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Mon 22 Sep: 10 things you need to know today

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.

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. Oktoberfest toasts its weekend success

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Despite the formidable weather experienced by Munich in Germany, a million travellers made it the picturesque Bavarian region for the opening of Oktoberfest, the world’s largest festival. Not only has attendance rocketed sky-high but the amount of beer and bratwurst consumed over the weekend also reached in the millions.

The festival has become a booming business for Munich, with vendors, airlines, hotels and restaurants reaping millions of euros in profit.
According to The Guardian, the estimated 6.4 million Oktoberfest guests are thought to spend in the Bavarian capital in that fortnight, around €320 million on the grounds of the Oktoberfest alone.
Read on for more.

2. Scotland says “Better Together”

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Scotland has officially rejected the notion of state independence. A 55 per cent majority voted no to secession in Thursday’s referendum.

The main reason for the defeat was considered to be a lack of defined strategy. Unionists claimed they were unconvinced as to how Scotland could fund independence and how it would remain prosperous without the support it receives from being part of the United Kingdom. This sentiment was mirrored in the country’s travel and tourism sector:

“The uncertainty over the future of the pound, the borders question and the possible changes to visa regulations all created uncertainty,” travel and tourism analyst at Timetric, Gillian Kennedy said. The “No” vote, according to Kennedy, is said to be welcomed by the industry. Read on for more.

3. Drunk and disorderly curbs Qantas flight

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A Qantas flight to Sydney from Bangkok was diverted after a drunk and disorderly passenger tried to steal whiskey.

QF24 landed in Cairns just before 6AM. Several police officers were awaiting to arrest the man that, according to flight staff, broke through four sets of “flexi-cuffs” that were used to detain him.

The Australian Federal Police released the following statement on the matter: “A 34-year-old man has been charged with behaving in an offensive and disorderly manner contrary to section 256AA of the Civil Aviation Regulations 1988 and interfering with crew or aircraft contrary to section 24(1) of the Civil Aviation Act 1988.” He will appear before the Cairns Magistrates Court sometime today.

4. Luxury travel pledges to save the rhinos

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As the survival of the rhino continues to be threatened by the scourge of poaching in South Africa, luxury experiential travel company andBeyond, along with Trevolta and Great Plains Conservation, have launched a number of conservation initiatives aimed at saving the endangered species.

A crowd-fundraising campaign has been launched through Trevolta where one can donate just $1 and receive a printable template for an origami rhino (along with a link to an instructions video). andBeyond has been posting “rhino selfies” from around the world and is encouraging the public to donate and post their own rhino selfies on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook with the hashtags #RhinosWithoutBorders and #RhinoMove.
Joss Kent, CEO of andBeyond, believes that translocation is integral to the survival of the species.

After successfully translocating six white rhinos to Botswana last year (one has even birthed a calf), andBeyond has partnered with Great Plains Conservation with the goal of translocating up to 100 rhinos from South Africa to the safe haven of Botswana in 2015. With various fundraising initiatives and the help of Trevolta, andBeyond and Great Plains Conservation hope to raise $8 million for the project.

5. Abuja receives an Emirates upgrade

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Only two months after launching its operations to Abuja, Emirates has today announced it will upgrade the route’s operating aircraft to a Boeing 777-200ER, starting from 1 October 2014.

The new aircraft will continue to operate daily to Nigeria’s capital and offer 274 seats in the three cabins; 12 luxurious lie-flat seats in First Class, 42 deeply reclining seats in Business Class, and generous space for 220 passengers in Economy Class. “The upgrade of our Abuja service to a Boeing 777 demonstrates our commitment to Nigeria market and another step to ensure we offer world class products to our customers in Nigeria,” said Adil Al Ghaith, Emirates’ Senior Vice President Commercial Operations, Northern and Western Africa.

“Emirates constantly strives to provide its passengers with the very best service and the introduction of a Boeing B777-200 ER reflects that commitment. Our 777-200ER will offer Emirates’ renowned cabin comforts and facilities, including our award-winning ice entertainment system.” On-board, customers will enjoy specially created regional menus and a wide range of movies, TV programmes, games and music through ice, Emirates’ in-flight entertainment system, while being served by Emirates’ multi-lingual cabin crew from over 160 countries around the world.

6. Kangaroo Island Odysseys new website inspires international travellers

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A new, image driven, mobile responsive website has been designed for travellers who wish to experience the ultimate in 4×4 touring around one of the world’s major tourism icons – Kangaroo Island.

“The new website is clean, bright and easy to use,” said Ms Donna Gauci, General Manager of SeaLink South Australia who own and operate the Kangaroo Island Odysseys business.

“We are finding more and more potential travellers are researching their travel options on mobile devices, so it was important for us to ensure that the site could be viewed on all mobile platforms.
Kangaroo Island Odysseys have been operating for over 20 years and are a Leading Australian Tour Operator and are Eco-Certified, Climate Action Certified and hold Australian Tourism Accreditation. Tours operate all year round and range from one to three days, with private charters being popular. International travellers are the most dominant market for Kangaroo Island Odysseys, with Italy being its largest market and foreign language tours are offered with multi-lingual Tour Guides speaking Italian, German, French, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese.

7. Drop in dollar set to increase cost of overseas travel

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Domestic tourism should be the biggest winner from the dollar’s latest fall – particularly the Godl Coast that is seen by experts as ‘sensitive’ to the rise and fall of the dollar. In 18 months it has slumped 15 per cent against the US dollar and euro and 20 per cent against the pound.

As the economy picks up momentum the weaker dollar will lift import prices such as cars, electronics and books as well as the cost of overseas holidays – meaning bigger business for domestic travel.

8. Virgin accommodates this weekend’s footy fever

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As footy fever over this weekend’s clash between the Sydney Swans and Hawthorn Hawks, Virgin has decided to lend an extra hand by adding extra flights on Sunday from Sydney to Melbourne to cater for the AFL match at the MCG. The extra flights will give more Sydney Swans fans the opportunity to travel to the match to see their team play in this year’s Grand Final.

“As the official airline of the AFL we are committed to helping fans travel to interstate games throughout the 2014 Toyota AFL Finals Series, ” Virgin Australia Chief Commercial Officer Judith Crompton said. “We are adding seven extra flights over the weekend to help Sydney fans travel to Melbourne to support their team in the Grand Final.

Each year Virgin Australia carries the 18 AFL teams on more than 300 flights, travelling more than 450,000km, and provide tens of thousands of extra seats to fans. In 2012 Virgin Australia launched “Any Game Anywhere”, the first program of its kind for a national sporting code in Australia. Any Game Anywhere offers packages for AFL fans, a single site where fans can access airfares, accommodation, game tickets and local tourist attractions in any destination where AFL games are played.

9. Hawes joins Destination NSW

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Paul Hawes has been appointed regional manager UK and Germany for Australia’s Destination NSW.

“The UK and Germany are important markets for NSW accounting for 14.4 per cent of all international visitors to our state and around A$861 million in visitor spend for the year ending June 2014,” Destination NSW CEO Sandra Chipchase said.

Hawes has spent the last six and a half years with Canada’s national tourism body, the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC), most recently as marketing manager where he led marketing strategy and advertising implementation across Europe and Australia.

Prior to his Canadian role, Hawes worked for Travel Alberta, a Canadian provincial marketing organisation in the role of manager, travel trade.

10. Air China meets demand for Beijing – London

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Starting 26 October, Air China will increase its Beijing – London ( Heathrow International Airport) service to two daily flights. The newly-added flights will further promote the exchanges between China and the United Kingdom and offer more flight options to travelers to other European cities.

As a member carrier of the Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline network, Air China has been actively expanding its European route network. Currently, Europe has become Air China’s largest overseas market, and Air China now operates over 100 flights between China and Europe a week, enabling passengers to travel from Beijing nonstop to 20 European cities like London , Paris , Frankfurt , Rome , Moscow and Madrid . At the same time, relying on the extensive route network of the Star Alliance, Air China can easily fly passengers to 1,328 destinations in 195 countries.

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