Thursday 19 January 2017 Issue 3464

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, p3, p4, p7, p9Cruising Today................................. p3Business Travel Today ..................... p5Jetstar ............................................... p6

6 Pages This Issue

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HOT Warns Of Fake SiteHouse of Travel has advised there’s a phishing website trading with HOT’s branding, and is asking the trade not to engage with the site. The website is called www.webeds.com, and the team at HOT is working on having the website taken down. For any queries, contact Brent Thomas on brent@hot.co.nz

Air passenger traffic showed its strongest demand growth in nine months in Nov, according to the latest IATA statistics—and the as-sociation is quietly confident that 2017 will be another positive one for airlines.Total revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) rose 7.6% in Nov, compared to the year before; and capacity increased by 6.5%. The average load factor rose 0.8 percentage points to 78.9%.“Stronger demand for air travel reflects—and is supporting—a pick-up in the global economic cycle,” says IATA boss Alexandre de Juniac. “As the stimulus effect of lower oil prices recedes in the rear view mirror, the strength of the economic cycle will play a key role in the pace of demand growth in 2017.”The industry is continuing to deliver strong results, and this year, for the third consecutive year, will see the industry’s return on invested capital once again exceed the cost of capital.“Passengers benefit from the indus-try’s success. Travel has never been more accessible—with great fares, many options and more destina-

tions,” says de Juniac. However, he warns, uncertainty still lies ahead for aviation.“The threat of terrorism, questions over the durability of the economic upswing, rising oil prices and in-creasing protectionist rhetoric are among the concerns,” he says.“The industry has reshaped itself and strengthened its resilience to shocks. We should see another solid year of collective profitability for the airlines in 2017. But we must be vigilant.”

. . . By The RegionInternational passenger demand rose 8.0% in Nov compared to the year earlier, with airlines in all re-gions showing growth. This included Asia Pacific, where traffic climbed 8.3% compared to Nov 2015. IATA says the strong up-ward trend in demand in the region has slowed recently, but notes it’s not clear if this is a long term develop-ment or a ‘brief pause’.European carriers saw demand increase by 8.3% in Nov, suggest-ing the disruption caused by terror events and political instability has lifted, says the association.

Strong Demand In Nov; Good Year Ahead

Sun Comes Out For WLG; Flights Back To NormalWellington Airpor t operat ions are back to normal this afternoon following the ‘weather bomb’ which struck the capital this morning,

causing flights to be delayed and cancelled. The airport shared this photo on Facebook this afternoon of a Fiji Airways flight arriving from Nadi amid clear blue skies—a perfect example of New Zealand’s famous ‘four seasons in one day’.

LAX Flight ChangesAir New Zealand has advised agents that construction works at Los Ange-les International Airport may impact some flights until the end of Jan. It’s possible that at certain times, NZ may be assigned remote gates that will require a bus transfer to and from aircraft on arrival or departure, says the carrier. Customers transiting between the UK and New Zealand on flights NZ1/2 will not be affected. The construction work is affecting all airlines arriving and departing from LAX, notes the carrier.

Fri 15 May 15 P3Thu 19 Jan 17 p2

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Asia New YearActive Asia advises agents that its partner offices throughout Asia cel-ebrate their New Year at the end of next week. Some confirmations for new bookings will be held up slightly as a result. The Vietnam office will be closed 26 Jan-01 Feb, and China is closed 27 Jan-03 Feb.

EK Zagreb FaresEmirates is offering special economy class launch fares from New Zealand to Zagreb for sales to 07 Feb. Auck-land or Christchurch to Zagreb is from $1699 for departures 31 May-13 Jun and 02 Oct-30 Nov. See your GDS for further details.

QF Double PointsQantas is offering double points on all eligible flights, in all cabins, to all destinations for bookings on QF-operated flights between 19-23 Jan for travel 01 Feb 2017-07 Jan 2018. For details see qantas.co.nz/agents

Wendy Wu WLG MoviesWendy Wu advises that its screen-ing of The Great Wall for Wellington agents will be held at 1800 on 23 Feb, not 16 Feb as previously advised. See industry diary for details and RSVP to lisa.anthony@wendywutours.co.nz

T h e M i n i s t r y f o r P r i m a r y Industries has introduced a new biosecurity clearance lane at Auckland Airport for low-risk Kiwi and Aussie travellers, in or-der to help manage increasing passenger numbers.The new lane is for New Zealand and Australian passport holders who

don’t have any food or other biosecu-rity risk items to declare, and means they aren’t held up waiting for bios-ecurity staff to check goods declared by passengers ahead in the queue, says MPI border clearance services director Steve Gilbert.“The new layout will prevent this type of congestion. Kiwis and Aussie travellers who don’t have anything to declare will go straight to risk assess-ment via their own queue line.”The airport’s biosecurity area has also been enlarged, allowing the introduction of a seventh baggage x-ray machine. It also means there’s room for MPI to have two detec-tor dog teams on duty at the same time—one for travellers eligible to exit via MPI’s Green Lane, the other for those undergoing x-ray screening of their baggage.“The extra dog team will allow us to maximise the use of Green Lane. When our dog team has been called away from the Green Lane in the past, we have had to redirect eligible passengers to x-ray, adding to the processing time,” says Gilbert.

CX Dec ResultsCathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon carried a total of 2,958,925 passengers last month—an increase of 0.9% compared to Dec 2015. The passenger load factor remained at 85% while capacity, measured in available seat kilometres, grew by 1.3%. For 2016 as a whole, the number of passengers carried rose by 0.8% while capacity increased by 2.4%.

Speedier Auckland Airport Clearance

Contiki CompetitionContiki is celebrating the start of 2017 by giving agents the chance to win weekly prizes. To enter, simply visit the Contiki Agents (NZ) Facebook page and share your ‘What will you do in 2017 that you’ll remember forever?’ mo-ment by 23 Feb. The challenge for Kiwi agents follows the release of Contiki’s video to encourage 2017 travel. You can view the video on the Contiki Facebook page, HERE Contiki’s Raechelle Ross from reservations is pictured with her 2017 ‘remember forever’ moment.

AA’s New Basic FaresAmerican Airlines is launching new Basic Economy no-frills fares which include only one personal carry-on item that can fit under the seat in front. Basic Economy fares will go on sale 10 Feb in select markets for se-lect flights, says AA. They include the same in-flight experience, but seats are assigned automatically at check-in, no upgrades are allowed, custom-ers will be boarded last and tickets aren’t refundable or changeable

Mon 19 Sep 16 Page 3Incorporating Tabs On Travel

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Tahiti Cruise Savings With Island EscapeIsland Escape Cruises reminds agents that its $1000pp early payment saving for its seven- and 10-night Tahitian Affair cruises expires 31 Jan. “With the current Air Tahiti Nui special airfares in the market this is a fantastic op-portunity to secure some good revenue bookings heading into 2017,” adds sales manager Steve Parker. See islandescapecruises.com for more.

2017 marks another ‘exciting’ year in the cruise industry, with new ships being launched, new innovations being unveiled and more advertising being show-cased—all of which is helping to generate interest.House of Travel’s Linda Halliday says this, along with plenty of ships in ports across New Zealand this summer, has led to a high level of enquiries to kick start the year, with people wanting to know what cruis-ing is all about. And the momentum is likely to continue, she adds. “With new ships being launched again, across luxury through to mainstream and into river, that’ll bring a lot of additional inventory in, as well as new innovations and features. . . This does become a game changer for how customers perceive cruising,” says Halliday. What agents can also expect to see this year is a potential increase in interest for river and expedi-tion cruising as well as experiential shore excursions. “We’re noticing some very interest-

ing changes with our river partners and the type of demographic that they’re appealing to going more to the younger market.” Particularly river cruise lines that offer active excursions such as kayaking and cycling, she adds. Meanwhile, Kiwi cruisers seem to be taking more no-tice of expedition cruises, she says, largely thanks to more advertising being done; while experiential shore excursions are likely to become more in demand.

Auckland Port PowerPorts of Auckland has commis-sioned a feasibility study to look at alternative methods for power-ing cruise ships when in port. The main alternative being studied is powering ships from the national grid, known as shore power, as well as alternatives such as LNG or methanol-powered barges to generate ship’s power and the use of low-sulphur fuels to reduce emis-sions. The move has come about as part of Ports of Auckland’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2025 and having zero emissions by 2040.

Princess Takes To TVPrincess Cruises has released its first New Zealand television com-mercial, forming part of its new brand campaign, ‘The Moment’. Based around the story of a couple sharing a moment set against the Thailand’s UNESCO World Heritage site of Ayutthaya, Princess says the campaign draws on the themes of travel and reconnection to under-line its destination expertise. Along with the commercial, the campaign will be distributed across broad-cast, social and digital platforms throughout the year. A behind the scenes video about the campaign can be viewed HERE

2017: More Options, More Interest

Nude Cruise Take TwoO r i g i n a l Group, w h i ch m a d e headlines around the world after an-nouncing its first ‘clothing optional’ cruise last year, has just announced its second itinerary. The adults-only, couples-only Desire Cruise will set sail from Barcelona to Rome in Apr 2018, taking guests on a ‘high-end, sensual yet spicy experi-ence’. Along with private playrooms and a nude-friendly atmosphere, there will also be couples’ workshops, signature theme nights and ‘racy’ daytime activities and events on offer. The company’s first sailing, dubbed ‘Venice Foreplay’ will set sail along the Adriatic Sea in Sep, depart-ing and culminating in Venice.

Topdeck Euro SavingsTopdeck has launched a Buy 1 Get 1 Free offer on selected sailing trips to Ibiza, Greece, Turkey and Croatia departing in Jun. For solo travellers, a 20% discount is applicable on the trips. Providing a ‘great up-sell option for customers already travelling in Europe’, the offer ends 03 Feb and is available by phone enquiry only. To book, call 0800 525 366.

Mekong: Special OfferActive Asia advises agents that Pandaw is offering its eight-day Mekong River cruises between Ho Chi Minh City and Siem Reap at up to 20% off for sales to 31 Jan. Available on selected dates, pric-es start from $2700pp t/s, in-cluding all meals and excursions; while on selected departures throughout the year Active Asia has no single supplement avail-able. E-mail sales@activeasia.co.nz for further details.

Fri 15 May 15 P3Thu 19 Jan 17 p4

THE EMIRATES GLOBAL SALE IS ON

FEBRUARY2017 Adventure World USA RoadshowAuckland: Tue 07, Grid AKL, 17.30.Wellington: Wed 08, Macs Brew Bar – Cable Room, 1730.Christchurch: Thu 09, Christchurch RSA, 1730.

Gold Coast Tourism RoadshowAuckland: Tue 07, The Roxy, 1730.Wellington: Wed 08, Macs Function Centre, 1730.Christchurch: Thu 09, Dux Central, 1730.

Wendy Wu Tours Movie NightChristchurch: Thu 16, Hoyts Northlands, 1815.Wellington: Thu 23, Embassy Cinemas, 1800.

Canada Roadshow 2016: Adventure World, Rocky Mountaineer, Air New Zealand & Francis Travel MarketingAuckland, North Shore: Mon 20, The Postman’s Leg, Glenfield, 1800.Tauranga: Wed 22, Alimento Café, 0730.Hamilton: Wed 22 Feb, Joe’s Garage, 1600.Palmerston North: Thu 23, Joe’s Garage, 1800.

MARCH2017 Adventure World Roadshow Auckland: Mon 06.Bay of Plenty: Tue 07.Wellington: Wed 08.Christchurch: Thu 09.Venues, times tba.

JAWS Roadshow 2017Dunedin: Mon 06, Kingsgate Hotel,

1700-2000. Christchurch: Tue 07, Rydges Latimer Hotel, 1700-2000. Nelson: Wed 08, Rutherford Hotel, 1700-2000. Whangarei: Tue 14, Forum North, 1700-2000. Auckland North: Wed 15, Spencer on Byron, Takapuna, 1700-2000. Napier: Mon 20, Napier Sailing Club, 1700-2000. Wellington: Tue 21, Rydges Wellington, 1700-2000. Palmerston North: Wed 22, Distinction Hotel, 1700-2000. New Plymouth: Thu 23, Novotel Hotel, 1700-2000. Tauranga: Tue 28, Tauranga Yacht Club, 1700-2000. Hamilton: Wed 29, Novotel Tainui, 1700-2000.

Tourism Fiji RoadshowNelson: Mon 27, Grand Mercure Monaco Hotel, breakfast.Wellington: Mon 27, Rydges Wellington, evening.Christchurch: Tue 28, Addington Raceway & Events Centre, evening.Auckland, CBD: Wed 29, Pullman Hotel, evening.Hamilton: Thu 30, Ferrybank Reception & Conference Centre, evening.Auckland, North Shore: Fri 31, QBE Stadium Albany, breakfast.

MAY2017 Amazing Thailand RoadshowAuckland: Mon 08, Sky City Convention Centre.

Industry Diary

With the opening of Vanuatu’s new Ramada Resort Port Vila being brought for ward to 10 Mar, Coconuts Travel Marketing has released incentives for both wholesale and retail consultants. For every four-night booking made between 18 Jan-30 Apr, wholesalers and retail agents will receive a $20 Farmers gift voucher. Plus, the top selling retail agent during the period will win three nights’ accommoda-tion, including breakfast daily and two free drinks per day. To assist in selling the property, Co-conuts has an opening special with a 30% discount for three nights, 35% discount for four nights and a 40% discount for seven nights. It adds that travel dates have been amended and now start from 10 Mar.

. . . Agent RateCoconuts adds that Ramada is offer-ing an industry rate at VUV16,000

per night in a junior suite includ-ing buffet breakfast for two, valid for travel 10 Mar-15 Jun. E-mail reservations@ramadaresort.com.vu and quote industry.

Ramada Incentives

Okavango Luxury DealWorld Journeys advises agents that clients who book its Fly Around Botswana package, for travel to 31 May, will not have to pay the supplement to include a stay at the andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge. Representing a saving of up to $560pp per night, the offer also applies to the Botswana with Victoria Falls package. S e e w o r l d j o u r n e y s . c o . n z / destinations/africa/Botswana for further details.

Hearts Vs HeadsTrafalgar is encouraging agents to sell travel with their hearts, not their heads, in a new animation released today. The video emphasises why agents should talk about the emo-tional benefits of travelling ahead of giving the clients rational reasons. Check out the video HERE.Trafalgar has also hinted at the launch soon of its Trafalgar Academy e-learning platform, which it says will ensure agents are equipped with the tools to learn what makes the brand different.

QF Nth East AsiaQantas has tactical fares to North East Asia, ex Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Queenstown, for sales until 12 Feb. Beijing is from $977; Hong Kong is from $1018; Jakarta is from $966; Manila is from $898; Shanghai is from $977; and Tokyo is from $1098. Select travel dates apply. See your GDS for full details.

ZA Child Visa UpdateThe South African Department of Home Affairs has announced chang-es to South African entry require-ment for minors born in the country who have a current South African passport. According to Tim Clyde-Smith, South African Airway’s coun-try manager for Australasia, people under 18 who are South African citi-zens and hold a valid passport will no longer require birth certificates which contain parental details to enter the country. “This new arrange-ment, effective immediately, applies only to minors who have SA citizen-ship travelling from other countries (including Australia and New Zea-land) to South Africa and who will not need the additional paperwork required until now.” See dha.gov.za for further details.

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EK Opens DXB LoungesEmirates has opened its Dubai lounges up to Skywards Blue mem-bers, who can now pay to access the lounges and bring a guest who is travelling on the same flight. Blue members can pay USD100 to access the lounges (or USD200 for the First Class lounge) for a maximum of four hours, and can bring a companion for an extra charge. Platinum, Gold and Silver members can also pay for extra lounge access for guests, beyond what they’re already entitled to. Payments can be made at the respective lounges using credit or debit cards.

F l i g ht C e nt re’s F C M Tr ave l Solutions says its clients are travelling further and more fre-quently, a trend it’s expecting to continue into this year.A survey of FCM clients found a quarter expect their volume of trav-el will increase in 2017, a continued trend the company has noted over the last 11 years.In 2005, ahead of the Global Finan-cial Crisis, the number of trips taken annually by FCM clients was 3.5 per annum—a figure which increased by almost 75% to 6.1 last year, and is expected to rise to 7 in 2017.“As travel becomes more accessible and affordable New Zealand corpo-rates are travelling further and more frequently, recognising that face-to-face interaction is, and will remain, a vital part of business,” says FCM Travel Solutions general manager Andy Jack. “This is a trend airlines have rec-ognised and the last five years in

particular have seen carriers invest significantly in aircraft advance-ments for business travellers.”With the cost of travelling in premi-um cabins falling, more businesses are increasingly opting for this style of travel, adds Jack.In 2016 sales for premium cabins made up almost a third of all FCM bookings, compared to 10% five years ago, says FCM, which last year offered a record low business class fare from Auckland to Europe for $3399.

More LH, OS InternetLufthansa and Austrian Airlines are trialling introducing internet con-nectivity on their short and medium haul flights. Initially they’ll test free internet on five of their A320 aircraft, and after the official launch (sometime during the first quarter) customers will be able to choose between three different service packages—FlyNet Message for EUR3, FlyNet Surf for EUR7 and FlyNet Stream for EUR12 per flight.In the first quarter of 2017, the number of LH aircraft fitted with internet access will rise to around 20, with the entire A320 fleet set to be equipped by the middle of 2018. The re-fitting of all 31 aircraft at OS is planned to be completed before the end of Apr 2017. Eurowings also has plans to bring the Internet on board its aircraft.

M&S On BABritish Airways has launched a new partnership with Marks & Spencer which will see M&S food items for sale to UK Domestic and Euro Trav-eller economy passengers. The items will be available for purchasing via credit card only. Customers in Club Europe business class will continue to receive full catering.

FCM Optimistic Of Growth In 2017

Metro Aspire Sydney Undergoes Major RefurbThe Metro Aspire Hotel Sydney has completed a multi-million dollar refurbishment designed to capitalise on growing demand thanks to the open-ing of the new Sydney International Conference Centre (ICC). The hotel’s guest rooms, public areas and restaurant have been overhauled and upgraded to a four-star standard, says the hotel (formerly Aspire Hotel Sydney). All rooms have new king zip beds, furniture, flooring and bathrooms, smart TVs, new VoIP digital telephone connections and high speed internet. A new dining ex-perience, Gumtree Restaurant & Bar, is open for breakfast and dinner; and the revamped conference and event space offers two function areas, one with ca-pacity for 60 theatre-style, and the other a meeting room for up to 40 people. The hotel is a short walk to the ICC in Darling Harbour. To celebrate the refurb, the hotel is offering a package deal from AUD119pn for two people in a pre-mium room, with buffet breakfast and late check-out, for travel until 15 Mar.

Dreamtime In BNETour ism Aust ra l ia’s s ig nature business events showcase, Dream-time, will take place in Brisbane for the first time this year. Quali-fied buyers are invited to meet with Australian operators to help secure incentive business for the country. It will be held 03-06 Dec.

BNE Sporting FacilitySofitel Brisbane Central has opened the doors to what it says is Austra-lia’s first in-hotel high performance sporting and recovery facility. The new ‘ELITE’ Gymnasium was de-signed in conjunction with some big sporting names and features state-of-the-art cardio, strength and con-ditioning equipment, a multi-use outdoor area and two dual tempera-ture climate controlled baths. Use of ELITE is available for contracted groups and special events.

KLM Lounge KiosksKLM has introduced self-service kiosks at the entrance to Schengen Lounge 25 at Schiphol Airport, which it says will give authorised passengers quicker access to the lounge. Pas-sengers will be able to scan their own pass to enter the lounge. KLM and Air France passengers can use the self-service system immediately, with other visitors to be added over time.

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Travel Today, Thursday 19 January 2017 Page 6