configuration.
Outbound, flight EK388 will Depart Dubai at 0915hrs, and will arrive in Yangon at 1725hrs. It will then depart Yangon at 1855hrs, before arriving at Phnom Penh at 2125hrs. The departure time of flight EK388 from Dubai seamlessly connects with a number of European services such as Paris, London, and Frankfurt. On the return segment, flight EK389 will depart Phnom Penh at 2310hrs, and will arrive in Dubai at 0540hrs the next day, after a short stop in Yangon. All times are local.
The launch of daily services from Dubai to Phnom Penh will coincide with the introduction of a direct, non-stop route between Dubai and Hanoi. From 1 July, Emirates passengers travelling to Hanoi will no longer stop in Yangon before reaching the Vietnamese capital.
8. Win a 6-night luxury canal cruise for two
Would you like to win a week-long luxury cruise in Europe onboard a unique hotel-barge? Well then, you better start booking with Barge Travel Connection, Australia’s leading specialist in barge canal cruising in Europe, quick smart!
All you need to do to be in the running is book a canal cruise for your clients before 31 August 2017 , and you’ll be in with a chance to win a cruise for yourself +1 in France or Scotland. The prize includes: 6 nights in a twin or double cabin with en-suite bathroom; daily excursions and wine tasting sessions; all gourmet meals accompanied by fine wines; and much more.
For full details and bookings, contact Barge Travel Connection on 1300 150 725, email info@bargetravel.com.au or visit www.bargetravel.com.au.
9. Travelport Locomote brings onboard Blake Hedger
Australian corporate travel platform, Travelport Locomote, has announced the appointment of travel veteran Blake Hedger in a newly created role as Head of Customer Experience and Portfolio Delivery.
Sitting on the Senior management team of the fast-growing corporate travel platform, Hedger will play a pivotal role in the growth of the company. He brings with him over 15 years’ experience in the travel industry, as well as a wealth of knowledge in senior leadership, product and development delivery, sales and marketing across APAC, working for the likes of Carlson Wagonlit Travel and Singapore Airline.
In his newly created role at Travelport Locomote he will be focusing on integrating customer and commercial requirements as well as fostering technical excellence to deliver customer satisfaction and value for the company.
Hedger’s appointment comes on the back of some big announcements from Travelport Locomote recently including its UK launch as part of its global expansion plan, and the creation of 30 new high-skilled jobs.
10. Thai Lion Air to links with Amadeus
Low-cost carrier Thai Lion Air has signed up with Amadeus, giving travellers worldwide a more value-for-money way to fly into Bangkok and from the city to both popular and lesser known destinations around Thailand.
Under the agreement, seats on the LCC’s 17 routes covering an array of destinations from Phuket to Ubon Ratchathani will now be available through Amadeus’ global network of travel agents.
More than 30 million international tourists arrive on Thailand’s shores every year, and with so much to see and do, affordable options for travel within the country are in constant high demand.
11. Malaysia Airlines Announces New Appointments
Malaysia Airlines has reinforced its commitment to the Australian market off the back of a very successful third quarter with the appointment of Donna Jones to the position of Sales Executive for Western Australia, Michaela Kemp as Sales Executive South Australia and the Northern Territory, and Melinda Voon as Brand and Communication Manager.
With a combined 28 years’ experience, Ms Jones and Ms Kemp will manage and develop all sales channels within their regions and build strong relationships with key trade partners. Jones has held similar positions at Flight Centre and Trafalgar Western Australia while Kemp was previously at Garuda Indonesia and Air Paradise.
Melinda Voon also brings a rich background in tourism, communications and marketing to Malaysia Airlines, having worked in the industry for 18 years. Most recently, she oversaw marketing and communications for Tourism Malaysia Sydney.
12. Travel agent incentive for THE LIBRARY, KOH SAMUI
Nothing like an incentive to motivate you to make more bookings, right? To celebrate the launch to the Australian market of The Library in Thailand, an additional 2 percent agency commission will apply for any bookings made in March 2017 for a minimum 3 nights by quoting TA12% when booking.
Sweetening the deal for guests, each will receive a bottle of complimentary sparkling wine on arrival for stays until 20 December 2017.
The Library presents 46 studios, suites and fabulous Secret Pool Villas (scheduled opening November 2017), spread over 12,800 square metres and a library binding the property which houses a collection of more than 1400 books to borrow. A member of Design Hotels, The Library is set against the stunning backdrop of Koh Samui’s Chaweng Beach.
For booking enquiries please contact Svetlana Jovanovic at The Unique Tourism Collection on 02 9211 6590 or svetlana@uniquetourism.com or rsvn@thelibrarysamui.com
13. SWISS expands it summer services
This summer, Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) will be increasing its services from Zurich and Geneva to keep up with demand. San Francisco will newly receive daily Boeing 777-300ER service from Zurich from 22 April onwards, whilst the airline will also be operating its Boeing 777-300ERs on six of its 12 weekly services to Chicago between June and October.
The summer schedules see the addition of no fewer than five new seasonal destinations: Bergen, Cork, Figari, Niš and Sylt.
Inflight comfort will be further enhanced within Europe with the entry into service of more new Bombardier C Series aircraft, which will operate from both Zurich and Geneva. And SWISS’s sister carrier Edelweiss will introduce a new service to the Greek island of Zakynthos for the summer season.
14. InterContinental Hotels Group’s new appointment
InterContinental Hotels Group has announced the appointment of Chris Waite to the role of Director of Communications, Australasia and Japan.
Chris is responsible for leading the communications function for IHG and its core brands of InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Hotel Indigo and EVEN Hotels in these rapidly-expanding markets, as well as elevating IHG’s industry thought leadership positioning.
A member of the Australian leadership team led by Karin Sheppard, IHG COO Australasia & Japan, Chris oversees key communications functions including Brand, Loyalty, Internal, and Owner Communications, with the core focus on building IHG Corporate and Brand whilst highlighting IHG’s exemplary employee offering. Chris is based in IHG’s local head office in Sydney.
Prior to his appointment, Chris led the award-winning Amadeus Asia Pacific communications team headquartered in Bangkok: elevating, protecting, growing and reinforcing the Amadeus brand through powerful PR, corporate communications, media relations, events and market activation.
Chris joins us with over 10 years of experience in marketing and communications roles and commands a comprehensive understanding of the digital landscape, loyalty programs, consumer and channel marketing
15. CLIA Australasia Announces New Manager
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia has announced the appointment of Marita Nosic as its new Membership and Events Manager.
With almost 20 years’ experience in the cruise industry, Ms Nosic will be responsible for trade membership growth and engagement as well as event development and CLIA’s Executive Partner program.