We’ve done all the hard work so you don’t have to! Read on for the top 10 travel industry news stories of the day that we think you need to know.
1. KarryOn facetime another success
KarryOn’s second FaceTime social networking event held at the CBD Hotel in Sydney last night drew a diverse crowd of over 120 with all areas of the travel industry represented. The Omani themed night was sponsored by The Sultanate of Oman, Excite Holidays, InPlace Recruitment and The Chedi Muscat, Oman and featured live entertainment, Omani outfits to try on and the opportunity to win some amazing prizes.
The main prize donated by Oman Tourism was an incredible VIP Extreme 40’s Sailing experience on Sydney Harbour including actually participating on-board in one of the races in December. Read more
2. Travel under question in Scottish referendum
While economic and political changes have been positioned as prominent issues of Scotland’s independence, a smaller faction are concerned with the impact to the travel and tourism sector.
Scotland, as stands, is part of the United Kingdom’s Common Travel Area. That is, locals from the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey, can cross over borders with little to no identity documents.
This, according to pre-vote speculation, is not likely to change. What could change, however, is the attitude of the international community to visit Scotland. The “Better Together” camp, those that are voting in favour of remaining within the realm of the United Kingdom, question whether Britons would be inclined to travel to Scotland in the future. Nonetheless, the “yes” camp feel that a vote for independence will increase tourism revenue, as it would relieve the high taxes faced by those travelling to the UK.
Research conducted by LJ Research last month polled 700 recent UK visitors to gauge whether they would visit an independent Scotland. Eighty four per cent claimed that their decision would be largely unaffected by the referendum. Read on for more.
3. Tigerair gets connected
Tigerair customers, from today onwards, may use personal electronic devices including mobile phones, e-books and tablets for the duration of their flight provided these devices are in flight mode.
The green light for the extended use of personal electronic devices was provided by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) following recent new guidance on the safe use of personal electronic devices inflight.
Tigerair’s Commercial Director, Adam Rowe welcomed this decision and said that it was a positive development for Tigerair customers who would benefit from uninterrupted, gate-to-gate electronic access to work and entertainment.
“Most people these days keep their personal devices within arm’s reach for multiple reasons, so being able to continually access them during the flight will help further make travel with Tigerair a seamless and enjoyable experience,” said Mr. Rowe.
In addition to CASA’s approval, Tigerair has also conducted its own tests to ensure that the extended use of personal electronic devices will not interfere with the the safe operation of its aircraft in anyway.
“Safety is Tigerair’s number one priority and in line with industry guidelines, we are now providing the ability for passengers to use their devices on board, provided they are in flight mode, from the moment they board to the moment they disembark – including when the aircraft is taxiing on the runway, during take-off and landing,” said Mr. Rowe.
4. Up, up, and away for cruise ship revenue
A new report released by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) shows that demand for cruising across the globe increased 77 per cent over the past decade, with passenger numbers rising from 12 million to 21.3 million.
The report also reveals for the first time that cruise industry expenditure worldwide generated $117 billion in total economic contributions, supporting the employment of more than 890,000 full-time equivalent employees with total wages of more than $38 billion.
The Asia Pacific region was the source of 10 per cent of the cruise industry’s global capacity, with Australia accounting for about half of this total in 2013.
The average length of a cruise was seven days, with three or four port calls \The cruise industry generated nearly 115 million passenger and crew visit days at ports around the globe; cruise ship passengers and crew spent an average of $126.93 each port day.
A separate report on the economic value of cruising in Australia is due to be released by CLIA Australasia in the coming weeks.
5. Qatar Airways welcomes the A380
His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker and Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President & CEO.
Five Star carrier, Qatar Airways will welcome the highly-anticipated first A380 to its fleet.
With 10 Airbus A380-800s on order, Qatar Airways is preparing to take delivery of four of them before the end of this year.
“This has been a moment more than a decade in the making and we are so delighted to unveil a new passenger experience for our travellers,” Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker said.
“The A380 that we are introducing is not just any A380; we have completely designed every element, giving it a signature touch that has never been seen before on board. Additionally, the newly opened Hamad International Airport, the airline’s hub in Doha, has been specifically created with the A380 in mind, with five contact gates dedicated only for this aircraft, making the experience smooth and effortless for passengers.”
The airline will first introduce A380 services on one of its frequencies on the Doha – London route from October, followed by Paris Charles De Gaulle shortly thereafter.
“We are very pleased to welcome Qatar Airways as the latest airline to offer unprecedented A380 services to the world. The multi-award-winning carrier and our flagship product are a perfect match to excite the flying public in all markets,” Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO said.
In the last quarter of 2014, it is expected that the airline will start receiving its first A350 XWB aircraft as the world’s launch customer.
6. 3rd Summit of OTAs held in Sichuan
Sponsored by the Tourism Administration of Sichuan Province and Mianyang Municipal People’s Government, The 3rd Summit of Global Online Travel Agencies (OTA) was held in Beichuan County, Mianyang, Sichuan from September 15 to 17 with the theme of “Smart Tourism, Connecting the Future.”
Based on the idea of “innovation and efficiency,” the summit will give priority to enhance the cooperation between the tourism system of Sichuan and global online travel agencies.
The event gathered senior executives from global websites, online travel agencies, airlines and other tourism and IT-related enterprises, namely Google, Baidu, Facebook, Abacus, Ctrip, Qunar, Hana Tour, JTB.
The summit provided an environment for the executives to discuss new challenges and opportunities for the global tourism industry brought by online technologies.
Viktor Mayer-Schonberger , a professor at the University of Oxford and author of Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think was invited to the summit and delivered a speech based on the summit theme.
Doctoral supervisor Lv Benfu, Professor of School of Management, the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Hao Kangli, Director General of the Tourism Administration of Sichuan Province also delivered keynote speeches.
All summit participants took part in several forums on different themes.
The summit also featured an interactive experience zone which showcased concepts of up-to-date IT applied in various tourism products, and achievements made in smart travel in Sichuan . Sichuan landscape management companies, travel agencies and hotels also conducted exchanges with domestic and foreign OTAs to foster better understanding and cooperation with each other.
7. Emirates marks 10 years of its worldwide lounge network
Over 22 million customers have enjoyed the haven of an Emirates Lounge since the airline opened its first international lounge outside of its Dubai hub, and demand is growing.
In the financial year ending March 2014, more than four million customers were served at the 36 Emirates Lounges around the world.
These lounges are staffed by a 1,400-strong team who can interact with customers in over 25 languages.
Emirates opened its first international lounge in Brisbane in 2004, offering the same high standard of service and quality of products that premium customers can expect on-board. The airline has since invested over $(US)320 million in its lounge network, to open new facilities and refurbish existing ones.
Combined, Emirates Lounges span an area of 69,565 sq m, and can seat 11,526 customers at one time, reflecting the demand from customers in tandem with the airline’s growth.
“We have made significant investments to develop our network of lounges over the last decade, and we will continue to invest in this product, because we see it as an integral part of the total value proposition for our premium customers,” said Mohammed H. Mattar, Divisional Senior Vice President, Emirates Airport Services.
“Our expanding lounge network is addressing a clear need and expectation from customers. We pay as much attention to the on-ground experience, as we do to the onboard product and service.”
8. HotelRez joins the blogosphere
As a gift to itself on its 10th anniversary, UK-based hotel representation company, HotelREZ Hotels & Resorts announces the launch of its new consumer travel blog, aimed at inspiring travellers worldwide.
Part of a larger content marketing campaign initiated earlier this year, which included the launch of the company’s new online booking website, the travel blog hopes to fill a gap in the market by providing travellers with relevant content concerning independent and unique hotel accommodation options worldwide, alongside authentic travel guides and tips written by local experts.
9. Maldives for sale
A Maldivian Island has come on the market complete with building permits for a luxury hotel resort and spa.
Orivaru is a tropical island paradise in the northern Maldives covering an area of 14 hectares (34.6 acres) and is one of 71 islands forming the Noonu Atoll situated approximately 100 miles north of the Maldivian capital Male.
Only 13 of the islands are inhabited, the closest of which is home to a luxury Hilton Resort and Spa on the island of Minaavaru.
Planning permits issued by the Ministry of Tourism pave the way for a luxury island resort including 100 five star private rooms and water villas built around the islands coastline with integrated hotel facilities comprising restaurants, guest lounges, pools and a wellness spa.
The island also features a natural port allowing boats and seaplanes to berth without interfering too much with the natural landscape.
The Maldivian registered owners are seeking offers in the region of 14 million dollars for their interest in the island and would be developers literally have a blank canvas to create a luxury resort.
The island is held on a long leasehold from the Maldivian government although these are frequently renegotiated and extended.
“Being just 45 minutes by seaplane from Male International Airport, this could no doubt become another very successful tourist destination,” Debutesq Group director Alan O’Connor, who is marketing the site, said.
“A Russian investor recently purchased an island in the northern Atolls for $65m so there is definitely a market out there.”
10. Peugeot makes driving through Europe affordable
Peugeot is providing customers with the offer to drive Europe in style with up to 30 per cent savings across the entire Peugeot Lease fleet.
Prices start from $(AUD)45 per day for the Peugeot 208 1.6L petrol manual model, collecting and returning in France.
In addition, clients who have previously leased a Peugeot since 2005 will qualify for three free Bonus Loyalty Days on all sale models.
Peugeot Leasing in Europe is ideal for longer durations of between 21 days – 175 days, giving access to drive through more than 30 European countries; and can often work out cheaper than car hire.
Leasers will drive a brand new tax free Peugeot with unlimited kilometres, full vehicle insurance with nil excess, personal accident insurance, 24 hour roadside assistance, full factory warranty and additional driver options.
Collection and returns within France are at no additional cost. However an additional fee will be incurred outside.
The End of Year Sale is valid for all Peugeot Lease collections until 31 December 2014 with a book and pay date of 12 December.