Monday 02 November 2015 Issue 3193

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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Airlines Dodge SinaiAirlines are said to be avoiding flying over the Sinai Peninsula as investigations continue into what caused a Metrojet flight to crash over the weekend, killing 224 people.Flight 7K-9268 crashed soon after take-off from Sharm el-Sheikh on Sat (local time) and officials say the A321-200 broke into pieces in the air. It reportedly reached 31,000 feet first and some experts are said to be sceptical that militants would have weapons capable of shooting down a plane at that altitude.

Taste Ticket WinnersTravel Today has drawn out three winners for our Taste of Auckland giveaway, in which three agents have each won a double pass to the event. Congratulations to Travel Plan-it’s Jo O’Gorman; House of Travel Product’s Fleur Williams; and Travel Managers’ Angela Mills.

ZQN Night FlightsQueenstown Airport has confirmed it plans to launch night flights in winter 2016.The airport will commence $17 mil-lion in major airfield infrastructure improvements to pave the way for evening flights as well as improve overall safety and efficiency of opera-tions. The changes include widening and resurfacing the main runway, and installing new lighting. The air-port has said introducing evening flights will be a ‘game-changer’ for the region, including allowing peak times to be spread more evenly.Pilots who fly to ZQN have expressed concerns in the past around flying into the airport at night, however air-port authorities reportedly rejected a call for a 240m overshoot zone at each end of the runway.

QF Loses The BetQantas flight crew were made to wear All Blacks uniforms on a flight from Auckland to Sydney this afternoon, after the carrier lost a Twitter bet with Air New Zealand over the Rugby World Cup final on Sun morning.

NZD Gains On AUDThe NZD has hit its highest point against the AUD since May, reaching AUD0.9524 on Fri and trading at AUD0.9484 this afternoon.

The industry enigma known as Captain Alo-ha is officially here to stay. Hawaiian Airlines today announced the appoint-ment of Russell Williss (aka Captain Aloha) as its country director New Zealand, as HA moves from GSA representation to opening its own office.Williss, who has been HA’s sales and marketing manager in New Zealand for the past three years is credited with playing a pivotal role in HA’s New Zealand ‘launch’.“Drawing on his extensive skill set built by more than 20 years in the airline industry, Russell has worked tirelessly to tell the HA’s story and

HA’s Captain Aloha Is Here To Stay

grow our brand’s pres-ence in New Zealand,” says HA’s regional di-rector for Australia and New Zealand Gai Tyrrell. “We’re very proud to of-ficially welcome Russell to the HA team.”In his new role, Williss is now responsible for all of

HA’s commercial functions including the development and planning of the carrier’s growth strategy for New Zealand. “I am proud to be a part of HA’s distinct, strong and wonderfully unique culture,” says Williss. “I have the support of a dedicated team in Honolulu and am looking forward to building a local team on the ground in New Zealand.”To that end Williss says HA is in the process of recruiting a sales and op-erations team in Auckland.

. . . HumbledWilliss says he has been humbled by the positive response to this morn-ing’s announcement, adding that he is focused on continuing to work closely with the Kiwi trade distribu-tion to continue to grow departures to Honolulu and beyond to the car-rier’s 11 mainland US destinations. He also paid tribute to HA’s operation under its GSA agreement with The Walshe Group—and thanked TWG for the opportunity, support and friendship the company had offered.

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QF BNE Ex-WLG/CHCQantas has fl ights to Brisbane ex-Wellington or Christchurch on sale to 05 Nov, for travel 03 Dec-22 Feb. One-way fares start from $189 ex WLG (or $599 in business class), or $209 ex CHC ($599 in business class). See qantas.co.nz/agents

EK 2015 UK/EuropeEmirates has flights to UK and Europe on sale to 09 Nov for travel in 2015, including Amsterdam from $1994, Dublin from $2069, London from $2208 and Rome from $2112. Business class fares are also avail-able, including AMS from $9565, LHR from $9950 and ROM from $9582. See GDS for details.

FJ Extra CHC FlightsFiji Airways is adding 14 extra flights from Christchurch to Fiji next Jun-Dec, saying the flights ‘reflect the strength of the local market’.“New Zealand is a key growth mar-ket for FJ, as highlighted in our Five Year Master Plan. These additional flights reflect our commitment to growing the New Zealand market, and will increase capacity between Christchurch and Nadi by a further 2380 available seats,” says FJ boss Andre Viljoen. “The new Thu service, on top of our permanent Tue and Sat services, will make it easy for South Islanders to take short breaks in sunny Fiji. They will also enjoy the convenience of connecting on to our Los Angeles services if they wish; also making it easy for them to travel to North America without an extra domestic New Zealand connection.”The new flights are on sale now, and will operate 30 Jun, 07/14/21/28 Jul, 22/29 Sep, 06/13 Oct, and 02/09/16/23/30 Dec.

Mexico With AlaskaAlaska Airlines serves seven Mexican points from Los Angeles, and has flights on sale to 03 Nov, advises World Aviation. LAX-SJD is from $265 one-way, for travel 11 Jan-30 Apr.

C at h ay Pa c i f i c A i r ways h a s unveiled a new livery as the latest step in the refresh of its brand identity, and CX boss Ivan Chu says it heralds the ‘beginning of a new era’ for the carrier.The new livery was showcased on a 777-300ER at Hong Kong Inter-national Airport and will be pro-gressively introduced onto all CX aircraft. Kiwis will likely see it when the new A350 begins flying to Auck-land some time next year. the livery features an updated ver-sion of the CX brushwing, simplified

colour palette to green, grey and white, and a more prominent dis-play of the CX name and brushwing. “This new look is the latest—and most significant—development in our ongoing efforts to improve the overall customer experience at CX,” says Chu. “It is also a highly visible representation of the huge invest-ments we are making in new aircraft and products as part of our ongoing commitment to build Hong Kong’s position as an international avia-tion hub.”In recent years CX has invested in new aircraft and products, while fu-ture plans include lounge upgrades, further product enhancements and continued network expansion.The new Airbus A350 series will be the first fleet to launch with the new livery, and the existing fleet will be repainted as aircraft go through their normal maintenance schedule.

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Inspired Adventures

Costa Whale AwarenessCosta Cruises has teamed up with The Whalesafe Project to raise aware-ness about the conservation of sperm whales. On the ships the project work will be aimed at capturing the atten-tion of children. The Squok Club will arrange fun educational activities on the subject of whales; whilst all Costa guests can watch a video on one of the shipboard TV channels to learn more about the Whalesafe Project, which aims to sensitise people to the importance of safeguarding the marine environment.

Cruise The DanubeClients hoping to explore the Danube River should book one of Tauck’s most popular cruise journeys, Blue Danube,advises Adventure World. In 12 days clients will visit Prague, Vienna, Salzburg, Cesky Krumlov, Bratislava and Budapest. It is priced from $7115 with many inclusions. See adventureworld.co.nz for more.

World Cruise Ex AKLClients can travel to Hong Kong ex Auckland onboard Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 as part of its world cruise sec-tor. GO Holidays advises the 25-night cruise is priced from $5299 on sale to 16 Nov and departing 04 Mar.

Azamara Club Cruises’ upcoming first ever season in New Zealand waters is expected to see the num-ber of Kiwis cruising with the brand double.Making its debut 25 Jan 2016, the 686-guest Azamara Quest will arrive in Dunedin, a feat which has been years in the making.Azamara Club Cruises president and chief executive officer Larry Pimentel told Travel Today that when the decision was made to sail to New Zealand, they were initially looking at Australia, but realised ‘Austra-lia wouldn’t succeed without New Zealand.’ “New Zealand is a small market, it’s not a gigantic market, but at the end of the day, any time you can bring a ship into a region and the agents can begin to see it, they’re more comfortable selling the prod-uct,” he says. “It wouldn’t surprise me,

to be quite candid, that after our first season here, and I don’t think I’m being too abreast about this, that the business would double.”

. . . Kiwi AppealPimentel says the brand’s biggest point of difference is that ‘the focus is less on cruising in the traditional sense and more on what the delivery is within a given market place,’ some-thing which he believes will appeal to this market. “We call it destination immersion, it’s a very simple concept, it’s about longer stays, more over-nights and night touring,” he says. “We’re in port longer than anybody else, we have more overnights than anybody and we do something that’s very unusual for shipping in general, for the extent that we do it, and that’s overnight touring.” These include the exclusive and complimentary AzAmazing Evenings which show-case a destination and its culture during the voyage.

. . . 2016 SeasonAzamara Club Cruises will sail Aus-tralasia waters for two months, of-fering five itineraries, all of which feature onboard inclusions such as beverages, gratuities and self-service laundry. Additionally, the cruise line is set to bring the Aza-mara Journey to the region for the first time in 2017, whilst Azamara Quest will return in 2018, following extensive revitalisations that will see the ships undergo multimillion dol-lar facelifts. For further details see azamaraclubcruises.com

Sail On Silver MuseSilversea Cruises has announced that clients will be able to book from today for its new flagship, Silver Muse, which begins sailing Apr 2017. With just 286 suites, the boutique ship will make its maiden voyage from Monte Carlo to Nice. The 13-day sailing will depart 20 Apr 2017 and arrive in Nice 03 May 2017, stopping at many ports, includ-ing Barcelona, Valletta, Amalfi and Sorrento. During 2017 Silver Muse will sail throughout Europe, Canada, North and South America as well as the Caribbean, taking in over 130 des-tinations in 34 countries. All details can be found at silvermuse.info

Azamara Expects Double The Interest

Hurtigruten 2016/17Hurtigruten has released its new 2016/17 Norway Coastal and Ex-plorer Voyages brochures, Discover the World has advised.There’s new expedition-style voy-ages including hikes and daily lec-tures; a la carte dining has been introduced on nine Norway Coastal ships (bookable on-board only); as well as clearer cabin choices. Guests bookings a suite will now also receive wine with dinner, private transfers and an upgraded amenity kit.The 2016/17 Explorer Voyages will see two ships offering in-depth expe-ditions to Antarctica Nov 2016-Mar 2017, with the MS Midnatsol joining the MS Fram in the region. MS Fram departs Ushuaia while MS Midnatsol will take guests via the Chilean fjords and Cape Horn.

Oceania Top In RegionOceania Cruises has been named Australasia’s leading cruise line in the World Travel Awards, and says it’s just the latest in a number of prestigious awards it’s picked up over the last two years. The line has been recognised for its food, refurbish-ments, premium cabins, suites, art collection and more with a swathe of awards of late.

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NOVEMBERExotic Holidays RoadshowHamilton: Mon 16, Little India, 1730. Auckland: Tue17, India Gate, 1730. New Plymouth: Wed 18, Pankawalla, 1730.Christchurch: Thu 19, Kinara, 1730. Dunedin: Fri 20, Little India, 1730. Wellington: Mon 23, Tulsi, 1730. Napier: Tue 24, Indigo, 1230. Hastings: Tue 24, Star of India, 1730. Tauranga: Wed 25, Little India, 1730.

FEBRUARY 2016Brand USA - Discover America EventsChristchurch: Mon 22, Rydges Latimar Hotel, 1700-2130.Auckland: Tue 23, The Cloud, Queens Wharf, 1700-2130.

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SE Asia HazeIndonesia is reportedly considering declaring a state of national emer-gency as surrounding countries put pressure on to discontinue forest fires which are causing smoke haze in the region.The fires are an annual event but have been particularly strong this year, causing high pollution readings in parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, particularly in the Riau Islands, Sumatra and Kalimantan.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is warning Kiwis that the haze is suspected to have caused a large number of illnesses and infections in the affected areas over the last several months, including irritation of eyes, throat and lungs. For people with existing respiratory conditions such as asthma or bronchitis, breathing in particle pollution can make these conditions worse, says MFAT.New Zealanders with concerns about the level of haze should remain indoors as much as possible, with doors and windows closed, and refraining from strenuous activity when outdoors.Myanmar Currency

Wor l d Jou r n e ys a dv i s e s t h at businesses in Myanmar are no longer permitted to accept or trade in USD, or any other foreign currency, effec-tive immediately. Moving forward, clients travelling throughout Myan-mar can only use the local currency, Myanmar Kyat. Additionally, World Journeys says hotels are no longer able to provide a currency exchange services, so clients are advised to use an official currency exchange centre or withdraw cash from an ATM ma-chine. However, World Journeys says an increasing number of businesses are beginning to accept Visa and Mastercard transactions.

Adventure World has launched four standalone brochures for its 2016/17 collections, saying it’s listened to feedback from the trade who wanted more information to help them sell the journeys.There’s four brochures—South America; Canada and Alaska; Asia and India; and Africa, Egypt and Middle East—and they’re designed to offer agents the tools they need to better sell Adventure World product, says general manager Dave Nichol-son.“We’ve listened to agents and brought back what they want—like the maps, the modules, more comprehensive information and details on the ho-tels,” he says. “Our 2016 brochure collection acts as the perfect start-ing tool to guide our clients through seemingly complex destinations with

Adventure World 2016/17 Collections

ease, profiling the vast array of cus-tom product options that Adventure World is renowned for.”The brochures contain a range of mix and match product modules for tai-loring itineraries, best-selling multi-country itineraries, accommodation profiles, route maps, scheduled de-parture dates and trip styles, core destination and travel information plus expert recommendations.The Africa brochure is in stores now with the remaining three roll-ing out over the coming weeks. See adventureworld.co.nz/brochures/

. . . NatGeo ChangeAdventure World has signed Sun-dance Company to take over editorial production of National Geographic Australia and NZ. The magazine will now be 150 pages, produced bi-an-nually and feature a 50-page Adven-ture World ‘travel concierge’ section.

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HoT New IT DirectorHouse of Travel has appointed Mark Leadbetter as its Christchurch-based IT director, effective today.A newcomer to the travel industry, Leadbetter was previously the IT Manager for Trans Diesel for five years and has held roles spanning project management, business analysis and systems analysis, in the government and health sectors.“IT has a big role to play in the travel industry. The industry is constantly changing and evolving to meet market needs, and IT needs to change as the industry does—it’s an exciting chal-lenge,” says Leadbetter.

Rocky ExtensionRocky Mountaineer’s 2016 Peaks and Perks offer has been extended to all bookings deposited by 11 Dec, World Journeys has advised. Clients who book a 2016 seven-night package by 11 Dec will receive CAD800 in added value; or CAD500 for four-six night packages. The offer applies to select departure dates only and is subject to availability.

WA Humpback Swims?Visitors may soon be able to swim with humpback whales as well as whale sharks at Western Australia’s Ningaloo Marine Park. The gov-ernment has reportedly given the go-ahead to trial the swims at the park, with the tours to be offered to licensed operators in Exmouth and Coral Bay during next year’s hump-back season (Jun-Aug). Similar rules to whale shark swimming will be in place, including a 300m exclusion zone around the whales.

Scoot To MelbourneS c o o t l a u n c h e d n o n - s t o p Dreamliner services from Singapore to Melbourne, its fourth Australian destination, on Sun.

Dreamliner OrderBoeing and EL AL Israel Airlines have agreed on an order for up to nine 787 Dreamliners, valued at more than USD2.2 billion at current list prices.

Flight Centre in Australia is getting into the airline game by taking a 51% stake in an aircraft charter company, which it says will allow it to cater to everyone from the mining industry to ce-lebrities.FLT has agreed to take a 51% interest in Brisbane-based AVMIN, which specialises in fly-in fly-out (FIFO) logistics, ad-hoc charter travel, VIP travel, sporting and conference groups and air freight services, both within Australia and internationally.“This acquisition will give FLT ac-cess to a new and profitable rev-enue stream and will significantly enhance the offering we provide to corporate and leisure travellers,” says Flight Centre boss Graham Turner. “Effectively, we will have a com-plete end-to-end travel service, offer-ing a solution for any type of travel

Flight Centre Takes Charter Stake

whether it be a large scale FIFO and logistics operations, an executive or celebrity requiring a private jet or group travel.”The move could eventually see the launch of new services in areas where charters are a viable alternative to scheduled air travel, and provide chartered services on underserved routes or on key routes in peak peri-ods, says Turner.The company added that there are opportunities to roll the AVMIN model out within FLT’s businesses globally, particularly in the USA and Asia.

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Plantation For FamiliesPlantation Island Resort says it has been voted Fiji’s top resort for fami-lies by Holidays with Kids Magazine. It’s the resort’s 13th time in the top 10 but its first at number one. To cel-ebrate, the resort has released a stay seven pay four deal, in conjunction with its kids stay, play and eat free specials. The deal is valid for travel to 31 Mar and sales to 31 Dec, blackouts apply.

Sinalei’s New VillasSinalei Reef Resort and Spa in Samoa has unveiled a new Sinalei Tradi-tional Villas room category, with nine of the villas available. The villas are located in the tropical gardens, feature traditional Samoan décor and aim to offer ‘a traditional and cultural Samoan way of living, fused with modern style and offerings’.

New Fiji Jet RideA new high octane jet-boat ride has launched on the Sigatoka River in Fiji. River Jets (Thrill Ride) travels along the river, executing twists, turns and 360° spins, as well as giv-ing guests time to enjoy the scenery. It operates as a stand-alone tour but can also be combined with a Sigatoka River Safari or Off Road Caves Safari. The boats depart every hour 1000-1700 Mon-Sat, and are priced from FJD110 for adults, FJD55 for chil-dren (ex-Sigatoka town). Trans-fers from Coral Coast, Nadi and Denarau resorts are available. See sigatokariver.com

A320 Output IncreaseAirbus will further increase the production rate of its A320 aircraft to 60 a month in mid-2019 to match ‘ongoing high demand’. Airbus will add an extra production line in Ham-burg to cater to the ramp-up.

Wo r l d Jo u r n e y s m a r ke t i n g manager Caroline Clegg has re-cently returned from two weeks in Japan, experiencing the Japan’s Autumn Colours small group tour, which she recommends for first or second time visitors. Travelling from Sapporo on the northern island of Hokkaido down to

World Journeys On Japan Highlights

Tokyo, Clegg says highlights included the chance to sample ‘stunning’ food, taking in ‘forested mountains, pris-tine lakes and idyllic rural scenes’, as well as ancient cultures, and hot springs. She added that clients will also enjoy a bullet train trip and the chance to see snow monkey bath-ing in hot springs. She recommends clients try an onsen—a hot spring spa requiring full public nudity—at least once; and for clients’ first time in Japan, she advises adding on the optional extension to Mt Fuji, Ha-kone and Kyoto. The 13-day tour departs 02 Oct and is priced from $9730pp s/t.

Fiji Wedding ShowFiji will hold a consumer wedding show next Mar, designed to showcase the services available such as photog-raphers, cake makers, spas, hen and stag dos, venues, and hair and make-up artists. The two-day expo will be held at the Shangri-la Fijian Resort, which will be offering special accom-modation deals, and Fiji Airways will offer discounted airfares to support the show.

AKL’s Drug LabA c r i m e - f u n d e d s c r e e n i n g laboratory at Auckland Airport has made it quicker and easier to iden-tify and stop drugs at the border, says Customs Minister Nicky Wagner. In its first year, the lab has screened more than 2000 drug samples—33% of which were controlled drugs.

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Flowering Phenomenon In Atacama DesertParts of Chile’s Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth, is currently covered in a multitude of flowers, advises Viva Expeditions. The floral phenomenon, known as flowering desert, is the result of flash flooding causing dormant seed to bloom. Viva says the landscape is expected to return to normal in Nov, so clients visiting the region, should be quick to check it out.

Travel Today 28 TodayIt is 28 years ago today that the first issue of Tabs on Travel was published . . . just a fortnight after the global stockmarket crash.The changes brought about by technology saw the last printed weekly publication appear on Mon, 15 Dec 2008. Tabs on Travel was merged with Travel Today from the beginning of 2009.

Skal Auckland’s Nigel Pilkington was elected as World President of SKAL International at the Skal World Congress in Torromelinos, Spain over the weekend.Pilkington is the second world presi-dent to come from New Zealand and won ‘overwhelmingly’, reports Skal New Zealand president Tony Smith.Pictured waving the flag for New Zealand (and perhaps the All Blacks?) is Skal Auckland president Paul Leigh, New Zealand president Tony Smith, Christchurch president Leighton Cam-eron, international councillor Peter Morrison, and Priscilla and Leo Van Dyke, Skal Queenstown.At the presidents gala dinner is Leigh-ton Cameron (CHC), Priscilla Van Dyk (ZQN), Tony Smith (New Zealand

president), Nigel Pilkington (incom-ing World President), Peter Morrison (councillor) and Leo Van Dyk (ZQN).

Skal Int’l Appoints Kiwi As President

Priciest US HotelsManhattan has been recognised as having the seven most expensive ho-tels in the US, with a recent survey by luxury-hotels.com highlighting The Ritz Carlton and the Mandarin Orien-tal as leaders of the pack, both located in the Central Park region. These ho-tels average a minimum nightly rate of USD995 for a double room, whilst coming in just USD5 cheaper in the third spot is The Baccarat Hotel, situ-ated in Midtown Manhattan. Follow-ing closely in price is The St. Regis at USD945 for a double room; followed by The Plaza Hotel at USD893; The Peninsula at USD845; and Park Hyatt at USD834. The prices indicate the cheapest available rate for a double room during the month of Oct.

Thai Sports TourismThe Tourism Authority of Thailand is organising a long distance biking competition along the scenic routes of four provinces in Thailand’s north-eastern region in a bid to promote it as ‘the hub of sports tourism and as the ideal gateway to the Mekong coun-tries’. The Ride to Khong’s Legendary competition is held 29 Oct-01 Nov and will mark a new era of tourism for the region, says TAT. “This region is complete with picturesque natural landscapes, rich historical and cul-tural legacies, international standard sporting facilities, and convenient transportation access to the neigh-bouring Mekong countries; hence it is the ideal destinations for those who seek to enjoy sports challenges and cultural tourism at the same time,” it says.

Virtual Harry Potter TourClients can take a virtual tour of The Wizarding World of Harry Pot-ter as Universal Studios Hollywood launches the official website for the entertainment experience, making its debut next year. Through the website, viewers can uncover specialty retail shops such as Ollivanders, Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods as well as iconic locations such as Professor Dumb-ledore’s office, the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom and more. Further details and news of the open-ing will also be revealed on the web-site. See universalstudioshollywood.com/harrypotter/

AAT In-bound IncreaseAAT Kings has reported a ‘significant increase’ of in-bound visitors to New Zealand booking trips with shorter lead in times.“We generally see an increase from expats, new international travellers and returning visitors during the warmer months,” says AAT Kings sales manager Reece Scott. Popular tours include the 18-day Best of New Zealand and nine-day Southern Spotlight.