Thursday 25 June 2015 Issue 3102

I n c o r p o r a t i n g Ta b s o n Tr a v e l

News........................................ p1-3, p6Cruising Today..............................p4-5Air New Zealand .............................. p7

7 Pages This Issue

Get standard seat selection with domestic Starter Plus fares Book a Jetstar Plus bundle for $19 on all domestic flights.Select your seat for free with domestic Starter Plus faresBook a Jetstar Plus bundle for $19 on all domestic flights. Standard seat selection.

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Coming to a Lone Star Restaurant near you, 22 June – 2 July 2015. Sign up today and be in to win flights and a 7 night Caribbean Cruise for two.

To register, and for event and prize details visit airnzagent.co.nz/usa-roadshow

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now

Y’all invited to our Southern Hospitality Roadshow

Why wait until December?Your clients can fly to South America now. Daily flights from Auckland to Santiago with onward connections to 6 codeshare destinations. Find out more at qantas.co.nz/agents

Operated by codeshare partner LAN. Schedule is subject to change.

Qantas and Jetstar are further putting the pressure on Air New Zealand and looking to lure more of the corporate market with the announcement today that Kiwi travellers can now earn Qantas points on every JQ domestic flight.Previously, QF frequent flyers travel-ling on JQ New Zealand have earned points only when adding Plus and Max bundles to their Starter fare. From today, all JQ domestic Starter fares within New Zealand will attract a minimum of 400 Qantas Points; Plus bundles will earn a minimum of 800 points; and customers buying a Max bundle will receive a minimum of 1200 points.The offering will include JQ’s four new regional destinations that go on sale in Sep, is only available to JQ’s customers in New Zealand and won’t be extended to other parts of the JQ network.This reflects that ‘JQ is one of only two domestic airlines in the country and has a significant share of the New Zealand business market’, says the carrier.“We play a unique role in New Zea-land’s aviation market as being the

only real competition to the national carrier in the domestic market. This initiative will allow us to improve our offering to New Zealanders and to continue to provide genuine com-petition,” says JQ Group boss Jayne Hrdlicka.“We expect this will be appealing to the growing number of business travellers who are choosing to fly regularly with Jetstar, particularly given our regional plans.”Kiwis purchasing the lowest fares will reach a domestic reward flight faster by flying with JQ domestically versus flying with NZ, says JQ.

. . . Growing MembershipNew Zealand has the largest popula-tion of QF frequent flyer members outside of Australia and the airline is keen to grow its base here, says QF Loyalty boss Lesley Grant.“When you combine the ability to earn Qantas Points on JQ’s growing domestic footprint with the ability to redeem points across the entire QF and partner network, it makes our Frequent Flyer program excel-lent value for New Zealanders,” says Grant. “In practical terms, it means flying to somewhere like Dunedin on JQ will earn you points to help you fly to the likes of Denmark with QF and our partner Emirates.”Kiwis can join the Qantas Frequent Flyer programme for free until 31 Dec at qantas.co.nz

JQ, QF Up Pressure With Points Offer

CI Adds TPE-CHCChina Airlines will operate a new international service from Taipei to Christchurch via Melbourne for the coming summer, complementing its existing service from Taipei via Sydney and adding 40,000 new inter-national seats between MEL and CHC.The extra service means CI will fly between Taipei and Christchurch six times a week over summer (three a week via SYD and three via MEL), and will see South Islanders offer ‘unprec-edented international connections’.“Last summer’s TPE-SYD-CHC ser-vice saw such high demand that we know offering more services for a longer time, through two Australian cities, will be well received,” says CI chairman Huang-Hsiang Sun. “The South Island is in very high demand as a travel destination for people from Taiwan and Asia, but we also know many other travellers used the transtasman service last summer and expect more to do so next summer.”

Inglis’ Origin Is BackAnother operator has announced plans to establish regional services from Nelson, saying it will launch flights to Palmerston North on 12 Aug and to Wellington from 10 Sep. Origi-nair has been set up by Robert Inglis, who founded both Air Nelson (sold to Air New Zealand) and Origin Pacific (which ceased operations in 2006). Originair’s fleet will consist of two 19-seat Jetstream aircraft. See originair.nz

EU Tight FiveEurope’s five largest airlines have reportedly banded together for the first time to lobby the EU to do more to lower airport costs and taxes. Air France-KLM, Ryanair, easyJet, Luf-thansa and IAG, normally rivals, have presented a united front on the issue.The EU plans to launch initiatives soon to ‘boost the competitiveness of the aviation sector’, which is said to have prompted the formation of the lobby group.

News & Product

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Celebrate our proud history at Air New Zealand’s 75th anniversary exhibition at Te Papa. Free entry.

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Discover China Eastern Airlines’ vision for the future.We are delighted to be increasing our service between New Zealand and China, and would like to invite you to attend one of our introductory workshops where we will be sharing our vision and philosophy. We will also be revealing our incredible, limited time launch sale fares from Auckland to Shanghai. We look forward to seeing you!

WORKSHOP 1

Crowne Plaza Hotel, Monday 29 June 2015, Conference Centre, 128 Albert Street Auckland City.

4:45pm to 5:15pm: Registration & Arrival Drinks 5:15pm to 6:00pm: China Eastern Workshop & Presenters 6:00pm to 6:30pm: Networking & Drinks

Drinks and canapés will be provided on arrival and after the workshop session.

WORKSHOP 2

Crowne Plaza Hotel, Tuesday 30 June 2015, Conference Centre,128 Albert Street Auckland City.

7:45am to 8:15am: Registration, Coffee & Pastries8:15am to 9:00am: China Eastern Workshop & Presenters9:00am to 9:30am: Networking, Coffee & Pastries

Coffee and pastries will be provided on arrival and after the workshop session.

RSVP to Nick Palfrey, Anthem, nick@anthem.co.nz by Sunday 28 June 5pm

101 Ways To Do The GBRTourism and Events Queensland has launched a new e-magazine profil-ing what to do on the Great Barrier Reef, including reef experiences, in-formation on the ‘Great 8’ marine encounters and suggestions for how to explore the GBR. The 101 Ways To Do The Great Barrier Reef e-magazine covers the reef and its five distinct tourism precincts—the Wild North, Cairns and Port Douglas, Townsville, Whitsundays and Mackay, and the Southern Great Barrier Reef. It forms part of a coordinated marketing effort by TEQ to drive awareness and visita-tion to the reef, which attracts around two million visitors every year. To sign up to a new weekly e-newsletter and receive the free e-magazine, head to queensland.com/blog

Airpoints UpgradesAir New Zealand advises for Elite Airpoints Dollar Upgrades, clients can continue to use Airpoints Dollars to request an upgrade straight from economy to business at the same rate on flights between New Zealand and Eastern Australia or the Islands – ex-cluding Honolulu, Tahiti and Bali. Air-points members can now also request Elite Airpoints Dollar Upgrades from economy to premium economy or premium economy to business, it adds

In a New Zealand first, TR AVELTech is ta k i ng place in Auckland today, with around 100 industry professionals, including hoteliers, on-line travel agents, destination mar-keting managers and the likes are in attendance. The event featured presentations from a number of top executives, including Expedia, Google, Experian Hitwise, Tourism New Zealand, Amadeus, AccorHotels, Mantra and more. The main focus is the ever-evolving space that is the internet and the dif-ferent effects this has on travellers, as well as the flow on opportunities this presents for the travel industry. Event organiser Martin Kelly says the Internet is having a ‘massive im-

pact’ and consumers are becoming more and more savvy when it comes to booking holidays on-line.He added that agents who are making internet mar-keting a priority, are the ones who are ‘winning’. However, he reiterated

that the point of the event was to bring together like-minded indi-viduals. Kelly says he is ‘satisfied’ with the turn out, and it will be determined at a later date whether or not the event will return to New Zealand next year.

TN Adults At Kids PricesAir Tahiti Nui is offering adult fares at children’s prices for sales until 03 Jul and departures 16 Aug-20 May (some blackouts apply). The deal represents savings of around 25% for adults, with fares starting from $849. The carrier has also released a top 10 list of what to do in Tahiti including top snorkelling spots and look-outs, check them out at airtahitinui.com/nz-en/10-things-do-big-island-tahiti

TravelTech On Today In Auckland

QF Adds Tasman FlightsQantas is adding capacity on Tasman and Santiago routes for the upcom-ing peak holiday seasons.The carrier will offer 44 extra B737 flights (around 7300 extra seats) on the Tasman 16 Sep-11 Oct, made up of six extra Auckland-Brisbane return services, two Auckland-Mel-bourne, 13 Auckland-Sydney and one Wellington-Melbourne. From 08 Nov-24 Jan, it will operate an extra Santiago-Sydney service every Sun, adding up to almost 8400 more seats on the route.“The extra seasonal services deliver on our strategy of offering a more dy-namic schedule to provide customers with more choice at the time of year they want to travel,” says QF regional manager New Zealand and South America Igor Kwiatkowski.

Jeddah AdvisoryThe check-in counters at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah will close 90 minutes before departure, effective 01 Jul, advises Emirates. Check-in desks will open four hours before departure.

QF TO North AsiaQantas has return Tokyo levels from $1050 and Shanghai or Hong Kong from $1100 return (booked in Q/N class) for sale to 06 Jul, and differing travel dates. For details see qantas.co.nz/agents

Tuamoto’s New RoleSolomon Islands Visitors Bureau boss Jo Tuamoto has been appointed as the deputy chair of the South Pa-cific Tourism Organisation. Tuamoto says he’s extremely humbled to have been nominated to the role and to have had so much trust placed in his hands by his South Pacific peers.

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Accor’s New AppA c c o r H o t e l s w i l l l a u n c h a comprehensive mobile app by the end of the year, director of revenue New Zealand and South Pacific An-drew Hodges said at TRAVELtech today. The app, he says, will be a complete experience, which users will be able to take advantage of from the dreaming stages of their holiday, through to planning, the hotel stay itself as well as a follow up. Not only will users be able to check into the hotel with the use of the app, but Hodges says they may be able to do things such as order room service, a movie, laundry and the likes, straight from their mobile phone. Upon check out Hodges says guests will be able to write a review of their stay, and will also be provided with ideas for another holiday. He says they are looking forward to creating a journey for customers, rather than simply providing a hotel for the night.

Rooms up in ASPACThere are 2388 hotels totalling 556,592 rooms Under Contract in the Asia Pacific region, according to the May 2015 STR Global Construc-tion Pipeline Report. A 6.8% increase in rooms Under Contract over May 2014, and a 1.3% year-over-year de-crease in rooms under construction. The under contract data includes projects in the in construction, final planning and planning stages but does not include projects in the un-confirmed stage.The region reported 254,342 rooms in 1014 hotels under construction for the month, the largest number in Shanghai with 7334 rooms. Three additional markets reported more than 5000 rooms under construction: Chengdu (6,278), Jakarta (6197) and Bali (5719).

FJ Goes Year-round Wellington to Fiji

Fi j i Ai r ways has to day become the only carrier to operate between Wel-lington and Fiji year-round with the launch of its new WLG-NAN service—calling the move one of the most significant routes recently announced by the airline. FJ chairman Nalin Patel says the step reflects the airline’s strong performance in New Zealand, adding that Welling-ton was ‘a natural choice’ for a new service.“The new service is already proving extremely popular here in New Zea-land with healthy forward loads,” he says. “We’re obviously delighted by this response from Kiwis.”Speaking to representatives from the travel and tourism industries in Wellington today, Patel says New Zealand remains an incredibly im-portant market for the carrier.

The WLG service will operate ex WLG Thu and Sat and adds 328 ad-ditional seats on the route, as well as allowing Kiwi travellers to connect on to FJ’s Los Angeles service.

. . . And More To CHCThe FJ chairman says increasing capacity between New Zealand and Fiji is something the carrier has been working on as part of its five-year strategic plan. The carrier has also doubled its capacity to Christ-church this winter, with a new Tue flight as well as the Sat flight.Pictured:1 In Wellington today for the launch, from left: FJ New Zealand manager Mohan Chandra, Otto Gergye FJ’s gm of sales and marketing, the car-rier’s head of industry, international and government affairs Shaenaz Voss and FJ chairman Nalin Patel.2 FJ Chairman Nalin Patel, with WLG Mayor Celia Wade-Brown, and Wellington Airport boss Steve Sanderson.

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Feast of VietnamThe Innovative Travel Co.’s newly Ancient Kingdoms Holidays Asia 2016 brochure offers everything from private tours of the key sights and private cooking holidays to beach holidays, Angkor Temples, Hill Tribes & Mountains of Sapa and cruising holidays. It’s luxury travel and private family options feature cooking classes, bike and boat touring, lantern making, a private ’amazing race’ in Hanoi and more from $2850 adults, and $1590 per child.

Thu 25 Jun 15 Page 4

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Fresh off the christening of its first ship, the 930-passenger Viking Star, Viking Ocean Cruises has an-nounced that four new itineraries and 2017 departures for Viking Star, and sister ships Viking Sea and Viking Sky, are now open for booking. Viking Cruises chairman Torstein Hagen says there has been an over-whelmingly positive response among both guests and travel industry part-ners to Viking Star. “We made a com-mitment to reinvent ocean cruising,

and we are well on our way. By 2017 we will have two more ships designed to enable our guests to better experi-ence their destination,” he says.New for 2016 is the 15-day Ancient Empires & Holy Lands cruise from Rome to Istanbul, with highlights including destinations in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, including three days in Israel. Intro-ductory pricing starts at AUD6549pp. There’s also the 15-day Bergen to the Bosphorus cruise from Bergen to Istanbul. Highlights include stops at Paris, Libson, Tunis, Valletta and Athens. Introductory pricing starts at AUD5700pp.Meanwhile, new for 2017 is the eight-day Secrets of the Southern Mediterranean cruise from Rome to Barcelona. Highlights include Rome, Tunis, Sardinia and Valencia. Intro-ductory prices start at AUD3249pp. Plus, there’s the 22-day Barcelona, the Baltic & Beyond cruise from Barcelona to Stockholm. Highlights include Lisbon, Paris, Amsterdam and St. Petersburg. Introductory pric-ing starts at AUD9249pp.See vikingcruises.com.au for further information.

Bookings Open For Viking Ocean Cruises

Avalon’s Kiwi FocusNew Zealand will take the spotlight next year when Avalon Waterways unveils its newest Suite Ship at a christening conducted by a Kiwi god-mother. General manager New Zealand Troy Ackerman says the launch of the new Avalon Imagery II will celebrate the New Zealand travel industry, and for the first time a New Zealander will be chosen to perform the christening (details to be announced).The event, to take place on the Rhine in early 2016, will see Avalon Imagery II become the 12th Suite Ship to be launched by Avalon in Europe, and one of two new Suite Ships to be intro-duced in 2016. Ackerman says it will host travel industry representatives from around New Zealand for a river-side ceremony and inaugural cruise. “We have been lucky to host a number of key New Zealand trade partners on various Avalon christening cruises in the past, but this is the first time a christening event has been dedicated to the New Zealand market,” he says. “This is hugely exciting and I am extremely proud that our collective ef-forts are being recognised in this way.” The 110m ship will offer just 65 cab-ins, and will operate primarily on the Rhine, offering Avalon’s eight-day Romantic Rhine itinerary between Amsterdam and Basel.

More Cruise DealsGO Holidays has Princess Cruises’ 15-night Vietnam, Thailand & Malay-sia Grand Adventure on the Sapphire Princess, dep. 26 Nov from $2099 for sales to 25 Jun. GO also has Silversea’s nine-night Greece & Turkey cruise on-board Silver Spirit, dep. 07 Oct, from $7549, for sales to 30 Jun; and Uni-word’s 14-night European Jewels river cruise on-board River Queen, with select dates Apr-Nov 2016 and priced from $8985, on sale to 31 Jul.

HAL’s Perfect ScoreHolland America Line’s ms Statendam has achieved a perfect score of 100, for the third consecutive time, on a routine United States Public Health inspection. The unannounced inspection was conducted by the US Centers for Dis-ease Control and Prevention on 05 Jun while the ship was at Juneau during a 14-day cruise roundtrip from Se-attle. HAL president Orlando Ashford says achieving a perfect score on an inspection is not easy. “...We con-gratulate everyone on the team who worked diligently toward this success.” Recently, ms Eurodam achieved its eighth consecutive score of 100, and in the past year ms Nieuw Amsterdam, ms Noordam, ms Ryndam, ms Zuider-dam and ms Westerdam also earned perfect scores of 100.

Thu 25 Jun 15 Page 5

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Royal Caribbean International (RCI) has released further infor-mation in regards to its major trade promotion, New Zealand Travel Has Talent. In an industry first, RCI is on the lookout for New Zealand’s most tal-ented travel professional and is open-ing auditions on 29 Jun. RCI sales manager New Zealand Mark Kinchley says the idea came after he demonstrated his talent—or lack of—at the product launch last Aug. “I am sure there are many more tal-ented people in our industry than me

and we have decided to find them,” he says. “We are looking for all sorts of talents, not just vocalists. So if you can juggle, tap dance or any other talent, enter your audition as soon as possible. You can enter as a soloist, group or even as an entire office, the choice is yours.” Once an audition is posted, it is over to the industry to vote for their fa-vourite. The top four nominees will be invited to perform live at the New Zealand Travel Has Talent grand final which will double as the RCI 2016 product launch. The lucky winner will receive a European cruise for two including return economy class airfares. To enter, upload your video audition to nztravelhastalent.co.nz from 29 Jun-31 Jul. Or, to audition on the spot, see Travel Today’s industry diary next week as RCI are taking to the road with a New Zealand Travel Has Talent roadshow. The first round of voting is open to 07 Aug, with the top 10 contestants being announced on 10 Aug; they will then be whittled down to the top four, with voting open from 11 Aug-24 Aug. The final four will then be announced 31 Aug.

Agents, Show Us Your Talent

Un-Cruise Details 2016 DeploymentUn-Cruise Adventures has released its full deployment schedule for 2016, with nine ships offering adventure and river cruises in Alaska, the Pacific North-west, Columbia and Snake Rivers, Mexico, Hawaii as well as the Galapagos Islands and Costa Rica & Panama, which are new features. From Oct 2016 through Apr 2017, the 64-guest Safari Voyager will sail 29 week-long adven-ture cruises between San Jose, Costa Rica and Panama City, on an ‘Uncharted Isthmus! Sloths, Monkeys & Mangroves’ itinerary. Guests will enjoy jungle hikes, water sports activities and more, whilst a full Panama Canal transit is included in each voyage. Rates begin at $2995pp, double occupancy. Plus, eight departures are scheduled on a 10-day Galapagos Islands ‘Unequalled Ecuador! Colonial Quito & Galapagos Islands’ itinerary. Featured is a two-day tour of Quito, island hikes, glass bottom boat touring, snorkelling, kayaking and more. Rates begin at $8995pp double occupancy. See un-cruise.com

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Princess Helps CHCPrincess Cruises will donate 25c from every New Zealand Natural ice cream sold at the new parlour on-board Dawn Princess to Christchurch City Council’s earthquake fund. New Zealand Natural will also match the donations over the next four months, until the ship returns to Sydney on 23 Oct. The cruise line said it wanted to give back to one of the most popular regions it visits.

Next Gen MSCConstruction has begun on MSC Cruises’ new generation of ships as the first steel for MSC Seaside has been cut at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard in Italy. With capacity of up to 5179 guests, Seaside will be the largest ever ship built by Fincantieri. It’s set to debut in Nov 2017, and will be based year-round in Miami to sail a wide range of Caribbean itineraries.MSC Cruises chief executive officer Gianni Onorato says the ship will spearhead the company’s campaign to expand their presence in North America. “MSC Cruises has the unique op-portunity to provide North American guests with an outstanding ‘Medi-terranean Style Cruise’ experience, and guests from around the world a unique setting as it will sail to the most sought-after destinations in the Caribbean.”MSC Seaside is the first of two Sea-side class ships, the second of which will enter service in May 2018. Ad-ditionally, MSC Cruises has an op-tion for a third Seaside ship to be delivered in 2021. MSC Seaside will be christened in Miami in Dec 2017; which will be the first time an MSC Cruises’ ship is christened in the USA.

Carnival Menu ChangeCh icken w i ngs , f r ie d sh r i mp, quesadillas, personal pizza and su-shi (if a Bonsai restaurant is aboard) have been added to the room service menu aboard three Carnival Cruise Lines vessels but at a cost. The aim of the new menu is to broaden variety and choice, and it is being trialled on Carnival Imagina-tion, Quest and Pride. The existing free room service menu of seven hot and cold sandwiches, three salad choices, three deserts and eight beverages and a Conti-nental breakfast menu will remain alongside the pay-for choices, says Carnival.

Fri 15 May 15 P3Thu 25 Jun 15 P6

JUNEAir New Zealand’s Southern Hospitality RoadshowNelson: Thu 25, Lone Star Restaurant, 88-90 Hardy St, 1800-2000. Wellington: Mon 29, Lone Star Restaurant, 66 Tory Street, 1800-2000.Napier: Lone Star Restaurant, Cnr Marine Parade and Emerson Street, 1830-2030.

Globus Family of Brands and Rocky Mountaineer 2016 North America LaunchNapier: Thu 25, Hogs Breath Café, 49 Marine Parade, 1745.

Scenic Information SessionsNelson: 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.

Globus Family of Brands 2016 North America LaunchNelson: Wed 01, Action Indoor Sports Stadium, 30 McPherson Street, Richmond, 1745. Pukekohe: Tue 21, Pukekohe Cosmopolitan Club - Ten Pin Bowling Centre, 78 Nelson Street, 1745.

Air New Zealand’s Southern Hospitality RoadshowTauranga: Wed 01, Lone Star Restaurant, 41 The Strand, 1800-2000.

Hamilton: Thu 02, Lone Star Restaurant, 185 Victoria Street, 1800-2000.

Globus Family of Brands and Rocky Mountaineer- 2016 North America LaunchLower Hutt: Mon 06, Strikenz, 399 Hutt Road, 1745. Palmerston North: Tue 07, Bowlarama Ten Pin Bowling Centre, 94 Cuba Street, 1745. Christchurch: Tue 21, Tequila Mockingbird, 98 Victoria Street, 1745.

South Pacific Association of National Tourism OffficesNelson: Tue 21, the Suburban Club, 1730.

OzFocus AucklandAuckland: Thu 23, Travel Corporation offices 131 New North Rd, Eden Terrace from 1800.

Hawaii Tourism MCI RoadshowAuckland: Fri 24, Hilton, 1730-1930.

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.

South Pacific Association of National Tourism OffficesNapier: Mon 24, the Crown Hotel, 1730.

Industry Diary

For more see Monday’s Travel Today

Starwood MexicoStarwood Hotels & Resorts has signed an agreement with Immo-bilaria Punta Tormentos S.A. de C.V. to introduce its brand to Cozumel, Mexico. Sheraton Cozumel Resort is slated to open in early 2018 and will be located on an island in the Yucatan Peninsula with sweeping views of the Caribbean. There will be 120 guestrooms, including six suites and in addition to direct beach access, the resort will offer two pools, a poolside bar, three restaurants, a lobby lounge and the Link@Sheraton experience. The new resort will increase the Sheraton brand’s portfolio to six hotels in Mexico and 37 in the region. Visit sheraton.com for more.

India ExcursionA Day with the Dabbawallas is Exotic Holiday’s latest India excur-sion. Guests will spend time with the famous white coasted messen-gers as they organise and deliver home cooked lunches to around 100,000 office workers in Mumbai —a service which has been go-ing for 125 years. For more, e-mail info@exoticholidays.co.nz

Uncommon RussiaThe Kamchatka Reindeer Herders & the Ring of Fire tour takes in the remote Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia’s east coast in a nine-day exploration by cross-country vehicle and helicopter. Highlights include the UNESCO-listed Valley of the Geysers, visiting a reindeer breeder’s camp, trekking Avacha volcano, a boat ride around the bay of the remote seaside town of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky which is surrounded by three vol-canoes, visit the Koryak and Even indigenous people of Esso, soak-ing in hot springs, art, folk dancing and traditional songs. Cost is from USD6495 pp. The tour is run by Seattle-based MIR Corporation, which has twice been named one of National Geographic Magazine’s Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth. Details, see mircorp.com

New Orleans AccessNew Orleans is hopeful more New Zealand visitors might head its way when Air New Zealand launches its direct flights to Houston. The city is only a one-hour flight from Houston. New Zealand is one of the emerging markets New Or-leans is keeping a close eye on, said a spokesperson at IPW this week. For the latest on New Orleans, which will host IPW next year, see neworleans4agents.com

#FEELRARO With GOGO Holidays has #FEELRARO spe-cials with seat + bag flights Air NZ fares ex Auckland to Rarotonga. Flights and five nights at Club Raro Resort is from $829pp s/t; upgrade to the Edgewater Resort & Spa, flights and five nights from $999pp s/t; or enjoy the adults only Sun-set Resort Rarotonga, flights and five nights from $1119pp s/t; or the Crown Beach Resort & Spa, f l ights and five nights is from $1539pp s/t. The deals are for sales to 30 Jun for travel 12 Oct-30 Mar 2016. Close-outs apply. GO has details.

AAT Kings is seeing a surge in repeat bookings, a trend it is attributing to the efforts of trade and its own brand relaunch. “The multi-million dollar in-vestment and enhancements to our service, delivery and experi-ences is clearly resonating with our guests and just as impor-tantly with our trade partners as we see a consistent increase in repeat bookings from past guests throughout 2015,” says AAT Kings New Zealand general manager Bruce Gentry. “Demand for The Kimberley and Tasmania is at an all-time high and we have also seen a boost in group enquiries from travel agents plus more retailers booking

our domestic New Zealand holidays, whether it is South Islanders head-ing north or the other way around for North Islanders,” he says. “At the time of our relaunch, we were clear as a brand about focusing on our trade relationships to grow retailers’ domestic and trans-Tasman business so this surge in repeat bookings is a great start that we want to further build on.” Gentry added that the brand is continuing to be ‘innovative with new product and destinations whether it’s a bigger focus on food and wine, culture and natures; the length of our holidays; or family holi-days’. Visit aatkings.com

LON Running ToursRun Around London has launched a northern summer session of early-morning running tours of London. Participants depart for an hourly run that spans anywhere from 5km to 10km, and offers a fitness-forward way to learn more about the city. The runs will take place throughout the week, from 29 Jun-28 Aug, and will begin at 0630. The routes be-gin at Farringdon Tube Station and passes by St. Bart’s Hospital Mar-ket, Smithfields, London Wall, The Guildhall, Bank of England, Tower of London, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Other routes include Historical/Icon-ic London, Royal London and Parks and three versions of the River Run. See runaroundlondon.com for fur-ther information.

YHA Free-o PrisonYHA has converted the women’s division of the World Heritage-listed Fremantle Prison into a 200-bed hostel. The Fremantle Prison YHA has opened and offers the original fabric of the prison and its history is interpreted and displayed through-out the building. Guests are able to sleep in original cells or prison warder’s cottages, as well as brand new purpose-built private rooms or dormitory-style accommodation.

AAT Thanks TradeNews & Product

Air New ZealandSouth East Asia Trip of a Lifetime

Watching the city wake up the group took in the locals practicing their morning Tai Chi at Tao Dan Park, Buddhists praying and peo-ple watching at café sua da, where the locals gather with their birds to relax, talk, enjoy a morning coffee.It was then on to the ‘assault on the senses’ that is a wet market, home to everything from live seafood to dried meats.Singapore-bound the group stayed in style at the heritage listed Hotel Fort

Air New Zealand offers a range of Online Training modules for agents to complete at their leisure.

There is a dedicated Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines Alliance module which takes approximately 10-20mins and will cover all aspects of the Alliance.

to access the Online Training or contact agencytraining@airnz.co.nz for assistance.CLICK HERE

Incorporating Tabs On TravelThu 25 Jun 15 p7

Vietnam Locals’ Style To Five-star Singapore

Canning, before a final private din-ner at the famed Raffles Hotel—and maybe a Singapore Sling or two at the hotel’s iconic Long Bar to finish the high-end trip on a high note.*The group flew Air New Zealand to Singapore and connected with Singa-pore Airlines’ network to and around Vietnam. NZ and SQ offer Kiwi travel-lers a combined 21 services weekly from New Zealand to Singapore, con-necting on to 29 South East Asian points on the SQ network.

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9 1 Enjoying the Singapore waterfront light show.2 Heading to the Marina Bay Sands to sample a Singapore Sling.3 Lynaire Monnery (Flight Centre Broker), Wendy McDonald (Flight Centre

Broker) and Jade Corry (Flight Centre Rotorua).4 The group about to enjoy the Indian fusion cuisine at Raffles.5 The 5 curry sampler dish.6 Posing with the Raffles Hotel’s Sikh doorman. 7 The team enjoying a glass of bubbles on the last night of the trip. 8 Jess Stoker (Flight Centre Queensgate), Leah Johnson (Intrepid Travel), Ta-

mara Bashford (Flight Centre Hornby).9 The Singapore skyline by night.

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