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. Wins & losses for tourism in the new budget
From stay-at-home parents to foreign countries, a number of sectors have been hit by the new budget, including our very own industry – tourism.
But here’s the good news, it’s not all bad.
Yesterday, the Australian Government unveiled the 2015/16 Federal Budget and as with every budget, there are some winners and there are some losers.
2. Nepal shaken by another major quake
At least 68 people are believed to have died and over 1,000 injured in Nepal yesterday after the country was hit by another large earthquake.
The quake comes just two weeks after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck between Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu and Pokhara killing over 7,500 people.
Since, the country has felt several smaller aftershocks as locals continued efforts to remove buried bodies and restore damaged homes and buildings.
3. Destination Britain APMEA 2015 stars in Bali
The 2015 Destination Britain APMEA three day show has opened for business in Bali at The Grand Hyatt Nusa Dua.
With visitor numbers and tourist spend from Indonesia to Britain growing at a rapid rate, the event now in its twelfth consecutive year is seen as crucial time for VisitBritain to broaden its engagement in the APME regions.
Indeed in the last decade, visitation numbers from the overall Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa region to Britain has grown 40 percent with average spend up 140 percent.
4. 10 airlines carrying the most passengers to/from Aus
Qantas, Emirates, Virgin Aus, Malaysia Airlines, Gaurda – these are just a handful of the airlines operating to and from Australia.
These days we’re spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing a carrier, with some 52 airlines carrying passengers to and from the country.
Not only do we have our two major carriers – Qantas and Virgin Australia – continuously adjusting their networks to cater to our new travel interests, but we also have international airlines regularly announcing new or additional routes to the destination.
5. Scenic’s ‘wonder’ful rebrand, has it ‘wow’ed your clients?
In may only be a little over a week since the rebranding, but people already have a lot to say about the new look and feel over at Scenic.
Although the change was originally announced mid-April, it wasn’t until last week when the industry and travellers were officially introduced to the new company.
From the renaming, which saw the operator drop the ‘Tours’ in its name; to a new black and gold logo; and an all new approach to marketing – it was a big leap, which has garnered a big response from the industry and clients.
6. Wendy Wu expands with fifth office
To celebrate her 21st year in business, Wendy Wu Tours has announced an expansion to her operations, with a fifth office in Auckland.
It is the latest step among a number of expansion moves, which include establishing offices in London, New York, Shanghai and an outlet in South Africa.
Wendy Wu launched her first group tour through an Epping travel agent in 1994.
The ‘China Highlights’ tour took 20 people around the country.
Since, the company says it has experienced rapid popularity through word of mouth.
As the Australian market continued to grow for the company, particularly through repeat customers, the business looked to new destinations to offer fully inclusive group tours.
This eventually lead to itinerary launches in Vietnam in 2001 and India three years later.
Now in 2015, along with the 21st anniversary celebrations and the opening of the Auckland office, the company also celebrates the first departures of its Deluxe Holiday Range which were introduced to the market last year.
7. Visit USA heads West
It’s time for agents located outside of Australia’s East Coast to get a little USA lovin’.
Visit USA has announced it is heading West this month for two USA Travel Agent Expos in Adelaide and Perth.
Over 20 products and destinations will make their way to the two cities to offer agents the opportunity to interact and learn all about the popular tourism destination.
In addition to one-on-one chat time, there will also be destination presentations in each city plus some lucky agents will go home with prizes.
The Adelaide event will be held at Hilton Adelaide on 19 May from 5.30pm and Perth’s expo will be at the Parmelia Hilton Perth on 20 May from 5.30pm.
Agents interested in attending can RSVP through the Visit USA website.
8. New agent rewards with Globus
Globus has officially launched its Passport to Reward travel agent loyalty program, with new reward partners and a new online store.
The relaunch comes after a soft-launch last month.
Open to agents across the country, it enables them to earn one point for every dollar’s worth of bookings made with any of the Globus brands – Globus, Cosmons, Avalon Waterways and Monograms.
To celebrate the program’s official launch, Globus is offering 500 bonus points to each travel agent who renews their membership or signs up to Passport to Rewards.
Referring a friend to sign up will earn agents an additional 500 bonus points.
According to Globus Marketing Manager Australia Adam Mussolum, response to the new Passport to Rewards program has been ‘overwhelming’, with hundreds of sign-ups within the first hours of issuing initial invitations.
The new Passport to Rewards program allows agents to redeem their points for merchandise from the Passport to Rewards online store, with hundreds of items to choose from including homewares, electronics, kitchen appliances, home entertainment and travel goods.
9. Macau joins Flight Centre’s Sydney Buzz Nights
Around 200 Flight Centre travel agents wined, dined and socialised on the Macau Government Tourist Office, which generously sponsored two Flight Centre Buzz Nights.
Held last month in the east and west of Sydney, the evening saw high achieving individual consultants receive various awards as did successful agencies in the regions.
It also gave agents the chance to earn extra points in order to be in the running for the ultimate trip to the next Flight Centre Global Gathering to be held in Las Vegas this year.
The Macau Government Tourist Office helped cover the costs of the Sydney-based events by giving away prizes to consultants that could correctly answer questions asked at the end of the presentation on Macau.
10. Boss takes 6,400 staff members to France
Image: AP
A boss in China has treated more than half of his 12,000 employees to a holiday in… France!
No joke.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the chairman of Tiens Group booked out around 84 commercial planes and 140 hotels in Paris for a nine-day trip to the capital.
The trip, which is expected to set the company back by around $18 million, saw the large group making mass visits to popular tourist spots like the Lourve museum.
The group were treated to three- or- four-star accommodation, while higher up employees and the director received luxurious suites.
In addition to their time in Paris, the group also received a VIP welcome in the southern resort town of Nice, which included luxury department store Galeries Lafayette closing its doors to all shoppers except the 6,400 employees.
What has your boss done for you lately?
