Skill up on all you need to know with bite sized travel news designed specifically to help you, the Travel Agent, be your best today and tomorrow.
1. Photos that prove Flighties know how to party
Image: @MarioTravels/Twitter
“There’s nothing quite like the Flight Centre Global Gathering” – it’s a common sentiment amongst Flighties…
… and one that’s hard to debate when gorgeous male celebrities strip on stage, a well-known comedic duo host the event AND you can get totally pissed amongst colleagues (and your boss) without worrying about the consequences.
Those darn lucky (and hard working) global achievers have started making their way home (we imagine accompanied with a mind-splitting hangover) after what has been dubbed another epic Global Gathering.
2. AFTA NTIA Awards 2016: All the winners revealed
It’s billed as the annual industry’s night of nights, so after another twelve months of hustling with clients everywhere and impressing the voters (and for some the AFTA judging panel), it all came down to the few hours of this evening when the 38 winners were finally revealed.
This year’s event was again held at the Dockside Pavilion in Darling Harbour with around a thousand frocked up travel folk in attendance and ready to party on a cool Sydney Winter’s night.
It was also (for the second year running) unfortunately billed on the same weekend as the Flight Centre Global Gathering, this year held in Singapore with many of the industries supplier leaders and Flight Centre staff not in attendance as a consequence.
3. 4 crew members missing after Amazon ship sinks
Four Aqua Expedition crew members are missing and “a few others injured after a “very serious accident” caused the line’s Aqua Amazon to blow up and sink over the weekend.
The ship was docked for a regular re-supply and re-stock when “an accident occurred that caused an explosion”, which ultimately lead the to sinking of the ship.
Aqua Expeditions’ Founder and CEO, Francesco Galli Zugaro, said no passengers were on board, but “some of the crew” were hurt during the incident and “four are declared missing”.
4. France extends State of Emergency
France’s state of emergency, which was put in place in the wake of last November’s Paris attacks and was scheduled to lapse this month, has been extended for another three months.
The extension comes after a 31-year-old man killed 84 people, including three Australians, at last week’s Bastille Day celebrations.
The terms of the state of emergency are heightened security across the country, extra police and armed guards in public spaces and schools, over 100,000 security personnel have been mobilised to handle any threat and tighter border controls and restrictions at airports.
5. DFAT warns Aussies against travel to Turkey
The Australian government is warning holidaymakers to avoid “unnecessary travel” to the destination after a unit of Turkish military attempted a coup.
Flights to Istanbul’s international gateway were suspended during the weekend events, and have since resumed as the situation normalised in the destination.
However, DFAT is encouraging Australians to avoid travel to the country or avoid any large gatherings and demonstrations. The government agency also expects there to be flight delays to and from all major airport.
“We continue to advise Australians to exercise a high degree of caution in Turkey overall and to reconsider their need to travel to Istanbul and Ankara,” a DFAT upgrade read. “Higher levels apply in some, other parts of Turkey.”
6. Travel Industry Exhibition opens TODAY
The travel industry will converge at Luna Park Sydney over the next two days for the annual Travel Industry Exhibition.
The ‘not to be missed’ event is designed to bring industry people together, with over 60 exhibitors showcasing their product plus free seminar sessions.
If you haven’t registered and are keen to attend, registrations will be made available at the venue. Click here for more information.