Friday 06 November 2015 Issue 3197

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, p2, p4, p5, p7Cruising Today................................. p3Hawaiian Airlines ............................ p6Sydney Corporate Famil .................. p8

8 Pages This Issue

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Fiji Airways has announced new premium cabin initiatives which the carrier says are designed to grow its business from markets including New Zealand.The carrier has adopted a more mantra; more baggage allowance, more IFE choices and more pre-mium services.“It is all about customer choices, so focusing on customers, with more choices to come,” says FJ.

. . . More BagsFrom Dec, FJ is introducing a 40kg checked bag limit for its business class passengers (was 30kg) on all routes, bar the US. Tabua Club members too will get an extra 10kg allowance—so a total of 50kgs of checked luggage.On the carrier’s flights to/from the US, the business class bag allowance will move from two to three pieces. Tabua Club members will be able to take four pieces of checked luggage. There is no change to the economy class bag limits.

. . . More IFEThe carrier has also focused on improving its in-flight entertain-ment offering. “There’s more en-tertainment and more choices,” says FJ. “You can watch what you like, whenever you like.” The ex-panded IFE range includes 15 movies, 50 television programmes and some 900 music a l bums.

On FJ’s A330 passengers can choose from 23 movies and 19 television episodes, and the carrier says from Mar—that will expand to a library of 35 movies and 50 television episodes.In addition, business class customers travelling on FJ’s 737 services can watch movies on FJ’s iPads.“Best of all is still to come in the very near future when our product moves from overhead screens to onboard IFE streaming on your personal devices,” says an FJ spokesman.

. . . Premium TeamIn a bid to further improve its pre-mium customer satisfaction, FJ has announced that it’s introducing a new premium team to offer a personalised service for its premium passengers.“We recognise the special needs of our VIPs, CIPs and Tabua Club members travelling in business class,” says an FJ spokesman. “From Jan, we will intro-duce a dedicated team for premium services handling.”The team will pro-actively contact premium passengers prior to travel and offer Nadi and Suva airport meet and greets at departures and arrivals. The representatives will also offer a concierge service, the ability to book pre-assigned seating, assist with flight connections between domestic and international terminals. Plus, says FJ, they’ll be easy to spot in a new uniform and will be contactable by a dedicated telephone number.

FJ: Going For More, More, More

A380 And The Jet-menNope, that’s not photo-shopped—an Emirates A380 and two people in jetpacks really did fly in formation at 4000ft over Dubai, putting on a stun-ning show above the desert city. The display was intended to show how far aviation has come, and celebrate ‘the magic and beauty of flight’, says EK. It took months of meticulous plan-ning to pull off, and saw the Jetman Dubai pair dropped from a helicopter that hovered above the aircraft at 5500ft. To see a video of the spec-tacular feat, CLICK HERE

Bali Ash UpdateVirgin Australia and Jestar cancelled flights to and from Bali again today due to the ash cloud from Mt Rinjani.VA is offering customers booked to fly to Bali 03-11 Nov, who haven’t yet commenced travel, the option of changing to an alternative destination free of charge. There’s 12 destinations available and guests can change their booking to a different destination for travel up to 30 days from their original travel date.JQ is also allowing passengers booked to travel 03-13 Nov to rebook to an-other destination, with no change fee. Decisions on tomorrow’s flights were due to be made later today.

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Expedia Takes On AirbnbExpedia has bought holiday rental site HomeAway for USD3.9 billion in a move that will see the travel giant take on Airbnb. “We have long had our eyes on the fast growing USD100 billion alter-native accommodations space and have been building on our partner-ship with HomeAway, a global leader in vacation rentals, for two years,” said Expedia boss Dara Khosrow-shahi in announcing the deal. “…we look forward to partnering with them to accelerate their shift from a classified marketplace to an online, transactional model…” he added.

EY: Learn From The UKEtihad boss James Hogan has taken a swipe at the ‘Big Three’ US carriers in the on-going Open Skies saga, saying competition in air travel must not be swiped out by the ‘entrenched inter-ests of the legacy carriers’.Speaking in London overnight, Ho-gan said the industry should learn from the British, ‘one of the first mar-kets to embrace true competition and one in which innovation and new approaches could still be seen’.Aviation is ‘crying out for new com-petition’ but becoming a competitive global network carrier is incredibly challenging, and carriers like the Big Three are ‘doing their best to stifle new competition’, he said. “The vic-tim here is the customer. The cost is innovation,” he said.

Scoot To MelbourneS c o o t l a u n c h e d n o n - s t o p Dreamliner services from Singapore to Melbourne, its fourth Australian destination, on Sun.

Holiday-makers are reportedly trapped in Egypt after some air-lines cancelled flights as specula-tion suggests it’s likely a bomb brought down the Metrojet flight over the Sinai Peninsula.A warning by the UK Government has led airlines including EasyJet and British Airways to cancel flights to and from Sharm el-Sheikh. The rising threat level isn’t for the re-sort itself, but on air travel to and from it, and empty planes are being flown to the resort to bring passengers home—with their luggage to be flown separately. UK Prime Minister David Cameron has said it’s ‘more likely than not’ a bomb which brought down the plane—but officials warn that it’s still too early to say what caused the crash.

KLM said today passengers travelling KL554 Cairo-Amsterdam on 06 Nov will be allowed if travelling with hand luggage only, and will not be allowed checked luggage ‘based on national and international information and out of precaution’.

Tourists Stranded Amid Egypt Chaos

AC’s 787 To DubaiAir Canada has inaugurated its non-stop 787 Dreamliner service to Dubai, advises local rep Airline Marketing.

PER Domestic TerminalPe r t h A i r p or t’s T 1 D om e st i c Terminal will open to travellers 22 Nov as part of the airport’s billion dollar upgrade, advises Tourism Western Australia. The terminal will feature 28 domestic check-in kiosks and bag-drop technology as well as 12 aerobridge departure gates. The new addition, situated at the western end of the international terminal will be home to Virgin Australia and en-able passengers to transfer between regional, interstate and international services. See perthairport.com.au

QF/AA: More Info NeededUS regulators have reportedly asked Qantas and American Airlines for a detailed revenue and capacity out-look on trans-Pacific routes, as well as evidence of how their proposed joint venture can reduce fares. Their expanded partnership has received interim approval in Aus-tralia but needs final approvals from regulators in Australia, the US and New Zealand.

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Clients have the chance to make the most of Australia Day festivi-ties with Captain Cook Cruises’ special four-night Murray Princess cruise.Departing 25 Jan, the Aus-tralia Day cruise will kick off with an Aussie break-fast before clients visit the sacred Aboriginal site of Nguat Nguat Conserva-tion Park (pictured) on a guided tour. Throughout the day clients can take part in Australia Day games includ-ing Two Up and ‘thong’ throwing, followed by a visit to a typical Aus-tralian woolshed for whip cracking, sheep shearing and sheep races. The night will of course finish off with an Aussie BBQ on the banks of the river. Throughout the cruise clients will also visit historic ports like Swan Reach, enjoy guided nature walks,

speedboat tours and a vineyard tour and wine tastings at Burk Salter Winery. Clients can take advantage of the Summer Sun sale fares for the four-night cruise with prices start-ing from AUD950pp s/t, normally AUD1266pp. The price includes ac-commodation, meals, onboard Wi-Fi, a number of excursions and activities and more. For further details see murrayprincess.com.au

Celebrate Aussie Day On The Murray

Thailand Cruise FocusT h a i l a n d i s s e t t o i n v e s t heavily in tourism infrastructure, with a big focus on cruise infrastruc-ture. Revealing details at the World Travel Market, Thailand’s tourism minister reportedly said the govern-ment would construct new ports in Krabi, Ko Samui and Surat Thani next year, whilst port facilities in Phuket will be improved.

Price, Flight AdvantageWorld Journeys urges agents to confirm their clients’ Galapagos cruise arrangements ASAP in order to take advantage of a temporary price freeze, and free internal flights. If booked and deposited by 15 Dec, cruise departures in 2016 will be confirmed at 2015 rates, whilst cli-ents will also enjoy free return flights to/from the Galapagos ex Guayaquil or Quito on mainland Ecuador. The offer applies to three- and seven-night cruises aboard Yacht La Pinta, five-night cruises aboard the Santa Cruz II and four-night cruises aboard Isabela II. T&Cs apply. E-mail info@worldjourneys.co.nz

Encore RenderingsWith anticipation building toward the launch of Seabourn Encore in Dec 2016, and its inaugural voyage in Jan 2017, Seabourn has released exterior renderings of the vessel. Expected to carry just 600 guests, Seabourn Encore will expand the line’s Odyssey-class ships. A sister ship, Seabourn Ovation, will join the fleet in 2018. To see more pho-tos, CLICK HERE

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Anaheim Flights, AccomClients can make the most of five night Anaheim packages from $1699pp s/t, staying at the Castle Inn & Suites, including return economy class airfares flying Air Tahiti Nui ex Auckland to Los Angeles. Plus, GO Holidays says take the kids 02-17 years from $1049. The offers are on sale to 30 Nov for select travel dates 01 Jan-30 Jun. GO has full details.

Invercargill travel agent Tony Laker has become something of a hero in the town after his one-day trip to the Melbourne Cup, which involved chartering a flight and turning Invercargill Airport international, went off without a hitch.“It was brilliant, it went 100% to plan,” says Laker. “It was a hell of a lot of hard work and effort but to see all those people on board that plane having the time of their lives, it was worth it.”Laker, of House of Travel Lakers In-vercargill, first had the idea of taking a plane-load of Southlanders to the Melbourne Cup in 2005 when the air-port extended its runway (see Travel Today 16 Oct).It took some 10 years for the stars to align and a lot of hard work to get the necessary permission to operate international flights, but it was all worth it on the day, says Laker—who acknowledged Air New Zealand for being ‘absolutely fantastic’ in helping him out.The icing on the cake was the bet he and wife Tracey put on race winner Prince of Penzance, ridden by Mi-chelle Payne, which won them $1090.“Tracey and I saw a story a few days

before the race about how [Payne] was the only female jockey and has a brother with Down Syndrome, and we have a wee boy with Down Syndrome,” he says.“It was really neat, it was a history making flight but we also got to see the first ever female jockey win it.”The agency has since been inundated with letters of thanks, emails and flowers from passengers on the flight, and they’ve featured all over the me-dia, meaning Laker is something of a celebrity in the town at the moment. While the trip has created a lot of interest, Laker is firm that his main motivation was to do something for

Southlanders’ Day Trip To MEL

the town and show the country that Southlanders can do anything.As to whether he’ll do something similar again, ‘I’ll have a big sleep and I’ll think about it,’ he says.Pictured: 1 Tony Laker (centre) with Invercargill mayor Tim Shadbolt and the town crier who saw the flight off.2 The departure board at MEL.3 Southlanders at the Melbourne Cup.

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Fireflies In MalaysiaClients with a free night in Kuala Lumpur could consider spending an evening dining among fireflies, says Exotic Holidays. The Fireflies Tour with Dinner ($75pp) sees cli-ents head to the coastal village of Kampung Kuantan, famous for its fireflies. They’ll visit Kota Melewati, an old fort, and enjoy views to the Strait of Malacca. After dusk the fireflies appear along the riverbank, and the evening includes a cruise upstream to see them in the man-grove trees.

St Regis For ShanghaiStarwood will bring its luxury St Regis brand to Shanghai early 2017 with the opening of the St Regis Shanghai Jingan. The hotel will open in the heart of the CBD as part of a new mixed-use development, and will offer 480 guestrooms including 41 suites and 47 residences. All guestrooms will be located on the 29th to 59th floors. It will also feature a spa, in-door swimming pool, fitness centre, events space and three restaurants.

Back-Roads Touring is looking to deepen its relationship with the New Zealand market as it adds 2016 departures on the back of ‘a wave of consumer popularity’.Back-Roads recently experienced its second biggest month of sales since its inception, with double the amount of bookings in Sep and Oct 2015 compared to the previous year. Many forward bookings for 2016 are return guests or direct referrals, adds the company.To meet the on-going demand, it has added 45 new departure dates for its most popular tours in the 2016 sea-son (Apr-Oct), equating to 705 new seats; and it’s also looking to appoint a business development manager in New Zealand.“This appointment will enable Back-Roads to better service the industry and provide expert training at all levels,” says brand manager Hugh Houston.

The growth in bookings is a result of growing demand for small group travel through Europe, he says.“Travellers are becoming increas-ingly savvy and moving further away from mass consumer products, in-stead desiring those authentic local experiences, bespoke culinary en-counters and charming accommoda-tion all in a leisurely paced package.”Next year Back-Roads celebrates 30 years in business and is ‘investigating fresh destinations and experiences to further the momentum of 2015’s success’.

Back-Roads Looks To Boost Kiwi Profile

APPLICATIONS CLOSE 5pm, 13 November 2015

Up for the challenge? Send your CV and covering letter to:Toni Leonard, HR and Development Manager

Orbit World Travel TaurangaP 07 856 9009 | E tonil@hot.co.nz

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Orbit World Travel Tauranga is seeking a dynamic, motivated and experienced corporate consultant, who thrives on delivering great customer service, to join our growing team. We have a great office location in one of New Zealand’s most desirable places to live.

You will be able to earn above industry average salary plus bonuses working Monday to Friday.

The successful candidate will be someone who possesses:

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You will share the company’s commitment to delivering outstanding customer experiences every time.

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The team from Gilpin Travel decided they needed to be a little closer to the action this year so headed over to Melbourne to see it for them-selves. 1 Pictured at Fleming-ton is: Shelley Swainson, Lisa Sumner, Erin Gilberd, Danielle Payne, Justine Beguely, Nicola Daverne, Melissa Davies, Katy Juretich, Penny Snell, Laura Campbell and Catherine Mat-thews. 2 Just before heading out is: Justine Beguely, Katy Juretich, Lisa Sumner and Shelley Swainson.

Team Gilpin All A-Flutter At The Melbourne Cup

Maldives EmergencyThe President of the Maldives has declared a country-wide State of Emergency due to ongoing political turmoil, which saw the vice-president arrested for allegedly plotting to kill the president by blowing up his speed-boat. There are no restrictions on tourist movements and tourist resorts are unlikely to be affected. New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Af-fairs and Trade has reviewed its travel advice but says there’s no change to its risk level, which remains at some risk on Male Island due to the potential for civil unrest. Kiwis are advised to exer-cise caution, particularly at night, and avoid any demonstrations, protests and political rallies. See safetravel.govt.nz/maldives

Perks ExtendedRocky Mountaineers’ Peaks & Perks offer has been extended to 11 Dec, for travel Apr-Oct 2016, advises GO Holidays.

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The sobering experience that is a visit to Pearl Harbor is suit-able for all ages—and was an unexpected trip highlight for Travel Today’s junior reporters, who were captivated by an overview movie of the event, amazed by the oil still bubbling up from the Ari-zona and in awe of Herb, the Hawai-ian Pearl Harbor veteran they met (pictured).Families with older children may want to spend all day visiting the various museums, exhibits and attractions around Pearl Harbour. At the same

time, with a bit of planning those with little time, or younger children, can be in and out in around two hours (the Arizona experience is 75mins).Tickets to the Navy-operated ferry ride over to the Arizona memorial are free. However, they’re in hot demand, so urge clients to get there really early or book on-line the day before, to avoid about a three-hour plus wait time for the ferry over.There’s plenty to see and do at the Pearl Harbor Historic Site exhibits, which are free—but the trip over to the Arizona memorial (which sits above where the ship sunk and visi-tors can see the oil bubbling to the surface) adds another dimension to the experience, especially for children.

. . . TicketsTickets to the Arizona are available on-line. If they are sold out for the dates clients want to visit, more tick-ets are released 24-hours before. In addition another 1300 tickets are available daily, but allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis. To book tickets, CLICK HERE

. . . No BagsAn important tip for those heading over to the Arizona is that no bags are permitted on the ferry ride over to the memorial—and it is enforced. There is a bag storage area for USD3 per bag.

Harbor History For The Whole Family

Shopping Bribes?S h o p p i n g m a y n o t b e t h e favourite pastime of younger travel-lers. For parents looking to extend their shopping time at Ala Moana Center, there’s a number of stores offering entertainment for kids. Chil-dren can make their own creations at the Lego store or watch a movie at the Disney store. Or Jungle Fun (on the ground floor) is part shop, part jungle themed entertainment arcade—where kids can shop and play. See alamoanacenter.com

Have FaithSurfing and Waikiki go hand in hand—and an increasing number of holidaying ‘groms’ are trying their hand at surfing on the gentle Waikiki waves. Faith Surf School (on the beach in front of the Outrigger Waikiki) can be recommended for those with younger, or nervous, beginners. Faith recommends its semi-private and private lessons for those aged 12 and under, priced from USD100 for 90 minutes. Even our timid junior re-porter (pictured) was able to stand up on the waves—and earned herself a shave ice from her instructor Cam for her efforts. CLICK HERE

Hawaiian-style Swashbuckling Family FunA new and fun addition to the day cruise market is the Honolulu-based Hawaii Pirate Ship Adventures. Boasting its own misfit pirate crew, the company offers a fun filled 90-min sailings on its Spanish galleon along the Waikiki shoreline. While passengers can do as little or as much as they like, our junior reporters didn’t sit down once during the cruise as they raced from firing water cannons, to spotting treasure (and dolphins), engaged in a little swashbuckling (as pictured) and pirate games. There was also a tug of war and snack box lunch—before a battle on the high seas complete with sound effects and a dramatic musical score. Tickets are USD64, adults and USD54 children aged three-12. For older pirates there’s also night cruise op-tions. For details, see hawaiipirateship.com

Walking Back In TimeFor parents looking to add a little cultural insight into Waikiki, there are free guided historical walking tours offered Mon-Sat 0900-1100. There’s two tours, the Kalia Tour, which leaves from the second floor of the Kalia Tower at the Hilton Ha-waiian Village; and the Queen’s Tour which leaves from the info kiosk at the cnr of Kapahulu and Kalakaua Aves. See waikikihistorictrail.org

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Fri 15 May 15 P3Fri 06 Nov 15 P7

IndustryDiary

NOVEMBERExotic Holidays RoadshowHamilton: Mon 16, Little India, 1730. Auckland: Tue17, India Gate, 1730. New Plymouth: Wed 18, Pankawalla, 1730. Christchurch: Thu 19, Kinara, 1730. Dunedin: Fri 20, Little India, 1730. Wellington: Mon 23, Tulsi, 1730. Napier: Tue 24, Indigo, 1230. Hastings: Tue 24, Star of India, 1730. Tauranga: Wed 25, Little India, 1730.

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.Venues, times tba.

MARCH 2016JAWS RoadshowChristchurch: Tue 01. Nelson: Wed 02. Whangarei: Tue 08. Napier: Mon 14.Wellington: Tue 15. Palmerston North: Wed 16.New Plymouth: Thu 17.Tauranga: Tue 22. Hamilton: Wed 23.Venues, times tba.

Business Development ManagerNEW ZEALAND

Back-Roads Touring is a unique small group touring concept offering fascinating and leisurely regional tours throughout the UK & Europe. With small group sizes, we provide an intimate and relaxing travel ex-perience, taking our guests off the freeways and onto the back roads to enjoy seasonal cuisine, charming accommodation and authentic cul-tural experiences.This is a fantastic opportunity for a passionate individual to join our growing team and represent an innovative brand and style of touring. This position will be based in Auckland.

Key Responsibilities & Requirements• Managing trade relationships within New Zealand• Building and nurturing travel agency partnerships with the ability

to prioritise those agencies which you identify as having the best growth potential for the brand

• Increasing trade sales from New Zealand year on year with aggressive annual growth targets for the brand

• Developing and providing training sessions for agency partners initially and then ongoing for new starts

• 3+ years of business development management within the travel industry

• The ability to travel extensively

Applications which do not address these points will not be considered. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.

Please send your application and supporting letter toHugh.Houston@backroadstouring.com.au by 20th November.

www.backroadstouring.com

EK Data Science LabEmirates has launched a data science lab in a five year partnership with Oxford University. The Oxford-Emir-ates Data Science Lab will examine new ways of forecasting demand and optimising seat inventory across the airline’s network in order to drive im-mediate, tangible benefits to the EK Group. Longer term, the lab’s focus will be to redefine the customer ex-perience through improved person-alisation with individual customers.

Hearst Xmas ToursThere are new Holiday Twilight Tours at California’s Hearst Castle, which take clients through the grounds, Casa del Mar guest house and the grand social rooms on the ground floor of Casa Grande. The seasonal tour show-cases holiday decorations, including two 18-foot Christmas trees and a one-of-a-kind poinsettia tree. Offered most evenings from 19 Dec-02 Jan, the tours will replace the regular Eve-ning Tour during this period and are USD30 for adults and USD15 for chil-dren. See hearstcastle.org for more.

C at h ay Pa c i f i c Ai r ways h a s released combined Cathay Pacific and Dragonair traffic figures for Sep that show an increase in both the number of passengers carried and the amount of cargo and mail uplifted compared to the same month last year. CX and Dragonair carried a total of 2,632,845 passengers last month— an increase of 5.8% compared to Sep 2014. The passenger load factor grew by 2.9 percentage points to 83.9% while capacity grew by 3.4%. In the year to the end of Sep, passenger traffic rose by 8.2% while capacity increased by 6%. CX general manager revenue man-agement Patricia Hwang says after a

busy summer peak, passenger traffic dropped back in Sep, as expected. However, Hwang says demand in the economy cabins remained gener-ally robust and there was ‘a decent increase in load factor compared to the same month last year’. “Sep usually marks the beginning of the peak season for corporate travel but we didn’t see any significant surge last month,” she says. “Pre-mium demand on long-haul routes in particular continued to lag expec-tations.”

Cathay Sep Traffic

VA’s Hat ValetVirgin Australia’s popular Hat Valet returned for this year’s Melbourne Cup, offering first-class handling of head-pieces 30 Oct-07 Nov for cus-tomers travelling from Sydney for the Spring Racing Carnival.

WA Tourism DrawcardSkywalks in Kalbarri National Park, along Western Australia’s Coral Coast will become a major tourism draw-card for the region, says Tourism WA. As part of an AUD20 million tourism initiative, two new 100 metre high skywalks will be installed at the Inyaka Wookai Watju site, otherwise known as the West Loop, and will provide vistas of the Murchison River Gorge. The skywalks will extend 12 and 20 metres beyond the gorge rim and will feature interpretation signs, shade shelters and caravan parking. Construction will begin next year and is expected to be completed by 2017.

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Afternoon Tea With Coco And ChampagneFor clients looking for a decadent treat, the Afternoon Tea With Wedgewood at the Langham Sydney was a highlight for many consultants on the famil. Staged in the hotel’s Palm Court the lavish spread of sweet and savoury deli-cacies (including the obligatory scones with cream and jam) was accompa-nied by a selection of teas (AUD65pp week days). There’s also the option of afternoon tea and a glass of Champagne (AUD85pp week days).1 DNSW’s Sam Cameron with her gluten free treats. 2 NZ’s Kendal Tobeck enjoys a Champagne with Coco the bear. 3 Flight Centre’s Amy McMillan with Kingston the Langham bear.

Hidden Paddington GemFamily-owned for 100 years, The Imperial pub in Sydney’s Paddington precinct has been redeveloped and offers bars and courtyards—as well as meeting rooms and a rooftop suite for small meeting and incentive groups. Described as a ‘hidden gem’ and ideal for the Kiwi groups and busi-ness travel market, Virgin Australia’s Nicola Segal said she would be rec-ommending the pub’s roof top suite, in particular, and cuisine. The Kiwi corporate agents were impressed by the menu on offer, which they said rivalled some of Sydney’s top restaurants. The meal was matched with local wines and complemented by the sweeping views across the Sydney Harbour. For more details on the pub’s offering for groups, CLICK HERE.

Sydney is a city of icons, and for clients looking to fit in a little touring between their business commitments, the BridgeClimb is a tried and proven product.There’s a range of climb options, in-cluding an Express tour, night climbs as well as options and pricing for groups. Described as a travel bucket list item for some corporate consul-tants in the Kiwi group—the climb 134m above the harbour did not disappoint (especially the morning after the AB’s Rugby World Cup win).The BridgeClimb Express is the fast-est tour to the summit and is a good

option for business travellers. Priced from AUD228, adults, the tour is just over two hours long.The company can also create expe-riences for corporates and groups of any size, and climbs can be adapted to be team building exer-cises or celebrations. For details, see bridgeclimb.com

. . . TipsJust remember that climbers need enclosed rubber soled shoes to climb and loose items must be left in lock-ers. Climbers must also pass an alcohol breathalyser test. 1 All smiles, the newly-informed Kiwi group stops at the top to en-joy the views—BridgeClimb, still a bucket list experience.2 Rebecca Ellison from Laker House of Travel is pictured at the Bridge-Climb ‘summit’ high over the city.

Kiwis On A High On Final Day In Sydney

VA/NZ On The Tasman• VA/NZ offer over 200 flights

every week on their Trans-Tas-man network.

• Eligible guests can can use ei-ther airlines’ departure lounges.

• Clients can earn and spend Velocity Points or Airpoints Dollars with either airline.

• There’s a flexible fare structure so clients can choose what suits.

Slower-Paced RocksA quick stop at the historic Rocks area can be recommended for clients looking for a change of pace. Quirky pubs and boutiques line the lane ways. On a Fri there’s a Foodie Market, 0900-1500 at Jack Mundey Place, and on weekends The Rocks Market is open 1000-1700 offering everything from designer dog collars to scented candles. Tandem’s Tahlee Reynolds and Darlene Pierson from BCD WLG take in the Rocks Markets. For more details see the rocks.com

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