We’ve done all the hard work, so you don’t have to! Read on for our top ten travel news stories we think you need to know today.
1. Virgin Australia – Australia’s most seductive workplace
Is it the romantic red branding? The connection to Branson? Or perhaps it’s the all-round fun vibe?
Either way, Virgin Australia has taken out the title as one of the most seductive workplaces in Australia – again.
The annual Randstad Awards were announced overnight, highlighting employers Australians would most like to work for.
2. Volcano erupts in Chile – DFAT update
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Tourism (DFAT) is urging Australians in Chile to monitor local media and follow instructions from local authorities after a volcano erupted twice in the southern part of the country.
Calbuco volcano laid dormant for almost five decades before becoming active again this week.
It spat out a huge column of lava and sent ash several kilometres into the air.
Authorities have declared a red alert of the area and evacuated some 4,000 people within 20 kilometres.
In Australia, a Qantas spokesperson told KarryOn the airline is monitoring the situation.
“Our services in Santiago are operating on schedule. We will continue to monitor the volcanic activity.”
Qantas spokesperson
A LAN spokesperson told KarryOn that Puerto Montt Tepual is the only airport that has been affected by the eruption, which cancelled four flights yesterday afternoon and ten today.
The spokesperson said passengers travelling to and from the city of Puerto Montt should check flight itineraries on LAN.com for any rescheduling.
Some services in Argentina have also been affected as volcanic ash clouds over Bariloche, San Martin de los Andes and Villa La Angostura.
In the meantime, DFAT has maintained its ‘exercise normal safety precautions’ advice in Chile and Argentina.
3. Itinerary changes as MSC avoids Egypt, Ukraine
While Australians may be keen to renew travel plans to Egypt, MSC says it’s steering away from it, with a suspension to all remaining 2015 calls to the country as well as Ukraine.
Revealed today, the cruise line said it will replace these visits with a number of Mediterranean alternatives.
MSC says the itinerary adjustments were made in response to market demand for more calls to Israel and Greek islands such as Rhodes, Crete and Cyprus.
During MSC Sinfonia’s 12-night sailings out of Genoa, she will call at Burgas in Bulgaria where guests can explore the ancient town of Sozòpol and the city of Nesebar – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
MSC Opera and MSC Fantasia will call at Rhodes in Greece for visits to the ancient Grand Master Palace and archaeological site of Lindos.
In addition, MSC Cruises is offering a taste of the cradle of Western civilization when calling at Heraklion, the port that unlocks Crete’s myriad charms.
MSC Opera and MSC Fantasia will call Heraklion in autumn and winter 2015-2016 (Northern Hemisphere), while MSC Sinfonia will call there during a Grand Voyage to Durban, South Africa, in November 2015.
MSC Musica will also call in Crete on her own Grand Voyage from Dubai to Venice, in April 2016. She will also visit Limassol in Cyprus during her Grand Voyage to Dubai in November.
4. Aus airports get Smart-er gates
The federal government has confirmed that new facial recognition technology will be installed at airports around the country to make travel safer and easier.
Brisbane will be the first to receive 92 ‘Smart Gates’ next week. The government will then begin rolling them out to other international airport.
The $18 million project is expected to be complete by July next year.
Using facial recognition technology, ‘Smart Gates’ match a person’s face to their passport.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said this will not only help stop suspected terrorist, but free up airport security staff so they can concentrate on persons of interest.
“Ripping money out of customs and border protection is not a smart way to face the very imminent threat we have in relation to terrorism.”
Peter Dutton, Immigration Minister
5. WIN a $15,000 holiday!
There’s nothing like putting together your dream holiday itinerary. Now imagine getting it practically for free.
Creative Holidays is celebrating the launch of its new website by giving travel agents the chance to win a $15,000 holiday.
By using content in Creative Holidays’ extensive list of brochures, agents can enter simply by building their dream holiday at creativeholidays.com/agents
After adding flights, hotels, transfers and experience in a shopping cart, agent then need to tell the company in 25 words or less what their favourite feature of the new website is and why?
Entries are coming in quick so be sure to get yours in by 29 May 2015 to be in the running.
Click here for more information.
6. Sydney is still a fave
When it comes to Australian tourism, Sydney is still the number one place to see, according to a new study.
A report compiled by Tourism Research Australia shows around 32.5 million people visited the city in 2013/14 – up 11.4 percent on the prior year.
The rise comes despite a dip in visitor numbers of other spots like the Gold Coast, Tropical North Queensland, Melbourne, Hobart and Canberra.
Gold Coast saw the largest dip in arrivals, with 800,000 fewer visitors year-on-year.
7. All business needs covered at INDABA
Last year’s PREMIER LOUNGE offering at INDABA was such a success that the concept returns as the Business Buyers Lounge.
The return of the Business Buyers Lounge is a direct response to interest from exhibitors and South African Tourism’s determination to put exhibitors first at INDABA through offering them a bespoke, customised environment in which to conduct business meetings.
The Business Buyers Lounge at INDABA 2015 will give exhibitors an exclusive area, perfectly equipped to accommodate deal-making meetings with buyers.
8. Ireland pushes for GoT tourism
Dragon eggs, and Winterfell signs, Tourism Ireland is stepping up its Game of Thrones appeal in its latest campaign.
Launched alongside the new season of the hit series, the tourist bureau has started scattering dragon eggs at St. George’s Market in Belfast.
Travellers to the country will also be able to spot old-timey signs pointing to scenic locations used to set the background for Winterfell and Dragonstone.
Another prominent part of the campaign sees era-appropriate weaponry deposited in sharp objects bins at Belfast City Airport.
The country is surely making it feel like ‘Winter is Coming’.
9. Plane drops 27,000 feet in 3 minutes
Passengers onboard a SkyWest flight from Chicago this week received the scare of a lifetime, when the plane dropped 27,000 feet in three minutes.
En route to Bradley International Airport, the aircraft is believed to have experienced pressurisation problems, which caused it to fall out of the sky.
The sudden drop occurred over Lake Erie.
Airline representatives said flight crew were able to stablise the plane and land safely in Buffalo.
All 75 passengers and four crew members were fine, except one passenger reportedly lost consciousness during the drop.
10. These are your future clients – they’re a little different
What motives us to do something today, won’t be the same thing to drive us to do it tomorrow or a few years down the track.
Whether it’s in everyday life or in travel, our psyche evolves not only as we age but as the world changes – just think about why you had those MnM Peanuts yesterday and why you definitely won’t be incorporating chocolate into your diet today.
If you look back 15 years, people took holidays to be on the road, away from the everyday and to pose next to iconic statues and monuments.
