IHG Hotels & Resorts will introduce its voco Hotels brand to Japan for the first time next year, after signing a management agreement for the new voco Osaka Central.
The 191-room flagship property marks the 75th signing for the voco brand since its 2018 launch.
It will be IHG’s sixth hotel in Osaka, alongside other brands including InterContinental, ANA Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express.
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CARNIVAL Corporation has announced the introduction of a new “Costa by Carnival” brand which will see Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze deployed to operate in American waters.
Both ships will be managed by Carnival Cruise Line (CCL), with Venezia to sail from New York City next year followed by Firenze out of Long Beach in 2024.
“We’re going to invite our guests to Choose Fun with Carnival, Italian Style!” enthused CCL CEO Christine Duffy.
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THE Australian Federation of Travel Agents is set to detail significant changes to the flagship National Travel Industry Awards, including simplified award categories and a more efficient nomination and judging process.
Details are expected to be ratified at an AFTA board meeting tomorrow, after extensive consultations with members and sponsors to redesign the massive event to recognise the industry’s journey over the last two years.
Set to be hosted at Sydney’s International Convention Centre on 15 Oct, AFTA CEO Dean Long has confirmed that the total number of awards has been reduced, to provide more opportunities for the industry to reconnect “and for our new partners to entertain the 1,200 people we expect to attend”.
Two new awards based on sustainability will be introduced, while alternate entry methods may be accepted for the majority of categories, opening up the award submission process to a new formats and potentially removing the need for time-consuming written submissions.
The 2022 industry night of nights will be “fun, entertaining and memorable,” Long told TD, with further details including major sponsorship arrangements expected to be unveiled in the coming days.
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AVIS has announced the launch of its new luxury high-end car rental brand Avis Prestige in Australia, offering travellers the hire of sports cars, supercars and premium luxury cars.
As part of the debut, Australian luxury car rental company Prestige Rentals will manage the end-to-end customer experience cycle, providing clients with models such as the , Rolls-Royce Ghost, McLaren 57OS, Ferrari 488, and Bentley Continental GT.
Managing Director of Avis Australia, Tom Mooney, said that while offering a wide choice of vehicles to Aussie travellers was key to the company’s success, giving drivers the chance to get behind the wheel of some of the most desirable cars on the market would also provide a key point-of-difference with competitors.
“Our goal at Avis is to always be driven by better and Avis Prestige will make the luxury car market more accessible for customers and give them the opportunity to hire a special vehicle for major milestone celebrations or for an elevated weekend away,” he said.
The new range is viewed as an important building block on top of Avis’ existing premium car hire offering, Avis Signature Series, which offers customers access to Mercedes and BMW vehicles.
However the hoonish reputation of younger people will see them have to wait their turn to drive the souped up cars, with services only available to customers aged 30 and above for the supercar range, while there is a 25-year-old age requirement to access the rest of the Prestige range.
Avis Prestige will be available in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast.
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AN EXPERT panel has delivered 75 recommendations to position Queensland as Australia’s destination of choice for domestic and global visitors by 2032.
The Towards 2032 — Action Plan for Tourism Recovery findings handed down by the panel this week are designed to be a comprehensive 10-year strategy to reshape Queensland’s visitor economy in the lead up to the 2032 Olympic Games, with eco tourism development taking centre stage of the vision.
Recommendations to accelerate the growth in eco attractions include much greater investment to establish worldclass national park infrastructure, such as hiking trails, mountain bike trails, expert guides, and more overnight accommodation options.
The creation of a funding stream specific to incentivising eco tourism projects as part of the state’s Destination Development Fund was also put forward.
Qld’s Tourism Minister, Stirling Hinchliffe, confirmed that $66.4 million had been baked into its latest state budget over three years to respond to the panel’s findings, concurring with its advice that funding must go beyond recovery and towards a longer-term growth strategy.
“It sets ambitious goals because Queensland needs to be bold to achieve long-term success, or risk being left behind,” he said.
“Some of the recommendations are ambitious and will need further consideration and consultation with the tourism industry,” Hinchliffe added.
Other tourism directives from the panel included enhancing beach and coastal offerings, increasing Qld’s appeal to students and families, creating more touring opportunities, being more active in the marine and adventure space, and becoming a regenerative tourism leader.
Access was another key area for improvement, with the panel noting a need to develop more air routes, drive destinations, rail and cruise services, which will be essential to visitor dispersal.
Read the full report HERE.
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FLIGHT Centre Travel Group’s (FCTG) Independent division has exceeded its own sales projections, trading at 310% of its pre-COVID record recorded in Feb 2019.
FCTG Independent General Manager, Astrid Richardson (pictured), hailed the Independent network’s ability to smash targets so far in 2022.
“We have experienced tremendous sales growth over the last six months, having hit record sales for the last four consecutive months,” she said.
“Our network of dedicated, knowledgeable independent agents are taking the initiative to connect with clients, expand their businesses and take advantage of the current demand.”
FCTG Independent is comprised of Travel Partners branded and affiliate agencies, Travel Associates at Home, Travel Associates Franchise and Flight Centre Independent, and has received heavy investment from its parent company over the last two years to hasten growth.
The focus of money spent by FCTG has been on building tools and support infrastructure for its independent agents, enabling advisors to drive operational efficiencies and improve customer service.
One key development was the launch of Home (TD 12 Jan), a single sign-on portal connecting agents to tools such as sales reporting features.
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CARNIVAL Cruise Line is today showcasing the upcoming return of its highly anticipated Carnival Splendor which will arrive in Australian waters on 30 Sep – exactly 100 days away.
The countdown period is showcasing upcoming itineraries ex Sydney to NZ, Melbourne, Moreton Island and the Pacific, with limited time offers of fares leading in at just $100 – more on the cover page of TD today.
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PRIVATE charter flights are more accessible for both leisure and business travellers through Flight Charter, which offers travel agent commission on “fast and flexible flights to almost any destination”.
The business connects aircraft operators with charterers, allowing for custom itineraries, minimal wait times, and helping clients avoid busy airports – for details see the last page.
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AUTHORITIES in NSW have granted a provisional licence to gaming and hospitality giant Crown which will allow the group to operate its new Crown Sydney casino at Barangaroo.
Phillip Crawford, chairman of the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority said Crown had “rebuilt its gaming model from the ground up” after a review of its operations found the company was unfit to hold a licence due to lack of controls on money laundering and organised crime.
The move comes just two days before the ASX-listed business is taken over by private equity firm Blackstone, with CEO Steve McCann saying “we will now finalise our opening plans and look forward to shortly announcing the details and timing of our launch”.
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THE Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has lowered its Smartraveller advice level for Japan to “exercise normal safety precautions,” noting the country has commenced a gradual reopening to foreign tourists.
Japan’s visa-waiver program remains suspended, but from this month visitors are being accepted on guided and organised trips from countries listed as “blue” (low risk) including Australia.
Smartraveller said tour operators will sponsor visa applications, and the higher level “reconsider your need to travel” advice remains in place for areas near the Fukushima nuclear plant.
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