News in Brief: Thursday December 5

News in Brief: Thursday December 5
By admin


Hawaiian Airlines will add a fourth weekly flight on its Honolulu-Brisbane route, with the airline citing booming demand from both US and Australian travellers for the move.

The service increase will commence on March 31 and will add more than 20,000 seats to the Australia-Honolulu travel markets in 2014.

 

A research and development agency is required to help Australian tourism businesses implement improve and grow for the future, new research has revealed.

Launching the results of a broad-scale industry survey into the research and development needs and demands of the tourism industry, Australian Tourism Export Council chairman, John King described supply-side support as a “crucial plank” in ensuring Australia remains a competitive destination.

“Through our survey, we identified two key critical challenges the industry faces – People and the level of service quality and Infrastructure including access, telecoms, experiences, products and attractions – and it was clear the respondents saw a need for an independent agency to help guide them,” he said.

 

Travel Indochina has added new itineraries, day tours and accommodation to its newly-released 2014/15 China Handmade Holidays program.

The 44-page brochure, which also features Tibet and Hong Kong, contains more product beyond the main Beijing-Shanghai-Xian triangle.

New tours include the eight-day Living Heritage of Yunnan and three-day Zhangjiajie and Tianmen Mountain Skywalk.

 

Virgin Australia will retime its Brisbane-Darwin services in a move it said will improve connections for passengers.

The flight, which previously departed Brisbane at 8.45pm and returned the following day at 1.15am, will now leave the Queensland capital at 9.30am and arrive in Darwin at 1.20pm.

The return leaves the NT at 2.05pm and touches down in Brisbane at 6.15pm. The changes come into effect on April 15.

Virgin said it will enable passengers to connect to nine domestic destinations within three hours of arriving in Brisbane.

 

The Art Series Hotel Group has acquired a building in Spring Hill, Brisbane which will become its seventh Art Series Hotel.

The $155 million development will be the group’s largest hotel and residential project outside of Victoria and is a sign of it plans to expand brand around Australia over the next 18 months.

 

More than 16,000 people attended World Travel Market's conference and event program at this year's show in London, a rise of almost 10% on last year, organisers have said.

 

Adelaide-based Bunnik Tours has partnered with Celebrity Cruises to offer discerning travellers special South America and Black Sea cruise packages aboard Celebrity Constellation and Celebrity Infinity in 2014/15. 

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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