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Vietnam Specialfrom 1057*p.ptwin shareHurry! Offer ends 30 Sep 2012* Price is based on two persons travelling together, twin share or double bedded room.Book and full payment by 30/9/12.Hurry! Book now.Preferred wholesaler since 19961300 309 117www.vnholidays.com.au4RAVEL AILY(KTUV YKVJ VJG PGYUNEW! Virgin Australia industry rates toEurope, Middle East and Africa.Short sale to 31 AUG 12.From 899* pp return plus taxes.Thursday 16th August 2012CLICK HERE for further detailsVirgin expands SQ codesharesVIRGIN Australia is now offeringflights to 19 new destinationsacross Asia, with a significantboost to its cooperation deal withSingapore Airlines becomingeffective yesterday.The move covers a range offlights operated by both SIA andSilkAir, and includes ports in SriLanka, China, Thailand, Malaysiaand Vietnam - as well as SQ’sBrisbane-Singapore route.Become aVanuatuexpert!wia spotnon the nextVanuatu familGo to www.vanuatu.travel/australian-agents for details.Are you a travelconsultantwho deservesa break?Go to www.airvanuatu.com/agent for details.www.vanuatu.travel*Conditions apply, taxes not includedNew Chinese destinations onoffer include SilkAir flights toChangsha, Chengdu, Chongqing,Kunming, Shenzhen and Xiamen.The Virgin Australia code hasalso now been placed on SilkAirflights to Kota Kinabalu andKuching in Malaysian Borneo, aswell as Hanoi and Da Nang inVietnam.Singapore Airlines routes addedto the Virgin Australia networkyesterday also include flights fromSingapore to Bangkok, HongKong, Kuala Lumpur, Guangzhou,Ho Chin Minh City and Hanoi.SALA appoints UniqueUNIQUE Tourism Collection hasbeen named as the Australianrepresentative for SALA Resortsand Spa properties in Thailand.SALA manages pool villa resortsin Phuket, Koh Samui & Khaoyai,with further developmentsunderway in Bangkok, Chiang Mai,Ayutthaya and an additionalproperty in Koh Samui.Contiki sport of kingsYOUTH tour operator Contikiwill operate its first everdepartures to Melbourne SpringHorse Racing Carnival’s CrownOaks Day as part of its 2012/13Australia tour schedule.Departing 07 Nov from bothSydney and Melbourne, the tourincludes return coach travel tothe event, two nights twin shareaccom, entry to the race trackand champagne brunch, and ispriced from 375ppts land only,with Sydney departures startingat 465ppts and including returncoach transport to the Vic capital.sell*Conditions Apply. Taxes approx. 120* - 350* pp.China Southern keenon Aussie partnerTHE head of China SouthernAirlines has admitted a desire tohave an Australian airline partnerand is open to talks.“We would be very happy tocooperate with an Australiancarrier, including Qantas or VirginBlue [Australia],” Tan Wangengsaid yesterday in Guangzhou.CZ’s president and ceo said hewas looking for an opportunity todiscuss an alliance.“If the Australian airlines areinterested in working with ChinaSouthern Airlines I think it wouldbe very beneficial for them,especially if they are keen to tapinto the Chinese market,” he said.Another A380 for SYDSYDNEY has been earmarked asthe first Australian gateway topossibly see the introduction ofChina Southern’s superjumbos.Speaking at a press event inGuangzhou yesterday, CZ ceo andpresident Tan Wangeng revealedChina’s largest carrier in terms ofpax volume was “investigating”daily A380 services to Sydney.Tan said the Airbus A380 wouldcomplement CZ’s twice dailyA330 service, lifting frequenciesto triple daily if given the nod.“We have to study if the marketis big enough to digest suchcapacity,” he said.Adelaide in CZ plansWindowSeatBUT do you have to assemblethe bed & room furniture first?The company which ownsNordic furniture giant Ikea hasrevealed plans to commencethe development of more than100 budget hotels acrossEurope in the next year.The Frankfurter AllgemeineZeitung newspaper reportedthat the ‘budget design’properties would be created inmarkets such as the UK, Poland,Netherlands and Germany.And it’s unlikely they will servebargain Swedish meatballs or 1hot dogs, because they won’t bebranded as Ikea, and will insteadbe run by an “established hoteloperator,” the report says.GUESTS at AYANA Resort & Spain Bali last weekend enjoyed aunique experience alongsidetheir luxury accommodation.Someone spotted a babyturtle taking its first cautioussteps into the world at theproperty’s private beach, andone of the staff members foundthe nest which had some 70newly hatched eggs.A team collected the babies(below) and invited guests tohelp release them into the sea.The excitement will continuefor future guests, with another50 eggs still waiting to hatch.THE South Australian capital isthe likely sixth Australian gatewayfor China Southern Airlines, thecarrier confirmed yesterday.However, ADL services are away off, once current operationshave been “nurtured,” CZ said.Hula to HeavenlyHAWAIIAN AIRLINES between23 July and 19 August 2012Hawai‘ifor your chance to earn YOUR seat tovisit the islands of Oahu and Hawai‘iWebsite: www.traveldaily.com.au Phone: 1300 799 220 Fax: 1300 799 221 Email: info@traveldaily.com.auclick here for detailsPrice includes:! Return economy airfares with taxes! 3 nights accommodation at Moonlight Hotel! Daily breakfastPage 3

4RAVEL AILY(KTUV YKVJ VJG PGYUThursday 16th August 2012Aus/CZ ‘9 2’ strategic MoUTOURISM Australia, inpartnership with DestinationNSW, Tourism Western Australia& Tourism Victoria, this weeksigned a 9m Memorandum ofUnderstanding marketing pushwith China Southern Airlines forthe next year, aiming to drum upmore business on the ‘CantonRoute’ under one front (TD yest.).Dubbed the ‘9 2’ StrategicAgreement, it involves nine localtourism organisations/airports -WIN YOUR AMERICAFIX ON ROUTE 66WITH COSMOS!Share your celebrity momentwith us & you could win atrip for two to Americaincluding a 16 day tour &flights, courtesy of Cosmos.See facebook.com/traveldailyor traveldaily.com.au formore details on this greatprize & how to enterPictured isMark Gamblefrom TheTravelAuthority withMel B.Terms & Conditions applyDNSW, Tourism WA, Tourism Vicand Tourism Qld along withSydney, Melbourne, Brisbane andPerth Airports - plus ChinaSouthern Airlines and GuangzhouBaiyun Airport.The deal also opens Australia upto CZ’s 12m Pearl Club frequentflyers and its domestic network.TA’s md Andrew McEvoy ispictured shaking hands with TanWangeng, CZ president & ceo(left) & Oton Wu, DNSW regionaldirector, North Asia (right),flanked by other Australian andChinese dignitaries.CZ may extend CNSOPERATIONAL results and loadson China Southern’s new seasonaltriangular service to Brisbane &Cairns from Guangzhou (TD yest.)will determine if the service willbe extended beyond 28 Feb.CZ president & ceo Tan Wangengtold Travel Daily if the marketproves to be mature enough itwould be possible to considermaking it a more regular service.A nonstop Guangzhou-Cairnsreturn service was out of thequestion, he told TD, as figuressuggested the market “may notbe big enough to support it.”B-777 to MANILA5 times each weekClick here formore detailsPush for 72-hr Guangzhou visaCHINA Southern Airlines says itis hopeful of gaining governmentapproval to provide foreign paxpassing through Guangzhou (CAN)with 72-hour visa free access.Currently, pax are provided a24-hour visa free layover, seen bymany as a deterrent for Australiantravellers who can add an Asianstopover enroute to Europe ineither Hong Kong or Singaporewith no visa restrictions.Guangzhou is also competingnationally with Shanghai, whichrecently won govt approval toextend its 48-hour visa free policyto 72-hours (TD 03 Aug) underthe China Visa Waiver program.The Chinese capital, Beijing, isalso wanting to extend its visafree transit from 48 to 72 hours.CZ president Tan Wangeng saidit was making “ongoing efforts”with senior officials to push thereview, a key topic on the agendaof CAN’s provincial governors.“I think China Southern’s effortsare not strong enough and we needto join forces with the provincialand municipal governments” topush the message, Tan saidthrough an interpreter.He believes the Chinese govtMore CZ foreign crewCHINA Southern is boosting itscontingent of foreign cabin crewswith a batch of Canadian and USflight attendants to be inductedsoon, & plans for a UK batch too.They follow the debut of localcrews from Australia (TD 28 Nov)plus an intake from Amsterdam.The “key assignment” of CZ’sforeign crew members is to act asan airline ambassador & to assistwith foreign travellers needs.thought Shanghai was a biggerhub for sixth freedom transit pax,“but in the past year Guangzhou’sresults show it as the leadingChinese transit point.”In the first half of 2012,Guangzhou surpassed Shanghai interms of 6th freedom passengertraffic and only trailed Beijing byaround 20,000 movements, thecarrier’s ceo said yesterday.on location inGuangzhou, ChinaToday’s issue of TD is coming toyou from China, courtesy ofChina Southern Airl ines.GUANGZHOU makes for a greatstop for Europe-bound travellerswishing to immerse themselvesin Chinese culture, traditions andcuisine over a few days.Guangzhou Baiyun Airport islocated 28kms from the city.While here, ‘must do’ activitiesinclude a Pearl River cruise in theheart of the city, a visit to the oldcolonial quarter of ShamianIsland or the Five Rams Statue inYuexiu Park, or ascend China’stallest structure, Canton Tower.For a bit of history, visitors canexplore the 5-level GuangdongMuseum - home to over 130,000exhibits - opened in May 2010.Dining is an experience in itselfin Guangzhou, with a meal at aCantonese restaurant or ricenoodle house costing less than 10 per person - amazing value.Three nights is the suggestedlength of time visitors need toget a taste of Guangzhou, with ashort-stay visa for Australianpassport holders priced at 60.a REVOLUTIONARYfeature is coming!Website: www.traveldaily.com.au Phone: 1300 799 220 Fax: 1300 799 221 Email: info@traveldaily.com.auPage 4

QR to Serbia, Poland4RAVEL AILY(KTUV YKVJ VJG PGYUThursday 16th Aug 2012Windsor extensionTHE Victorian Civil andAdministrative Tribunal hasgranted an extension for theredevelopment of Melbourne’siconic Windsor Hotel.The project must now bestarted by Jan 2015 and finishedby Jan 2017, with VCAT overrulinga decision by Vic planningminister Matthew Guy not toextend the construction deadlinefrom the previous Nov 2012 start.Previously, the hotel’s ownershad warned it would have toclose for the project to proceed intime for the previous deadline.SupplierUpdatesWELCOME to SupplierUpdates, Travel Daily’s newregular feature.Agents can now access thelatest special deals andpromotions being offeredby suppliers, simply byCLICKING HERE.Supplier enquiries for notices:advertising@traveldaily.com.auQATAR Airways is continuing itsrelentless global expansion, withthe overnight confirmation offlights to the Serbian capital,Belgrade from Nov this year.The A320 service is anextension of its existing dailyDoha-Ankara route, which willcontinue onto Belgrade thriceweekly effective 20 Nov.The carrier will also introduce afour times weekly servicebetween Doha and Warsaw inPoland, with the A320 operationto commence 05 Dec 2012according to agent GDS displays.Sun Island pounds pavementKeith Prowse sevensEthiopian’s first 787ETHIOPIAN Airlines has becomethe third customer for Boeing’s787 Dreamliner, taking delivery ofthe first of ten 787s this week.The carrier plans to deploy thenew aircraft on flights toWashington DC from mid-Sep.Backpacking “crisis”NEW data from TourismResearch Australia has revealed asteep decline in the number oftravellers staying in hostels, witheach Australian state reporting adrop of approx 7% in occupancies.The result has been blamed onthe high Australian dollar andincreased competition from Asiandestinations.KEITH Prowse Sport &Entertainment Travel has releasedticket packages for the Hong KongRugby Sevens 22-24 Mar next year.Prices start at 1880pptsincluding four nights accom, athree day match ticket, pre matchfunction and return economyCathay Pacific group fare ex SYD/BNE/MEL/PER, plus ticket taxesfrom 360pp depending on thecity of departure - 1300 730 023.JTB incentiveJTB Australia has launched atravel agent incentive, in whichconsultants will receive a 10Myer voucher for every newbooking worth more than 1000for departures until 31 Dec.SUN Island Tours was one ofmany travel industry participantsin last weekend’s City to Surf funrun in Sydney.The keen runners raised 2100for the Make-A-Wish foundation,and are pictured above, from left:Dani Baptista, Vicki Vogiatzi, JulieMangos, Karen Bonanno, SaraKennedy, John Polyviou andLauren Ferreira.Aurora discountsAURORA Expeditions is offering20% discount on selected Novand Dec 2012 Antarctic voyages,with prices now from US 5095per person.There’s also a 10% earlybirdoffer for all 2013/14 departuresvalid for bookings to 30 Sep more info 1800 637 688.Website: www.traveldaily.com.au Phone: 1300 799 220 Fax: 1300 799 221 Email: info@traveldaily.com.auPage 5

4RAVEL AILY(KTUV YKVJ VJG PGYUThursday 16th Aug 2012AirAsia to LombokSouth Africa promoCruise agent trainingLOW-COST carrier Air Asia hasadded its 15th Indonesia port inthe holiday island of Lombok,with thrice-weekly direct flightsex Kuala Lumpur starting 12 Oct.SOUTH African Tourism isrunning a major promotion inpartnership with channel 7’sSunrise this week, offering a 30ktrip for two to South Africa inclSAA business class flights.The campaign is also being runin partnership with Myer,highlighting the departmentstore’s Spring/Summer 2013collection which was shot onlocation at Sun City in SouthAfrica’s North West province.The prize includes two nights atJohannesburg and five nights atCape Town’s Table Bay Hotel.THE organisers of the upcomingCruise Shipping Asia-Pacificconference in Singapore haveannounced details of specialTravel Agent Training sessions aspart of the event.The conference takes place atthe new Marina Bay CruiseCentre in Singapore 17-18 Sep,with the training sessionsorganised in partnership with theAsia Cruise Association andfeaturing presenters from Costa,Silversea, Star, Princess and RoyalCaribbean Cruises - seewww.cruiseshippingevents.com.Realise, Vienna waits for youIndustry AppointmentsFor the top travel jobsinplacerecruitment.com.auTWAS a grand occasion forlovers of fine music last week, asMelbourne was granted a taste ofAustria, with Vienna Airportjoining Emirates to treat industrypartners to an elegant Austriathemed reception.Held at Melbourne’s newlyreopened Hamer Hall, guestswere graced with a divine MahlerConcert performed by theMelbourne Symphony Orchestra.Among the crowd was Emiratesregional manager for Vic, SA, Tasand NT Dean Cleaver, identifyingMelbourne as a top performingdeparture airport for services tothe “heart of Europe”.With the Victorian capital set toreceive A380 services by Emiratesfrom Oct (TD 05 Jul), the capacityincreases will go hand-in-handSpeedy vehicle pickupEUROPCAR is trialling a new fasttrack vehicle pickup service at itsKings Cross location in the UK.The service, dubbed “LondonKey Ready”, enables customers topickup their car key from a lockerusing a preassigned pin codewithout visiting a rental counter.Tempos Latin lovingTEMPO Holidays has launchedits 2013 Latin America brochure.Itineraries range from half daysightseeing to 21-day guidedtours across 11 South Americancountries, including a new luxurylodge trek & Rio Carnival tours.with Vienna’s newly openedTerminal 3 facilities.Austrian National Tourist Officedirector Astrid Mulholland-Lichtsaid the central European porthad seen a 15% jump in arrivalsfrom Aussie tourists in the firsthalf of 2012, with Austriaconsidered to be the “darlingdestination” for those down under.Pictured above at the reception,from left, is Dean Cleaver,Emirates; Astrid Mulholland-Lichtand new Austrian Ambassador toAustralia, Dr. Helmut Boeck.More Island Escapesummer escapesTHIS week’s Industry Appointments column is brought to you byinPlace Recruitment. If you have just appointed someone to a newposition and would like to update the industry, send us an email atappointments@traveldaily.com.au.APT is keeping it in the family, with Rob and Louise Tandy, (daughter ofcompany owner Geoff McGeary) announcing they have taken over theactive running of APT’s Kimberley Wilderness Adventures.Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has announced the appointment of sixnew general managers at a range of its Asian hotels in Paul Jones (Taipei),Christian Hassing (Singapore), Anthony Costa (Tokyo), Greg Liddell(Hong Kong), Andrew Abram (Chiang Mai) and Mark Bradford (Jakarta).Newly appointed Caravan & Camping Association ceo Lyndel Gray hasbeen named onto the board of the Tourism Industry Council of NSW.Lyndel replaced Bob Browne, who returns to his CCIA General Counsel role.The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre has welcomed itsnew General Manager in Suzana Bishop, who returns to the MCEC froma stint working with MCI Australia & brings over 6 years event experience.ISLAND Escape Cruises hasadded three more Christmasholiday departures on its TreasureIslands of Auckland itinerary.The additional cruises will takeplace from 16 Dec 2012 as well as06 and 13 Jan next year, with thechange also seeing more wineactivities/tours on day 2 of thecruise on Waiheke Island.More info 1800 584 869.Marie Hosking has been promoted to the role of Acting Head of PublicAffairs for Air New Zealand, a position formerly held by Mark Street, whohas in turn been appointed to the position of Head of Customer Loyalty.Power up on safarisInterContinental Hotels Group has appointed Linda Collis as the newgeneral manager for Crowne Plaza Adelaide, replacing Brendon Meppemwho’s relocating to Malaysia to manage Holiday Inn Kuala Lumpur Glenmarie.BENCH International says itsparent company Southern CrossSafaris has installed 240-voltpower outlets in all of its safarivehicles in Kenya.The move will enablepassengers to charge camerabatteries on the road, ensuringthey never miss those perfectwildlife photo opportunities.Ryan Dawson has been appointed as the new Executive Chef at theNovotel Manly Pacific. Ryan has worked his way up through roles as SousChef, introducing new menus at both Charlie Bar and Zali’s Restaurant.Maui’s Makena Beach & Golf Resort has a new Director of Training in thenewly appointed Rossel Critchlow, along with Leo Mallari Jr, who joinsto oversee the hotel’s four restaurants as its Director of Food & Beverage.Leya Pearce has been named as the new Sales Manager, WesternAustralia for Trafalgar, moving from her most recent role at Best Flights.David Sosner is the new general manager of Aqua Hotels & Resorts’oceanfront Kaua’i Beach Resort.Costa Crociere has named Frederik Penot as its new vice president ofmarketing. He moves from his previous role as vice president of sales andmarketing for Disneyland Paris for the French market.Bruce Edwards has been appointed as Executive Assistant Manager ofInterContinental Adelaide. He takes up the new role on 10 Sep.Website: www.traveldaily.com.au Phone: 1300 799 220 Fax: 1300 799 221 Email: info@traveldaily.com.auPage 6

Pullman dishes up the goodsCELEBRITY gourmet foodieMiguel Maestre was on handrecently to help launch the CairnsPullman Reef Hotel & CasinoFestival, dishing up a culinaryextravaganza for the taste buds asthe hotel showed off its newlyrenovated ballroom, conferencerooms and sports facilities.Maestre, who co-hosts cookingand lifestyle program The LivingA Capt Cook-ing XmasCAPTAIN Cook Cruises haslaunched a range of ChristmasDay lunch cruise packages foradvance festive bookings.Sailing aboard the luxurious MVSydney 2000, available optionsinclude the Sky Deck Menu, ClubDeck Menu and Show Deck Menu.The Christmas Day cruisedeparts at midday, with pricesstarting from 129 per adult and 99 per child aged 5-14.To book, phone (02) 9206 1111.C&K’s Jordan gardenCOX & KINGS is offering a new10 day botanical tour of Jordan,featuring noted English gardendesigner Paul Hervey-Brookes.The 18 Apr 2013 departure willvisit the Dibeen Forest, the DanaBiosphere Reserve, Jordan’smagnificent Royal Botanic Gardenas well as discovering the desertflora of Wadi Rum.It’s priced from 3212ppts exAmman; more info 1300 836 764.Room on Channel 10, delightedthe crowd on hand not just withhis masterful cooking skills, butwith humourous stories of hisarrival into Australia with littleEnglish skills and his journeysthrough the kitchens of the worldto finding his way onto television.A delectable smorgasboard ofSpanish delights accompanied bymatching wines kept the crowdwanting more, with the nightcapped off by a performancefrom Aussie rock band Models.Pictured above from left are anumber of guests with PullmanCairns Reef general managerWayne Reynolds (left) with salesand marketing director AmandaBalaam (right), with super foodieMiguel Maestre in the centre.New A&K value rangeABERCROMBIE & Kent hasunveiled a new ‘Connections byAbercrombie & Kent’ productrange, which will offer tours at aprice point about 30% than itstraditional luxury small groupjourneys.The move was revealed in LasVegas this week at the VirtuosoTravel Week gathering, with A&KPresident Phil Otterson confirmingthat the program will include 17itineraries on six continents.He said the Connectionsprogram would be for groups of24-28 guests and would operatewith guaranteed departures, withbrochures available within thenext three weeks or so.4RAVEL AILY(KTUV YKVJ VJG PGYUThursday 16th Aug 2012EY miles for baggageETIHAD Airways has introduceda new policy which enablesmembers of its EY Guest loyaltyscheme to red

Apartments, Edinburgh-based luxury operator Dream Escape and the Victoria Palace Hotel in Paris. BA back to Sri Lanka BRITISH Airways will resume service to Sri Lanka more than 15 years since it pulled out from the destination in Mar 1998. Effective 31 Mar 2013, the current thrice weekly Lo