Tuesday 13 October 2015 Issue 3180

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, p2, p4, p5Cruising Today................................. p3NZ & VA Australia Famil ................. p6APT solo traveller hot deals .........p7-8

8 Pages This Issue

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Jetstar to fly to the biggest towns in NZ starting with ‘N’ AucklandNelsonSubject to Government and Regulatory approval. Flights are operated by Eastern Australia Airlines for Jetstar Airways.

Calling all passengers to UK & Europe. Earlybird deals on now.We make sure your client’s holiday begins the moment they board. Qantas flights include food, drinks, entertainment, a generous checked luggage allowance plus the ability to earn Qantas Points with every fare.

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EARLYBIRDS30kgs Economy35kgs Prem Econ40kgs Business

QF Non-Stop LON-PER?Qantas is reportedly considering launching non-stop flights from London to Perth as soon as 2017, with QF boss Alan Joyce telling Air Transport World the new 787-9 opens up flights between Australia and UK/Europe and hinting that LHR-PER flights would be the obvious choice. The flight would be the longest com-mercial service, taking 18 hours and crossing eight time zones.

Taj-Agra Skywalk?Plans are underway to create a skywalk between the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, says Exotic Holidays. There’s currently no road exclu-sively for travelling between the monuments, set 2km apart, and the tree-lined skywalk would shelter tourists from the heat and traffic congestion. Building is expected to start next year, and the skywalk will be accessible by escalators and stairs, climbing to 8m above ground.

F l i g ht C e nt re Ne w Zealand boss Chr is Greive has today con-firmed he w il l step down from the role in the New Year—hand-ing over the reins to former Flighties New Zealand executive Da-vid Coombes.Greive, also one of the Flight Centre founders, said in 2014 that he’d be in the local leadership role for a maximum of two years. As that tenure draws to a close he’s hugely positive about his time back in the Kiwi business and the com-pany’s future retail strategy.While shying away from taking any credit for the Kiwi business’ record profitability, retailer of the year awards, growing market share and strong staff morale—Greive did say that he’d really enjoyed his time back leading the Kiwi team.“It’s just been fantastic, the team has achieved some great things and I am very fortunate to be back at work at my age,” quips a rather humble Greive. He quickly earned respect from across the business with his egali-tarian approach—which included numerous visits to the Flight Centre stores across the country, and has seen the retail group place a greater focus on investing in its staff.While Greive will not take any credit

for it, staff turnover at Flight Centre is down, and motivation is said to be up. However, Greive (pic-tured on left) does say the retail group has measures in place to continue to focus on and invest in its people.

. . . Blended AccessFlight Centre’s strategy to be a world class travel retailer and its blended access model has now been success-fully rolled out in New Zealand. As well as revamped bricks and mortar stores, the brand now has a 24/7 on-line/phone operation and more-recently has launched its in-ternational on-line booking engine. Greive says the company is acutely aware of the need for travel retailers to stay relevant, and to continue to have a strong, long-term strategy. “We’ve really been getting some fan-tastic feedback from our customers on our new blended access model,” he adds.Part of that retail strategy has seen the brand win numerous retail awards (a win in every region bar one, it says); continue to win best workplace accolades; and named by Roy Morgan as New Zealand’s most popular travel agent business.• For more on Coombes’ appointment, see pg 2.

Changing Of The Flight Centre Guard

Communist Theme ParkA Communist Party theme park ‘dedicated to China’s home-grown he-roes’ has opened in China’s central Hu-bei province, reports CNN. The park features cartoon figures of Red Army soldiers, a map of the party’s Long March, a square where children can take an oath to join the Communist Youth League or become party mem-bers, and other installations highlight-ing moments from the Communist Party history. It seems not everyone’s a fan, with claims it could brainwash visitors. CNN reports it’s one of six parks the city has planned to promote patriotism and party ideals.

The appointment of Dave Coombes to lead Flight Centre’s New Zealand op-eration from next year has been welcomed by many in the trade as ‘pretty-much’ a local appointment.Coombes left his role of gen-eral manager product New Zealand in Sep 2013—to head to New York, taking up a similar role for the company’s US operation. He was well-respected by many in the Kiwi trade, as well as his col-leagues. While officially an Austra-lian, the larger-than-life Coombes has long professed his allegiance to New Zealand.

“Coming back to New Zealand isn’t just about the role, as amazing as it is,” he says. “It’s about working with old friends again. The amazing people of [Flight Centre New Zealand] and the fantastic tight-knit Kiwi travel industry.”

Coombes says he and his wife have now lived in four countries. “We’ve spoken about it a bit and given the option New Zealand is our first choice in terms of where we want to live and raise our children,” says the wannabe Kiwi.

US Spend DownInternational visitors to the USA spent around USD18.2 billion on travel to, and tourism-related ac-tivities within, the US during Aug—down 2% compared to Aug 2014. The decline is largely attributed to a 19% decline in fares spent with US carriers by international visitors, which totalled USD3.1 billion for the month. Purchases of tourism-related goods and services fell less than 1%.

News & Product

Fri 15 May 15 P3Tue 13 Oct 15 P2

Which Traveller Tribe are you? Read our trend report  and take the quiz at amadeus.com/tribes2030

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Accor Super SaleAccorHotels’ Global Super Sale is now on, allowing clients to secure a range of savings. There’s discounts of up to 40%, plus free breakfast for members of AccorHotels’ loyalty programs, and 30% off plus free breakfast for the general public. The sale applies to bookings made online 12-16 Oct for stays 01 Nov-30 Apr 2016. See accorhotels.com/supersale

Aircalin On SaleA i rc a l i n h a s f l i g ht s t o Ne w Caledonia on sale to 03 Nov, with Auckland-Noumea fares priced from $594 for travel 27 Oct-15 Apr (black-out 19 Dec-18 Feb). Fares are in the GDS or contact wholesalers for details.The carrier also reminds agents it still has availability during the summer holidays, with daily flights operating 11 Dec-07 Feb, and fares starting at $762.

Agents Vote EK TopTravel agencies around the world have voted Emirates as Airline of the Year for 2015 in the APG Worldwide Airline Reward for Distribution, with agents asked to vote online in the survey over the last four months. Some 5418 agen-cies took part in the voting, with EK receiving the most. Air France/KLM, Lufthansa and Tarom will also receive awards.

LATAM Sep TrafficLATAM Airlines Group has reported its monthly traffic statistics for Sep 2015, with system passenger traffic up 2.7% on Sep 2014, while capacity increased by 3.2%, leading load fac-tors to fall 0.5 points to 83.8%. Inter-national passenger traffic accounted for approximately 54% of the month’s total passenger traffic, and increased 5.8%, while capacity was up 8.6%, and load factors fell 2.3 points to 86.2%.

New Delta FlightsDelta Air Lines is adding daily flights ex Minneapolis St Paul to Rome, and six-weekly flights ex Detroit to Mu-nich, from next May. In total the car-rier is offering five new routes across the Atlantic from next northern sum-mer, also including New York-Edin-burgh, Salt Lake City-London and Raleigh-Durham to Paris.

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

© All contents are copyright, and must not be transmitted or copied without specific approval.PO Box 305-167, Triton Plaza, Auckland 0757, New Zealand.Bld F, 14-22 Triton Dr, Albany, Auckland 0632, New Zealand.

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Coombesy, The Wannabe Kiwi

Tue 13 Oct 15 Page 3

houseoftravel.co.nz/careers

Assistant Product Manager – Cruise House of Travel Tangihua Street This is your passport to an exciting career within a successful New Zealand owned and operated travel company. Assistant Product Manager-Cruise is responsible for supporting the General Manager - Cruise to drive growth in cruise sales via our wholesale cruise division and retail stores. You will be responsible for assisting with the overall cruise strategy and campaigns to achieve goals and sales targets.Based in our Auckland -Tangihua Street office, this role works closely with all relevant sales channels to ensure a thorough understanding of customer segment needs. You will also support the General Manager - Cruise in working with suppliers to source and negotiate outstanding deals and help deliver fantastic tactical marketing campaigns. The key to your success in the role will be: • Retail, wholesale operations and/or product management experience• Well travelled with industry experience• Team player, independent thinker, open minded and flexible• Facilitation management• Strong interpersonal and relationship building skills• Strong business process skills/knowledge/experience• Ability to manage multiple projects to multiple deadlines• Detail focused/analyticalPlease apply with a cover letter and CV to Linda Halliday lhalliday@hot.co.nzApplications close Friday, 23rd October 2015.

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Boutique Cruise SavingsThe Innovative Travel Co has released an eight-page catalogue packed with early booking savings on a variety of boutique cruises. Included are the popular CroisiEurope cruises in Europe, Portugal and the Me-kong, with the nine-day Vienna & the Imperial Danube priced from $2398pp s/t all-inclusive. Other high-lights include boutique motor-sailer and super yacht cruises in the Ae-gean and Adriatic, cruising on the Nile in Egypt on a luxury Dahabiya, the Canals of France on a luxury barge hotel and more. Clients can save up to $450pp when cruises are booked and paid by 20 Nov. For further details see innovativetravel. co.nz/current_specials

Vege, Vegan MenusCosta Cruises has unveiled new vegan and vegetarian menus, avail-able for all guests. The menus are designed specifically for those who prefer a plant-based diet, and have an Italian touch.

Solo Traveller Hot OffersSee pages 7-8

For the first time in 10 years there’s a new Caribbean destination for clients to explore, as Carnival Cor-poration’s cruise port at Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic has officially opened. Featuring a two-berth port and 25-acre landside development, Amber Cove will provide cruise clients with a gateway to the Puerto Plata region on the island’s north coast; providing the region with regular cruise ship visits for the first time in nearly 30 years. Set in a cove among tropical land-scape, the waterfront welcome centre hosts retail offerings, including crafts and souvenirs sold by local artisans, as well as F&B establishments, an artisanal coffee shop and a sky bar. There’s also a zipline, a pool area with a swim-up bar, children’s splash pad and water slides, while those

who simply want to relax can rent a cabana. However, possibly the great-est highlight, there’s easy access to a number of shore excursion experi-ences and attractions, as well as taxis and rental car services, which will allow clients to further explore the Puerto Plata region. Carnival Victory, with nearly 3000 guests, was the first ship to dock at Amber Cove last week, whilst ad-ditional ships from Carnival Cruise Line and seven other Carnival Corpo-ration brands are scheduled to make calls on Amber Cove. It will also be the first destination for the inaugural Fathom voyage. In its first full year of operation, the eight Carnival Corpo-ration brands will make 140 calls on the port with 23 ships. In looking to the future, Carnival Corporation says the port is strategi-cally located to be incorporated into itineraries featuring potential stops in Cuba.

. . . Add-on For KiwisWhile on its own a Caribbean cruise can be a ‘hard sell’ for agents, House of Travel general manager cruise Linda Halliday says it’s a great add-on option for clients travelling to North America, or as a stopover for those heading further afield to Eu-rope or the UK. She added that the Caribbean is a growing destination for Kiwi travellers.

New Caribbean Destination

Explore The KimberleyKimberley Quest’s 2016 cabins are selling fast and the company encour-ages clients to reserve their cabin now. Exploring the Kimberley coastline on-board Kimberley Quest II, highlights include cruising with a maximum of 18 guests, visiting many areas others cannot reach, and enjoying onboard amenities. Details, CLICK HERE

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Fri 15 May 15 P3Tue 13 Oct 15 P4THE

AnaheimINSIDER

PO Box 25-482, St Heliers, Auckland 1740

As I mentioned last month we had our big sales mission here in August made up of 22 of our Visit Anaheim partners, and led by our CEO Jay Burress and my colleague Pepe Avila.

We asked Jay to speak at a breakfast which attracted industry leaders (inbound and outbound), Auckland City Councillors and consumer and trade press.

Jay gave a little background on when Anaheim City formed the now Visit Anaheim organization, previously known as Anaheim Area Visitor and Convention Bureau, in 1961 and how it is now funded.

In 1967 the Arenatorium was approved with 7500 seats and 10,600m2 of meeting space and 30,000m2 of exhibition space. Fast forward to today Anaheim is regarded as one of the leading leisure and meeting and convention destinations in USA.

The Arenatorium has developed to an area that in 2014 hosted more than 1 million convention attendees whose economic impact is now in excess of US$1b. It is now in its 7th expansion phase with an expansion that will add 18,580m2 of flexible space giving it a total of 167,225m2 of space and a modern new wing to hold meeting and events by 2017.

Today Anaheim has nearly 55,000 rooms and by the end of this year expects to open a total of 10 new hotels representing 2,000 additional hotel rooms.

So Visit Anaheim is ready to welcome you and your clients, and convention delegates with open arms.

We hope to have those video clips up and running for you to access next month.

Pip

Actress Jerry Hall will take her final bow as Mrs Robinson when The Graduate heads to the Sydney Lyric Theatre stage for a farewell season late 2016, says Destination NSW.The production is expected to deliver some AUD1.6 million to the NSW economy, says Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres. The Graduate joins Sydney’s calendar of stage events for 2016 in-cluding Matilda The Musical, Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour: Turandot, Dame Julie Andrews’ direction of My Fair Lady, and the world premiere of Dream Lover, The Bobby Darin Musical. It will be staged at the Syd-ney Lyric Theatre from 02 Dec, with tickets on sale from this Fri.

Jackson Hole FestivalJackson Hole’s Rendezvous, a four-day lifestyle and music festival, comes to town 19-22 Mar bringing a whole range of music from Ameri-cana to reggae. The free festival is suitable for all ages, says Rocky Mountain International. An array of artists will perform at the base of the famous Tram and on the historic Town Square in downtown Jackson, Wyoming. See jacksonhole.com/rendezvous.html

Winter In North DakotaClients heading to North Dakota for a spot of skiing this northern winter can head along to Shiverfest, where visitors can take part in win-ter activities like a youth ice fish-ing tournament, kite flying, a golf course on ice, ice rally cross event, motorcycle show, sleigh rides and a pond hockey tournament. Shiverfest is on annually on the third weekend in Feb (next year 19-21 Feb). See ndtourism.com/events/shiverfest

A rise in middle-aged-men in lycra (MAMILs), increased demand for ‘poshtels’ and a rise in wearable electronics—Euromonitor fore-saw them all last year as part of its Global Trends Report, and says its predictions were on the nose.The 2014 report revealed a growing popularity in cycling tourism, with the rise in MAMILs predicted to pose a threat to golf tourism around the globe. It’s a trend that’s growing, says Euromonitor, with increasing numbers of bike kiosks popping up all over the world.Meanwhile more travellers are look-ing for ‘low-cost, high-value’ travel offering by so-called ‘poshtels’, such as Generator Hostels, which offers 10 hostels in Europe with two more due to open next year. Other no-table poshtels include the Shop-house Social Hostel in Singapore, which features a ladies-only pink-hued floor called No Mans Land.

There’s also been an undoubted rise in the use of wearable technology, with many travel firms embracing the new Apple Watch and the oppor-tunities it can offer.The annual report is launched as part of the World Travel Market London, with the next report due out in Nov.

Travel Predictions Come True

QLD Turtle HatchingTur t le hatching season has almost started at Queensland’s Mon Repos rookery, one of the most accessible places in Aus-tralia to witness turtles hatch-ing, says Tourism Australia. The turtles hatch Nov-Mar and Queensland’s Parks and Wildlife service hold Mon Repos Turtle Encounter guided tours to allow visitors to watch this unique expe-rience. See nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/ mon-repos/

SYD Noodle MarketsSydney’s popular Night Noodle Markets have returned to Hyde Park this month, and will operate every evening until 25 Oct. The market sees a record 50 stalls with flavours from Japan to Thailand and Bangladesh served up in noodle, dumpling and dessert dishes. It’s part of Good Food Month, see sydney.goodfoodmonth.com/noodlemarkets

Prosecco Cycling TripU Tr ack s ha s lau nche d a new Prosecco Wine Cycle Trip in Italy’s Veneto region as part of its 2016 catalogue, featuring more than 350 cycling and walking adventures, says World Expeditions.The seven-day self-guided trip, priced from $1790pp, takes in the area’s landscape between the Piave and Sile Rivers. Beginning in a his-toric hotel just outside Treviso, the trails take cyclists through the re-gion tasting wines like Prosecco and Pinot Grigio along the way. See utracks.co.nz

Graduate To Sydney

News & Product

Fri 15 May 15 P3Tue 13 Oct 15 P5

IndustryDiary

OCTOBERBula Marau Fiji Roadshow – Luxury & CouplesWellington: Tue 13, Amora Hotel, 1730-2030. Auckland: Wed 14, Pullman Hotel, 1730-2045. Hamilton: Thu 15, Novotel Tainui, 1730-2030.

Innovative Travel Ancient Kingdoms Holidays 2016 Launch Wellington: Mon 19, The Wellington Club, 1730. Auckland: Tue 20, Parnell’s on the Rose Garden, 1730. Christchurch: Wed 21, Christchurch Bridge Club, 1730.

South Pacific Association of National Tourism OffficesTauranga: Tue 20, Club Mount Maunganui, 1730. Rotorua: Wed 21, Novotel Rotorua Lakeside 1730.

Sunshine Coast RoadshowAuckland, Tue 27, Pullman Hotel, 1730-1930. Hamilton, Wed 28, Novotel Tainui, 1730-1930. Christchurch, Thu 29, The George, 1730-1930.

NOVEMBERExotic Holidays RoadshowHamilton: Mon 16, Evening. Auckland: Tue17, Evening, with special guest India TourismNew Plymouth: Wed 18, Evening.Christchurch: Thu 19, Evening. Dunedin: Fri 20, Evening.Wellington: Mon 23, Evening.Napier: Tue 24, Lunch.Hastings: Tue 24, Evening. Tauranga: Wed 25, Evening. Venues, times tba.

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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Experience Flying Reimagined with Etihad AirwaysWith seamless connections from New Zealand to Australia with our partners, flying the World’s Leading Airline has never been easier. Click Here

For more see Monday’s TRAVEL TODAY

Wyndham For BaliWy ndham is opening its f irst property in Indonesia, on Bali’s Lep-ang Beach, next Jan. The USD22 mil-lion beachfront Wyndham Resort Tamansari Jivva will be situated min-utes from the famous Keramas surf break, and will feature eight villas and 214 apartments. The resort will also boast an open lobby surrounded by a pool, second separate oceanfront pool, large beach bar, all-day dining restau-rant, conference facilities and a gym.

WLG Magic ConventionMore than 150 mag icians are heading to the James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor for the inaugural Wellington Magic Convention over Labour Weekend.The event, held by the Wellington Magic Club, will see the largest line-up of guest magicians a New Zealand convention has ever had—the club is flying in eight world-leading magi-cians for the event. The public will also get a chance to see the headlin-ing magicians perform at two shows at the Wellington Opera House on 24 Oct, see wellingtonmagic.co.nz/headliners/

Serko, THN PartnershipSerko has partnered with The Hotel Network (THN) in order to give Serko Online clients the ability to search, book and pay for THN brand-ed content through its online book-ing tool. Clients will have instant access to more than 5500 hotels across Austra-lia at pay on departure rates; whilst organisations can pay for accommo-dation on account, rather than using a credit card at the time of booking. The THN inventory will be available on Serko Online from late Oct.

Gluten-Free ItalyA p p a r e n t l y i t ’s p o s s i b l e t o experience Italy without gluten—Albatross Tours has introduced a number of Gluten Free Friendly de-partures for its Italian Grande tour next year. The 17-night small-group tour of-fers two-, three-, four- and five-night stays exploring the Italian Lakes District, Tuscany, Umbria and the Amalfi Coast. It’s priced from $8328pp t/s including accom-modation, coach travel, breakfast daily and 11 gluten-free dinners, all sightseeing, excursions and en-trance fees. Clients can save $300pp if they book and deposit by 15 Jan. Tours depart Milan on 26 May, 18 Aug and 14 Sep.

The recently restored Ash ford C a st le ha s unvei led a new spa and gym, marking the completion of the two-year restoration and en-hancement programme at the castle, which re-opened in Apr 2015.The hotel is part of the Travel Corporation’s Red Carnation Hotel Collection and was recently named the Best Hotel in the World by luxury travel advisor Virtuoso.The Spa at Ashford Castle of-fers a range of treatments in a ‘fairytale setting’ with views over Lough Corrib, and includes a Ham-mam, steam room, manicure and pedicure area, relaxation suite, out-door terrace, and five treatment rooms, including a couple’s room.

Packages include the Ultimate Ashford Escape Spa Package, priced from EUR930 mid-week, including two nights in a Corrib standard room, daily breakfast, champagne and choc-olate-dipped strawberries in room on arrival, dinner for two on the evening of clients’ choice, Ashford’s Signature B|Together Spa Experience, healthy lunch served post-treatment, and access to the relaxation pool, steam room and gym.See ashfordcastle.com

Active Asia VietnamActive Asia has $250pp off its 2016 Vietnam small group tours, for sales to 30 Nov. Tours include the Ultimate Vietnam Tour, from $2500pp t/s; Dis-cover Vietnam, from $3200pp t/s; and Experience Vietnam and Cambodia, from $4500pp t/s. See activeasia.co.nz

Ashford’s New Spa

Santiago From Above: New Look-out OpensSantiago can now be admired from a new perspective, thanks to Sky Costanera, a look-out point offering a 360 degree view of the capital. Situ-ated on the Costanera Center’s top two floors of the second tower and lo-cated 300 metres above the ground, it is the highest look-out point in South America. It is hoped the site will bring locals and tourists together to enjoy characteristic sites of the capital, including the River Mapocho, La Moneda Palace, the National Stadium, Forestal Park and more. There’s also the chance to learn about the history of the project through videos and images.

New Dining Option At Sydney Opera HouseClients can enjoy brunch, lunch or dinner in a relaxed setting at Western Foyer. Located right on the Harbour front, Western Foyer enjoys breathtak-ing views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and is only a short walk to shop-ping, shows and inner-city accommodation.The menu, which changes seasonally to utilise the best produce available, is designed by celebrity chef Lauren Murdock. She likes to keep it fresh, with Australian and NSW flavour combinations influencing the menu heavily. The restaurant has been open just one month and it is recommended clients enjoy a sunset meal to view the Sydney Harbour at its most picturesque.See sydneyoperahouse.com

Scaling Iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge A Must-Do

NSW famil day one

Capital Fun In Sydney And NSW

Applause All-Round For Matilda The MusicalMatilda the Musical has been met with high acclaim and for good reason. Clients of all ages will enjoy this show, adapted from the Roald Dahl classic book. The show follows young Matilda’s life in a world where grown-ups rule and life is unfair. With great performances by young actresses and actors alike, as well as a side-splitting rendition of the infamous Miss Agatha Trunchbull and the antics that surround ‘Crunchem Hall’, this one should not be missed, especially if clients are inclined to indulge in theatre. See matildathemusical.com

Cyren Bar Grill and SeafoodAfter the BridgeClimb (and perhaps a quick nap), clients can enjoy dinner at Cyren Bar Grill and Seafood. Located on the harbour, it is a perfect place to relax, enjoy some seafood and take in the atmosphere of Sydney. Each Sat evening there is also fireworks on the harbour. So, if clients choose to dine out on a Sat night they can enjoy squid and a show. See nicks-seafood.com.au

TWO AIRLINES ONE TASMAN TEAMWith over 200 flights every week, we’re bringing you a bigger, better Trans-Tasman network.

book now | virginaustralia.com/agents | airnzagent.co.nz

Incorporating Tabs On TravelTue 13 Oct 15 p6

The BridgeClimb is the ultimate way to experience Sydney from above. The fully guided climb takes clients to the summit of the world famous bridge, 134 metres above the city. BridgeClimb takes place in all weath-er conditions, with the exception of an electrical storm.Clients can enjoy the almost leisurely stroll to the top covered head-to-toe in overalls while listening to a tour guide, through a headset, telling of interesting bridge facts. The climb can be experienced either express, which takes two-and-a-half hours and sees clients through the inner arch of the bridge; or clients can take the full climb over the outer arch, which takes three-and-a-half hours.BridgeClimb tour guide Kate Hef-fernan has been leading tours for the past four years and says she loves to enlighten tourists of the history of

the iconic landmark. Heffernan was full of interesting facts when agents went on the tour last week, including a spiel about the history of extended NSW.“I like the fact that the bridge is still the biggest icon of Sydney. It was built to be an icon and it still is 80 years on. Time hasn’t diminished it,” Heffernan says.See bridgeclimb.comPICTURED: 1 The famil group pre-pares to scale the bridge. 2 Westie Besties: Jo Grundy, United Travel New Lynn with Vanessa Noronha, House of Travel New Lynn.

VA & NZ Experience Australia Famil

and shopping to name just a few. It’s the nation’s gateway and plays a vital role in attracting tourists to Australia.Pictured in front of Sydney’s iconic bridge is Joanna Dargie, Stephen Par-sons House of Travel, and Frank Gib-bons, Air New Zealand.

New South Wales is next up on the Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia Great Aussie Experience famil programme this week, with Sydney the first stop on the tour. Agents experienced the iconic capital of Sydney and beyond to some of the best wineries and beaches NSW has to offer, experiencing first-hand why the tourism industry plays a vital role in the New South Wales economy, boosting it by $19.7 billion each year.First stop was Sydney—regu-larly voted the world’s best city for its natural beauty, iconic land-marks such as the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, as well as its world class dining

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ViennaBUDAPESTEsztergom

EUMC15

WAS FROM $15,190

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15 DAY MAGNIFICENT EUROPE Amsterdam to Budapest – Departs May to September 2016

Travel Today, Tuesday 13 October 2015 Page 7

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Travel Today, Tuesday 13 October 2015 Page 8