With so much going on in the world of travel agents, we’ve picked out a few juicy titbits for you to keep you on top of the news.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN EXTENDS HOURS

With the launch of RCL’s biggest ever cruise season, call centre hours have been extended. For any enquiries or bookings on Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises or Azamara Club Cruises, agents and guests can reach the team between 10am – 2pm AEDT on Sundays, in addition to the current contact hours (Sales and Service departments only).

Operating hours from now until April 2016: Monday to Friday: 9am – 6pm AEDT and Sunday: 10am – 2pm AEDT.  The call centre can be reached on 1800 754 550.

AVIS TRAVEL AGENTS SCHOLARSHIP FINALISTS NAMED

Avis Car Rental Australia has named the five finalists who will compete for this year’s Avis Travel Agent Scholarship, the retail travel industry’s award for outstanding customer service.

The 2015 finalists, chosen by a panel of judges, are: Debbie Andrews, MTA Travel, Western Australia; Barbara Baron, Southside World Travel, NSW; Kim Hall, American Express Global Business Travel, NSW; Jill Rimmer, Phil Hoffmann Travel, South Australia and Belinda van Tholen, MTA Travel, Tasmania.

All five consultants will now travel to Sydney on November 10 where they will present to the judges, with the 2015 winner to then be announced that evening at the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney.

This year’s scholarship has attracted one of the most competitive fields in the award’s history, according to Avis travel industry manager Russell Butler.

“The exceptional quality of this year’s submissions, and the calibre of the finalists, is clear evidence of the passion Australian travel agents have for delivering the highest-standards of customer service,” he said. “It also shows that in its 19^th year the Scholarship remains as relevant as ever.”

SPEAKERS REVEALED FOR TRAVELLERS CHOICE CONFERENCE

 Aussie Rules legend “Lethal Leigh” Matthews will address Traveller Choice members next month at its Annual Shareholders’ Conference in Melbourne.

His presentation will focus on simple but effective ways business owners can unite and lead successful teams, Travellers Choice chief executive Christian Hunter revealed.

“Leigh has repeatedly shown a remarkable ability to motivate individuals, forge elite groups and inspire them to achieve remarkable goals,” he said. “I have no doubt his insights will prove enormously valuable to members in their businesses and their lives in general.”

The line-up also includes Jacqueline Wilson-Smith, an advocate of “disruptive innovation” who has been responsible for the launch of major food and beverage portfolios and is currently head of marketing and innovation at Australian company Gourmet Garden.

The conference will take place from November 20 to 200 at the Pullman Melbourne Albert Park and will be followed by the Travellers Choice Cruise Forum aboard P&O Cruises’ new vessel Pacific Eden.

AGENTS LEARN ALL ABOUT PERU

This week, more than 80 travel agents attended educational event A Taste of Peru – the first time PROMPERU, Intrepid Group and Air New Zealand have collaborated to promote the destination.

The event, held in Air New Zealand’s Sydney offices, saw agents enjoy Peruvian cuisine including ceviche, tamales and causa limena (a Peruvian dish of mashed potato stuffed with chicken and spicy sauce) as well as Peru’s signature cocktail, the Pisco Sour.

Agents received updates from all three partners and participated in three competitions designed to immerse them further in the country.

marked the first time the three partners have come together to promote and educate agents on the inspirational destination that is Peru.

Air New Zealand’s will commence three times weekly B777 direct flights from Auckland to Buenos Aires on December 1, with onward connections available with partners Aerolineas Argentinas and Avianca.

ITRAVEL TEAM HELP DISNEY CELEBRATE 60 YEARS

Few 60th birthday parties are as much fun as a Disneyland diamond celebration! But with less than a year to experience the anniversary magic, A few members of the itravel team were lucky enough to score a famil with Gate 7 to Los Angeles to help celebrate Disneyland’s diamond celebration of a whopping 60 years.

Flying from Sydney to LA with Virgin Australia, the itravel team members were chauffeured right onto Mickey’s doorstep with two days to spend exploring Disneyland, Disney California Adventure Park and Downtown Disney.

On the agenda was plenty of shopping and eating, along with selfies galore. The crew also brushed up on their selling skills with a site inspection at Howard Johnson, the number one seller for moderate tier Anaheim properties.

Venturing away from wonderful world of Disney, they also got out on stand-up paddleboards at Huntington Beach with time to relax, go bike riding and sample the restaurants in the area before having a bonfire on the beach with S’mores included.