Big fat road & rail wrap
Travel Weekly is pleased to present to you yet another spectacular road and rail wrap. And by spectacular, we mean rushed but passable.
Rocky Mountaineer rolls into 2019 with two limited-time promotions
Rocky Mountaineer, the world’s largest privately-owned luxury tourist train that travels through Western Canada and the Pacific northwest, is kicking off the new year with two promotions for guests booking trips for the 2019 season.
The 2019 Classic Journey offer* saves guests $320 AUD per couple on a four-day/three-night trip on Rocky Mountaineer in GoldLeaf Service This promotion is for new bookings and for a short time only – trips must be booked between 5 and 31 January. *OFFER EXTENDED TO FEBRUARY 28!*
The ‘Stay and Play’** offer for guests looking to add value to their booked trip on Rocky Mountaineer can earn $550 towards an extra experience, activity or over-night stay.
The credit, worth up to $550 per couple, can be redeemed when a couple books a 2019 minimum four-night Rocky Mountaineer package before 31 March 2019. The credit can be put towards a variety of luxurious add-ons, including extra hotel nights in Seattle, Vancouver or Calgary, additional Rocky Mountaineer routes as well as once in a lifetime activities and tours.
More info here.
Heading: Global Journeys and Busabout Strike Up a Partnership in 2019
Busabout have recently formed a new partnership with Global Journeys adding over 75 new tours to their range of guided and small group adventures. The partnership expands Global Journeys portfolio of tours for the youth market.
Specialising in delivering guided holidays, river cruises and ocean cruising online since 2009, and with a portfolio of over 5000 trips, Global Journeys gives Busabout a strong platform to reach their target market.
Busabout tours are now on sale with Global Journeys and both partners are excited to see this winning partnership flourish in 2019 and beyond.
Roam the beautiful, open countryside of the Yorkshire Dales
The green English countryside is not only unrivalled in its quaint beauty – it is also among the most accessible, thanks to sprawling national parks and an enshrined ‘right to roam’.
Unlike Australia, the UK has an extensive network of public footpaths which often cross private land. The UK’s Right to Roam law allows walkers unlimited access to many designated open areas. Additionally, 2019 marks 70 years since an Act of Parliament in the UK created national parks to ensure the countryside was preserved and accessible.
The walk is graded medium-hard, with three to seven hours of walking each day. Including seven nights’ accommodation, seven breakfasts, and all luggage transfers – meaning travellers simply carry a day pack – the route costs from £750 per person, twin-share (approximately A$1352 depending on exchange rates).
Rated one of Europe’s leading self-guided walking tour operators, On Foot Holidays offers 32 self-guided walking tours in 12 countries across Europe. Accommodation and information packs are provided for all the routes and optional guides are available on select itineraries. Walkers select their departure dates, luggage is transferred between inns each day and all routes are designed by locals and tested by staff from On Foot Holidays.
Go here for more.
International Rail says Eurail changes will benefit agents
AUSTRALIAN owned International Rail has welcomed the recent positive changes Eurail has introduced to its passes product range and believes that the brand, agents and their clients will all benefit in the upcoming peak season.
The economic value of the passes has increased with Eurail introducing an up to 37 percent reduction in cost. This comes with another huge benefit which will be popular for Australian travellers, of extending the coverage of Global Passes to now include Great Britain.
The range has been simplified significantly with the elimination of the Eurail Select Pass which previously required agents to determine exactly which countries the clients were travelling in. This makes it much easier for travel agents to sell with only a single country or the full 31 country Eurail Pass available.
And finally, for the mature traveller, we see the introduction of senior pricing which makes it even better value for this growing market.
Ride over the world’s highest motorable pass on Himalayan bike tour
Adventure seekers can experience the unique thrill of travelling over the towering peaks and through the stunning valleys of the Himalayas, in northern India, on a classic Royal Enfield motorbike with a special offer from Extreme Bike Tours.
Appealing to the more than one million Australians who ride motorbikes, Extreme Bike Tours is offering a special, 10 per cent discount per person on their 2019 and 2020 ‘High Himalaya’ expedition in northern India, when booked before February 28, 2019. Quote the code ‘HIMALAYA10’ when booking.
More info here.
Latest News
Collette goes off the beaten track with Canyon Country tour
To be clear TW is not advocating actually walking off the beaten track. Avoid the coyotes. Stay on the beaten track.
Intrepid & Korean Tourism Organisation team up to give agents a cooking masterclass
These guys learnt that Korean cooking is more than just putting kimchi on 2-minute noodles (as we once thought).
Winner, winner! Intrepid reveals the 9 lucky agents that won $2k
Who won the incentive? Which Intrepid trip will they spend it on? What day of the week is it again? Where am I? Huh?
Corporate Traveller reports 42% increase in Easter traffic this year
Business travellers just love Easter! Expect plenty of chocolate stained documents returning to the office on Tuesday.
Turbulent year wiped $384m off Qantas brand value: Report
Meanwhile, eating tuna at your desk can damage your own personal office brand value by several thousand dollars.
FAMIL: Room-Res & Singapore Tourism Board shows agents the Lion City’s roar
Click this article to see a man very impressed by a 20-layer chocolate cake. We're not kidding, he loved it!
Oceania Cruises offers sailors free pre-cruise hotel stay
Looking for ways to make your holidays as long as possible? Look no further.
Bonza launches new website to compliment app, agent portal
Does news about an airline's website fill you with ecstasy, glee and joy? Get your hit of the good stuff here.
MTA agents attends ‘Lunch ‘n’ Learn’ with AMA Waterways
When organising the event, Lunch 'n' Learn beat out Dinner 'n' Divulge and Breakfast 'n' Banter. Understandably so.
Travelmarvel reveals 2025 South America tours
If you spot any typos in the newsletter today it is because TW became distracted Googling images of Machu Picchu.
Tourists from 5 countries could be BANNED from visiting Australia
Anthony Albanese's immigration laws could impact tourism from certain countries.
Just how many passengers will Qantas & Jetstar hop around this Easter?
Airline workers are ready for gleeful Easter travellers! Also prepared for sticky children with chocolate on their face.
Air New Zealand gets ready for bumper Easter weekend
Air NZ gears up for travelling passengers this Easter, while TW looks to beat our egg eating record. 117 here we come!
Four Seasons Yachts reveals first itineraries to the Caribbean & Mediterranean
These trips look so good we wish there were five seasons! Alright, we'll see ourselves out...
FAMIL: Travellers Choice treats top agents to the wonders of Rotorua
This one's got plenty of famil pics and no one looks shockingly hungover in them! Clearly no TW staffers were there.
European Waterways celebrates 50th anniversary with week-long founders cruise
Plan on celebrating your 50th anniversary with a bottle of Moët and fairy bread? European Waterways has better ideas.
100th route! Jetstar celebrates the launch of Brisbane-Avalon with 12 hour sale
Jetstar knocks a ton and celebrates with a sale while TW once scored a ton and celebrated with about 17 beers.
Record-breaking year for NSW as visitor expenditure soars past $50 billion
Enjoy running round the Opera House? Be prepared to elbow even more tourists out the way.
Norwegian Cruise Line makes play for solo travellers
NCL ensuring you don't have to go trawling Tinder to find a cruise partner. Thank goodness, we were sick of catfishing.
Entire Travel Group’s Canada and Europe 2024/25 brochures are out now
Entire's new brochure is bittersweet; it both informs your clients and makes you envious of the holiday they'll take.
Malaysia Airlines adds 3 new destinations & A330neo seats
More seats means cheaper airfares and more money to spend on overpriced airport sandwiches. Woohoo!
Two divine days onboard Crystal Serenity
It's only pure serenity onboard this ship. Anxiety, agitation and anguish have been rejected by the bouncer.
How the Globus Family of Brands elevates coach touring: Travel Weekly TV with Chris Fundell
Chris' here so you don't think coaches mean peeling your thighs off a sticky leather seat every time you stand up!
The Flight Centre Foundation gears up for massive 2024 with 3 new board members
The foundation looks to invest $200k this year, spurring the TW journos to figure out how to qualify as a charity.
Barking Owl Communications to head up Anantara & Avani in ANZ
Fellow PR competitors had been barking up the wrong tree even thinking of bidding for this job!
Amex GBT to purchase CWT for $871m
It's big deals like this that get a firm handshake - hence the sore hands over at the CWT and Amex GBT offices.
1000MTG’s second global conference reminds agents to ‘strive and thrive’
Alongside messages to 'strive' and 'thrive' were those to 'survive', 'drive', 'arrive' and 'jive' (when appropriate).
Qantas A330 makes “loud bang”, pilots forced to shut down one engine
Qantas refusing to let Boeing have all the headlines in aviation world today!
GX Community Tourism Summit 2024 location revealed!
The new location has arrived and it'll blow your socks off! Time for another trip to Target for more socks then.
Visiting the destination my Mum didn’t want me to
Yet again, this journo has been a stress to his mother. Discover how this trip spurred his mother's anxiety here.
Agents come out of their shells at P&O’s turtle hatchery event
For some, it's a few glasses of bubbles to lure them out of their shell. For these agents, it was a bit more literal.
Boeing cleanout: CEO, chair to go as safety crisis plagues the manufacturer
CEOs are falling thick and fast these days. We should have started up a bingo game with their headshots in the office.
Virgin looks to swap MAX 10 order for MAX 8s amid Boeing delays: Reports
Virgin has changed its order for something smaller. Much like we have to at Maccas following a worrying doctor's visit.
Club Med unveils newest luxury yacht for 2024/25 early bird sale
This yacht is preserved for the early birds! Night Owls may also get onboard depending how late they stay up.
Abercrombie & Kent 2024 Asia Portfolio is here
Round up the family and get planning an Asia jaunt. Or, if they're hard to handle, brush them all and go it alone!
Elevate your earnings: Final days to secure double commission with Inspiring Vacations’ March offer
What could inspire you to sell more Inspiring Vacations? Double commission of course! That's all the inspiration needed.