You consultants go on so many famils and attend so many events that we’ve had to create a whole new section dedicated to your awesome adventures.
Check out what Travel Agents got up to over the last seven days below, including a famil to Shanghai or click here to check out last week’s pics and snaps.
1. SPOTTED… at the Australian Open
A group of lucky Helloworld Travel Branded, Helloworld Travel Associate and My Travel Group consultants and their partners were invited to attend an evening session of tennis at the Australian Open as guests of Emirates last weekend.
The group enjoyed first-class hospitality in the Emirates Suite before taking their premium seats to watch some of the stars of tennis in action in Rod Laver Arena including the marathon match between Grigor Dimitrov and Nick Kyrgios.
2. SPOTTED… learning about Bhutan
The Tourism Council of Bhutan conducted a successful series of Bhutan Roadshows in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane during January.
Travel industry partners in each city were invited to meet with a VIP government delegation from Bhutan and locally-based Bhutan tourism operators, including COMO Uma Bhutan, Taj Tashi and Gangtey Lodge, to discuss opportunities for increasing Australian travel to this popular holiday destination – which already draws many visitors from this market each year.
The VIP delegation was headed by His Excellency, Hon’ble Minister Lekey Dorji, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Vice Chairman of the Tourism Council of Bhutan accompanied by Hon’ble Dasho Kinzang Wangdi, Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat; Hon’ble Dasho Sonam Topgay, Secretary, Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs; Dasho Kesang Wangdi, Director General, Department of Bilateral Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Mrs. Chhimmy Pem, Director, Tourism Council of Bhutan and other Bhutan officials. The Sydney event was also attended by Sydney-based Honorary Consul General for Bhutan, Catherine Harris.
Much of the focus for discussion at the Bhutan Roadshows was on the Australia Friendship Offer for Australians visiting this stunning destination from 1 June to 31 August 2018.
This exclusive offer from the Royal Government of Bhutan is in commemoration marking of 15 years of diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Bhutan and Australia.
3. SPOTTED… in the City of Angels
Discover Los Angeles recently hosted 10 top selling Travel Agents from Flight Centre, Australia as part of an incentive rewards program. The selected winners were those with the highest sales of Los Angeles hotels during the 4-week period of 1-31 August 2017.
While in Los Angeles, the Agents had the opportunity to experience the city’s cultural offerings with visits to LACMA, La Brea Tar Pits and The Broad. They also had the chance to explore some of L.A.’s diverse neighbourhoods including Koreatown, Hollywood, the Valley, the Arts District, Downtown and Venice. The Agents split their stay between two boutique properties in different parts of the city, Hotel Normandie in the heart of Koreatown and The Garland in the Valley.
Over the course of five days, the group visited several new hotels around the city including the uber-hip Freehand Hotel offering spectacular skyline views of Downtown from its rooftop bar, Broken Shaker and the laid-back Kimpton Everly, which offers stunning views of the Hollywood sign. Both properties serve as a reminder of the incredible revitalisation that is underway in Downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood.
Additional highlights from the trip included visits to Universal Studios Hollywood, doing the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood and attending an L.A. Kings Game at Staples Center like a true local.
4. SPOTTED… spending time in Shanghai
Shanghai is one of the world’s great financial centres, but five Victoria-based personal travel managers (PTMs) who took part in a TravelManagers exclusive famil discovered that visitors who focus purely on business during their stay, miss out on much of what this vibrant city has to offer.
For PTM Margherita Cilauro, the representative for Pascoe Vale South it was her first visit to Shanghai, and she now feels comfortable and confident promoting the destination to her clients.
“I used to think that the majority of visitors to Shanghai were there for business, but I now realise that it is a city that has so much to offer, with something for everyone,” she said.
Daniel Price, the representative for Windsor, agrees that the famil has changed his perceptions of the city.
“Getting a sense of Shanghai airport and the layout of the city, especially the downtown area around Nanjing Rd including the People’s Park, was really beneficial for me,” he explained.
PTMs also attending the famil were Jeremy Ferguson representative from Brunswick West, Luke Vaughan representative from Kooyong and Frances Cochrane representative from Mooroolbark along with Marlene Lane, representing TravelManagers’ national partnership office.
Lane was fascinated by the different styles of architecture and many unique modern buildings that make up the city skyline.
“We had dinner at the Radisson Blu Shanghai New World hotel’s restaurant, Epicure on 45, and as the restaurant revolved it revealed an incredible light show. The following night we saw the same show from another angle, as we took a 45-minute cruise along the river.”
However, the group’s time was not spent solely in Shanghai. On the Go Tours hosted the participants on a day trip which gave the opportunity to experience a very different side to China which included a visit to the village of Tongli, just one and a half hours’ drive from the city. This ancient village, which is sometimes described as ‘the Venice of the East’, is crisscrossed by 15 small river lanes that are spanned by 49 stone bridges in a variety of styles.
Cilauro says the village’s well-preserved architecture, private gardens, temples and houses made their visit a journey back in time.
The seven-night famil included plenty of time to explore the city, including a full day mystery Amazing Race-style activity and a free day to enjoy shopping on Nanjing Road or soak up the views during a walk along the Bund.
The famil was escorted by Kathryn Quigley from Carlson Rezidor Hotels and Mark Mulville of Malaysian Airlines with the participants appreciating the opportunity to experience both Malaysian’s business and economy class products. All five PTMs agreed that they were greatly impressed by the service in both cabins.