Big Fat Road & Rail Wrap
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Why do we love Thursdays? Because there are two wraps! We’re talking about the wraps in the newsletter BTW, not the wraps we have for lunch today.
Mary Valley ‘Rattler’ back on the rails to offer picturesque heritage steam train experience on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast
The future is looking bright for one of Queensland’s most -loved tourism attractions, with the steam and diesel engines of the Mary Valley Rattler again chugging their way through some of the Sunshine Coast hinterland’s most picturesque countryside.
After many years of extensive upgrades to existing track work and improvements to its fleet of historic steam and diesel locomotives and carriages – each with their own unique story – the heritage railway experience has been relaunched after an almost seven-year hiatus. At its peak, the Valley Rattler, as it was then known, played host to upwards of 30,000 passengers annually.
Morning and afternoon services on the Mary Valley Rattler will now run three days per week on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays for a return journey from the historic Gympie or Amamoor stations via Dagun.
Reputed to be the largest timber railway building owned by Queensland Rail during the 20th century, the historic Gympie station is the headquarters of the Mary Valley Rattler and arguably one of the most stylish and elaborate in the context of timber railway architecture.
Ride a Tour de France Climb, explore Alps on new Sojourn Cycling Tour
Bike along the shore of Lake Annecy and up one of the climbs of the Tour de France, explore Mont Blanc on foot and stay in elegant accommodations on a new tour in France from Sojourn Bicycling & Active Vacations. Beyond the rides, be charmed by the canals and cobblestone streets of Annecy, explore the shops and brasseries of Chamonix, and savour traditional French and Alpine cuisine. The six-day tour departs June 16, June 23, Sept. 15 and Sept. 22, 2019. Starts at $4,550 per person based on double occupancy.
Starting in Annecy, ride along the west shore of Lake Annecy, France’s third largest lake, then explore the Alps’ glorious Haute-Savoie region, with 7,700-foot La Tournette dominating the dramatic vistas. Stay in the Imperial Hotel, a majestic Edwardian-style property amid a wooded park on the banks of the lake that once hosted the likes of Winston Churchill.
Next, get in a bucket-list ride pedalling up the switchbacks of Stage 10 from the 2018 Tour de France, from Bluffy to La Clausaz, staying in the Hotel Beauregard, which is built in traditional Alpine chalet style.
Then it’s on to Chamonix, at the foot of Mont Blanc, and a stay at Relais & Chateaux luxurious 5-star Hameau Albert 1er. Pedal through the farming villages of Flumet and Megève, hike up the Grand Balcon Sud of Mont Blanc or visit the Mer de Glace ice cave, and finish with an out-and-back ride highlighted by views of Les Grands Montets.
Save 15 per cent on 2019 motorbike tours with Extreme Bike Tours
Grab your mates and open throttle on some of the world’s most spectacular roads on the back of a classic Royal Enfield motorbike with this special 15 per cent discount from Extreme Bike Tours.
Appealing to the more than one million Australians who ride motorbikes often in clubs or groups, Extreme Bike Tours is offering a special, 15 per cent discount per person on their 2019 ‘Hidden Sri Lanka,’ ‘Luxury Rajasthan,’ ‘Bhutan,’ ‘Madagascar,’ ‘Mongolia,’ and ‘High Himalaya’ tours if you book with three other riders. The special discount is open-ended with no booking deadline.
Extreme Bike Tours’ 13-day ‘Hidden Sri Lanka’ round-tour takes riders from the palm-fringed coastline of the tropical island through to mountainous regions filled with tea plantations, ancient civilisations and exotic wildlife. The 14-day, ‘Luxury Rajasthan’ tour, lets riders explore India’s largest state at full throttle, visiting ancient forts, wandering nomads, grand palaces as well as India’s most iconic monument, the Taj Mahal.
Each tour includes fuel, meals, accommodation and transfers. Flights from Australia are extra. Extreme Bike Tours is one of the world’s leading motorcycle tour companies, offering tours in the Himalayas, Bhutan, Mongolia, Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka and Cuba.
International Rail launch new one-stop shop for agents
Australian-owned International Rail has just launched its new one-stop shop dedicated agent portal, allowing agents to access the numerous products and booking systems the wholesaler offers the Australian market, all with the added peace of mind of local support from the Melbourne based sales and reservations teams.
Over the past 12 months, International Rail has diversified to offer complementary products to its core rail offering. We have created four new divisions catering for ferries, transfers, hotels and shore excursions. The new website, www.agent.internationalrail.com.au, has been designed to simplify the process for agents to provide their clients with an affordable and efficient range of products – all in one place.
Owner and managing director Jonathan Hume said that in recent years the company identified with the needs of its travel partners and has introduced complimentary travel related products worldwide. These include state of the art online bookings systems for ferries, transfers, shore excursions and hotels.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
extreme bike tours international rail Mary Valley Rattler Sojourn Cycling TourLatest News
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Low-cost Indian carrier SpiceJet continues to burn cash
It’s not just low-cost Australian carriers that are facing hardship. SpiceJet, India’s version of Bonza, recently announced a 72 per cent reduction in its net loss versus last year. But, despite this improvement, the airline has posted losses for six straight years. But it has secured board approval to raise up to INR 30 billion […]
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SAKA Museum recognised in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places 2024
AYANA Resort Bali’s newly-opened cultural and events centre, SAKA Museum has been recognised in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places list for 2024. Part of AYANA Bali’s resort destination, the museum integrates Bali’s rich history with state-of-the-art facilities, making it the centrepiece for the island’s spiritual and cultural heritage. TIME magazine’s inclusion of SAKA Museum in […]
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Journey Beyond launches first brand-led campaign during Paris Olympics
Journey Beyond is pushing the boundaries. On The Ghan, you can't even see them!
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Ascott Australia partners with Hotels for Trees
Hoteliers can take a 'Lyf' out of this book and improve their green credentials.
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Victoria’s TAC Top Tourism Town Award winners for 2024
Keep looking in our own backyard. There are plenty of places to go.
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Uniworld partners with Camilla Franks with Egyptian-inspired collection
We are in de-Nile about making puns combining Crocs and leopard prints, given this luxe partnership.
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Aussies at Paris Olympics anxious about travel risks, with incidents already recorded
Fortunately one of our biggest gold medal hopes still held onto his pedals.
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Banyan Tree Seaview Villas elevates Laguna Lang Co
If you've ever played golf in the tropics, start early. LIke way early. It's hot! Damn hot.
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Silversea taps Barbara Biffi as senior vice president for global sales
Ultra-luxury and expedition cruise travel brand, Silverseas, has announced Barbara Biffi as its new senior vice president of global sales. Biffi joined the company in 2007, holding numerous positions and gaining a deep understanding of the brand, the preferences of its guests and its strategic goals, the company said. An Italian national with a wealth […]
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Wendy Wu unveils new Japan travel brochure and itineraries
Get outta town! Off-beat Japan will be a lot less congested we figure than the usual tourist hotspots.
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UK and Europe event organisers look to venues with sustainability integrity, ICC Sydney survey finds
Here in Sydney, you can even eat the table centrepieces. Although we advise they be cooked first.
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Renos Rologas new general manager ANZ for FCM Travel
Two decades in the travel game! Let's hope Renos is in for the long haul at FCM.
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Untamed Escapes to offer Cultural Day Tour from Port Lincoln in partnership with Maba Idi
International visitors travel thousands of kilometres for this experience. Time to share.
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Luxe Finish Line Penthouses offer the best vantage point for the finish of the Sydney-Hobart
Long have we been following the yachts leavings Sydney Harbour and one day, we will see the finish, from this place!
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In a busy world, proximity to nature is the new luxury
Forget Raffles, treat your nearest and dearest to a stay at the local campsite. They'll be super close to nature.
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Circular Quay welcomes new Korean dining experience to Sydney Place
We once took Korean-American chef David Chang around Koreatown, Eastwood. Not happy about driving rain, loved the food.
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MSC Cruises unveils a new outdoor kid-friendly attraction on World America
Drop your kid down the jaws of a shark and they come out 11 decks below. Sounds good to me.
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Amadeus welcomes FCM Travel as new reseller partner of Cytric Easy
Cytric Easy, the travel management tool embedded in Microsoft Teams, is to be integrated into FCM Travel portfolio. Amadeus and FCM Travel have extended their Cytric distribution agreement to include Cytric Easy. With this new agreement, global travel management company FCM Travel, becomes a reseller of the innovative travel management collaboration solution embedded into Microsoft […]
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Australian travellers abandon peer-to-peer stays and gravitate back to big hotels, survey finds
Doom scrolling Airbnb for the best-possible stay options two days out from departure was wearing us down, apparently.
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Quark Expeditions launches the Ultimate Summer in the Arctic sweepstakes for travel advisors
Summer in the Arctic still means it's freezing. But hopefully a winning sweepstakes tickets will warm your cockles.
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‘I bet it smells weird’ – Internet divided over floating restaurant in China
I you are still feeling peckish at the end of your meal, their fish tank is full. But can you eat koi?
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‘Turn up in the Northern Territory this Spring’ campaign deals
Agents and airlines get all hot and sweaty over these enticing deals. Or did someone just turn the air-conditioning up?
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‘Like nothing on earth’: Saudi Arabia’s new Treyam resort set in a Star Wars-style landscape
As long as Jar Jar Binks is not there, we would like a seat at the Mos Eisley Cantina please.
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Raffles Hotels and Resorts is set to open in Tokyo in 2028
Time to get your vision boards at the ready! Raffles is landing in Tokyo!
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‘A true honour’ – Andrew Stark wins Flight Centre Director’s Award for the second time
Congratulations Andrew! If you're a fan of British reality TV you might notice a familiar face.
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Club Med debuts travel agent portal 2.0 with bonus prize for tops sales
See those people by the pool. That could be you. Start selling through the portal people!
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Envoyage announces 2024 Australian Icons and rewards event in the Maldives
We were going to edit our name into the list but we chickened out.
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HIF Global signs collaboration agreement with Airbus on eFuels
We know it's a good thing but can a jet fuel geek out there send in a diagram explaining this please.
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Crystal announces release dates for 2026 itineraries
If you have started collecting 2026 itineraries then here is another one for you.
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Cairns Airport unveils display of support for FNQ youth
If you were craving some winter sun now you have a cultural reason for booking a flight to Cairns.
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Viking announces six new cruise itineraries
Now's the time to start learning Putonghua, Nihongo and Lhasa. Or maybe even know where these are spoken.
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Join Qatar Airways, Celebrity Cruises & Klook – Showcase Your Brand at Click Frenzy Travel August 2024!
Clicking calmly will also be welcome when it comes to this particular deal. Click calmly here to find out more.
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InsideAsia Tours launches new incentive that doubles agent commission
Double commission! We like the sound of that. Hope their system doesn't crash as a result.
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Push to revive Parramatta’s iconic Roxy Theatre into entertainment destination
Long have we wished for this iconic heritage cinema to be revived as a tourist destination. Still waiting.
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Qatar Airways signs an expansion to Boeing 777-9 aircraft order
Known as a quiet rural town in England, the entire global aviation industry now has its eyes on Farnborough.
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Flight Centre shares down following revised profit guidance
The stock market moves fast. What will the rest of the week hold for Flight Centre?