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. MP Ray Stevens new “Cable Guy” in 100 MIL. Gold Coast Tourism proposal
Pictured: MP Ray Stevens.
MP Ray Stevens has revealed his involvement in a $100 million Gold Coast tourism proposal, insisting he has been given the green light by the Integrity Commissioner.
“I wish to advise the house of my financial interest as an investor and adviser to a consortium of prominent Queensland businessmen who are announcing today a proposal to build a $100 million tourism infrastructure cable car project from Neranwood to Springbrook in the Gold Coast Hinterland,” he said.
While the Minister has admitted to his involvement, he has also stated that he will have no part in the application or the decision making process and that he will “adhere to that requirement in absolute totality”.
A similar scheme, also involving Mr Stevens, was mooted 16 years ago but scuttled by the then Labor government.
Read on for more.
2. Asian visitors fuelling tourism boom in Australia
Tourism Research Australia has released a report claiming that a surge in tourism numbers to Australia will be prompted by visitors from China, India and Singapore.
Released this week, the report states that inbound tourism to Australia is set to rise by 10.5 per cent for China, 6.6 per cent for India and 5.8 per cent for Singapore.
Last year, Asian markets accounted for 47 per cent of total Australian tourism exports.
“As the global economy recovers from recent financial disasters, the economic climate for tourism is hopeful,” the report said.
According to Tourism Australia managing director John O’Sullivan, the report shows that the nation is undoubtedly making progress toward the Tourism 2020 goals.
“There’s more to be done in hotel accommodation supply, but the feedback from the investors Tourism Australia and Austrade have been talking to at the recent HICAP conference in Hong Kong indicates to me that there is certainly confidence and a growing appetite for investment in Australia’s tourism infrastructure,” he said.
Read on for more.
3. Tigerair offers freaky deals for Halloween
Image Source: Yahoo! News.
Tigerair Australia is getting into the spirit of Halloween with a spooky promotion offering thousands of airfares across Australia on sale at the frightfully low price of (AUD) $13.
Tigerair Australia Head of Communications, Vanessa Regan says air travel deals don’t get much better than this and urges bargain hunters to pounce on the Tigerair website this evening from 8pm to secure a fantastic air travel deal.
“As the airline that consistently provides great value airfares, the only real trick to securing the best value treats with Tigerair is to plan ahead and book early,” she said.
“Our Halloween sale, which is on this evening for a strictly limited time, is likely to surprise, shock and sweeten your senses. The travel deals are hidden behind your choice of a trick or treat so choose wisely.”
Offer is available between 8pm and midnight tonight (AEDT).
4. Camera-shy koala assists in boosting Tropical North Queensland’s profile
A camera-shy koala has helped Tropical North Queensland reach 100,000 fans on its Facebook page.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland Director Destination Content Kate Duffy said countless pictures of people cuddling koalas had been posted on social media, but this was the first time she has seen a koala refuse to pose for the camera.
“The image of Tiana hiding behind a tree at Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas struck a chord with our Facebook fans when we challenged them to caption the quirky photo for us,” she said.
“Australia’s animals are a popular feature on our Facebook page, so it’s only fitting that one of our most popular has helped us achieve this latest social media milestone.”
Wildlife Habitat’s Director of Sales and Marketing Ben Woodward said Tiana was considered a very special koala by staff as she was severely ill when she was rescued from the wild around Tinana near the Sunshine Coast.
“She was rehabilitated, but unfortunately was unable to be released. Wildlife Habitat applied for her to live up here, so she came to us in February of this year,” he said.
Tropical North Queensland receives more than 400 photos per week from fans and tourism operators.
They welcome contributions from the public who can share their photos on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #exploreTNQ.”
5. World Travel Market Portfolio generates 6.5 BIL. in industry deals
The World Travel Market, which takes place in London every November, is the WTM Portfolio’s largest event spanning 35 years with 5,000 exhibitors and 50,000 participants.
World Travel Market 2013 was responsible for (US) $3.7 billion in industry contracts for exhibitors negotiating business deals with more than 8,500 buyers from the WTM Buyers’ Club.
A poll of World Travel Market exhibitors and buyers revealed more than one in two expect to conduct more business of a greater value at this year’s event than they did in 2014. This should see the WTM Portfolio facilitate deals approaching a value of (US) $7 billion for the calendar year of 2014.
Examples of business deals conducted at WTM 2013 include London West End Theatre ticket company Encore, which signed contract worth (US) $8.3 million and tour board Andalucia, which signed agreements with five different tour operators in one day.
6. APT wins over hearts in WA
Australia’s leading domestic tour operator, APT, was named the winner of the Qantas Award for Excellence in Sustainable Tourism at the prestigious 2014 Perth Airport Western Australia Tourism Awards.
APT also picked up a Silver Medal in the Major Tour and/or Transport Operator category at the awards, which saw medallists awarded in 30 categories at a Gala Dinner held at the Crown Perth on Saturday 25 October 2014. In addition, APT Driver Guide and Cruise Director, Jane Ballantyne, was also a finalist in the FACET Golden Guide Award category.
Accepting the awards on behalf of APT was the General Manger for its Kimberley and Outback Wilderness Adventures, Rob Tandy.
“It’s a huge honour to accept these accolades, especially given the incredibly high standard of travel and tourism product on offer in this region,” he said.
“To be named outright winner for theQantas Award for Excellence in Sustainable Tourism is particularly pleasing.”
7. MSC and Lego team up to build on customer enjoyment at sea
MSC Cruises and the LEGO Group have joined forces to create the shipboard LEGO® playrooms and entertainment options for families with children.
Under the agreement, the LEGO Group will design new play areas on MSC Armonia. MSC guests will have the opportunity to discover it from November 2014.
The LEGO Group will supply a broad selection of its world-famous construction toys and games for all ages.
“This agreement will bring a new level of family enjoyment with this top class global brand that showcases excellence in this field”, Lynne Clarke, MSC Cruises Managing Director said.
“MSC Cruises has been offering the LEGO toys on all 12 ships in the fleet, but this is an opportunity to bring MSC guests more dedicated products and areas for our younger travellers”.
The Renaissance ships will have separate clubs and facilities for five age groups, namely Baby (under 3s); Mini (3-6); Junior (7-11); Young (12-14) and Teen (15-17).
All these features will be available free of charge, and will be replicated on the two new additional ships of the MSC fleet to be delivered in 2017.
8. Crystal cruises celebrates 21 years atop the Condé Naste Readers’ Choice Awards
Crystal Cruises will embark on its 25th anniversary of ultra-luxe cruising by celebrating a record 21 years as Condé Nast Traveler magazine Readers’ Choice No.1 “Midsize Cruise Ship Line.” Crystal’s winning score of 90.142 was the highest of all Small, Midsize, and Large-ship cruise lines.
“It is an extraordinary honour to be recognised as the No. 1 Midsize Cruise Ship Line by the well-travelled and discerning readers of Condé Nast Traveler for a record 21 years,” said Crystal president and COO, Edie Rodriguez.
“Winning this award demonstrates how highly our guests value our commitment to creating the ultimate luxury cruise experience.”
Crystal has invested more than US$140 million in extreme ship makeovers in recent years, including a US$17 million dry dock renovation of Crystal Serenity in November 2013.
Crystal also recently revealed a new (US) $20 million look to Crystal Symphony, following a two-week dry dock. The extreme makeover brought contemporary and elegant new design features to the ship’s Crystal Plaza and Crystal Cove Bar. Upgrades included a new outdoor fitness garden featuring a “curated self-guided Movement Journey”, redesigned spa and casino spaces, fitness equipment upgrades in the indoor fitness centre, along with additional PURE allergy-friendly staterooms and technological upgrades.
9. Malaysia’s tourist arrivals up by almost 10 per cent
Tourist arrivals to Malaysia continue to grow despite a challenging year, and the country is a step closer to achieving the 28 million tourist arrivals target in line with Visit Malaysia Year 2014. From January to July 2014, Malaysia welcomed a total of 16.1 million tourists, registering a hike of 9.7 per cent compared to 14.7 million tourist arrivals for the same period last year.
The top 10 tourist generating markets to Malaysia from January to July 2014 were Singapore (8,236,079), Indonesia (1,583,786), China (997,370), Brunei (699,763), Thailand (773,160), India (445,431), Australia (347,355), the Philippines (362,139), Japan (308,418) and Taiwan (168,962). July alone saw a total of 2,229,920 tourist arrivals, with the ASEAN region contributing 74 per cent. Among ASEAN countries, Vietnam registered the highest growth (40 per cent), followed by Indonesia (23.3 per cent), Brunei (10 per cent), Cambodia (10 per cent) the Philippines (8.5 per cent) and Thailand (3.6 per cent).
10. Hamilton Island receives accolades for brand-spanking new website
Great Barrier Reef island paradise has been brought a few clicks closer with the launch of Hamilton Island’s new-look website, recently awarded ‘Best New Website’ at the TRAVELtech 2014 Web Awards.
Developed in partnership with brand communications and innovation agency Deepend, the revamped Hamiltonisland.com.au site provides a clean and engaging user experience across multiple devices.
Aida Merdovic, Hamilton Island’s Director of Online said putting the customer first at every stage of development was a key priority.
“We wanted to make the online path to purchase as streamlined as possible; from exploring, to planning, to ultimately booking flights, accommodation and experiences,” she said.
“We also know our customers are visiting our site at various stages of this journey and require different information depending on their travel intent. To address this need for tailored content, we have introduced three separate homepage tabs – Explore, Plan, Book – to allow customers to quickly access the information they are looking for.”
