Big Fat Agent Wrap!
Another week down, and it’s just about time to head to the pub for a vino or two.
So to cut down the time between doing your daily agent research and popping out of the office for a long lunch, we’ve got your weekly dose of all things agent.
Read on, hard workers, because it’s almost the weekend! Happy Friday!
Travel Counsellors get sentimental
Travel Counsellors welcomed 30 of its agents to its Melbourne head office this week to celebrate their annual anniversary day as Travel Counsellors and the continuing growth of their businesses during their time with the company.
Anniversaries ranged from one to eight years, and the large group of Travel Counsellors were greeted with a champagne reception and finished the day via webcam to the company’s international UK headquarters where they were thanked by Karen Morris Operations Director and Mark Hulme Head of Sales for their dedication and hard work.
Etihad doubles up for Melbourne
This weekend Etihad Airways’ ;aunches its second daily non-stop service between Melbourne and Abu Dhabi.
Etihad Airways flight EY462 will depart Abu Dhabi at 10:30am local time on Saturday August 1 and touch down in Melbourne at approximately 6.05am on Sunday August 2 . The return flight EY463 will depart Melbourne at 3:00pm on August 2 and arrive in Abu Dhabi at 11.05pm the same day.
The new service will be operated by a three-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with eight seats in First Class, 40 in Business Class and 280 in Economy Class.
Airnorth appoints new ceo
Airnorth officially announces that after 17 years as Chief Executive Officer and 26 years with the company, Michael Bridge will be stepping down from his role.
Airnorth’s current Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Daniel Bowden, has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer, effective Tuesday July 28 2015.
Bowden commenced with the Bristow Group in 2008 working in senior finance and operational management positions for their Australia Business Unit and has been working with Airnorth for the last six months.
Cook Islands is coming for you!
Cook Islands Tourism is hitting the road again this September as it tours the country on its annual Industry Blitz.
Registrations are now open for front-line sellers to attend in Melbourne (31 August), Brisbane (1 September) and Sydney (2 September), at exciting venues such as Cargo Hall, Alchemy Restaurant & Bar, and Bungalow 8 respectively.
To register for this year’s Industry Blitz and for more information see http://sale.cookislands.travel/trade/industry-blitz-registration.
Visit the Cook Islands online trade resource www.sale.cookislands.travel/trade where you’ll find a trade toolkit, industry offers, an image library and consumer brochures for download.
Selmo & co take on the Gulf
The world’s largest hand-knotted carpet, a mountaintop restaurant and a souvenir one-kilogram box of dates were just a few of the highlights for TravelManagers’ Anne Maree Selmo on her CT Partners exclusive famil of Six Senses Gulf State Resorts.
Selmo, representative for Edithvale in Victoria, spent ten days discovering some of the highlights of Abu Dhabi and Oman, including Muscat and Zighy Bay. In total, nine consultants took part in an exclusive CT Partners famil, which was Selmo’s first visit to the Middle East.
Silversea goes big with expertise
Agents will now find it even easier to enter the luxury cruise market with extra support from Silversea Cruises expert, dedicated Sales Team across Australia and New Zealand.
Chosen for their vast experience in high-end travel, the team reinforces Silversea’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that all agents seeking knowledge on luxury travel and Silversea’s unique offering have sufficient support.
Silversea’s Sales Team consists of four Business Development Managers (BDMs):
- Leanne Fonagy, Northern New South Wales and Queensland, leannef@silversea.com
- Scott Graham, Southern New South Wales, ACT and New Zealand, scottg@silversea.com
- Craig Farrell, Victoria and Tasmania, craigf@silversea.com
- Charlie Turnbull, Western Australia and South Australia, charliet@silversea.com
Agents turn Japanese for JNTO
This July, ten travel agents from Australia were invited to experience Japan’s Golden Route, the most popular route for first-time travellers to Japan on an 8-day fully-hosted familiarisation trip to Japan hosted by Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) Sydney Office.
The trip started in the Hakone region, famous as a hot springs resort one and a half hours from Tokyo, where the group were treated to a scenic cruise on a pirate ship on Lake Ashi.
Mt Fuji was also on the agenda, as well as Japan’s cultural and traditional heart, Kyoto, Osaka, the historically-significant city of Hiroshima and the buzzing capital of Tokyo.
Pictured are: Back row (L-R): Sheri Foreman – TravelManagers, Jennifer Jones – TravelManagers, Brigitte Borel – Insider Journeys, Jade Fan – Mandarin World Tours, Catherine Kurmelovs – Bunnik Tours, Mark Kidd – Asia Escape Holidays, Paul Wang – JTB Australia
Front row (L-R): Jenna Thompson – Insider Journeys, Rebecca Kitlinska (Wendy Wu Tours), Ronnie Albanis (Intrepid Group).
Go to Hawai’i from your desk
Hawai‘i Tourism Oceania have released a third module on our YouTube channel showcasing the island of Maui. Learn about what makes Maui unique with this 10-minute presentation.
The Maui training video is presented by Sherry Duong from the Maui Visitors & Convention Bureau and will give you a great overview of the island, without you having to leave your desk.
Lufthansa posts profit-spike
The German airline posted “solid results” April-to-June although earnings “were strongly impacted by external effects”, chief financial officer Simone Menne said on Thursday.
Net profit soared to 529 million euros ($A795 million) during the second quarter, up from 173 million euros one year ago.
A rise in interest rates also eased pressure on the airline to top up guaranteed pension levels. READ MORE
AccorHotels profit jumps 52%
France’s AccorHotels has posted a 52% first half profit increase and outlined ambitious targets for the full year.
The world’s sixth-largest hotel group said on Thursday second quarter sales rose three per cent to 1.5 billion euros from 1.46 billion the same period last year.
That contributed to a half year increase of net profit of 91 million euros ($A137.07 million) and an increase of 5.25% to 2.7 billion euros in sales during the same period.
Tourism NZ goes 100%
Tourism New Zealand’s new ’100% Pure New Zealand’ brand evolution will launch alongside its North Island Touring campaign, ‘Everyday a different journey’ this month.
Promoted across Australia’s Eastern Sea Board, the campaign delivers seamless messaging and visuals across multiple touch points including TV, outdoor, digital, social media and a dedicated site. READ MORE
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
airnorth cook islands tourism ct partners etihad airways Hawai’i Tourism Oceania jnto silversea cruises travel counsellors travelmanagersLatest News
Collette goes off the beaten track with Canyon Country tour
To be clear TW is not advocating actually walking off the beaten track. Avoid the coyotes. Stay on the beaten track.
Intrepid & Korean Tourism Organisation team up to give agents a cooking masterclass
These guys learnt that Korean cooking is more than just putting kimchi on 2-minute noodles (as we once thought).
Winner, winner! Intrepid reveals the 9 lucky agents that won $2k
Who won the incentive? Which Intrepid trip will they spend it on? What day of the week is it again? Where am I? Huh?
Corporate Traveller reports 42% increase in Easter traffic this year
Business travellers just love Easter! Expect plenty of chocolate stained documents returning to the office on Tuesday.
Turbulent year wiped $384m off Qantas brand value: Report
Meanwhile, eating tuna at your desk can damage your own personal office brand value by several thousand dollars.
FAMIL: Room-Res & Singapore Tourism Board shows agents the Lion City’s roar
Click this article to see a man very impressed by a 20-layer chocolate cake. We're not kidding, he loved it!
Oceania Cruises offers sailors free pre-cruise hotel stay
Looking for ways to make your holidays as long as possible? Look no further.
Bonza launches new website to compliment app, agent portal
Does news about an airline's website fill you with ecstasy, glee and joy? Get your hit of the good stuff here.
MTA agents attends ‘Lunch ‘n’ Learn’ with AMA Waterways
When organising the event, Lunch 'n' Learn beat out Dinner 'n' Divulge and Breakfast 'n' Banter. Understandably so.
Travelmarvel reveals 2025 South America tours
If you spot any typos in the newsletter today it is because TW became distracted Googling images of Machu Picchu.
Tourists from 5 countries could be BANNED from visiting Australia
Anthony Albanese's immigration laws could impact tourism from certain countries.
Just how many passengers will Qantas & Jetstar hop around this Easter?
Airline workers are ready for gleeful Easter travellers! Also prepared for sticky children with chocolate on their face.
Air New Zealand gets ready for bumper Easter weekend
Air NZ gears up for travelling passengers this Easter, while TW looks to beat our egg eating record. 117 here we come!
Four Seasons Yachts reveals first itineraries to the Caribbean & Mediterranean
These trips look so good we wish there were five seasons! Alright, we'll see ourselves out...
FAMIL: Travellers Choice treats top agents to the wonders of Rotorua
This one's got plenty of famil pics and no one looks shockingly hungover in them! Clearly no TW staffers were there.
European Waterways celebrates 50th anniversary with week-long founders cruise
Plan on celebrating your 50th anniversary with a bottle of Moët and fairy bread? European Waterways has better ideas.
100th route! Jetstar celebrates the launch of Brisbane-Avalon with 12 hour sale
Jetstar knocks a ton and celebrates with a sale while TW once scored a ton and celebrated with about 17 beers.
Record-breaking year for NSW as visitor expenditure soars past $50 billion
Enjoy running round the Opera House? Be prepared to elbow even more tourists out the way.
Norwegian Cruise Line makes play for solo travellers
NCL ensuring you don't have to go trawling Tinder to find a cruise partner. Thank goodness, we were sick of catfishing.
Entire Travel Group’s Canada and Europe 2024/25 brochures are out now
Entire's new brochure is bittersweet; it both informs your clients and makes you envious of the holiday they'll take.
Malaysia Airlines adds 3 new destinations & A330neo seats
More seats means cheaper airfares and more money to spend on overpriced airport sandwiches. Woohoo!
Two divine days onboard Crystal Serenity
It's only pure serenity onboard this ship. Anxiety, agitation and anguish have been rejected by the bouncer.
How the Globus Family of Brands elevates coach touring: Travel Weekly TV with Chris Fundell
Chris' here so you don't think coaches mean peeling your thighs off a sticky leather seat every time you stand up!
The Flight Centre Foundation gears up for massive 2024 with 3 new board members
The foundation looks to invest $200k this year, spurring the TW journos to figure out how to qualify as a charity.
Barking Owl Communications to head up Anantara & Avani in ANZ
Fellow PR competitors had been barking up the wrong tree even thinking of bidding for this job!
Amex GBT to purchase CWT for $871m
It's big deals like this that get a firm handshake - hence the sore hands over at the CWT and Amex GBT offices.
1000MTG’s second global conference reminds agents to ‘strive and thrive’
Alongside messages to 'strive' and 'thrive' were those to 'survive', 'drive', 'arrive' and 'jive' (when appropriate).
Qantas A330 makes “loud bang”, pilots forced to shut down one engine
Qantas refusing to let Boeing have all the headlines in aviation world today!
GX Community Tourism Summit 2024 location revealed!
The new location has arrived and it'll blow your socks off! Time for another trip to Target for more socks then.
Visiting the destination my Mum didn’t want me to
Yet again, this journo has been a stress to his mother. Discover how this trip spurred his mother's anxiety here.
Agents come out of their shells at P&O’s turtle hatchery event
For some, it's a few glasses of bubbles to lure them out of their shell. For these agents, it was a bit more literal.
Boeing cleanout: CEO, chair to go as safety crisis plagues the manufacturer
CEOs are falling thick and fast these days. We should have started up a bingo game with their headshots in the office.
Virgin looks to swap MAX 10 order for MAX 8s amid Boeing delays: Reports
Virgin has changed its order for something smaller. Much like we have to at Maccas following a worrying doctor's visit.
Club Med unveils newest luxury yacht for 2024/25 early bird sale
This yacht is preserved for the early birds! Night Owls may also get onboard depending how late they stay up.
Abercrombie & Kent 2024 Asia Portfolio is here
Round up the family and get planning an Asia jaunt. Or, if they're hard to handle, brush them all and go it alone!
Elevate your earnings: Final days to secure double commission with Inspiring Vacations’ March offer
What could inspire you to sell more Inspiring Vacations? Double commission of course! That's all the inspiration needed.