Big Fat Agent Wrap

Big Fat Agent Wrap

If you read nothing else today, Travel Weekly urges you to read this. You should also ring your mother, if you haven’t for a bit.

Wonder Woman Exhibition is coming to Warner Bros. Studios in Hollywood

Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood adds a Wonder Woman Exhibit to DC Universe: The Exhibit

Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood is celebrating the release of the new blockbuster film, Wonder Woman with a new behind-the-scenes exhibit. Now open, the exhibit is to be showcased alongside the permanent collection entitled DC Universe: The Exhibit.

The new Wonder Woman exhibit provides fans the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the world of the film. For the first time, fans are able to view a collection of authentic props and costumes worn by Gal Gadot (Diana Prince /Wonder Woman), including her Lasso of Hestia, armor, tiara, and her signature sword. Props and costumes worn and utilised by Chris Pine (Steve Trevor), Danny Huston (General Ludendorff), Elena Anaya (Dr. Maru), Said Taghmaoui (Sameer), Ewen Bremner (Charlie), and Eugene Brave Rock (The Chief) are on display for visitors to enjoy as well.

The new Wonder Woman exhibit showcases a variety of memorable set design elements from the film, including a recreation of the Amazon armory, complete with costumes, props, and décor; the relic display with Diana’s sword and more.

Agents can win with registering on Wendy Wu’s new booking portal

Following the announcement of their brand new trade booking portal on Tuesday 8 August, Wendy Wu Tours are calling travel agents to help them register for the site. And with every call you take, you could be an instant winner of one of over 1500 prizes!

Simply answer the phone, register online, and answer a quick question to win precious spot prizes. That’s a win for 15 seconds of your time!

The Wendy Wu Tours sales team will be making 30 calls every day between 14th and 18th August, so travel agents are advised to keep an ear out to win!

“I urge travel agents to sign up today to the new portal at www.wendywutours.com.au/agents. We’ve already started taking bookings on our new site, and the feedback we’re receiving is that it saves travel agents a huge amount of time,” Head of Sales Vara Glover said.

Helloworld Business Travel agents gather to discuss hot topics facing SME TMCs!

HWBT at Qantas

On Thursday 3 August, thirty sales and client managers from various Helloworld Business Travel agents around Sydney gathered for a Market Awareness and Benchmarking Day, held at the Qantas Campus in Mascot NSW.

Leveraging on the collective knowledge and combined experience of members within the group, Helloworld Business Travel (HWBT) facilitated honest discussions around key areas of the market affecting their businesses, such as; a deeper understanding of the corporate market, positioning approaches, technology solutions, client retention and RFP strategies as well as 2018 industry forecasts just to name a few. Qantas was also on hand to host a session on how to better grow their Qantas Business Rewards program within the network as well.

Based on the high amount of positive feedback from attendees, HWBT has declared that they will integrate these type of detailed sessions into their already existing quarterly member forums on a 6 monthly basis around the country. A similar strategy day will be held in Melbourne and Perth in August and September, giving other agencies the opportunity to also engage in this highly productive and insightful event.

New dedicated travel service for healthcare professionals launched by American Express Global Business Travel

A new dedicated service, the Health Care Professional (HCP) Service Desk, has been launched by American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) to cater for doctors and medical specialists requiring specialised travel and booking support.

The HCP Service Desk has been developed to cater for the unique travel requirements of these doctors and medical specialists and has proved particularly popular with American Express GBT’s pharmaceutical customers since launching in March this year.

The new HCP Service Desk offers the following: A dedicated travel consultant for each company, with highly skilled international and domestic experience; the ability to serve HCP travellers directly, rather than through pharmaceutical company representatives and; split payments and multiple forms of payment, which proves beneficial if the HCP would like to extend the trip and cover some of the expenses personally.

Big spenders set sights on Hawaii holiday

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Holidaymakers are spending more than ever before in Hawaii, with per person per trip expenditure reaching a four year high in the Oceanic region, increasing 5.7% and 11.0% year-on-year across Australia and New Zealand respectively.

Speaking at Hawaii Tourism Oceania’s (HTO) annual Aloha Down Under roadshow, which will see 25 Hawaii tourism operators meet with over 1,100 travel agents across Australia and New Zealand over the next week, Australian Country Manager for HTO, Kerri Anderson, said the figures were a testament to the love Aussies had for the Aloha State.

“Aussies stay in Hawaii an average of 9.5 nights and spend around US$2561 per person per trip. Aussies are branching out to O‘ahu’s five neighbour islands of Maui, Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, Kaua‘i and the Island of Hawai‘i,” Ms Anderson said.

“Coupled with our phenomenal 48% repeat visitor rate, these results indicate that Aussies are regarding Hawaii as much more than a ‘fly, flop and shop’ holiday destination, returning again and again to experience everything the islands have to offer.”

G Adventures launch ‘Hola Peru’ campaign 

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G Adventures have partnered with PROMPERU to launch their latest campaign, ‘Hola Peru’, that lets travellers save 10 per cent off tours to the region. The sale is on now until September 15 2017, with departures through to December 15, 2018.

The price drop comes just in time, given a steady rise in G Adventures’ departures to the Peru region. Globally, the sought-after destination has seen a 40 per cent growth in traveller volume, year on year.

“Having been awarded Best Inca Tour Operator by the Regional Direction of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Cusco, we’re incredibly proud of our team in Peru who deliver an exceptional product to our customers,” said Adrian Piotto, Managing Director of G Adventures Australia and New Zealand .

“Flights from Australia to Peru are so competitive right now and the Australian dollar to Peruvian Sole is strong.

Trips vary in length and style, showcasing the highlights that Peru has to offer, including its ruins and culture, the incredible natural diversity, the delicious local cuisine and the beautiful beaches.

Unique tours from Travel Directors 

Boutique tour operator Travel Directors has introduced a newly revamped, modernised and larger brochure for 2018-19, including a new three-page gatefold colour coded world map to provide a quick and easy reference for agents of Travel Directors destinations.

The new layout and format has been designed with agents in mind to assist them in gaining better knowledge of the operators’ services and products. New sections such as the “The Travel Directors Difference” create a brief overview of the standout qualities of the brand for agents and their clients.

There is also the inclusion of six new tours in the brochure, including the newest “Jordan and Oman”- a 22-day tour multiple night stays in each country along the way.

Another major addition to the company’s 70-plus destinations is the return of a 29-day itinerary to South America – ‘Galapagos to Patagonia’ – beginning with a five day cruise around the Galapagos Islands and visiting many highlights in Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.

Excite Holidays showcases the Capital of Cool

Excite Holidays, in partnership with Destination DC, recently held an exclusive agent event in Melbourne. Held at The Bowery Locksmith in Richmond, the event showcased Washington, DC as part of their Capital of Cool campaign.

Forty agents were in attendance and had the chance to experience an authentic underground Jazz & Blues evening. In true DC style, guests were welcomed with an Old Fashioned cocktail and were entertained by a talented saxophonist and guitar duo, who kept everyone’s toes tapping all night long.

Penny Brand from Destination DC was on hand to fill the agents in on everything that’s happening in DC, and why it really is the capital of cool! She provided some fantastic tips and tricks to the agents to help them sell this must-see destination.

Breakaway Travelclub Deals Now Available to IATA/IATAN ID Cardholders

Breakaway Travelclub and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) are partnering to provide IATA/IATAN ID Card holders in Australia and New Zealand access to a wide range of airfares, cruises and travel insurance deals. The partnership will enhance the benefits of participating in the ID Card program.

All offers are available through the IATA AgentExperience website, where ID Card holders can access Breakaway Travelclub’s live booking tool for cruise and air industry rates, as well as discounted travel insurance offers.

“This partnership with Breakaway Travelclub helps to address our goal of providing greater variety and choice to IATA/IATAN ID Card holders when travelling internationally, including on cruises,” Tony Wilson, General Manager, Breakaway Travelclub said. 

The IATA/IATAN ID Card is an established industry program that provides travel professionals with global recognition when travelling as well as access to industry discounts and incentives from industry suppliers worldwide, including hotels, car rental companies, attractions, and much more. 

Qantas Holidays’ RaceAround Incentive 2017 is heading to Hong Kong!

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The incentive will see 40 leisure consultants tapping into their navigation skills, stamina and team spirit over four action packed days in November 2017.  Departing on 30 November 2017, top selling consultants will be divided into four teams of ten, with each team undertaking a number of challenges across Hong Kong in an amazing race style trip, accumulating points through each challenge they are tasked with along the way.

The event culminates with a Gala Dinner for all of the consultants, where the winning team will be presented with the Winner’s Trophy by key sponsors and crowned with the title RaceAround Winners 2017. 

Points to win a place on the RaceAround are allocated based on international tickets issued on Qantas through Air Tickets or self-plate, or for every passenger on a Qantas Holidays or international land package, with bonus points if the destination is Hong Kong.

A bonus of 5 points can also be earned by completing the Hong Kong Specialist Programme before the end of the incentive period, providing not only an edge on points earned, but also knowledge to use throughout the trip.

San Diego welcomes exciting new music festival this September 

From September 15-17, 2017, KAABOO Del Mar in San Diego is taking California by storm. Featuring seven stages and more than 100 killer musical acts, KAABOO is a curated three day sound voyage and headliners for this year include Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Muse, Alanis Morissette and David Guetta.

KAABOO guests get priority access to a range of accommodations at nearby hotels that are guaranteed to be fee free for festival-goers – meaning guests are not responsible for taxes or resort fees when they book through the KAABOO website.  KAABOO guests can instead go back to a luxe hotel room for a hot shower and great night’s sleep – exactly what’s needed to wake up refreshed and take on another day of dancing! 

In addition to its incredible line-up, KAABOO offers hilarious comedy, delicious local cuisine (did someone say ‘Cali Baja Tacos’?), inspiring contemporary art by epic installation artists, and personal indulgences. 

Explore Worldwide offer free extra hotel night with South East Asia trips

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Explore Worldwide are offering travellers the chance to spend an extra day in South East Asia for free when you book selected trips by 28 August 2017.

From bustling Bangkok to laid-back Siem Reap, there are many ways to spend an extra 12 hours before returning home. Try the perfect incarnation of Thailand’s national dish, pad Thai at Thip Samai; they’ve been serving the city’s finest noodles for five decades.  

Visit Hanoi’s Old Quarter, known as ’36 Street’ and weave through the streets dodging power cables and motorbikes, and shop for iced coffee, silk prints, fans and beautiful paper products. 

If in Bali, Sanur may be blessed with its own beautiful beaches, but for the ultimate shoreline scene head to Seminyak on the west coast, just a 40 minute drive away. Relax on the powder-soft white sands and then watch the sun go down from one of the relaxed beach bars. 

China Famil Wows Personal Travel Managers

Shanghai

The Great Wall of China, the Terracotta Warriors at Xian, strolling the Bund in Shanghai: for eight of TravelManagers’ personal travel managers (PTMs), a nine-day itinerary delivered all these bucket list items, and more, on a recent famil to China hosted by On the Go Tours.

The group flew to Beijing with China Eastern Airlines in June, and spent their first night in the capital city before embarking on a familiarization tour of the city that took them to from the grandeur of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City to the traditional hutongs (neighbourhoods) for a rickshaw tour. The day concluded with a display of traditional but mind-boggling Chinese acrobatics and a dinner of Peking Duck.

From Beijing, the group departed on a tour that took in several sections of the Great Wall and the city of Xi’an, finishing in Shanghai where the most modern and ancient facets of China come together.

The group flew from Australia with China Southern Airlines, which was another new but welcome experience for the participants, giving them the opportunity to experience first-hand their check-in procedures, aircraft seating/comfort and in-flight meals and service.

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