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. Australia’s boutique hotel offerings among world’s best
Pictured: poolside at Best for Families winner, Emirates, Wolgan valley.
Australia’s boutique hotel offerings are officially among the best in the world, with their standing confirmed in the Smith Hotel Awards 2014, held in London.
Intended to celebrate the most remarkable hotels in the world, the Smith Hotel Awards 2014 pitted more than 950 hotels head to head in 12 specially selected categories, including Sexiest Bedroom, Best Dressed and Best Hotel Pool.
Australian properties came up trumps in four categories – Best Budget Boutique, Best for Families, The Eco Award and Above and Beyond – with a further three local hotels awarded Runners-up.
The Australian Smith Hotel Awards 2014 winners were the Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island in the Above and Beyond category. Sal Salis, Ningaloo Reef won the Eco Award.
Emirates, Wolgan Valley was top pick for Best for Families. The 1888 Hotel reigned supreme in the Best Budget Boutique Hotel stakes.
Read on for more.
2. Royal Caribbean launches first Australian campaign
Royal Caribbean International will launch their first ever Australian TV campaign during prime-time this Sunday 16 November.
The new, locally-produced, commercials will bring to life the Royal Caribbean brand and show the Australian public the “Royal Caribbean difference”.
“We recently undertook extensive research to better understand what Australians think about cruising and about our brand, and we discovered that while past Royal Caribbean guests really know and love our brand, those who are new to cruising or new to our brand have a very low awareness about what sets us apart from the competition,” said Sean Treacy, commercial director, Royal Caribbean International.
The marketing campaign is in time with the Australian 2014/15 cruising season that will see three Royal Caribbean ships, including Rhapsody of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas and Australia’s largest and freshly revamped Voyager of the Seas, dock on our harbours.
Read on for more.
3. APT sells majority stake in Kakadu Cultural Tours
The APT Group has announced it has sold its 60 per cent stake in Kakadu Cultural Tours (KCT), through which it operates the Arnhemlander Tour, Guluyambi Cruise and Hawk Dreaming Wilderness Lodge, back to its partners and KCT’s original founders Djabulukgu Association (DAI).
While the deal itself came into effect on 31 October 2014, APT has continued to handle all bookings and payments until today. DAI will be taking over full management of KCT from tomorrow.
“DAI has learned a great deal from APT during our shared six year partnership in KCT, in particular in the areas of marketing distribution and reservations, as well as day-to-day operational expertise,” CEO of DAI and KCT Director Liam Maher said.
“DAI is pleased to have secured APT’s continued loadings into KCT products, namely its Kimberley and Outback Wilderness Adventures, as Kakadu and cultural components of their extended specialised Northern Australian touring programs. It shows that APT has considerable confidence in KCT’s product and services. We’d like to thank both Geoff and Robert McGeary for their personal and ongoing support of KCT.”
4. Garuda Indonesia receives 60 accolades in 12 months
Garuda Indonesia, the airline of Indonesia, has continued to receive accolades for business growth, exemplary customer service and product improvements in 2014 with close to 60 awards in the past 12 months.
In line with its continuous service improvement and on-going business transformation through the Quantum Leap 2011-2015 program, and after winning the title of The World’s Best Regional Airline in 2012 and The World’s Best Economy Class in 2013, Garuda Indonesia was also awarded as airline with The World’s Best Cabin Staff for 2014 by Skytrax London. This award was based on a global customer satisfaction survey that was conducted on 18 million passengers.
“We are thrilled that our collective effort and hard work has been recognised at both a domestic and an international level,” Pak Uun Setiawan, Vice President for Garuda Indonesia Australia and SWP said.
“As Garuda Indonesia carries out its business transformation program and continuous service improvements, our performance is increasingly being recognised across the globe and across all parts of our business and this is a realization of our ambitious business goals. The sky is the limit!”
5. Restaurant Aus. VIPs to hit Queensland
Queensland’s most exceptional food and wine experiences will be showcased to millions of potential travellers as 11 of the world’s most respected culinary VIPs tour the state this week.
Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) Chief Executive, Leanne Coddington, said the influencers would travel to Queensland as part of Tourism Australia’s global campaign, Restaurant Australia.
“Queensland is a dream destination for even the most discerning epicurean traveller, serving up the best culinary experiences against a backdrop of stunning natural settings,” she said.
“From seafood feasts on the beach to dinner in the Daintree and gourmet food trails through the Sunshine Coast, TEQ has partnered with Tourism Australia to ensure our visiting connoisseur’s experience the very best of Queensland’s hospitality.”
The 11 VIPs will be welcomed by Queensland’s three Restaurant Australia Ambassadors, celebrity chef, television presenter author and restaurant owner, Ben O’Donoghue, chef and owner of Cairns Ochre Restaurant, Craig Squire and the Director of Noosa, Kawana, Brisbane and North Queensland Farmers Markets, Shane Stanley.
6. Tourism Portfolio goes California dreamin’
Pictured: Jimmy Hendrix welcomes Tourism Portfolio’s group to the Grammy Museum in LA
Tourism Portfolio revealed one of Southern California’s best-kept secrets – the seaside town of Newport Beach – to a small group of Australian meeting planners recently as part of an exciting Pre-IMEX detour on the way to the recent IMEX America in Las Vegas.
Organised by leading US destination management company Lizard IncentEvents in partnership with Marriott International, the two-day “California Dreamin” tour took the group 70km south of Los Angeles to Newport Beach, which offers pristine beaches, secluded coves, picturesque pleasure boat harbors and legendary surf breaks.
Among the highlights were a spa treatment at the Newport Beach Marriott and a cooking class at the Sur la Table cooking school at the South Coast Plaza, a shopping mecca that attracts some of the US’ most famous socialites, celebrities, and business moguls.
Tourism Portfolio Managing Director Donna Kessler said the tour was designed to showcase outstanding destinations in California that groups can easily combine with Los Angeles.
7. New travel app for Sydney
A new travel app combines self-guided tours of Sydney Harbour neighbourhoods with options to meet people along the way.
Thirst for Sydney features five itineraries with maps, photos, ferry timetables and walking directions for exploring the harbour, while the connect function allows users to announce themselves and send messages to other users of the app which includes locals and travellers alike.
Co-creator and writer of the app, travel writer Rob Dunlop, said he wanted to bring together the elements of what makes for great travel which are; exploring neighbourhoods, indulging in local food and drink, and meeting locals. All five itineraries, which can be taken as day trips, start and finish by ferry at Circular Quay.
8. Tourism Australia and Etihad further expand marketing commitment
Tourism Australia and Etihad Airways have deepened their strategic marketing partnership with a significant increase in joint funding for the promotion of tourism to Australia in overseas markets.
Under the new arrangements, Tourism Australia and Etihad Airways will quadruple their spend in the 2014/15 season for what will become their strongest ever push to promote Australia to international leisure and business travellers. This doubles the total value of the original three-year, AUD $6 million marketing agreement signed in December 2013 to AUD $12 million.
This additional funding covers a range of joint marketing activities including support for Tourism Australia’s Restaurant Australia campaign, its international media hosting program, Australian Tourism Exchange, and targeted business events in the UK and Europe.
One of the first initiatives funded under the expanded agreement was the recent UK launch of Tourism Australia’s Restaurant Australia campaign, where Australia House in London was transformed into an Australian-themed ‘pop up’ restaurant.
The airline’s support for Restaurant Australia continues this week when it will fly more than 20 of the world’s top food and wine influencers to Australia to take part in the campaign finale – an Australia-wide media famil and a gala dinner at MONA in Tasmania on Friday.
9. Comedians promote a “different” Brisbane in G20 parody
http://youtu.be/tlWeUyc7YjI
Taking the edge off the flurry of world leaders and warship stand-offs occurring in and around the G20 summit held in Queensland, a collective of comedians joined forces to portray a Queensland officials may or may not want to know about.
The two and a half minute clip features stats such as Brisbane being the most desired destination for retired women in their 60s, the “huge” list of world events Brisbane has played host to and the ever-present city cycle bikes.
“You might be looking out your hotel window wondering, ‘Is this it?’ Yes,” one of the comedians said.
10. Emirates overhauls its first A380
Emirates Engineering marked another milestone when the team performed its first 3C-Check on an A380, a major overhaul that restores the airline’s first A380 aircraft to near pristine condition.
In a round-the-clock operation taking 55 days, two teams of highly specialised engineers stripped the entire interior of the double-decked aircraft to the bare metal hull, inspected and overhauled every single part, and then put the plane components back together again.
“The entire check is meticulously planned with no room for delays. Grounding an aircraft for such a long time is a tremendous expense which means that our engineering teams must not only work extremely efficiently, but also deliver to a superior standard,” said Colin Disspain, Vice President of Base Engineering at Emirates.
The check was completed with a rigorous test flight before being put back into regular service, in this case, carrying passengers to Brisbane and Auckland.
