News in Brief: Thursday March 21
Virgin Australia has applied to the International Air Services Commission for an allocation of 400 seats per week between Singapore and Sri Lanka as part of its proposed codeshare with Singapore Airlines on the Australia-Singapore-Colombo route.
If granted, the additional capacity will enable Virgin Australia passengers the ability to include a stopover in Singapore en route to Colombo.
February traffic through Sydney Airport rose 2.2% year on year, with the airport branding it a "strong result" given that last February was longer due to the leap year.
Chief executive Kerrie Mather said total passenger growth for the month, excluding the "leap year effect", is estimated as 5.9%.
The month saw 2.85 million passengers pass through the airport.
SilverNeedle Hospitality has appointed Sean Flynn as its new executive vice president brands charged with leading efforts to create "best in class" hotel franchises for its portfolio of brands across the regions in which it operates.
The Facebook page of Japan National Tourism Organisation's Sydney Office entitled "Visit Japan Down Under" now has more than 20,000 fans. The page was launched in October 2011,
Scenic Tours has launched its 2014 South America program with the addition of a 34-day South American Discovery tour, a range of new hotel product and the reintroduction of cruising on the Chilean Fjords.
Queensland has launched a new campaign to entice Indian visitors to the state, with cricketer Matt Hayden at its front. The Go Beyond campaign aims to showcase QLD's rainforests, beaches and the Great Barrier Reef which have all proven popular with the Indian market.
The launch of a new travel company, LA Experience, is offering Aussies a chance to immerse themselves in the Los Angeles fashion scene with shopping tours of up to 25 people scheduled to coincide with major US holidays.
Women are apparently more attached to their four-legged friends than men, with new research from lastminute.com.au showing that 46% of women feel guilty when they holiday without their pets, compared to 38% of men.
Qantas and Dubai Tourism will hold a "live chat" on the airline's Facebook page tomorrow from 12.30-1pm AEST tomorrow to answer questions about its new partnership with Emirates, still pending final approval, and Dubai as a destination
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
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