Like a Kid at Christmas: Agents Discover Christmas Island

Some lucky agents from Western Australia and Victoria joined Broome, Kimberley & Beyond and Virgin Australia on a famil to Christmas Island.

Just a 3.5 hour flight from Perth, many travellers and agents know little about the island as a holiday destination, but with glowing reviews from all famil attendees, that’s expected to change.

The agents spent four days exploring the jungle, snorkelling the reef from shore and by boat, swimming with pods of wild dolphins and spotting wildlife including boobies, robber crabs and of course, the red crabs that Christmas Island is famous for.

MTA Trio attend Scenic Amber christening

Pictured, three very lucky MTA – Mobile Travel Agents’ Members Leonie Matos, Jodi Dalton, and Ann McKinnon who attended the recent christening of Scenic Cruises’ newest ‘space ship’ Scenic Amber at an official ceremony taking place in the River Danube port of Passau, Germany.

The trio are photographed with their host for the occasion, Scenic Tours’ Jessica Calo (on left) at the Mirabell Palace & Gardens in Salzburg, one of several stops on the Scenic Amber’s maiden cruise.

Agents enjoy Ovation of the Seas

A massive 100-strong contingent of Aussie and Kiwi travel agents, together with the Royal Caribbean sales team, were part of Ovation of the Seas’ naming ceremony, sailing from Tianjin China. Counting down til the arrival of the extraordinary ship – Australia’s very first new-build docks in Sydney on 15 December – agents tried out the bumper cars at SeaPlex, met the famous penguins from DreamWorks’ Madagascar, soared to new heights in North Star and dined at a choice of 18 restaurants available onboard as possible.

Hong Kong Airlines takes agents to Hong Kong

Hong Kong Airlines recently partnered with the Hong Kong Tourism Board on their very first trade famil with Student Flights and Escape Travel. The group of eight marketeers travelled from the Gold Coast to Hong Kong from 1-4 June 2016, staying at the Novotel Nathan Road Kowloon and Novotel Century Hong Kong.

Tours included, Backstreets of Hong Kong, Local Street Eats, Big Bus, New Territories Cultural Tour and Lantau Island Explorer Tour included Ngong Ping 360 cable car ride.

Personal Travel Managers Advocate Doha as a European Stopover

To celebrate Qatar Airways commencing flights from Doha to Sydney, personal travel managers Ric Pattaro, representative for Haberfield and Vicki O’Dea, representative for Lane Cove joined an exclusive famil dedicated to members of CT Partners, to experience Doha the capital of Qatar. Qatar Airways and Shangri-La’s Hotels and Resorts hosted the whirlwind two night, three-day famil.

Rich in history, Islamic traditions and architecture, Doha with its blend of international influences and constantly changing skyline is a fascinating city to visit, as O’Dea discovers.

For O’Dea the night visit to the traditional Qatari Bazaar of the Souq Waqif was most memorable.

Gold winners rise to the challenge on swell river adventure

Medieval charms, gastronomic delights and some spectacularly inclement weather all combined to create an unforgettable experience for Travellers Choice’s top members’ recently when they embarked on an exclusive Scenic journey through the beautiful South of France.

The agents – all recipients of Travellers Choice’s annual Gold Choice awards – enjoyed an eight-day voyage along the Rhone on board Scenic Sapphire, travelling from the Roman town of Tarascon north to Chalon-sur-Saône with a pre-night in Nice on the French Riviera.

The group enjoyed a range of activities, from exploring medieval castles to learning how to cook their favourite French cuisine on board. Along with the picturesque scenery, other highlights included riding electric push bikes through the streets of Lyon, an exclusive concert at the Pope’s Palace in Avignon (a venue only Scenic and the French Parliament can access for events), wine tasting in Beaujolais, and the luxurious, highly-personalised on board experience.

Travellers Choice Managing Director Christian Hunter says the weather in the south of France was magnificent, but heavy rainfall in May meant the rivers were difficult to navigate.

A great app-ortunity for Travel Counsellors’ customers

Travel Counsellors has announced the launch of its first consumer app ‘my TC’ this month, developed to further strengthen its core principles of customer care.

The independent travel company has partnered with leading mobile app developer Apadmi to develop ‘my TC’, which is available from the Apple Store and Google Store. It provides leisure and corporate customers with instant access to travel information, itineraries and travel documents, as well as offering constant contact with the customer’s Travel Counsellor if required, reflective of the company’s focus on making the experience as personalised as possible.

Helloworld and Basketball Australia announce four-year sponsorship

The Australian national basketball teams have received a timely boost just before Rio with the announcement of a four-year sponsorship deal with Helloworld which includes the naming rights to the men’s national team and the Australian Junior Championships.

From today, Monday 4 July, the Boomers will be known as the Helloworld Boomers and the Helloworld Australian Junior Championships will commence from September 2016 with the Under 14 Club events. The partnership portfolio will see Helloworld promoted to the entire basketball community from grassroots to elite.

Helloworld CEO, Andrew Burnes said the deal was a great opportunity for both Basketball Australia and Helloworld.