Protecting your holiday money May 22, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Airlines, Travel, Travel tips & trends.Tags: Air Australia, airlines, tourism, Travel, travel agents, Travel Compensation Fund
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As administrators continue sorting out the mess left behind by Air Australia, the travel industry is fuming that governments have still done nothing to fix consumer protection for travellers.
Australia’s consumer protection scheme for travel does not cover against the collapse of airlines and many other suppliers, leaving travellers out of pocket and travel agents in the firing line of public wrath. Australian governments have been working collaboratively on a review of the scheme, known as the Travel Compensation Fund (TCF), for several years but progress has been painstakingly slow and there is still no date for an announcement.
“We’re putting out a lot of fires for consumers,” says the veteran travel agent and chairman of Axis Travel Centre, Max Najar. ”With Air Australia, travel agents did so much after-hours work, at no cost, to help consumers [who were stranded by the airline].”
The question is: whose responsibility is it to protect travellers against the collapses that inevitably occur? Should taxpayers bear the brunt, should the industry be made to cover itself (with the scheme expanded to include airlines and all other suppliers) or is it our responsibility as consumers to… (click here to keep reading this article by Jane E. Fraser)
What’s hot in golf holidays May 17, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Asia, Travel, Travel tips & trends, UK & Europe.Tags: golf, KPMG, tourism, Travel
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If chasing a small white ball is your idea of a perfect holiday, say hola.
Spain and Portugal are the current hot spots for golf tourism, according to a report by KPMG. The two countries have been helped along by an average 10 per cent to 20 per cent drop in prices for golf package holidays, while destinations in south-east Asia have increased their prices by 30 per cent to 50 per cent, according to the Golf Travel Insights report.
Britain and Ireland came in behind Spain and Portugal, while Turkey, Thailand and Vietnam continue to emerge as popular destinations for golf holidays. Other up-and-coming golf destinations include Italy and Bulgaria, which are increasingly being featured in the offerings of tour operators.
Overall, golf tourism is (more…)
Spreading the cost of your holiday May 14, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Hotels, Travel, Travel tips & trends.Tags: Intrepid Travel, online travel, tourism, Travel, travel trends, Worldwide Holidays
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These days, there are not many large purchases you can’t put on layby or a payment plan. Buy a new washing machine or home theatre system and you’ll be given plenty of choices in how to avoid stumping up the full amount in one hit.
But travel remains an exception, with only a handful of companies offering layby or flexible payment schemes. While most travel companies by default split the cost of a trip into two payments – a deposit and then the balance – few offer alternatives. And of those that do offer flexible payments, few actively promote it.
Online accommodation booking site Worldwide Holidays is bucking this approach by promoting a new layby scheme with weekly or monthly payments.
A director of the company, Dipak Kumar, says layby has been used for more than 50 bookings since it was introduced in January. This might not sound like a lot but the scheme is available only for bookings that cost $1200 or more, which rules out the average weekend away.
There are no fees charged, with the price quoted on the website the total amount to be paid.
Kumar says the average layby booking has been about $2000, with some of the bookings involving multiple rooms. ”At this stage, the popularity of layby has been mainly… (click here to keep reading this article by Jane E. Fraser)
How we get our travel inspiration May 9, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Travel, Travel technology, Travel tips & trends.Tags: Facebook, tourism, Travel, travel technology, travel trends, Twitter
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Where do you get your inspiration for holidays?
If you look at where travel companies are investing their efforts, you’d think social media applications such as Facebook and Twitter are playing a big role in our plans and choices. But are we paying much attention to these platforms – aside from clicking on the occasional “like” button in the hope of winning a holiday?
Only 8 per cent had used Facebook for planning a holiday in the previous 12 months and only 5 per cent said Twitter had any influence on their decision-making. Newspapers, holiday brochures, websites and television continued to be the most used sources of information and inspiration.
However, the use of social media is still in its early stages in travel and its influence is likely to grow as travel companies get more innovative with their social media offerings, rather than just using the applications to throw marketing information at consumers.
KLM recently launched a “Meet & Seat” service that allows travellers to… (click here to keep reading this article by Jane E. Fraser)
Celebrating with style May 3, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Travel, Travel tips & trends.Tags: tourism, Travel, travel tips, travel trends
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Forget about a quiet family dinner … a big birthday or anniversary makes a great excuse for a holiday.
A growing trend towards special-occasion holidays has brought about the creation of a travel company specialising in bespoke arrangements for big occasions. Started by two senior travel industry executives, Celebration Journeys is busy organising everything from 60th birthday parties to bar mitzvahs around the world.
Hotels and tour operators have for some time been seeing growth in bookings for special occasions, especially multi-generational trips for birthdays and anniversaries. In many cases one member of the family is paying for the trip as a way of bringing the family together.
Celebration Journeys says its bookings so far have included (more…)
Live like a local without any fuss April 23, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Hotels, North America, Travel, Travel tips & trends, UK & Europe.Tags: acccommodation, hotels, London, New York, Roomarama, tourism, Travel
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The Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall put it so well when he wrote the lyrics “the rooms in these hotels are the same around the world”. Hotels, particularly big hotels, tend to be much of a muchness wherever you go these days, offering plenty of comforts and consistency but little in the way of atmosphere or local flavour.
Enter hotel alternatives, a rapidly growing sector aimed at those who want to have a taste of living like a local rather than a visitor. Companies offering travellers the opportunity to stay in real homes and apartments are popping up all over the place and say they are doing a roaring trade with Australian travellers.
The New York-based Roomorama, which has just announced a merger with competitor Lofty.com to become a leading provider of short-term accommodation, says Australians have become its second biggest market, just behind the US. The site launched in Australia last year and now offers more than 1500 alternative accommodation options around Australia, along with its overseas offerings.
Another website, onefinestay.com, which is currently limited to London but preparing to launch in other world cities, also puts Australia in second place for usage. The point of difference with these websites and others like them is… (click here to keep reading this article by Jane E. Fraser)
Beautiful one day, in shade the next April 17, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Australia, Cruising, Events, Travel, Travel tips & trends.Tags: Cairns, eclipse, Port Douglas, Queensland, solar eclipse, tourism, Travel
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(Apologies for the break in communications, I have been away travelling. Here’s this week’s column…)
When dawn breaks across tropical north Queensland on November 14, about 40,000 visitors are expected to be there ready to witness a total solar eclipse. It is rare for a total eclipse to be visible from land and this one, which can only be fully appreciated from the region around Cairns, is attracting a lot of attention from travellers around the world.
The eclipse will last just a couple of minutes but the celebrations will run for days, with events including a solar eclipse marathon, a music festival and a street carnival. Berths on many cruise ships have already sold out and hotel rooms are filling fast as awareness of the event grows.
The chief executive of Tourism Tropical North Queensland, Rob Giason, says the region has had a taskforce working for more than 12 months on arrangements for the expected 40,000 visitors. The visitor estimate is based on the region’s capacity and past events – more than 30,000 people travelled to Ceduna in South Australia for a similar event in 2002.
“We have been bombarded with requests from scientists, amateur astronomers and holidaymakers who want to be here to see the eclipse,” Giason says. ”Viewing an eclipse from [the land] is… (click here to keep reading this article by Jane E. Fraser)
Heading to London for the Olympics? March 22, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Airlines, Travel, Travel tips & trends, UK & Europe.Tags: Britain, London, London Olympics, Olympic Games, Travel
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The London Olympic Games are playing havoc with travel patterns, sending bookings soaring and crashing around the event. Travel to Britain is expected to be disrupted well beyond the six-week period of the Games, with many avoiding London and other areas both beforehand and afterwards.
The holiday period leading up to the Olympic Games is also being affected, with travellers concerned about the availability and pricing of hotel rooms and other travel bookings and expenses. The online travel agency Zuji Australia reports a “clear change” in traditional booking patterns, with many people… (click here to keep reading this article by Jane E. Fraser)
Edible airline food? So they say March 19, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Airlines, Travel, Travel tips & trends.Tags: Aer Lingus, airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, food, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Skyscanner, Travel, Turkish Airlines
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The best airline food — if it’s not an oxymoron — can be found in an unexpected place….
A panel of international travellers has named Turkish Airlines as having the best airline food. The flight comparison website Skyscanner sent 100 passengers from around the world on a flight with one of 19 international airlines to survey the food and Turkish Airlines scored 86 out of 100. The carrier serves Turkish dishes such as stuffed eggplant along with special meals including children’s, vegetarian and kosher.
For those of us who are unlikely to fly Turkish Airlines anytime soon, the top 10 includes many carriers that fly to Australia. Singapore Airlines, which has a “culinary panel” of top international chefs, came in second place with a score of 81, while Etihad came in third with 80 out of 100.
Etihad’s rival Emirates came in fifth place, behind the Irish carrier Aer Lingus and just ahead of Cathay Pacific. Qantas (more…)
