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Tuesday 26 May 2015 Issue 3081
I n c o r p o r a t i n g Ta b s o n Tr a v e l
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Jets Escort FlightAn Air France flight from Paris reportedly had to be escorted to New York by two fighter jets after an anonymous threat was made against the flight. The Air Force jets were launched as a precaution after a caller made a threatening phone call to the po-lice. The flight landed safely at New York’s JFK Airport and was cleared with no incidents or hazards re-ported by passengers or crew. Local media reported that threats were also made against five other flights heading to New York, although the report wasn’t verified.
On-line Passport ShiftAlmost half of all Kiwi passports (or 40%) are now issued on-line, says New Zealand Internal Affairs Minis-ter Peter Dunne, who is also hoping to extend the on-line passport ser-vice to child renewals and first time adult applicants.
TAANZ has welcomed the news New Zealand will return to 10 year passports from Dec 31—but is call-ing for a similar about-face on the new border control levy.“The 10-year validity period gives greater convenience to most passport holders, as they will need to renew their passports less frequently,” says Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne.The move will require a change to the Passports Act 1992, and the new pass-ports will be $180. Child passports will continue to have a five-year valid-ity, ‘because a child’s appearance can change significantly over time’, adds Dunne, who hopes to have the law change in place by the end of the year.“TAANZ is very pleased with the 10-year passport—it’s a great decision,” says ceo Andrew Olsen. “This is a
win for the public and for the many TAANZ members who supported TA-ANZ advocacy on the change.” Olsen points out there is a small cost saving but the Kiwi traveller will also benefit from less paperwork. “Good work gov-ernment,” says the TAANZ boss.
. . . CATT MovementMeanwhile, Olsen is not as upbeat about the new border control levy. “In his announcement on the decision to extend the passport, the [Prime Min-ister] mentioned the government had listened to the people,” says Olsen. “We hope that the government is all ears on the opposition to a tourism tax.”TAANZ along with a coalition of tour-ism, airport and airline association entities says the proposed border con-trol levy unfairly taxes travellers and this includes Kiwis on the outbound and inbound sectors, says Olsen. “A lot of public comment has missed that fact,” says the TAANZ boss.The government collected $700 mil-lion in GST from tourists last year and the tourist does not benefit from that taxation, adds Olsen. “Why doesn’t Customs and Primary Industry ask the government where that money is currently attributed and how say $100 million might be directed to improved border control instead of creating an unnecessary tourism pediment?” Olsen says the Coalition Against Tour-ism Tax (CATT) members will meet a ministerial delegation on Thu.
TAANZ: Bouquets & Brickbats For Govt
Win A Houston TripAir New Zealand has launched a ‘Howdy Houston’ agent incentive which will see three Kiwi agents win flights for two on NZ to Houston, and then on to one of the carrier’s 10 North American destinations offered with its Star Alliance partners. To en-ter consultants need to answer three questions correctly and submit their best seven-day or couples itinerary utilising the IAH service. Entries close 17 Jun, see airnzagent.co.nz
More Dazzling DisneyIt’s now snowing in Disneyland every night thanks to the park’s Diamond Anniverary festivities. See p6 for the latest on the park’s new events.
Our new website will make it easier for you to sell groups on Qantas. Benefits include 24/7 access, competitive group quotes in real time, flexible group fare options across all cabins and automatic notifications of upcoming deadlines. Visit qantasgrouptravel.com now
The Qantas Group Travel website is here
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e-mail : [email protected]: 0800 240915 www.fathomasia.com
Visit a fish conservation project at Karen village. Experience local culture - learn from local artisans about bamboo utensils, woven cloth and traditional medicines; assist hosts to prepare dinner. ½ day voluntary work farming, or at local school. NZ$ 473 pp x2 ; NZ$ 373 pp x3 ; NZ$ 318 pp x4 ex Mae Hong Son or Pai (Various transfer options ex ChiangMai)
Hill-tribe Homestay AdventureNature trek past rice terraces, a long cave with stone formations and through forest.
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This time next year New Zealanders will have the option of flying direct to Newcastle (NTL), says Newcastle Airport’s optimistic manager avia-tion business development David Nye.However, he adds that the launch of a Tasman service relies solely on a car-rier signing up for the task. Nye is determined to have a car-rier sign on soon, saying the airport is pushing to have something up and running by this time next year. NTL is undergoing a redevelopment and expansion and is ‘as good as ready’, says Nye, for international flights to and from New Zealand. NTL has been in talks with Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin and Air New Zealand, and Nye is confident, now that they have the infrastructure, one will sign on soon. “International is key for us to unlock-ing the true potential of this region,” he says. “Over the past 10 years people here have come to know the area and that’s something we want to try and push further with the international market, in particular, New Zealand.”
. . . Waking The GiantNye says with the airport now having the potential for international routes, it has ‘woken a giant’ in regards to the tourism opportunities for the area, namely, the Hunter Valley, Port Ste-phens and Newcastle itself. Nye envi-sions around three to four flights per week to New Zealand, with an A320 or 737 size aircraft. And if demand
grows, he says, that number could rise. The airport is positioned for future expansion and Nye says it is likely the airport will even look to provide other international flights, such as to Bali and the South Pacific. NZ has said in the past that the carrier continues to evaluate the viability of many city pairs across the Tasman, and confirmed it has had talks with NTL but declined to comment further.
New Tasman City Pair In 2016?
Broker Puts Her Body On The Line For HAEntries into Hawaiian Airlines’ promotion to win tickets for two to an advance screening of the new movie Aloha are flying in—but there’s one stand-out entry so far, says HA. Auckland travel broker Angela Manase has put her body on the line, literally, with this entry. Agents need to send a photo featuring them, the HA logo and showing the ‘aloha spirit’ to [email protected]
Oz Open Skies WarThe Australian Government has ‘declared war’ on its aviation industry by considering allowing foreign car-riers to operate domestically in the Top End, says the Transport Workers Union. The government is considering an ‘open skies’ policy that would allow foreign airlines to fly between air-ports above the Tropic of Capricorn, including Cairns, Townsville, Darwin, Broome and Port Hedland. Opponents fear the proposal could later be ap-plied to other Aussie routes; and the TWU says it also puts public safety at risk as well as threatening local jobs.
Air NZ Raro FaresAir New Zealand has released new wholesale fares to Rarotonga. Contact your preferred wholesaler for details.
CX Crew Strike?Cathay Pacific flight attendants are reportedly threatening to strike 18-31 Aug after union pay negotiations stalled.
Accor Plus Re-launchAccor Advantage Plus paid loyalty programme has re-launched as Accor Plus, and says it now offers members more benefits at over 600 Accor prop-erties across Asia Pacific.Accor Plus members have access to savings on accommodation, dining at over 800 restaurants, and a range of VIP member events and partner offers including exclusive money-can’t-buy experiences.Accor creates bespoke events for members like masterclasses with ce-lebrity chefs or diving with dolphins. Members can also accrue reward points more quickly through an up-graded status in Le Club Accorhotels, which means they can enjoy free stays and savings faster than non-members. See accorplus.com
NZ Aussie Add-onsAir New Zealand has advised of amendments to its Virgin Australia domestic Australia add-ons, effec-tive for sales and travel immediately. They include travel to Alice Springs and Canberra now permitted via Adelaide; new add-on to Tamworth via Sydney; and the removal of add-ons to Learmonth and Busselton via Perth. All other domestic Aus-tralia add-on conditions remain unchanged.
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2015
Powering Possibilities
LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER!
Join us and be amongst the first to see the latest technologies that will help you take your business
to the next level! See the next evolution of the Sabre Red Workspace, learn how to drive additional
revenue with inspirational shopping, see the newest automation tools around and hear how to tap into
data for real-business insights. Plus all attendees go in the draw to win an Apple Watch!
Places are limited so reserve your place now.
Hurry… its filling up fast!
When: Thursday 28th May
Where: Langham Auckland
Time: 2:30pm-6:00pm
RSVP: Click here to reserve your place
Who: The Sabre Tech Summits’ are open to all travel agents whether you are on Sabre or not. Agency owners, IT staff and consultants can all gain valuable insights from this event.
Aussie Road TripGO Holidays has an Australia Maui Campervan May-Jun special. Five-day Ultima hire from $315pp twin share; five-day Ultima Plus hire from $229pp triple share (based on two adults and one child); seven-day Beach hire from $275pp quad share; seven-day Platinum River hire from $189pp (based on six adults). The discounted rates are combinable with long hire discount. T&C’s apply. Con-tact GO for details.
MAS Restructuring: Business As UsualMalaysia Airlines is reassuring the public it’s business as usual for its operations after an administrator was appointed as part of its re-structure, which could reportedly see the carrier rebranded includ-ing with a new name.All flights, schedules and reserva-tions are continuing to operate as normal and the appointment of the administrator doesn’t impact ex-isting reservations, says Christoph Mueller, chief executive of Malaysian Airline System Berhad (MAS) and ceo-designate of the new Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB). The appoint-ment of the administrator reflects the ‘continued and considerable effort to
01 Sep 2015, when MAB becomes op-erational with a new business model and a new management team led by Mueller’, says MAS.Mueller says MAB will be like a ‘start-up’ company, while sources say it will feature a new name and livery which could be unveiled as soon as next week, Reuters reports.
Luftner SaleLuftner Cruises has a ‘sale of the year’ where two guests cruise for the price of one, in the same stateroom, advis-es Francis Travel Marketing. The sale includes eight popular river cruises from Amsterdam to Budapest and a roundtrip Paris itinerary on the river Seine, with 11 2015 sailing dates to choose from. The deal is valid for new bookings only, subject to avail-ability, to be booked by 31 May. For details, ph 0-9-444-2298.
Gold Coast OfferTFE Hotels advises of Vibe Hotel Gold Coast’s winter offering. Get 10% off the daily rate, a complimentary upgrade, late check-out and two-for-one breakfast for stays to 24 Jun, to be booked by 24 Jun. Priced from $99 per night. Visit tfehotels.com for more information.
Noumea On SaleAircalin has flights to Noumea on sale to 05 Jun, starting from $599 ex Auckland, $720 ex Wellington and $750 ex Christchurch. The fares are valid for travel 24 May-17 Dec, with some close-outs and surcharge periods, and are valid to all flights displaying an SB flight number. SB sectors are to be booked in W class which is protected inventory for the New Zealand market.
Heritage ZQN DealThe Heritage Queenstown (which earlier today was laden with snow as above) has 15% off packages for stays of three or more consecutive nights for sales to 19 Jun and travel by 16 Oct. The deal includes free 500MB of WiFi data daily, access to the hotel’s heated pool, jacuzzi, sauna and gym. There’s a ski gear drying room and undercover parking. See heritagehotels.co.nz
Dressing HollywoodThe Austral ian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) is set to launch, Orry-Kelly: Dressing Hol-lywood. The exhibition will show an up close and personal look at the life of Orry-Kelly, a costume designer from Kiama, NSW, who has designed for 285 films. The exhibition will be showing at Melbourne’s ACMI 18 Aug-17 Jan 2016 and is free. See acmi.net.au/exhibitions for more.
IndustryDiaryMAYSabre Tech SummitAuckland: Thu 28, Langham, 1500-1800.
JUNEScenic Information SessionsHamilton: Mon 15, Hotel Novotel.Tauranga: Tue 16, Mills Reef Winery. Auckland East/South: Wed 17, Waipuna Hotel. Auckland North: Thu 18, The Spencer on Byron Hotel.Nelson: Mon 29, Rutherford Hotel.Timaru: Tue 30, Landing Services Building.
JULYScenic Information SessionsDunedin: Wed 01, Hotel St Clair.Invercargill: Thu 02, The Kelvin Hotel.
Nepal Fundraiser In conjunction with South African Airways and Adventure WorldAuckland: Wed 01, Sky City Convention Centre, 1730-1800 Drinks/Nibbles,1800-1930 Travel Quiz.
Hawaii Tourism MCI RoadshowMon 27, Dates and venue tba.
AUGUSTBula Marau Fiji Roadshow – Around Viti LevuChristchurch: Mon 3, Novotel Christchurch, 1730-2030. Wellington: Tue 4, InterContinental, 1730-2030. Auckland: Wed 5, Stamford Hotel, 1730-2045. Hamilton: Thu 6, Novotel Tainui, 1730-2030.
Anaheim RoadshowAuckland: Mon 24, The Hilton, 1730.
For more see Monday’s TRAVEL TODAY
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SkyCity and the crown have agreed on a revised preliminary design for the New Zealand International Convention Centre.SkyCity had to revise its original design for a slightly smaller, cheaper version after the government said it wouldn’t be making any financial contribution to the centre. The new NZICC design keeps all the key as-pects of the original proposal, but it’s a ‘smarter, streamlined and more flexible building that makes clever use of space’, says SkyCity.“Following discussions with key stakeholders who have expertise in the conventions industry, we are confident that the nominal adjust-ments made to the scale of the centre will make no difference to either
the size or quality of international conferences it will attract. The vast majority of the conferences we are focused on securing require capacity for up to 3000 delegates, which falls well within the NZICC capacity,” says SkyCity boss Nigel Morrison. SkyCity will now focus on finalising a con-struction partner for the project and securing resource consent.
SkyCity Convention Centre Update
W Goes For Eco SheetsW Hotels Worldwide is to re-make their beds with new EKOCYCLE branded sheets, which are made in part with rPET, polyester partially made using recycled plastic.W Hotels will roll out the sheets in North America first, with global prop-erties to follow it says. Along with this, W Hotels and the EKOCYCLE team has created a ‘Mobile Charger and Accessory Valet’ which is made from recycled bottles, and will soon be bed-side in every W Hotel room around the world. For more details, see whotels.com
Orpheus unWINEdA bespoke wine event, unWINEd, showcasing three leading lights of the Australian wine industry is on at Or-pheus Island Resort on the Great Bar-rier Reef, 18-22 Jun. Kym Schroeter, Tom Carson and Larry Cherubino will lead a group of 22 enthusiasts on what is described as a sensory experience. The event will be hosted by well-known Melbourne wine raconteur Peter Marr. For more details, e-mail [email protected]
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Cruise Bar VantageA great place to take in all of the action, without the crowds, is the newly re-opened Cruise Bar at the Overseas Passenger Terminal. Guests can enjoy share plates while taking in the views of the Opera House and Sydney’s harbour. #vividsydney
Festival goers are encouraged to get involved in the online conversation by using #vividsydney when sharing photos of their experiences at Vivid Sydney. If you are unable to make it to the event yourself, search the hashtag and take a look.
Opera House ToursThe Sydney Opera House is offering two tours throughout the Vivid festi-val, giving people a glimpse into the making of the event. The Backstage Tour is a two-hour VIP experience that takes guests behind the scenes before finishing up with dinner and drinks in the Opera House Green Room. The tour departs daily from Stage Door at 1745 and tickets are AUD165pp. Plus, the Celebrating Vivid Sydney Tour ventures inside the Opera House. Guests will visit its theatres and recording studio to collect unique insight into the his-tory of the festival and the light display. The tour departs at 1730 and 1800, priced from AUD20pp. See sydneyoperahouse.com/vividsydney for more.
Carbon NeutralThe Sydney Opera House has announced it will be carbon neu-tral for the 10 nights of Vivid LIVE, a component of Vivid Syd-ney, which comprises of a num-ber of light installations and live music. All electricity used for the events during this time will be powered by 100% Green Power from accredited renewable sourc-es. Fuel-efficient transport will be used for artists; surplus food will be donated to charity and artists have reusable water bottles.
Top Vivid PicksDestination NSW has outlined its top picks for Vivid Sydney. Urge SYD-bound clients to see the harbour illuminated as ferries and boats light up different colours as they cruise through; head to Campbell’s Cove to give giant cro-cheted doll Dolly a hug; enjoy tributes to family favourite games at First Fleet Park’s interactive hub; check out Customs House which will be lit up with but-terflies and flora; head to Darling Harbour for the Vivid laser-Fountain Water Theatre to see a liquid light show; or jump on the train and head out to the new precincts, Chatswood and Central Park. For more, see vividsydney.com
No trip to Sydney is complete without a visit to regional New South Wales, says Destination NSW country manager New Zea-land Sam Cameron. Sydney is a huge draw card, she says, but regional NSW has plen-ty to offer for those who want a
1 Chris Bissett from Flight Centre trying his hand at bartending at the Matilda Bay Brewhouse. 2 Tim Allen from House of Travel enjoying a sample of beers at the Matilda Bay Brewhouse, located at Hunter Valley Resort. 3 The group enjoying their sand dune quad biking adventure with Sand Dune Adven-tures. 4 Stella Travel’s Elena Mironova getting ready to tackle a steep hill. 5 The group enjoying the views at the Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard before do-ing a wine tasting. From left to right; Tim Allen from HoT, Sarah Neville from Qantas, Elena Mironova from Stella Travel, Sam Cameron from Destina-tion NSW, Rachel Mancini from HoT and Chris Bissett from Flight Centre.
The ‘Sydney It’s On VIP Famil’ group spent a few days exploring regional NSW, including the Hunter Valley and Port Stephens, to explore the region beyond the bright Vivid lights of Sydney. To kick things off the group spent the day eating and drinking their way through the Hunter Valley, sam-pling some of the region’s best food, wine and beer—with highlights in-cluding craft beers from the Matilda Bay Brewhouse and the fine wines from Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard.Showcasing the region’s diversity next up was a morning of adventure in Port Stephens with Sand Dune Adventures. After being kitted with helmets and safety vests and a crash
course on how to drive a quad bike the Kiwi contingent was off into the Aboriginal-owned sand dunes, the largest moving coastal sand dunes in the Southern Hemisphere. The quad biking was a definite highlight for the group, with comments on how easy the bikes were to drive, and the very un-touched views.
Regional NSW’s Kiwi Appealbreak from the fast-paced city. The Hunter Valley, which is home to some of Australia’s oldest vineyards, has great food and wine offerings, as well as adventure activities like horse riding, hot air ballooning and more. Meanwhile Port Stephens, known as ‘nature’s playground’, has a range of water and land ac-tivities, including whale watching,
Beyond Sydney: Exploring Regional NSW On Famil
swimming with dolphins, kayak-ing, hiking and more. At the same time she says Newcastle is a ‘great cosmopolitan city’ with a family vibe, and not too touristy. Cameron says the area is easy to access from Sydney, whether you hire a car and self-drive, catch a flight to Newcastle Airport and go from there, or hire a taxi.
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Incorporating Tabs On TravelTue 26 May 15 p6
Disneyland Diamond Celebrations
New Grizzly Peak AirfieldD i s n e y ’s C a l i f o r n i a G r a n d Adventure Park has opened the new Grizzly Peak Airfield expansion of Grizzly Peak. The area includes the new Smoke-jumpers Grill quick-service dining location, which opened with a new look and updated menu. The expansion also includes new building exteriors and landscape features for the former Condor Flats area; and pine trees for shade.
New Fireworks Show Beyond The Castle
O f t h e t h r e e n e w e v e n i n g entertainment options launched by Disney for the Diamond Cel-ebration, it’s undoubtedly saved the best for last.Disneyland’s traditional evening fireworks display has been blown out of the water with the new Disneyland Forever show, which has gone beyond
the castle to include all of Main St in the celebrations.As with the new World of Color show, Walt Disney himself is a key feature of the show, which surrounds guests with tales from Disney classics.The castle itself is a backdrop for Disney characters to play out scenes from the movies, which are projected onto its front as the fireworks ex-plode overhead. It’s not just fireworks in the sky above the castle either—expect special appearances from a soaring Tinkerbell and Nemo.Meanwhile on Main St, projections on the buildings further enhance the show, with visitors surrounded by stampeding animals from Lion King, chimney sweeps from Mary Poppins, or Winnie the Pooh’s Hef-falumps. There’s also added surprises like ‘snow’ falling from the sky onto guests during the Frozen sequence.Special projections will also take place during the fireworks show at the Matterhorn, Rivers of America and it’s a small world. . . . Best ViewpointWhile it’s a little far back from the castle, the best viewpoint for the fireworks display is from Main St—during the preview, guests who were near the castle missed out on the effect of the projections on the build-ings, which were a key part of the show. Urge clients to take their place near the top of Main St (closest to the castle).
Sparkling SouvenirsShopping at Disneyland is an experience in itself and for clients keen to take home a memento proving they visited during the diamond celebrations, there’s ev-erything from sequinned Mickey dolls and ears to jewellery and homeware. More than 500 special merchandise options have been created for the celebration, and they’re expected to be so popular that Disney has put a limit on the number of items a guest can buy. Limited edition items are kept to two per guest, per day, and others are limited to five.
Celebratory CuisineDisney dining establishments are also embracing the diamond celebrations, offering new food and drinks to ‘dazzle’ guests. One of the most popular items is expected to be the diamond cup-cakes, which will be available at Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Café in Disney California Adventure. Specialty drinks include the fro-zen pomegranate silver sparkler from Jolly Holiday Bakery Café and a special lucky fortune tea featuring mango and red pas-sion fruit at the Lucky Fortune Cookery, wild raspberry rapids frozen lemonade from White Water Snacks, and enchanted cherry apple frozen lemonade from Troubadour Tavern. There’s new souvenir ‘sipper’ cups and popcorn buckets, and later in the summer there will be new Made with Magic sippers that glow along with the park’s shows.
Hotel Guest BonusAn added incentive for staying at a Disney property is the ability to enter the park via monorail even if the park is at capacity, says Disney. Clients will need their hotel room key to show staff at the monorail.
New PerformancesThree of the musical groups that appear around the park have added new songs and performances to celebrate the 60th anniversary. On Main Street, USA, at Disneyland, the Dapper Dans will be singing a little-known classic song by a Disney leg-end; at Disney California Adventure park, Mickey Mouse arrives on Buena Vista Street with the Red Car Trolley News Boys and shares an original song paying tribute to Walt Disney; and Five & Dime have added three new songs to their performance at the Carthay Circle.
Check out Travel Today’s Facebook page for a video of the new show. See facebook.com/traveltodaynz
