Friday 11 December 2015 Issue 3222

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

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CA, NZ InauguralThe inaugural flight in the new Air China and Air New Zealand alli-ance service between Beijing and Auckland touched down in Auckland yesterday evening.Under the alliance, CA will operate a daily direct A330-200 Auckland-Bei-jing service, and NZ will continue to fly daily B787-9 services between Auck-land and Shanghai. Together the pair boost capacity between Auckland and mainland China by more than 25%.“CA provides us with access to a strong and well-established network and distribution channel in China,” says NZ boss Christopher Luxon. “The alliance also allows us to tap into 11 codeshare destinations with-in China, giving our customers even more options to not only explore Beijing’s world renowned tourist highlights such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and the maze of hutongs or to travel to destinations beyond the capital.”

New Bridge To MexicoA new pedestrian bridge has opened which allows travellers to walk from San Diego directly into the main terminal of Tijuana International Airport. The enclosed Cross Border Xpress has been hailed as signalling a new era in crossing the border, and will see wait times reduced to just minutes, say reports. Passengers can pay USD18 to walk to and from the airport terminal.

HoT/Southcombe PartTravel Today understands that the supply agreement between House of Travel and Greg Southcombe has been terminated, by mutual agree-ment.

Helloworld New Zealand is set to incorporate its 105 independents (IRTN) and its 100 brokers into its unbranded affiliate model —which will see the retail group present as a ‘family’ of 265-plus businesses with access to ‘signifi-cant resources and support’.“…our industr y is no longer a cookie cutter offering but the trick is in connecting the complete spec-trum together within one brand,” says helloworld New Zealand boss Simon McKearney in a letter to the group’s independent and broker networks.The company has already rebranded its local head office operation to helloworld and will roll out the new retail brand across its 61 ful-ly-branded stores early next year.

McKearney is now looking to better align its branded, associate, affiliate and corporate networks in the New Zealand market.“There are some ver y powerful agencies within this group and there is an old saying that suggests ‘there is safety in numbers,’” says McKearney. He also points out that there’s strength in numbers especially when negotiating air and land sup-plier contracts—something he plans to leverage off in the future.“We are quickly re-engineering our business to recognise varying mem-bers needs and what part they play in a value chain for their customers,” says McKearney. “Our fabulous broker business is one part of this and recognition that they need specific products and tools to meet customer needs whilst maintaining their flexibility and en-vironment is critical for us.”

. . . 2016 to Do ListMcKearney says his to-do list is ‘quite long’ but that his first focus is on creating the helloworld brand for market release in 2016. The helloworld family includes the three retail/consultant mod-els as well as GO Holidays, APX and GO C&I who are part of the group, but maintain ‘their powerful independent brand status’, adds McKearney.

Helloworld Affiliate Plans; 260+ Agents

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Solomon Arrivals UpNew Zealand visitor arrivals to the Solomon Islands overtook arrivals from Fiji for the first time in Sep, according to the Solomon Islands Visitor Bureau. Official figures show 2211 international travellers headed to the Solomons in Sep, up 28% on Sep 2014. The majority (1029) were from Australia, while arrivals from New Zealand increased 49% to 160.

EY Private Jet DealEtihad is partnering with private jet company Victor in a move it says complements the carrier’s The Resi-dence and First Apartments. The partnership will see travellers able to charter a private aircraft to con-nect with their EY A380 flight. EY says it’s seen strong demand for its ultra-exclusive A380 cabins from the private jet market, and is now tap-ping the charter industry’s network to reach this segment.

Not Balinese Enough?Hotels in Bali are reportedly facing punishment if they’re not deemed Balinese enough. Local media has reported Balinese Governor Made Mangku Pastika as saying that while the tourism industry is growing rapidly, there are many hotels with ‘minimal ornamentation that reflects Balinese culture’. “I hope this will serve as a warning to them, hotels of this sort are not acceptable in Bali,” he said, adding that he’s considering what sanctions to impose on hotels that don’t reflect the culture.

NSW Arsenal DealThe New South Wales Government and English Premier League football giants Arsenal FC have singed a part-nership which will see Destination NSW become the club’s official tour-ism partner, securing the team for a two-match tour exclusive to Sydney in 2017. The two matches, to be played at ANZ Stadium are expected to attract more than 28,000 domes-tic and international visitors. The two-year agreement will see NSW promoted at Arsenal home games, as well as on social media and the likes.

While he’s singing the ‘We Are Family’ tune, helloworld boss Si-mon McKearney says he’s looking to engage the key industry play-ers to come together in 2016—and not just for industry funerals. Flight Centre didn’t participate in the TAANZ NTIAs this year, and McKearney is keen to talk former colleague (and incoming Flight Centre New Zealand boss Dave Coombes) into coming back to the awards table.“I’m real ly looking for ward to Coombes coming back and updat-ing him on the industry whilst he has been away,” says McKearney. “I’m envisaging a dinner early in the New Year with [HoT’s Mark O’Donnell] (the other piece of the agent pie) and Coombes to share a few beers and talk how we can help grow an industry via our frontline stores and franchisee partners.“ I ’m s u r e w e w i l l c o nv i n c e [Coombes] to get into the NTIA awards as well. It’s a great night and even if multiple awards won’t neces-sarily be forthcoming it’s a night for industry reflection and celebra-

McKearney: C’mon Over Coombesy

tion…Coombes is a smart man and will realise that I’m starting afresh with a brand as well and I’m not phased if I have a trophy or not to tell me how well we are doing,” says a rather bullish McKearney.

Botswana FlightsAir Botswana has f l ights from Johannesburg to Gaborone priced from $258—perfect for clients heading to the country’s luxury safari camps, says World Aviation. BP is on BSP, agents need to use a direct airline availability display in order to access all BP flights in the GDS.

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Tassie Port UpgradesCruise ship visits are of growing importance to Tasmanian tourism, and it is for this reason the Australian Government has worked with Tas-Ports on its AUD1.5 million invest-ment for a new mooring dolphin at the Port of Burnie to accommodate larger ships. Tasmania’s Minister for Infrastructure Rene Hidding says that in 2014-15 the state’s ports had 58 visits from cruise ships, carrying a record 162,815 passengers and crew, however, a trend towards increas-ingly larger and longer cruise ship has meant that Burnie has missed out on some of the growth in cruise ship visits. The new infrastructure will al-low cruise ships of up to 315m in length to berth at Burnie—and it has already been approached by four cruise ships that are keen to add Burnie to their itinerary. “We know cruise ship passengers calling at Burnie take advantage of a range of opportunities, from visiting the city’s Makers’ Workshop to travelling further afield to regional attractions, including as far as Cradle Mountain. . .,” says Hidding.

Next year is shaping up to be an important one for Lindblad- Expeditions-National Geographic as it enters its 50th anniversary and the ‘birth of expedition trav-el’, while construction will be underway on two new US-flagged coastal vessels.“These new ships mark an exciting step in the long-term growth of the company, and enables us to capi-talise on the substantial demand for our expeditions,” says Lindblad president and chief executive Sven Lindblad. “This is an important milestone in the company’s history as we enter the 50th anniversary of the birth of expedition travel begun by my father, Lars-Eric Lindblad, with the first laymen expedition to Antarctica in 1966.”The 100-guest ships will each have 50 cabins; 22 with balconies and eight that can be configured into four adjoining cabins for families. The primary focus for Lindblad is of course on the world outside so all public spaces have been designed for maximum viewing, with easy

access to decks; and there will also be an outdoor walkway around the entire sun deck, which will feature an al fresco bar and grill. Other highlights and special equipment for clients to make the most of in-clude a fleet of sea kayaks, paddle boards and specially designed land-ing craft, for those who wish to further explore the remote destina-tions; full warm and cold water div-ing gear and underwater cameras; and high-tech equipment such as a remotely operated vehicle with a video microscope and a hydrophone and bow-cam designed to hear and film, for instance, humpback whale vocalisations and see bow-riding dolphins. The first completed ship is sched-uled to be delivered in the second quarter of 2017 and the second in the second quarter of 2018. The ships will be built at the Nichols Brothers Boat Builders shipyard on Whidbey Island—where Lindblad’s current US-flagged ships, the Nation-al Geographic Sea Lion and National Geographic Sea Bird, were built.

Lindblad Nears 50, Orders New Ships

Cruise To State Of OriginP&O Cruises is adding some muscle to its sports line up next year, taking clients to the biggest event on the footy calendar, State of Origin, for the first time. Priced from AUD799pp, the inaugural Origin cruise will depart Brisbane on 28 May and will feature an overnight stay in Sydney for the series opener on 01 Jun as well as calls to Moreton Island and Newcastle. The seven-night Pacific Dawn cruise includes a bronze State of Origin ticket for each guest plus transfers to and from ANZ Stadium, with the option to upgrade seats for a nominal fee. As part of its main event program, P&O also offer cruises to the Australia Open and Melbourne Cup, and it is also set to offer its first cruise to the NRL Auckland Nines in Jan.

25% Fiji SavingsTo help celebrate the festive season Blue Lagoon Cruises has stripped 25% off all prices. From now to 30 Jun, clients who book and pay in full six months in advance can take advantage of the savings, with travel valid Jul 2016-Mar 2017. Promo code ADV25-BLC must be used when booking.

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Contact Tony 021 388 315 tony@tabsontravel.co.nz

or Angela 021 388 316angela@tabsontravel.co.nz Incorporating Tabs On Travel

Again this year Stop Press e-mail broadcasts will be published in between these dates should there be important breaking news.

Holiday Update e-mail broadcasts will also be available for timely or important product announcements by suppliers.

Merry ChristmasFri 18 Dec is our last issue for the year, Mon 18 Jan is the first issue for 2016

Starwood, Fiji And Samoa Christmas FunctionStarwood Hotels and Resorts, along with #teamSamoa and #teamFiji, held a Christmas function at Ponsonby’s Mr Tom’s restaurant last night, as a way to thank the trade for all their hard work and support this year—as well as in preparation for a busy one next year. Pictured at the event is: 1 House of Travel’s Rachel Mancini; Starwood Hotels and Resorts’ Ma-reike Mendez; and House of Travel’s Sharma Smith. 2 Starwood Hotels and Resorts’ Chris Rabang pictured with Tourism Samoa’s Sonny Rivers. 3 Tourism Fiji’s Cameron Taylor and Starwood Hotels and Resorts’ Angela Fox. 4 Fiji Airways’ Nick Dew and Air New Zealand/Grabaseat’s Karlene Dal-low. 5 Starwood Hotels and Resorts’ Shane Cunning pictured with Fiji Airways’ Mel Watson.

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Christchurch Airport is expecting to break a number of records this summer, including the airport’s busiest day ever—and it says it’s prepared for the boost in visitor numbers.A 16% increase in passenger num-bers will drive around $150 million of new GDP into the regions of the South Island, says airport COO aero-nautical Justin Watson.“This is outstanding growth and will top 20% in the month of Feb,” he says. “It will move the gateway to the

South Island from around 5.9 million passengers last year to close to 6.4 million passengers this year and the most passengers the airport has ever handled in a single year.”Together with the people who come to meet passengers at the airport, ‘we could see close to 800,000 extra people through the terminal this year’, says Watson.“All that means in Jan or Feb we are likely to see the airport’s busiest day ever and a number of other records set.”Christchurch is the only city in Aus-tralia and New Zealand with a popu-lation of less than 550,000 that not only has long-haul air connections but is also seeing strong growth, says Watson.International travellers through

Record Summer Ahead For CHCChristchurch have never had so much choice to get from and to anywhere in the world, he adds. New develop-ments include double-daily Singa-pore Airlines 777 services, a 400% increase in A330 services from China Airlines, Qantas’ new 737 summer Christchurch-Brisbane service, year-round 787 China Southern flights to Guangzhou, ‘significantly’ increased transtasman services, more domestic services and Virgin Australia’s new Rarotonga flights.

. . . We’re PreparedWith so many extra visitors expect-ed, the airport is prepared for the growth, says Watson.“Our integrated terminal will ac-commodate the extra people and we should avoid the congestion expect-ed at other airports. We still expect our normal easy transit between domestic and international flights, plus we will have extra staff and vol-unteer ambassadors to assist all our visitors,” he says. “The retail team has also introduced increased retail and food and beverage offerings into our award-winning terminal, to reflect the increasing numbers and varied tastes.”

GO British Open 2016Clients wishing to attend the British Open Championship 2016 can take advantage of GO Holidays’ package with five nights’ accommodation, a weekly pass and a rental car from $3825pp s/t. The offer is valid for sales to 13 Jun and travel 13-18 Jul.

Philharmonic TicketsAgents can now access tickets for their clients to the ‘incredibly popular’ New York Philharmonic through Broadway Inbound. Bookings can be made for a number of shows including Wagner/Strauss and Beethoven/Bruckner (Dec/Jan); Brahms’s A German Re-quiem (Feb/Mar); Beethoven/Strauss (Apr/May); and Vivaldi Four Seasons (Jun). Contact wholesalers for details.

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DECEMBERVisitHOUSTON and Texas Tourism RoadshowAuckland: Mon 14, Air NZ’s Customer Innovation & Collaboration Centre, 0730-0845.

JANUARY 2016Rocky Mountaineer & Adventure World Road Show BreakfastsDunedin: Tue 26. Christchurch: Wed 27. Wellington: Thu 28 Location & times tbc.

FEBRUARY 2016Brand USA Discover America EventsChristchurch: Mon 22, Rydges Latimar Hotel, 1700-2130.Auckland: Tue 23, The Cloud, Queens Wharf, 1700-2130.

JAWS RoadshowDunedin: Mon 29, Scenic Southern Cross Hotel, 118 High Street, 1700-2000.

MARCH 2016JAWS RoadshowChristchurch: Tue 01, Rydges Latimer Hotel, Latimer Square, 1700-2000. Nelson: Wed 02, Rutherford Hotel, 27 Nile Street West, 1700-2000. Whangarei: Tue 08, Forum North, 7 Rust Ave, 1700-2000. Napier: Mon 14, War Memorial Conference Centre, 48 Marine Parade, 1700-2000.

Wellington: Tue 15, Rydges WLG, 75 Featherston Street, 1700-2000.Palmerston North: Wed 16, Distinction Hotel, 175 Cuba Street, 1700-2000. New Plymouth: Thu 17, Novotel Hotel, Cnr Of Hobson and Leach Streets, 1700-2000.Tauranga: Tue 22, Tauranga Yacht Club, 70 Keith Allen Drive, 1700-2000. Hamilton: Wed 23, Novotel Tainui, 7 Alma Street, 1700-2000.

APRILTourism Fiji RoadshowPalmerston North: Mon 04, Distinction Hotel, 0700-0930.Christchurch: Mon 04, Tait Conference Centre, 1730-2015. Wellington: Tue 05 April, Amora Hotel, 1730-2015.Hamilton: Wed 06, Ferrybank Reception Centre, 1730-2015.Auckland: Thu 07, Stamford Hotel, 1730-2030.Auckland North Shore: Fri 08, QBE Stadium, 0700-0930.

Asia Now roadshowDunedin: Tue 05.Christchurch: Wed 06.Wellington: Thu 07.Tauranga: Mon 11.Hamilton: Tue 12.Auckland North: Wed 13.Auckland East: Thu 14.Venues, times tba.

Industry Diary

Flighties Celebrate A Good Year

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Flight Centre celebrated at successful 2015 with its suppliers in Auckland last night. It was also the last official function for Chris Greive who steps down at the head of Flight Centre New Zealand, but he will continue to be involved with the business.1 Shaun Muller from Cathay Pacific with Hawaiian Airlines’ Lindsey Morgan and Tom Svensen from Intrepid Travel. 2 Qantas trio Lisa Bradbury, Patrick Wheelan and Linda Turner. 3 Departing Flight Centre New Zealand boss Chris Greive with Roann Roberts from Flight Centre Product and Virgin Australia’s Mark Freeman. 4 Leah Johnson from Intrepid Travel with Flight Centre’s Doug Gordon. 5 Kate Wright from Visit Sunshine Coast with Adventure World’s Dave Nicholson. 6 Travel Today’s Faith Thumath with Lindsey Morgan from Hawaiian Airlines and Kim Tipau from Covermore. 7 Visit Ana-heim’s Pip Ashford with EK’s Tracy Hale and Kim Sinclair. 8 Angus Armstrong of Flight Centre, World Travellers’ Graeme Moore and Mr Travel Money Scott McCullough. 9 Fiji Airways’ Mel Watson with Phil Goad and Mel Bramley from Flight Centre. 10 Brett Simon, Globus and KLM/Air France’s Darren McGregor. 11 Flight Centre New Zealand boss Chris Greive with Emirates’ Chris Lethbridge. 12 Phil Goad from Flight Centre with Walshe Group trio Gareth Williamson, Steve Tanner and Roshnie Chhiba. 13 The Walshe Group’s Gareth Williamson with Mike Costello from Emirates. 14 Troy Ackerman from Globus with Emirates’ Chris Paykel, Scott Cleaver from Trafalgar and Travel Marketing’s Donal O’Sullivan. 15 Cathay’s double trouble, Vanessa Traille and Shaun Muller. 16 Gary Smith from Cathay Pacific with Leanne Cheesman, United Airlines. 17 Flight Centre duo Sean Berenson and Pauline Gooding.

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Downtown Honolulu Lights UpClients who are in Hawaii for the holidays can get into the Christmas spirit in Downtown Honolulu, which every Dec hosts impressive lighting displays with a distinct Hawaiian flavour—including a giant shaka-pulling Santa and his wife, Mrs Claus. The Clauses can be found outside the Honolulu Hale (Oahu’s historic city hall), and clients looking to be immersed in tropi-cal Christmas festivities should head to King St in Downtown Honolulu or Kalakaua Ave in Waikiki.

Ice Staking in HNLFor clients who are Honolulu bound this Christmas, the Ward Village near Waikiki has opened an ice-rink, which is open through to Jan. The rink is open daily, and there’s also a host of festive activities such as the chance to get your picture taken with the bug guy at Santa’s beach house, and on 18 Dec there’s a Frozen Sing-a-long event, where visitors can sing to Frozen tunes as they ice-skate. For more details see. wardvillageshops.com

. . . City Lights TourWard is also running a Honolulu City Lights Trolley Tour which takes in the high-lights of Honolulu’s festive showcase. The cost is USD6.50pp, kids three and under are free. See holidaylightstour.com

8 Months Of GrowthHawaii Tourism is celebrating eight months of record arrival growth, with 7.2 million visitors arriving in the state Jan-Oct, up 4.2% on the same time last year. Arrivals reached a new record for the month of Oct, up 4.8% to 692,930, with Kauai (+7.9%), Oahu (+3%), Maui (+1.1%) and Hawaii Island (+0.6%) all registering arrivals growth for the month.

Run For WaterClients in Hawaii this Christmas who aren’t opposed to doing exer-cise whilst on holiday, can take part in the 5km Water for the World Run 26 Dec at the Waikiki Shell, which is held in a bid to raise awareness about global access to clean water. The fun run/walk will feature a scenic course around the Waikiki Zoo and Kapi’olani Park that will end with a traditional race finish line and an optional 150ft water slide finish line. “Approximately twice the population of the United States worldwide does not have ac-cess to clean water and we take it for granted that whenever we turn on a faucet, there will always be clean water to drink. Our mission is to give the gift of clean water to those without,” says the race organ-iser. The race costs USD34.99pp and gates open at 0800 for registration. See waterfortheworldrun.org

Christmas SpecialtiesThe Royal Hawaiian is gearing up for its Christmas festivities with a spe-cially-curated dinner menu available for clients at Azure Restaurant on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Highlights of the menu include a chilled Kona lobster salad; Thai-scented Kauai shrimp bisque; Colo-rado rack of lamb; and a blanc island fruit cake, just to name a few—with a separate menu for the kids. Seating is available between 1730-2100 and costs USD150pp, USD195 with wine pairing, and USD45 for children aged between 05-12 years. There will also be a ‘lavish’ buffet available in the Monarch Room on Christmas Day.

Hawaii Tourism’s Darragh Walshe competed in Hawaii’s XTERRA Trail Run at Oahu’s Kualoa Ranch last weekend—and is suggesting the event as a great option for cli-ents who are into endurance events.Hailed as the crown jewel of the Paul Mitchell XTERRA Trail Run World Championship the event has been staged at the ranch since 2008, and

the organisers say the course takes runners through some of the most diverse and scenic terrain on the planet.“It is annual and is ideal for New Zealanders who enjoy trail run-ning—and there are plenty out there that compete in New Zealand trail run series throughout the country,” says Walshe. “The scenery (if you get a chance to take time to appreciate it) is amazing, and you can see why Kualoa Ranch is the setting for so many famous movies and TV shows.”

. . . All Levels WelcomeWhile the headline is the 21km course the trail run has options for clients of all fitness levels. The event is open to runners of all ages, and op-tions range from the 21K champion-ship course, a 10km, a 5km, as well as an adventure walk.It’s also a chance to see trails at Kua-loa Ranch which are normally closed to the public, so it offers a rare op-portunity for runners to experience the unique setting. The scenery on the 4,000 acre working cattle ranch ranges from steep mountain cliffs down to the sea, and the terrain varies from dense rainforest to open valleys. For more on the Hawaii race see xterraplanet.com

The Crown Jewel Of Trail Running