Tuesday 07 June 2016 Issue 3323

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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EK A380 To AucklandEmirates has confirmed it’s planning to operate its A380 on the non-stop Auckland-Dubai route, with a ‘view to introduction’ from later this year. “This follows the achievement of high load factors on the Boeing 777-200LR aircraft operating the service since its introduction on 01 Mar,” says a spokesperson. Further details will be announced when available.

$85m For Kiwi OTANew Zealand-based OTA Online Republic (including Cruise Republic) is being bought by Webjet for $85 million. Online Republic specialises in online bookings of rental cars, mo-torhomes and cruises, with around 90% of its bookings coming from outside of New Zealand. Webjet says Online Republic is ‘highly comple-mentary’ to its existing portfolio.

Vivid Sydney Back OnIt’s understood it’s largely business as usual for tourists in Sydney today fol-lowing the severe weather which hit the city on the weekend. Most of the light installations that make up Vivid Sydney were expected to be back up and running today.

It has b e en conf i r me d t h is morning by the liquidators that TATS 2010 Ltd, the travel agents’ travel agent, has been placed in voluntary liquidation.It is not known at this stage how much is owed by the company, but the first liquidator’s report, due out by the end of this week, should give an indication of the level of indebtedness.Travel Today understands that ‘several’ hotels will be out of pocket, and that there is a few thousands of dollars outstanding for airfares.Usually, when a travel company goes

under it is the clients of travel agents who get hit, but this time it is the trade itself that could potentially lose out.A spokesperson from one travel insur-ance company said this morning that, taking into account the known facts as of today, it would be unlikely that there would be any travel insurance cover because of the collapse.

. . . Still A ChanceHowever, it is also understood that industry staffers may get their funds back by instigating a chargeback with their credit card provider. Credit card chargebacks can apply when a card member has paid for something they do not receive.Travel Today is aware of one case where an airline staffer paid over $1700 Fri morning for a family holi-day, just hours before the doors were closed in the afternoon.TATS was an allied member of TAANZ, so there would be no claim under the TAANZ consumer bond.TATS also dealt with the freight-for-warding industry, but it is not known to what extent.l Anyone affected by this collapse can e-mail tony@tabsontravel.co.nz, with TATS in the subject line.

TATS Placed In Voluntary Liquidation

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Dubai Discounts, OffersEmirates and the Department of Economic Development in Dubai have launched the My Emirates Pass, which sees passengers offered dis-counts and exclusive offers across the city. All EK passengers flying to or through Dubai between now and 31 Aug can access a range of offers by showing their boarding pass and identification, including discounts and value deals at restaurants and hotel dining outlets; leisure experi-ences ranging from desert safaris, golf course packages and helicopters tours; and a range of spa experiences. Travellers need to make a booking in advance, and quote the offer when they book. For details of the partici-pating businesses CLICK HERE

SA On Terror AlertSouth Africa’s Ministry of State Security is moving to reassure trav-ellers that there is no need to panic after the US Embassy in Pretoria warned about potential terror at-tacks in the country.The embassy said the government has received information that ter-rorist groups are planning to carry out near-term attacks in places where US citizens congregate ‘such as upscale shopping areas and malls in Johannesburg and Cape Town’. “This information comes against the backdrop of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s public call for its adherents to carry out terrorist attacks globally during the upcom-ing month of Ramadan,” says the embassy.The South African Government says it has ‘noted the terror alert’ and liaised with the Americans on their concerns. “We remain a strong and stable democratic country and there is no immediate danger posed by the alert,” says State Security Minis-ter David Mahlobo.

TAANZ has launched a new website with both an agent and consumer focus, which the association hopes will become a hub for travellers to easily find a TAANZ agent.The site ‘marks a significant change from the old in both content and the arrangement of public and member-ship information’, says TAANZ.There’s a public site targeted at travel-lers, with information on the benefits of using a TAANZ agent, customer testimonials, tips on travel and links to external sites. TAANZ says a ‘sub-stantial amount of work’ is going into social media promotions and it’s en-couraging members to like and follow the organisation.The new members’ zone is accessed through a sign in and provides infor-

TAANZ’s New Agent/Consumer Website

mation on agreements, rules, criteria, forms and links to helpful external sites. TAANZ will send all members their passwords to access the zone.TAANZ has also changed its tagline to ‘If you don’t see the TAANZ sign, you’re not covered’ in an effort to emphasise the consumer protection offered. See taanz.org.nz

IATA Leadership ChangesIATA has announced leadership changes including confirming Air France boss Alexandre de Juniac to succeed Tony Tyler as director gen-eral and ceo from 01 Sep.International Airlines Group (IAG) ceo Willie Walshe succeeds Andres Conesa, ceo of Aeromexico, as chair-man of the IATA Board of Governors, effective immediately. Goh Choon Phong, Singapore Airlines ceo, will serve as board chair-elect for a one-year term.

DL’s Free EntertainmentCome 01 Jul , Delta w i l l of fer access to free in-flight entertainment through Delta Studio, which clients can utilise via streaming through laptops, mobile devices and tablets, in addition to nearly 400 aircraft equipped with seat-back entertain-ment systems. Delta Studio offers up to 300 movies, 750 TV shows, 100 foreign film titles, 2400 songs, 18 channels of live satellite TV on select aircraft and a selection of games on aircraft with the seat-back systems. Entertainment options will vary by aircraft type and route. See delta.com/studio for more.

Air Tahiti On SaleAir Tahiti Nui has flights to Tahiti from $951 in economy or $2471 in business class, for sales to 09 Jun. The fares are commissionable at 6%.

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Roy a l C a r i b b e a n i s s e l l i n g Legend of the Seas to UK cruise line Thomson Cruises in Mar 2017, a move which has resulted in five of the ship’s roundtrip Brisbane cruises being cancelled.Originally scheduled for Feb and Mar 2017, clients booked on the any of

the affected cruises will be offered the chance to secure an alternative Royal Caribbean cruise, says the company. For those who choose not to cruise, it will offer a full refund of any deposits paid.In addition a sixth cruise on 09 Apr will be rescheduled, bringing forward her repositioning from Brisbane to Asia to 20 Feb 2017. This new 11-night sailing to Singapore will mark the ship’s final Australian sailing as it repositions to Europe for delivery to its new owner. All onward itineraries in Asia and Europe will also be affected. Two additional new sailings will be of-fered from Singapore to Dubai (03 Mar 2017, 10 nights) and Dubai to Barcelona (13 Mar 2017, 13 nights). Rhapsody of the Seas will then replace all of Legend's scheduled cruises in the Mediterranean from Jun to Oct 2017, with identical itineraries and departure dates, sailing from Venice. In turn, Rhapsody’s published cruises over this period, sailing from Cape Liberty, have been cancelled. Royal Caribbean adds that it ‘has not taken this decision lightly’. “It’s with great sadness that we bid a fond farewell to Legend of the Seas from Australian waters in Feb 2017, how-ever Royal Caribbean will continue to cruise to Queensland. Voyager of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas and Radi-ance of the Seas will all make multi-ple calls to Brisbane, Cairns and the Whitsundays this season, plus Aus-tralia’s very first new-build and the newest cruise ship to be added to the Royal Caribbean locally-based fleet, Ovation of the Seas, will debut down under in Dec 2016, marking her maiden Queensland call in Feb 2017,” it says. Legend of the Seas debuted in 1995.

P&O Revamps Wi-FiP&O Cruises has introduced new internet packages across its fleet, priced from $10 per day. There are four packages for cruises four nights and under, with prices starting from $10 for its bronze social unlim-ited package which includes access to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Whatsapp, Google+ and LinkedIn; while there are five plans on offer for cruises longer than four nights, which also start at $10.

RCI To Sell Legend; Cruises Affected

Croatian Cruising, OffersTempo Holidays is offering clients up to $1000 off per couple for its K200 and K201 Adriatic Cruises for bookings to 15 Jun. Sailing to Croatian islands for eight days, the cruises take in the likes of Split, Du-brovnik, Hvar, Mljet, Korcula and Brac. Prices start from $1808 for se-lect departure dates. E-mail res@ tempoholidays.co.nz

Agents: Sell & SailOceania Cruises has extended its sel l and sail agent promotion. Agents who book their clients on select 2016 Mediterranean voyages will have the chance to cruise them-selves, plus earn a commission that is three to five times greater than an average cruise sale. Qualifying bookings must be made between 01 May and 31 Jul. E-mail res.apac@ oceaniacruises.com for full details.

Norwegian Excursions

Discover the World has launched Hurtigruten’s 2016-17 Hunting the Light e-brochure which features the range of activities available to Norwe-gian Coastal cruise passengers, many of which are expected to appeal to Kiwi guests. Highlights include husky dog-sledding, snowmobiling, king crab fishing, cross-country skiing, a midnight choral concert in Tromso’s Arctic Cathedral and a Trondheim city walk, to name a few. Discover the World adds that the Northern Lights programme has become increasingly popular in the New Zealand market, largely thanks to the almost daily voy-age departures from Bergen, the con-venience of having the chance to view the Northern Lights from the comfort of a cruise ship and for guests to be able to experience a ‘genuine slice’ of Norwegian life. “Northern Lights cruising is a great add-on for clients visiting family in the UK or Europe over the winter months and looking to enjoy a quite unique experience in a remote but accessible part of Eu-rope.” For further details e-mail gary@discovertheworld.co.nz or to view the brochure, CLICK HERE

Fri 15 May 15 P3Tue 07 Jun 16 p4

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ATPI Acquires BWTAuckland-based Business World Travel has been acquired by global t r avel m a nage -ment and events business the ATPI Group, as it looks to increase its Aus-tralasia footprint.The move will see Business World Travel benefit from ATPI’s 'bespoke technology, purchas-ing power, and comprehensive people development and training', says ATPI boss Graham Ramsey.Business World Travel founder Grant Bevin (pictured) says joining the ATPI Group is a ‘fantastic opportu-nity for the business travel sector in the region’. “The travel management sector is fast moving and developing its technological and client service capabilities at a pace, and the ATPI Group’s expertise will empower new opportunities for us,” he says.

Ascend In New ZealandChoice Hotels is expanding its boutique Ascend Hotel Collection in New Zealand with the signing of Nugget Point Hotel in Queenstown. Ascend properties offer ‘established local presence, intriguing heritage and boutique character’, says Choice.

The Star Alliance has unveiled plans to standardise processes for self-check in, faster bag drop and baggage self-tagging as well as investing in an IT hub which will improve baggage mishandling.The ceos of Star Alliance member airlines gave the go-ahead for new technology investments and wide-ranging enhancements to operation-al processes over the weekend.“With today’s decisions, we are clear-ing the way to better align our indus-try’s complex back-end systems with the rapidly changing demands of our customers,” says alliance board chair Calin Rovinescu. “Global trends such as personalisation and digitalisation of products and services must trigger a mind-set shift in our industry and we aim to be at the forefront of that evolution.”The airline ceos endorsed devel-oping standardised processes for off-airport/self-service check-in, fast bag drop technology at airports, baggage self-tagging and automated travel document validation. The initiative represents an industry first, says Star chief Mark Schwab. “As we

represent around one quarter of the world’s scheduled airline services, we believe we can contribute to the reduction of operating complexities. Our member airlines have benefited significantly from standardisation in other areas and are determined to drive this process forward now, together with airports and system providers.”Star will also invest in ‘multi-million dollar technology projects’ including a new Alliance IT hub for baggage, scheduled to go into operation by the end of 2016. Baggage processes are currently complicated by relevant information residing in many differ-ent systems, and while mishandling a bag is a ‘relatively rare case in our alliance’ it’s ‘highly annoying’ when it does happen, says Schwab.

. . . New Boss For StarThe alliance also announced Jeffrey Goh will take over as chief executive from 01 Jan 2017, replacing Mark Schwab when he retires. Goh is cur-rently chief operating officer and general counsel at the alliance, and previously worked with IATA.

Star Looks At More Self-Service

Construction At LAXTravellers at Los Angeles Airport in Jun and over summer should be aware of ongoing construction at the airport, as part of its multi-billion-dollar improvement programme.Some sidewalks and roads will be closed, and there’s work underway in many of the terminals, says LAX. These may impact on passengers who are being asked to plan ahead, with details of the closures and up-dates at laxishappening.com

ISSN 1176-5275Travel Today (incorporating Tabs on Travel) is published by Tabs on Travel Ltd, New Zealand. Ph +64-9-415 8111.news@traveltoday.co.nz tony@traveltoday.co.nz

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Experienced Travel Consultant House of Travel Takanini, South AucklandHouse of Travel Takanini is looking for an experienced retail travel specialist to join our dynamic consultancy. This exciting opportunity will combine your passion for travel and knowledge of what makes a great holiday with an ability to understand the unique needs of a broad range of customers. You’ll enjoy crafting our customer’s ideas into something truly memorable!We’re in the business of enriching people’s lives through travel; engineering travel experiences that broadens horizons, connects cultures, awakens the spirit and feeds the soul! What are we looking for?• An experienced consultant within the New Zealand market• A minimum of 2 years’ experience along with National Certificates in

Travel Level 3 and 4• A desire to succeed and excel in the land of retail travel• An individual who is passionate, energetic and a great collaborator;

helping to create the best holidays with our customersIf you’re looking for a career and not just a job – this could be your opportunity! At House of Travel we will train, develop and inspire you to reach your true potential. So if you want to earn great money, enjoy what you do and be rewarded for you hard work - apply today! Please forward your CV along with a covering letter to Leigh Sommerville (leighs@hot.co.nz)

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Travelport AwardsTravelport and its digital services companies Locomote and MTT were recognised with four innovation awards at the 2016 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards in Sydney last week. Travel-port’s rich content and branding mer-chandising solution won silver in the Innovation in Business-to-Business Products and Services category; Lo-comote won gold in the Innovation in Technology Development category; and MTT’s apps for Singapore Airlines won two golds in the categories of Innovation in E-commerce Apps and Innovation in Entertainment Apps.

KQ Adds CPTKenya Airways will make thrice-weekly flights between Nairobi and Cape Town from Jul. The service will depart NBO 0720 arriving at Living-stone in Zambia 0930. It departs LVI 1020, arriving CPT 1325. Return is 1415 ex CPT, arrive LVI 1710 to de-part again at 1800, touching down at NBO 2200. The Wed, Fri, Sun service will use an Embraer E190 with12 business seats and 84 economy.

Following its success in 2015, The Swiss Travel Pass SuperStar Pro-gram returns for its second year and will run from 06 Jun to 31 Aug this year. A joint initiative between Rail Europe GSAs, Switzerland Tourism and the Swiss Travel System, the three-month program aims to better equip agents with knowledge of travel throughout Switzerland. Agents will be required to answer a series of quiz questions and to sell as many passes as they can. Those who get at least eight out of 10 answers correct in any of the six modules will be eligible to win prizes such as a Nespresso coffee

Heathrow Turns 70Plaques highlighting significant events, including where Sir Edmund Hillary landed after conquering Ever-est and where Queen Elizabeth first touched down in the UK as queen, have been installed at London Heath-row Airport to celebrate its 70th an-niversary. There’s 70 of the platinum plaques dotted around the airport, highlighting iconic events over the last 70 years. See heathrow.com/plaques

Flighties Witness Vivid Proposal In SydneyA group of Flight Centre agents have returned from experiencing the high-lights of Vivid Sydney, including exploring Taronga Zoo (one of the newest precincts to take part in the city-wide light show) and witnessing a proposal on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.The group shared the Sydney Vivid Bridge Climb with a couple from Sydney, who got engaged during the climb when one half of the couple got down on his knee and pulled out a ring that was tied inside his jumpsuit.Pictured in Sydney is: 1 Koryn Evans, FC Havelock North and Andrew Willis, FC Whakatane at Taronga Zoo Vivid. 2 Maree Casey, FC Timaru on Ultimately Sydney Gourmet Food Tour.

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Nanuku AwardsNanuku Auberge Resort Fiji has been awarded a 2016 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for Superior Service. The resort was also recently awarded the Best Dining Experience title at the Fiji Excellence in Tourism awards and a 2016 Grand Award in the US-based 2016 Andrew Harper’s The Hideaway Report.

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Travel Today, Tuesday 07 June 2016 Page 7

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IndustryDiaryJUNEKorea Road ShowAuckland: Fri 10, Rendezvous Hotel, 1800.

Starwood ExpoAuckland: Mon 20, The Maritime Room, 1500-1930.

Tourism Philippines ‘More fun in the Philippines’ RoadshowAuckland: Tue 21, The Maritime Room, Princes Wharf, 1800.Wellington: Wed 22, Amora 1 & 3, Amora Hotel, 1800.Christchurch: Thu 23, Rakaia/Crossings Lounge Novotel, 1800.

Globus family of brands, Rocky Mountaineer 2017 “The Americas” SeasonAuckland, Central: Mon 27, Novotel Hotel, 1745. Auckland, North: Tue 28, Takapuna Boating Club,1745. Wellington: Tue 28, Lone Star Café, 1745.Nelson: Wed 29, Lone Star Café 1745. Blenheim: Thu 30, Ten Pin Bowling, 1745.

JULY Globus family of brands, Rocky Mountaineer, 2017 “The Americas” Season Invercargill: Mon 04, Kelvin Hotel, 1745.Dunedin: Tue 05, Lone Star Café, 1745.Christchurch: Wed 06, Lone Star Café, 1745. Hamilton: Mon 18, Hamilton Gardens Café, 1745.Tauranga: Tue 19, Macau, 1745.Napier: The Crown Hotel, 1745.

AUGUSTSPANTO roadshowPalmerston North: Tue 09, The Distinction Hotel. Time tba.New Plymouth: Wed 10, The Novotel. Time tba.

Norfolk Stay, PayNorfolk Holiday Apartments on Norfolk Island still has good avail-ability over the months of Jun and Jul, and is offering a stay seven pay five special (a saving of over $220pp t/s), says Eye 4 Travel. Wholesalers have details.

Air New Zealand launched sea-sonal services between Auck-land and Ho Chi Minh City at the weekend—the fifth direct air link between the countries and the 30th destination on the carrier's international network.Passengers on the inaugural flight included dignitaries such as Min-ister of Economic Development Steven Joyce as well as a delegation from the Kiwi trade.“This new service is a further ex-pansion of our presence in South East Asia and our strategic focus on the Pacific Rim,” says NZ chief sales and commercial officer Cam Wal-

NZ Vietnam Link Takes Off

lace, who was also on the first flight. Wallace says during his brief visit he was impressed by the destina-tion, its sobering history and great cuisine.The route is expected to be popular with the Kiwi leisure market and the thrice weekly 767-300 service will operate on a seasonal basis through to Oct.

. . . Trade KeyNZ's recently-appointed RGM New Zealand and PI Leanne Geraghty says it was important to have the trade on the inaugural trip. "Hav-ing our key trade partners join us to experience Vietnam first hand is testament to the importance they will play in selling Vietnam and all it offers, as an exciting new destina-tion on the NZ network," she says.The group is still experiencing the destination first hand, and have given it the thumbs up.“I think Ho Chi Minh will fast be-come a great entry point for visitors wanting to start off their journey in Vietnam and then head north to the beaches and the beautiful Ha Long Bay,” says helloworld's Simon McKearney. “Asia is definitely being considered by Kiwis as a safe option versus the volatility of Europe.”A highlight for some on the tour was the cooking show and meal from Chef Tan, who was based in Austra-lia but is now in Ho Chi Minh. See hochiminhcookingclass.com

. . . Friendship BridgeAs a part of the activity around the NZ inaugural flight, Joyce an-

nounced plans to build a New Zea-land-Vietnam friendship bridge in Ho Chi Minh City to symbol-ise the relationship between the two countries. The bridge will be sited at Dien Bien Phu St and con-structed of New Zealand glulam. Vietnam is New Zealand’s fastest growing export market in Southeast Asia, with merchandise exports doubling since 2007, added Joyce. Pictured: 1 Air NZ’s RGM New Zea-land and PI Leanne Geraghty in the Cu Chi tunnels, which the Viet cong soldiers used during the Vietnam War.2Flight Centre’s Sean Berenson is pictured emerging from one of the Cu Chi tunnels.3 The trade group take to the streets like the locals do—on two wheels.4 Air NZ chief sales and commer-cial officer Cam Wallace; New Zea-land Ambassador to Vietnam Haike Manning; New Zealand Minister of Economic Development Steven Joyce; director of external affairs to Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Vu Tu; Ambassador of Vietnam to New Zealand Viet Dung Nguyen; and New Zealand Trade Commissioner and Consul General Tony Martin.5 The NZ group brushed up on their Vietnam history at the War Museum. Pictured ready for battle from left is Air NZ’s Jeff McDowall, and Leanne Geraghty, Sean Be-renson from Flight Centre, NZ’s Cam Wallace (standing) and Scott Carr, Raf Manji, Christchurch City Council, Duncan Small from Air NZ Govt affairs, helloworld’s Simon McKearney.

Indigenous Light FestivalAn indigenous festival, Parrtyeme a Festival in Light, will light up more than 2.5kms of the MacDonnell Rang-es in Alice Springs from 23 Sep-02 Oct. Using the latest technology to tell some of the oldest stories, the festival will feature a number of light installa-tions that fuse contemporary and in-digenous art. See parrtyemeaustralia.com.au for further details.

NYC Mermaid ParadeJoining together the spirit of old Brooklyn and new Brooklyn in true Coney Island fashion, the Mermaid Parade (18 Jun) is a DIY extravaganza of body paint, seashells, outrageous costumes, floats, cars, marching bands and aquatic creatures of every variety. The event draws hundreds of thousands of spectators to the Boardwalk every year. The proces-sion starts at 1300, moving east along Surf Avenue from West 21st Street; it turns south on West 10th Street, then heads back west on the boardwalk. Details, coneyisland.com

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Travel Today, Tuesday 07 June 2016 Page 9