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. Where have Australians travelled so far in 2015?
Australian airports have been busy this year, with a record number of people travelling to and from the country during the first three months.
According to preliminary Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures, for March alone, some 700,000 Australians headed overseas for a short holiday – up around 35,000 on the prior month.
671,500 travellers arrived in the country for a visit of less than 12 months – up 12 percent on the same month last year.
2. Australian airlines adopt a toddler state of mind
McDonalds discovered it decades ago, and now Australian airlines are jumping onboard with their very own sky high versions of the ‘Happy Meal’.
No, we’re not talking about cheeseburger and fries with little toys, but rather new marketing and inflight entertainment tools designed to directly attract young flyers.
The trend started in March this year, when Bound Round research found young flyers – particularly toddlers and tweens – play an important (and large) role in the travel decision making process.
3. Nepal earthquake update
Australian Embassy offers limited number of sleeping spaces on the Embassy compound.
Runway damage from last week’s major earthquake has forced the Nepalese government to shut the main airport to large aircraft.
Large planes are currently being used by international governments to deliver aid to the millions of people in Nepal and help evacuate non locals.
However, the main runway has been temporarily closed until light repairs can be made.
The death toll in Nepal is now over 7,000. Search and rescue operations continue, however, experts say in the ninth day since the quake, the chances of finding any survivors is low.
Over the weekend, three survivors were found in a mountainous village, including a 101-year-old man who was pulled out from the rubble of his house.
One Australian was among the Nepal earthquake victims, and hundreds of other Australian tourists were flown out of the destination on two army jets last week.
The Australian government has sent consular officials to Pokhara, Lukla, and Nuwakot to check the wellbeing of Australians left in these areas.
The Australian Embassy is providing consular assistance to a number of Australians on the Chancery grounds and additional resources have been deployed to Kathmandu to provide consular assistance to Australians.
For any Australian in Kathmandu that is unable to find accommodation, the Australian Embassy has a limited number of sleeping spaces on the Embassy compound on a strictly short-term basis.
Tents and tarpaulins have been set up and sleeping bags are available.
The Australian Embassy is located 500 metres north of Narayan Gopal Chowk Bansbari, Kathmandu, and can be contacted on +977 1 437 1678.
4. helloworld closes HK conference on a high
Innovation was at the centre of the 2015 helloworld for Business Summit held in Hong Kong over the weekend.
Industry professionals from Australia flew to the destination where they spent two days delving into business innovation in travel.
The weekend ended with the launch of the inaugural ‘Innovation Award’ at the gala night, which recognised Victoria’s Reho Travel as the leading innovator within the helloworld for business network.
5. Mantra secures Soul Surfers Paradise
The prestigious Soul Surfers Paradise management letting rights business has been successfully secured by leading Australian hotel operator, Mantra Group.
Mantra Group has been managing the tower as agents for the receivers and managers since November 2013.
The property is currently operated as Soul Surfers Paradise under the management of the premium Peppers brand and is one of the premier luxury holiday apartment resorts in Australia.
Soul is a 77-level tower located on the corner of Cavill Avenue and The Esplanade, Surfers Paradise.
All two and three-bedroom and penthouse apartments have uninterrupted ocean views over Surfers Paradise and the Gold Coast hinterland.
Featuring beach frontage just 20 metres walk from Surfers Paradise beach, Soul Surfers Paradise is situated above a brand new retail and dining precinct and offers a world class array of guest facilities, including multiple pool areas surrounded by sun lounges and day beds; spa, sauna and steam rooms; an oasis of tropical gardens and water features; a superbly equipped gymnasium, plus outdoor exercise and recreation facilities.
The property also includes Seaduction, an acclaimed fine dining restaurant with a separate wine-tasting room, private dining room and bar.
6. Making it easier for hotels to chase guests
TripAdvisor has found a new way to encourage travellers to leave accommodation reviews on its site, by sending hoteliers straight after them.
The review website has extended free review collection solution, Review Express, to enable hotels to collect TripAdvisor reviews following their stay.
Since the launch of Review Express in May 2013, business owners had the option to visit TripAdvisor’s Management Center and send customisable emails to their customers asking them to write a review about their experience.
TripAdvisor has simplified the process through an integration with the hotel’s existing technology provider – hoteliers can now set up an email campaign so that the review request is sent automatically to guests, two days after they check out.
7. Air Tahiti Nui joins the ‘Dream’ team
[L-R]: Air Tahiti Nui Chairman and CEO Michel Monvoisin, Senior Vice President Asia Pacific and India Sales Boeing Commercial Airplanes Dr. Dinesh Keskar and Air Tahiti Nui General Manager and Chief Operating Officer Mathieu Bechonnet.
Air Tahiti Nui will fork out some US$499 million for two 787-9 Dreamliners to be delivered in 2018.
The flag carrier for French Polynesia has also leased two additional 787-9s through the Air Lease Corporation, based in Los Angeles.
The new 787-9 Dreamliner will complement the existing 787 family, with the fuselage stretched by six metres over the 787-8, the 787-9 to fly more passengers and more cargo.
The aircraft offers passengers features such as large windows, large stow bins, modern LED lighting, higher humidity, a lower cabin altitude, cleaner air and a smoother ride.
8. Getting a taste of Port Stephens
Port Stephens tourism operators mixing with NZ travel agents in Auckland.
Five New Zealand travel professionals were invited to experience the best of Port Stephens as part of Destination Port Stephen’s first, stand-alone sales mission across the Tasman.
Inbound Sales Manager, Sharon Turley, led a group of five from Port Stephens on the three-day workshop visit to Auckland from 20-22 April, with the group promoting Port Stephens’ appeal to NZ travel agents and travel company product managers.
The participating Port Stephens operators included Tamboi Queen Cruises, Moonshadow Cruises, Newcastle Airport, The Nelson Resort and Sand Dune Adventures. The mission was supported by staff from Destination NSW’s New Zealand office.
The trip will be followed on 4 and 5 May by a familiarisation visit to Port Stephens by 10 travel agents from the UK, Spain and France as part of the Corroboree Europe educational program.
9. ‘Sorry, there’s no toilet paper on this flight’
If you have a small bladder, then this would have been one tough flight for you.
Ryanair passengers onboard a three-hour flight from Murcia to London were surprised after being told the aircraft had no toilet paper.
The announcement was made by crew during the safety demonstration, along with a notice that there would be no milk available.
One passenger, Shaun O’dea, told The Sun that everyone had ‘horrified looks’ on their faces and said ‘it was really appalling’.
A Ryanair spokesperson assured that it is ‘very rare’ for the airline to have a stock shortage, which was “caused by the failure of our handling agents in Murcia to deliver toilet rolls and milk sachets that had been ordered on the turnaround in Murcia”.
10. The solution to all your plane problems
You know that humming sound on the plane that no matter how hard you try to ignore, just won’t go away.
Well a team of experts in the US says they’ve found a way to help drown the irritating sound into the background and it doesn’t require any headphones or ear plugs.
Yun Jing and his team at North Carolina State University collaborated with MIT to create a ‘thin, lightweight membrane’ that can reduce cabin noise by over 100 times, News.com.au reported.
The membrane covers the honeycomb structure found in the plane fuselage, which create the humming sound.
With the lightweight surrounding one side of these honeycombs, soundwaves would bounce off the structure, keeping it contained, rather than pass through.
“It could make flying much more pleasant for passengers — particularly in helicopters.”
Ni Sui, a Ph.D. student in Jing’s lab
