We’ve done all the hard work, so you don’t have to! Read on for the top ten travel news stories we think you need to know today.
1. Ash disrupts Bali flights, again
Services in and out of Bali’s Denpasar Airport have been cancelled for today as volcanic ash from Mount Raung blows towards the gateway.
Virgin Australia has cancelled ten flights to and from Bali because ‘conditions are not suitable for operations’.
The airline said in an online statement that experts have advised that disruptions at the airport are forecast to continue for the rest of the day.
2. Ex-Qantas CEO’s new way to promote tourism
The man that ran Qantas and the co-founder of Virgin Australia have set their differences aside to form a new company that promotes a new kind of tourism around Australia.
Geoff Dixon and Brett Godfrey this week announced the formation of the Australian Walking Company (AWC), a Tasmanian Walking Company (TWC) initiative that aims to build on Australia’s potential as a soft adventure tourism destination.
According to figures released by the Adventure Travel Trade Association, adventure tourism, including walking and hiking, is worth around US$236 billion globally.
3. 7 reasons you’ll want to eat at Sydney Airport
Travellers will want to save their appetite for the airport once they see the tasty upgrades planned for Sydney Airport.
The dining makeover is part of an overall plan to improve the traveller experience and will see the gateway receive at least seven new food and beverage venues as well as additional seating space to accommodate hungry flyers during peak hours.
Changes will see new fast food outlets added to the mixture plus a selection of fresh gourmet and street food options.
4. Amadeus makes a new acquisition
Less than a week after acquiring a cloud-native property management system, Amadeus has purchased a new hotel system to help expand its sales and catering to the hospitality sector.
The acquisition of Hotel SystemsPro by Newmarket will see Hotel SystemsPro formally integrated into Newmarket.
Together they will complement Newmarket’s existing market reach and expand its overall product offering whilst generating new business opportunities across the Hotel SystemsPro customer base.
Hotel SystemsPro’s flagship product, hotel SalesPro works to automate the entire sales administration and catering delivery process, increasing sales efficiency and customer service at hospitality venues – with a specific focus on mid-tier properties.
“Hotel SystemsPro’s suite of products fits perfectly with our overall sales and catering solution set, which is also an important component of our broader strategic end-to-end IT vision for hotels”.
Jeff Hiscox, Newmarket CEO
5. SureSave’s top 50 superstars
SureSave has rewarded around 50 travel agents as part of its new Sure Rewards program, which incentivises agents and agency owners.
In its first year, the program delivered online education, product information and training campaigns to keep agents up-to-date with the insurance provider’s products.
Each ‘super consultant’ has been awarded a $100 digital gift card of their choice from the Sure Rewards E-Catalogue.
According to SureSave’s National Sales Director, Talbot Henry, around 3,000 agents signed up for the program.
Click here for more information.
6. Savings in Central and South America
Eclipse Travel has launched a range of family-friendly trips to Central and South America in a bid to entice more families to visit the region.
The tour operator is offering a ‘kids go free’ special on Australis expedition cruises running in December.
Available for three and four-night departures, the round-trip and one-way voyages departing from and arriving into Punta Arenas and Ushuaia where children aged 17 and under can cruise for free with one adult.
The deal is for a maximum of two children per booking and available until 31 October for travel in December.
A three-night Wild Patagonia round-trip cruise from Punta Arenas starts from $1,604 (USD1,189) per person.
There’s also the Peru Family Adventure, popular with spectacled bear-seekers is priced from $2,680 per person and includes chocolate making, canoeing and hiking the Royal Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
Additional activities include cycling along the River Urubamba to Pisac market, a visit to the old Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman above Cusco and Ccochahuasi animal sanctuary, where visitors can see first-hand the size of a Condor’s wingspan as it swoops, or maybe even a relative of Paddington Bear.
7. Earn commission with Le Boat
Le Boat is hoping to help agents book more boat rentals and earn commission with a new 10 to 15 percent saving on select models sailing in France, England, Holland, Germany, Ireland, and Italy.
Europe-bound travellers planning a vacation in the early Fall can take advantage of special September and October deals available from Le Boat, Europe’s number one self-skippered cruise company.
Among the many cruise destinations for which the late season deals are available are the Loire Valley, Alsace-Lorraine, and Brittany regions of France; the “Royal” River Thames in England; Italy’s picturesque Adriatic seaside; and the historic River Shannon in Ireland.
The company is also offering travelers who book their boating vacation before 31 August a discount of up to 15 percent on select boat models. ‘Early birds’ also have the widest choice of boat models in any of Le Boat’s destinations.
Travel agents earn 10 percent commission per boat on each Le Boat rental.
8. Star Alliance named the best, again
Less than two months after taking out the title for ‘Best Alliance Lounge‘, Star Alliance has been named the ‘Best Airline Alliance’.
The group – whose members include Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines and United Airlines – received the title by Australian Business Traveller, Asia-Pacific’s leading website for business travellers and frequent flyers.
Mark Schwab, CEO Star Alliance commented that the Best Airline Alliance Award was testament to the dedication of Star Alliance member airlines in Australia.
“It shows that by working together, even without a domestic presence in Australia, our member carriers can deliver genuine benefits to the country’s international business travellers.”
Mark Schwab, Star Alliance CEO
9. Adelaide team wins with Rail Plus
A team of travel agents in South Australia won’t need to fork out cash for groceries for quite a while after winning a Rail Plus incentive.
Rail Plus delivered a $1,000 worth of Coles Group and Myer Gift Cards to Phil Hoffmann Travel in Glenelg this week after the Adelaide agency won the company’s ‘Be In It To Win It’ Eurostar rail incentive.
The team at Phil Hoffmann Travel’s Glenelg store secured the top prize by collectively selling the most Eurostar sectors between 1 April and 31 May 2015.
10. Who won the car at the AccorHotels showcase?
It’s the prize every agent hopes to win every year and this time the keys to a brand new $30,000 Peugeot 208 car were handed to Ina Choy from Wing On Tours.
The travel consultant won the incredible prize at the AccorHotels Sydney Showcase at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth last night.
Ina was one of five agents at the expo last night to receive a potentially winning key.
