Indigenous experiences at The Rock May 25, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Australia, Travel.Tags: Australia, Ayers Rock Resort, Indigenous Land Corporation, indigenous tourism, tourism, Travel, Uluru
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Australias indigenous culture is finally getting the attention it deserves at Ayers Rock Resort. A new program of indigenous cultural activities is the first step towards increasing Aboriginal involvement.
From this week, guests at the resort, which is now owned by the Indigenous Land Corporation, can take part in a range of free daily activities including children’s art classes and guided garden walks. Visitors might listen to bush yarns in the village square in the morning, learn to throw a spear or boomerang in the afternoon and then join in with a kangaroo dance (for men) or emu dance (for women).
There are didgeridoo-playing lessons at lunchtimes (although Aboriginal culture dictates that only men take part) and visitors also have the opportunity to buy (more…)
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)
Cruising: Antarctica May 11, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Adventure travel, Cruising, Travel.Tags: Antarctica, Aurora Expeditions, cruise, cruising, Travel
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This article is part of a weekly series on cruising in The Sun Herald, Sydney. If you have done an interesting shore excursion and are interested in being featured, please send an email to jane@janeefraser.com.au.
WHO Scott Ivery from Sydney’s Sutherland Shire, on his first cruise since university days.
WHAT First taste of Antarctica.
WHERE Half Moon Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctic Peninsula.
THE SHIP Scott and his family of five cruised to Antarctica on the Polar Pioneer, operated by Aurora Expeditions.
“With two and a bit days of crossing the Drake Passage [between South America and Antarctica], it was a sublime way to be introduced to Antarctica.
“A sunny panorama welcomed us to Half Moon Island and I was rooted to the spot, just watching, awestruck. Antarctica grabs you from the very first moment you lay eyes on it and we couldn’t wait to get ashore.
“We didn’t need to be told twice to get ready! We layered up with warm clothes then a Zodiac delivered us to the southern shore of Menguante Cove, where snow and ice and lichen-covered rocky spires dominated the landscape and we saw chinstrap penguins and a solitary elephant seal. I was blown away.
“We deposited our lifejackets with a staff member and joined a moving line of expeditioners, walking up the rise. We sank to our knees in the snow with every second or third step but it was a thoroughly enjoyable part of the experience.
“There were industrious – but argumentative – chinstrap penguins nesting on the rocky outcrops and, overhead… (click here to keep reading)
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)
Royal fascination continues May 8, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Events, Travel, UK & Europe, Uncategorized.Tags: Britain, London, royals, tourism, Travel
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Aussies will be flocking to London for the key weekend of celebrations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in June.
Leading online travel agent travel.com.au says its bookings for London are up more than 70 per cent on last year for the long weekend of June 2-5, when London will be alive with royal events.
Brits have been granted a four-day weekend to celebrate 60 years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign and events will include a pageant of up to 1000 boats on the Thames, a concert at Buckingham Palace (tickets no longer available), an arts festival in Battersea Park, a Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral and a carriage procession of the royal family, with a Royal Air Force flypast.
The general manager of travel.com.au, Renee Welsh, says (more…)
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…)
Cruising: Papua New Guinea April 28, 2012
Posted by janeefraser in Adventure travel, Cruising, Travel.Tags: cruise, cruising, North Star Cruises, Papua New Guinea, PNG
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This article is part of a weekly series on cruising in The Sun Herald, Sydney. If you have done an interesting shore excursion and are interested in being featured, please send an email to jane@janeefraser.com.au.
WHO Linda Berry, from Melbourne, on her fourth cruise with North Star Cruises.
WHAT Outrigger canoe trip to remote villages in Papua New Guinea.
WHERE Near Tufi, in the Northern Province of PNG.
THE SHIP Linda and her husband, Jim Fox, cruised on True North (northstarcruises.com.au).
“We were up in the fiord area of New Guinea, near Tufi, and it was a spectacularly beautiful area. Deep channel entrances and fringing fiords are framed by jagged mountains coming straight up from the sea.
“We were taken by local villagers on traditional outrigger canoes to an area upriver from their village. If you can imagine being paddled up a remote river where there is no sign of human habitation and then seeing a procession of women and children throwing petals into the water – it was very special and quite moving.
“They did a sago demonstration for us: the sago comes from a palm and they pulp it down and wrap it in vine leaves, to… (click here to keep reading)
