Silk Air makes Laos a little bit more accessible for Australians

SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, recently announced it will launch services from Singapore to Vientiane and Luang Prabang in Laos, from November 2016.

According to Asia travel specialists Insider Journeys, which have been operating regular tours in Laos since 1996, the services will positively impact visitor numbers to the country, which has traditionally been more difficult to access than its neighbours.

Unlike Vietnam and Cambodia, both of which have seen strong tourism arrivals in the last 10 years, aided by iconic tourist drawcards such as UNESCO-listed Halong Bay and Angkor Wat, Laos has remained somewhat of an intrepid destination for travellers seeking an ‘off the beaten path’ experience. This is despite having two UNESCO listings of its own: Luang Prabang town set on the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers and Vat Phou and Associated Ancient Settlements within the Champasak Cultural Landscape.

Insider Journeys offer three standalone Laos small group journey itineraries, as well as a number of Indochina cross-border trips that include Vietnam and Cambodia. The new flights into Laos by SilkAir are ideal for the 6 day Highlights of Laos, 19 day Indochina Explorer and 15 day Vietnam & Laos Explorer small group journey itineraries.

Trafalgar appoints NSW Sales Manager

Trafalgar, is excited to announce the appointment of Aimee Cruickshank to the position of Sales Manager – NSW after five years of being in the company.

Aimee came to TTC in 2011 straight out of high school, to join the documentation team. While there, she was asked to spend a few weeks in res-support, but never looked back. She then progressed to the Trafalgar Reservations Team and in August 2013 she was promoted to Inside Sales Coordinator, a position she has excelled at in the last three years. As a result, Aimee is now celebrating a well-deserved promotion to Sales Manager for NSW, Trafalgar.

“I love working for a company and brand that I truly believe-in, which cares about what we are offering to the world. Everyone in the team, no matter what role they play, loves what they do and is there for the same reason. To share our love for travel, sell amazing holidays and help people experience their dreams,” Aimee says.

“I’m just excited to share my passion for all that Trafalgar is and what we have to offer for everyone. I want everyone to know Trafalgar is simply the best.”

Bunnik Tours launches South & Central America 2017/18 program

Small group touring specialists, Bunnik Tours, is excited to announce the launch of their new South & Central America program for 2017, including Antarctica. To celebrate, they are offering an early bird saving of $500 per person for all bookings made before December 30, 2016.

The new program includes 8 brand new tours across both ‘Small Group’ and ‘Cruise & Tour’ categories, plus 7 returning favourites. Itineraries stretch across three continents from Havana to Antarctica, encompassing the Galapagos Islands, Machu Picchu, the Amazon Jungle, Iguazu Falls and Patagonia.

Branching out into some of the lesser-explored areas of the continent, an exciting new itinerary for the season is Costa Rica, Nicaragua & the Panama Canal – a colourful journey through the rainforests and volcanoes of Central America, admiring the abundance of wildlife and exploring colonial cities, ending with a 15-night Princess cruise of the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal and along Mexico’s coastline.

Antarctica, Atacama & Buenos Aires incorporates an Antarctic expedition with land touring in southern Patagonia, the grand city of Buenos Aires and Chile’s incredible Atacama Desert.

Other new itineraries include Highlights of South America (with optional Galapagos cruise), Colourful Colombia & Ecuador and Ultimate Chile & Argentina.

Best-selling South American Discovery and South American Explorer land tours, as well as the South American Wonders cruise tour, are expected to be popular again.

Pioneers of the small group touring concept, Bunnik has a maximum group size of just 20 passengers in South & Central America. For your clients, this means more time with tour guides, more space on the bus and better views, truly unique local experiences, less time spent waiting and a great opportunity to build lifelong friendships with their fellow travellers.

To take advantage of the early bird saving, remember to book your clients before December 30, 2016.

Mandarin World Tours treats you differently

Each and every one of Mandarin World Tours staff are focused to make your day a simpler, stress free and happier one.

From the sales team, reservations, management and the local operators and tour guides.

Their focus is to keep the guaranteed (min 2 pax) tour departures small and personalised with an average of only 8 pax in each destination.

The FIT product is also extremely varied, from culinary and wellness tours in rural areas of China and India, to hiking the hills of Bhutan and Tibet.

The new brochures will be out at the end of next month and copies can be obtained by calling head office on 1300 842 688.