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Website: www.traveldaily.com.au | Phone: 1300 799 220 | Fax: 1300 799 221 | Email: [email protected] Page 1
Wednesday 2nd January 2013
ISSN 1834-3058
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Happy 2013 from TD THE staff of Travel Daily wouldlike to wish all of our readers avery happy New Year. We look forward to a great yearin 2013 continuing to inform andentertain you, and would like tothank you for your ongoingsupport throughout the years. Today we kick off the new yearwith a fabulous competitionoffering a major prize of a holidayin Singapore courtesy of the ParkHotel Group and British Airways -see page four for details.
Hotel locks hacked THOUSANDS of hotel locksaround the globe are set to be“fixed” after a hacker posteddetails of a low-cost device whichcan open a popularbrand of keycard-based room lock. The locks are made by acompany called Onity, which hasreportedly sold more than amillion of them, installed inthousands of properties acrossthe globe. The saga started in Jul at theBlack Hat hacker conference inLas Vegas, when one of thedelegates demonstrated a tool hehad created for less than $50from parts bought at his localRadio Shack store. The gadget could be insertedinto a data port on the base ofthe Onity lock, and allowed himto read information from theelectronics inside and in turn usethis to open the lock in seconds. The vulnerability, initially just acuriosity, quickly becameexploited for criminal purposesafter videos showing how itworked were posted online. Hotels have implemented newsecurity protocols and Onity hasdeveloped a fix which it says hasbeen available for some months,and which is gradually beingrolled out across affected hotels.
UK wholesale ferries SYDNEY-based VisitUK is invitingagents to source UK & Europeanferries from its extensive range,making it a “one-stop ferry shop”. The company sells all operators,has a best market price guaranteeand offers immediate quotes andconfirmation, along with nobooking fees and an instantvoucher for confirmed bookings. The range on offer includes P&OFerries, Brittany Ferries, LD Line,SeaFrance, StenaLine, IrishFerries, Moby, DFDS, Balearia,Corsica Ferries, Sardinia Ferries,Norfolkline, Acciona, Scandlines,Moby and Superfast Ferries. More info 1300 063 300 or byemail on [email protected].
Changi hits milestone SINGAPORE’S Changi Airporthandled more than 50 millionpassengers in 2012, with themilestone reached just two yearsafter hitting 40 million in 2010. The rapid growth was attributedto the increasing availability ofSIN low-cost travel options, alongwith “booming demand for intra-Asia travel”. Passenger numbers grew morethan 10% in both 2011 and 2012. A special ceremony to celebratethe 50 millionth arrival was heldto welcome Garuda flight 824 on31 Dec, with Indonesia the topmarket for Changi, comprising13.4% of total traffic this year.
Agent Qantas Clubspecial offer TRAVEL agents who wish to jointhe Qantas Club can do so thismonth without paying the normal$370 joining fee. As well as this offer for personalagent memberships, QF is alsopromoting a separate incentive forconsultants to join up their clientsto the Club through until 31 Jan. This promotion gives agents adouble Qantas Club Domesticlounge pass to use at theirleisure, for each new membershipsold between 03 Dec and 31 Jan. The offer is available for QantasClub memberships sold to newAustralian resident members whojoin as an Individual or as aPartner of an Individual. The client memberships sold areavailable with 10% commission;to register your customers callthe Qantas Frequent Flyer ServiceCentre on 13 11 31 and sign upthe client, making payment usingVPMD on GDS. Then register the newmembership number togetherwith agent details on the QF siteat qantas.com.au/agents.
You and I and Gemini THE former Norwegian Dream,now renamed SuperStar Gemini,has set sail from Singapore afterundergoing a US$50m overhaul. The 1500-passenger ship hasupgraded navigation and safetysystems along with “restyled”cabins, restaurants, recreationand entertainment facilities. She’ll operate 17 voyages fromPenang in Malaysia, then relocateto Sanya in China for 26 cruises. From Apr to Oct the ship willoperate from Shanghai todestinations in North Asia.
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Conrad Beijing opening THE new Conrad Beijing hotel isnow accepting reservations forarrival from 15 Apr 2013. The luxury property onDongsanhuan Rd will have 300guest rooms, along with a spa anda rooftop bar and restaurant.
Virgin trialling BYOD IFE VIRGIN Australia is expected tobegin the full roll-out of wirelessin-flight entertainment streamingto passengers’ personal devicesfrom next month, with an initialmonth-long trial of the systemcurrently under way. One 737 has been fitted to the‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD)system which supports Apple andWindows devices. More than 300 hours of content(including movies, TV, CDs, radioprograms and a moving map) isavailable on the system, whichworks on iPads and iPhones via aspecial Lufthansa Systems appavailable on the Apple iTunesstore - but this must bedownloaded before boarding. Laptops and tablets withMicrosoft’s Silverlight softwarecan also display the Virginstreaming IFE content.
Virgin Australia says it plans tointroduce the technology on all ofits 737 and Embraer aircraft, withthe system accessible from whenthe ‘fasten seatbelt’ sign is turnedoff after take-off. According to the carrier’swebsite the system currentlydoesn’t support Android devices,BlackBerrys, Windows Phones orTablets or Apple MacBooks, withhopes to expand the availabilityto more gadgets early this year.
Website: www.traveldaily.com.au | Phone: 1300 799 220 | Fax: 1300 799 221 | Email: [email protected] Page 2
Wednesday 2nd January 2013
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CONGRATULATIONS to AlitaBrydon from Grand Pacific Tours,who has been named as the luckywinner of our Christmas photocompetition. She was among hundreds ofpeople across the industry whosent in Christmas party photos,with her entry above proving thatTravel Daily is read everywhere -even in Middle Earth. Alita Brydon is pictured withRachel Sinclair holding theirprecious copy of Travel Daily -and given that TD is usuallyproduced in A4 size it even lookslike the pair shrunk themselves toHobbit-size for their entry. Brydon has won two nights atthe brand new Fraser PlaceMelbourne in a Studio DeluxeSuite, along with buffet breakfastfor two, complimentary internetand midday check-out. See p4 for another greatopportunity to win with TD.
FAA orders 737 probes THE US Federal AviationAdministration has issued anorder calling for additionalinspections for cracking in thefuselage of about 109 ageing 737aircraft used by US airlines. The affected planes are 737-300, -400 and -500s, mostly flownby LCC Southwest Airlines. The move follows aninvestigation into a 2009 incidentin which a hole about the size of afootball was torn in the roof ofone of the older 737s en routefrom Nashville to Baltimore.
Contiki’s Cousteau adventure LEADINGenvironmentalist,adventurer andexplorer CelineCousteaurecently paid avisit to TravelHouse at BondiJunction inSydney to meetwith and speakabout heradventures withstaff fromContiki. Following inthe footsteps ofher famousgrandfatherJacques, Contiki’sSustainabilityAmbassadorspoke to apacked audienceto educate the touring firm’s staffon a variety of issues affecting theenvironment and the Contikicommunity. Celine spoke about a pushto protect the MesoamericanReef, which runs 1,000kms alongthe length of Mexico, Belize,Guatamala and Honduras.
Contiki, with the help of Celine,has embarked on a long-termproject to educate its travellingcustomers on initiatives to helpprotect Earth and its oceans. Celine is pictured above centreat the morning presentationalongside Contiki marketing headToni Ambler and md Fiona Hunt.
Thai-Cambodia buses THE first ever direct bus serviceslinking Thailand and Cambodialaunched this week. Two routes are available,including the 424km Bangkok-Siem Reap trip which takes aboutseven hours and will operatetwice per day with a fare of 750baht (about $24). The Bangkok-Phnom Penhservice will run once daily andtakes about 11 hours to traversethe 719km route, costing 900baht or roughly $30 one way. Buses used on both routes areair conditioned, with theoperators planning significantexpansion including new routessuch as Pattaya, Sihanoukville andthe addition of trips to Myanmarand Vietnam in 2014.
New Orleans Indigo INTERCONTINENTAL HotelsGroup has opened the first HotelIndigo in New Orleans, with the132 room property located in thecity’s historic Garden District. The hotel ormerly operatedunder the Clarion brand, but hasnow reopened under the newbanner after a $17m renovation. The opening has come just intime for this year’s SuperBowlfootball game in New Orleanslater this month.
C&K Indonesia tour COX & KINGS is promoting a 12day Highlights of Indonesia tourwhich departs from Surabaya andexplores a range of destinationsincluding Mount Bromo, Bali,Yogyakarta, Borobodur and more. Priced from $3790ppts, the tripoperates between Apr and Sep2013 and includes a local tourmanager, private transfers, airconditioned land transport, dailybreakfast, a flight to Denpasarand some meals - 1300 836 764.
QF shares rising QANTAS shares hit a six monthhigh on New Year’s Eve, rising ashigh as $1.50 each before dippingslightly to close at $1.49. That means they haverecovered more than 50% sinceplummeting to just 96c on 08 Junafter Qantas issued a profitdowngrade forecasting its fullyear loss for 2011/12.
Cyclone bypasses Noumea TROPICAL Cyclone Freda isapproaching New Caledonia, butthe latest forecasts havereclassified it as a “depression”. The cyclone caused extensiveflooding in the Solomon Islands,but has weakened as it movessouth, causing heavy rain inNoumea but without the hugewinds experienced during Fiji’srecent Cyclone Evan whichdevastated some resorts incl thepopular Castaway Is (TD 21 Dec).
However Freda has had animpact on cruise ships in theregion, including Radiance of theSeas which was set to departSydney on 30 Dec. The ship was delayed untilyesterday and will skip two of itsplanned ports in the South Pacificbecause of expected heavy seasfrom the storm which passeddirectly across Radiance’s route. Radiance will return to Sydneyin time for its next sailing ‘FijianBliss’ 12 night trip on 09 Jan. The delay had some benefits forpassengers, because the ship wasmoored in front of SydneyHarbour’s Point Piper - in primeposition to view the famousSydney New Year’s Eve fireworks.
Website: www.traveldaily.com.au | Phone: 1300 799 220 | Fax: 1300 799 221 | Email: [email protected] Page 3
Wednesday 2nd January 2013
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HOW many times did you seemidnight on New Years Eve? A small group of celebrities,including Hollywood heartthrobLeonardo DiCaprio, flew intoSydney last weekend to beamong the first in the world toring in the new year, courtesy ofAustralia’s UTC+10 timezone. Not content with doing it oncehowever, the troupe quicklydeparted their Sydney party digsafter midnight on 31 Dec to bewhisked to the national capital. Evading Sydney Airport’scurfew restrictions by departingfrom Canberra, the groupboarded a chartered Boeing 747flight to Las Vegas - 17 hoursbehind Sydney - with theintention of celebrating NewYears Eve in 2012 once again. Only for the rich and famous.WITH Christmas done & dustedfor another year, TravelodgeHotels in the UK have released alist of the weirdest and mostbizarre special requests receivedby guests over the holidays. Take Travelodge in Tiverton,where a guest asked for a roomwith a big window so he couldclearly see Santa’s arrival, to afamily staying at the York CentralTravelodge, who asked if thegiant Christmas tree in the lobbycould be moved to their room. While Christmas is usually atime for spending with family,one customer asked if a hotelemployee could help himescape by faking an emergency.
MOVES are afoot to have theUK’s Birmingham InternationalAirport named after BlackSabbath frontman and reality TVstar Ozzy Osbourne. Osbourne hails from theMidlands city, with one reportsaying flights operating fromBirmingham “aren’t the kind oftrips Osbourne was once knownfor,” given his well-documentedbattles with drugs and alcohol.
easyJet engine failure AN AIRBUS A319 operated byEuropean low-cost carrier EasyJetbetween Geneva and Edinburghmade an emergency landing atLondon Luton Airport overnightafter one of its engines failed. According to the carrier thepilot was forced to shut down theengine due to an oil leak. There were 151 passengers andcrew on board during the incidentwhich saw emergency crewsscrambled, as well as thesuspension of train services tothe airport. A spokesperson for the carriersaid the aircraft’s captain “tookthe decision to divert as aprecaution only”.
TravelManagers corporate trip
ABOVE: This group of personaltravel managers recentlyexperienced Auckland courtesy ofEmirates, as part of the first everdedicated TravelManagerscorporate famil to NZ. They travelled on the new EKA380 flight between Melbourneand Auckland and stayedovernight at the Langham Hotelin the city’s heart. Participants also checked outother properties including theHilton and the Novotel AucklandAirport before enjoying afabulous hosted dinner at theLangham’s Eight restaurant whichhas eight “world kitchens takingdiners on an unforgettable
AI 787s to Paris AIR India has openedreservations for Boeing 787 flightsbetween Delhi and Paris CDG,with GDS screens currentlyshowing the new Dreamlinerroute to debut 31 Mar 2013.
Kuoni shuts downloss-making operations SWISS travel giant Kuoni hasconfirmed the sale of a numberof businesses in the Netherlands,Spain and Russia as part of apreviously announcedrestructuring plan (TD 22 Sep)under which it wants to exit fromloss-making activities. Tour operations in Spain andHolland were sold to localmanagement, while Russia’sMegapolus Tours was sold to rivaloperator Russian Express. Kuoni said that “no sustainablesolution” had been found for itsBelgian Best Tours operation orthe Octopustravel B2C onlinehotel platform. “Therefore closure of theseoperations has been initiated,”the company said, with activitiesin the businesses to cease duringthe first half of 2013. Kuoni ceo Peter Rothwell saidthat the withdrawals meant thatthe company was “eliminatingoperational losses andconcentrating on strategicallyrelevant areas of business as aglobal, broad-based travelservices provider”. As exclusively revealed byTravel Daily the Octopustravelclosure only affects the consumerfacing octopustravel.com sites(TD 21 Nov), with its Australianand NZ trade operationscontinuing to take bookings for itswholesale portfolio of more than45,000 hotels, 6,000 tours and5,000 transfer options.
culinary journey”. The trip was led byTravelManagers CorporateOperations Executive, AimeeFauntleroy, who said the group’srelationships with key suppliersacross various sectors were “justas strong for corporate andbusiness travel”. Pictured above at AucklandHarbour are, from left: JulianneGazal-Rizk, Fiona Perry, NatalieDemirgellis, Tania Garipoli, AimeeFauntleroy, Samantha Cox, JohnLengacher and John Cangia, withJeremy Ferguson in front.
Vail digs deep at Tahoe VAIL Resorts is enjoying a strongseason of snow, with good winterfalls at its resorts at Vail BeaverCreek, Breckenridge and Keystonein Colorado, as well as Heavenly,Northstar and Kirkwood inCalifornia’s Lake Tahoe. More than 2 metres of snow fellin Lake Tahoe last week, and thecompany is reminding travellersof significant savings on lift ticketswhen purchased online at leastseven days in advance. See www.snow.com/lifttickets.
New FAA chief THE US Senate has confirmedthe appointment of Michael P.Huerta as Administrator of theFederal Aviation Administration. Huerta has been acting in therole since taking over fromformer chief, Randy Babbitt, whoresigned in Dec 2011 over a drunkdriving charge. US president Barack Obamanominated Huerta for theposition, with the move nowconfirmed by the Senate vote.
Website: www.traveldaily.com.au | Phone: 1300 799 220 | Fax: 1300 799 221 | Email: [email protected] Page 4
Wednesday 2nd Jan 2013
Travel Daily is Australia’s leading travel industry publication.Produced each weekday since 1994, the newsletter is first with thelatest industry news and is available by paid subscription to peoplewithin the travel industry. Sign up for a free 14 day trial subscriptionat www.traveldaily.com.au.PO Box 1010, Epping, NSW 1710Phone: 1300 799 220 Fax: 1300 799 221
Travel Daily is a publication of TDaily Pty Ltd ABN 34 108 508 765. All content fully protected by copyright. Please obtain written permission to reproduce any material. While every care has been taken in the preparation ofTravel Daily no liability can be accepted for errors or omissions. Information is published in good faith to stimulate independent investigation of the matters canvassed. Responsibility for editorial comment is taken by Bruce Piper.
Publisher/Managing Editor: Bruce PiperEditor: Guy DundasAssistant Editor: Matt LennonContributors: Chantel Housler, JennyPiper and Barry MathesonEmail: [email protected]
Advertising and Marketing: Christie-LeeLachance, Lisa Martin and Magda HerdzikEmail: [email protected] Manager: Jenny PiperEmail: [email protected]
Travel Daily Group:
Q1: In 25 words or less tell us what Chinese Zodiac animal
best represents the Park Hotel Hong Kong and why?
Send your entries to: [email protected] HERE for terms & conditions
Throughout January, Travel Daily is giving readers the chance to win an incredible major prize of a trip for
courtesy of Park Hotel Group and British Airways.
Park Hotel Group is also giving away three weekly prizes of hotel stays in Singapore and Hong Kong.
answer Question 1 (below) by close of business on Friday 11th Jan 2013. The subscriber with the most creative answer will be the weekly winner.
There will be three questions throughout the month. At the end of January the TD reader with the most creative responses to all three questions will win the major prize of a holiday for two people to
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Accommodation UpdatesWELCOME to Accommodation Updates, Travel Daily’s Wednesdayfeature. If your property has undergone some recent changes you wouldlike to make the industry aware of, send a brief description [email protected].
In what it described as an effort to emergeas a brand new player in the hospitalityindustry, the Rendezvous Grand HotelSingapore has spent S$25m onrefubishment works to give the property atotally new identity. Upgrades include anewly designed ballroom, meeting rooms,
reception, concierge pavilion, as well as all 298 guest rooms and suites.
Sydney’s Grand Mercure PinnacleApartments has rolled out its “Urban Chic”revamp at its Darling Harbour location,recently unveiling new look rooms, suitesand public areas. In addition to extra thick,lavish drapes, each room now also boastsnew bedding, furnishings, new colour
patterns and state of the art media connectivity for business travellers.
Opened last month in Hahndorf, in theAdelaide hills, The Haus Studio Apartmentsoffer new self-contained apartments inlandscaped surroundings to provide a newoption for regional and business tourism.Each dwelling offers kitchen facilities, withlocal attraction the Barossa Valley nearby.
The energy efficient property also offers modern amenities includingwireless internet, a heated pool, sauna and spa facilities.
Thailand’s Let’s Sea Hua Hin Resort haslast month unveiled the final product of afour-month renovation, offering new looksand heightened comfort levels. New lightingthroughout the lobby and rooms, as well asthe “relighting” of the canal pool have giventhe feature a new image. The Moon Deck
Duplex Suites have also undergone new landscaping to enhance privacy.
Big Apple sets record NEW York City welcomed arecord 52 million visitors in 2012,according to Mayor MichaelBloomberg, with the figure up2.1% on 2011. Bloomberg said visitors spent ahefty $36.9 billion, contributingto a total estimated economicbenefit of $55.3 billion. Overseas visitors comprised ahefty 21% of the total, with 29million hotel room nights soldoverall generating more than halfa billion dollars in hotel taxes. The figures show New York iswell on the way to its 2015 targetof 55 million visitors and $70billion in economic impact.
Zumba for Celebrity CELEBRITY Cruises will beshaking to the Latin beat, afterannouncing the fleetwide roll-outof Zumba fitness classes. The move is effective for allsailings from 16 Jan, and reflectsthe rising popularity of Zumbawhich Celebrity previously onlyoffered on transatlantic voyages.
QR sues German firm QATAR Airways has confirmed amassive $600m lawsuit againstGerman company Lindner DepaInteriors, over delays in theconstruction of the new DohaInternational Airport. The move was flagged by QRceo Akbar Al Baker (TD 22 Nov),who said the problems would seethe airport open up to a year late. The company held a $250mcontract to build 19 airportlounges, but this has now beenterminated due to the delayswhich have affected QR’s revenueand rapid expansion plans.
US inflight internet AMERICAN regulators haveslashed red tape for new in-flightinternet services, under aframework which simplifieslicensing procedures with the aimof halving the time needed forapprovals for new installations. The Federal CommunicationsCommission said the changedprocedures would “promote thewidespread availability of internetaccess to aircraft passengers”. The procedures will allowairlines to test systems to ensurethey don’t interfere with aircraftelectronics, and then simply applyfor approval from the FederalAviation Administration.
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