Hot Topics
Defending against supplier and agent failure
Monday, 16 December 2019 20:39By Andrew Olsen – Chief executive, Travel Agents’ Association of New Zealand
As we come to the close of 2019, I have a quick reflection on a few emerging trends to keep an eye on in 2020.The agent-supplier-customer ecosystem mostly functions well but we’ve seen a few situations develop which can quickly upset that equilibrium.
Faces to become passports?
Tuesday, 10 December 2019 02:15Facial pattern recognition systems will control passports and boarding cards, while virtual travel experiences will be the norm by 2040, according to a new report from Allianz Partners.
Trafalgar supports International Volunteer Day 2019
Thursday, 05 December 2019 04:27Since 2008 Trafalgar, alongside The Travel Corporation Family of Brand’s sister companies, has been offering staff members two paid volunteer days annually to support causes close to their hearts as part of their commitment to social responsibility.
Travel Media Ltd announces new travel podcast ‘Kiwi Tripsters’
Tuesday, 03 December 2019 22:06Publishers of popular consumer travel media titles For the Love of Travel and NZ Business Traveller have launched a new travel podcast called ‘Kiwi Tripsters’.
‘Need to understand rainbow travellers’
Sunday, 01 December 2019 23:17Queenstown travel agency xtravel is the official partner of Queenstown’s Winter Pride Festival.
Brokers urged: ‘Relax about competition’
Sunday, 01 December 2019 23:02Travel brokers have been urged to chill out and be realistic about competitive forces, many of which are beyond their control anyway.
TAANZ: 2020 and beyond
Friday, 29 November 2019 11:11Having new faces on the board is one of the factors giving the Travel Agents Association of New Zealand (TAANZ) a chance to refresh its thinking, says recently elected president Brent Thomas.
Product expertise not enough
Monday, 25 November 2019 22:53Building understanding of a client just like they may build up understanding of a destination is the key to travel professional’s success in the future, the NZ Travel Brokers Conference heard over the weekend.
Meetings win hands down
Monday, 18 November 2019 21:45Meeting face to face is still the most efficient way to do business, but travel agents are increasingly being asked not only how to reduce costs but also environmental impact.
Old school ways still work
Monday, 18 November 2019 21:40Though social media and other opportunities through technology are increasingly important for travel brokers, a successful practitioner out of Frankton, Queenstown, still advocates for old school methods.
OK Boomer: your succession plan?
Thursday, 14 November 2019 22:06Succession remains a big issue in the travel industry as baby boomers look for exit strategies that reflect successful businesses, says an accountant who has a close relationship with the travel and tourism sectors.
Connections crucial
Thursday, 14 November 2019 21:44Making an effort to increase personal connections and extend networks is a key strategy for broker Anna Rowbotham.
Insurance for domestic...
Monday, 11 November 2019 03:33While clients may think taking out insurance on domestic travel is unnecessary, it is something agents should at least discuss with their customers, according to a tour company that specialises in New Zealand tours for mature travellers.
Offer more, be innovative
Tuesday, 05 November 2019 01:04Retail travel employers need to either lift salaries or get more innovative with their salary packaging options to attract and retain quality staff in a time when the sector continues to experience a skills shortage, according to a report released today.
On travel agents’ minds?
Monday, 21 October 2019 23:43Fixing the sector’s skill shortage, building on warning procedures in the event of likely supplier collapse, and an update on New Distribution Capability (NDC) were among the raft of subjects addressed at the Travel Agents Association of New Zealand (TAANZ) Summit in Auckland on Friday.
New president, more gender diversity for TAANZ Board
Thursday, 17 October 2019 22:44Brent Thomas of House of Travel is the new president of the Travel Agents Association of New Zealand (TAANZ)
Sarah Hunter, general manager of GO Holidays was a nomination from the floor at the TAANZ Board meeting this morning and three other industry leaders are being co-opted onto the board - Jayne Alldred, House of Travel and Jackie Bell, Helloworld Travel (The Travel Brokers), plus one to be advised from First Travel Group.
Beware of fads
Monday, 14 October 2019 01:18Sellers and organisers of luxury travel have been warned against leaping on every new trend they see or hear about in the market.
Time to regenerate
Monday, 14 October 2019 01:05Luxury travel needs to move from sustainable to regenerative experiences, according to a keynote speaker at this week’s Luxperience conference in Sydney.
‘Industry...can still do more together’
Thursday, 03 October 2019 23:04More consultation and work between the travel and tourism industries and educators is necessary to make real change in the teaching of the subject in schools – and in the perception people hold towards travel and tourism as a career path, the SKAL Auckland club heard yesterday.
World On A Plate – Singapore
Thursday, 26 September 2019 22:53The Travel Corporation and Air New Zealand have revealed the lunch destination for the World On A Plate sales incentive – Singapore. Known as ‘food heaven’, the city-island-nation boasts a fusion of Chinese, Malay, Indian and Peranakan cultures that have created Singapore’s local cuisine and food traditions.
TAANZ on Tempo collapse
Thursday, 26 September 2019 22:36The Travel Agents Association of New Zealand says it has been ‘inundated’ with calls from agents looking for clarifications and assistance since it sent out an update on the failure of Tempo / Bentours early this week.
Make Travel Matter
Thursday, 26 September 2019 22:31The Travel Corporation (TTC) has announced its new Make Travel Matter Pledge, in celebration of World Tourism Day.
NZ’s ‘biggest sales incentive’
Tuesday, 17 September 2019 00:13World On A Plate, the sales incentive from The Travel Corporation and Air New Zealand, launched yesterday.
Responsible approach to tourism
Tuesday, 17 September 2019 00:05Everyone in the travel industry has to take the problem of ‘over tourism’ seriously and address the issues involved, says Gavin Tollman, CEO of Trafalgar.
Agents: 'opportunities aplenty’
Thursday, 05 September 2019 23:46The life of a travel agent heading into the 2020s has its modern challenges, but also opportunities aplenty, says a well-known practitioner who has been in the sector for 30 plus years.
Agents’ success proves 'demise' false
Tuesday, 03 September 2019 02:59The ‘demise of the travel agent’ is a fallacy, says Rob Beecher, Global Travel Network director.
Polar bug...healthy for agents
Tuesday, 06 August 2019 00:36Having clients who take an Antarctic cruise can form the ‘perfect base’ for repeat sells – particularly for those clients who catch the Polar bug and want to head north, says Sarah Arane, Quark Expeditions’ sales manager for New Zealand.
Brokers with high yield clients
Sunday, 04 August 2019 20:49An annual luxury trade show in Sydney that targets agents with high net worth clients is keen to hear from New Zealand travel brokers and independents who may fit the bill as hosted buyers. Luxperience 2019 is being held 7 to 10 October and event director Michelle Papas says the expo organisers and exhibitors are recognising the growing influence of home-based, mobile agents.
‘They are not so easy to find, they are not on the High Street or in grand office buildings but many of them have high net worth clients. They tend to deal with more bespoke itineraries, soft adventure and experiential travel. We want to identify more brokers who are doing these high yielding bookings and encourage them to apply to attend Luxperience.’
Papas says registration from trade buyers so far show their average bookings are around $40,000 land-only and 13.3 nights average duration. ‘We also ask buyers when they register to give us an indication of what their clients are seeking out. Private tours and unique experiences are at 81%, 76% say food orientated experiences and 61% say nature and adventure.’
She adds that agents attending are often looking towards destination management companies and suppliers to come up with something completely different. ‘For example, one of our DMCs organised a welcome party for a small group on a private island in Sydney Harbour. ‘We also have groups of friends and family looking to charter private yachts and private aircraft. This year one of our exhibitors is the Ahoy Club where people can source super yachts.’
www.luxperience.com.au
Aim at $35k scholarship
Tuesday, 30 July 2019 03:55New Zealand customer-facing travel agents are being encouraged to apply for a major scholarship and ‘Bring the Cup home’ under the noses of their Australian counterparts.
This is the second year in a row that New Zealanders have been invited to take part in the Avis Travel Agent Scholarship – an award that has been open to Aussie agents for more than 20 years.
Be prepared for a downturn
Tuesday, 23 July 2019 02:50Now is a good time for travel business owners to make sure they have the basics right and that they are prepared for any downturn in trade, says an accountant who specialises in the sector.
Ex-travel employees a resource
Thursday, 18 July 2019 23:36One of the biggest untapped resources available to New Zealand travel industry employers looking to hire is ex-travel employees seeking to rejoin the sector, says travel recruitment specialist Alisa Wilson.
Network, upskill...
Tuesday, 16 July 2019 01:20Asking for help, upskilling and networking are essential ingredients for travel brokers, says one of the finalists in the Best Broker category of the TAANZ National Travel Industry Awards (NTIA).
Tourism Whitsundays slams report
Wednesday, 10 July 2019 04:52The Whitsundays council and tourism organisation have come out swinging in response to a 60 Minutes piece that aired in Australia this week.
Solomons wants more Kiwis
Wednesday, 10 July 2019 04:41Tourism Solomons wants to see more New Zealand product managers at its annual trade show next year.
Don’t restrict career path
Friday, 28 June 2019 00:53Job seekers in the travel sector should avoid limiting themselves to a particular role or position, says Alisa Wilson, senior recruitment consultant with TMS Talent.
Richardson's tips...
Tuesday, 25 June 2019 02:11Giving agents and brokers ‘the path of least resistance to achieving their goals and growing their business is a key to being successful as an industry representative, says ‘multi rep’ Mark Richardson.
Mobile changes things for TMCs
Tuesday, 25 June 2019 02:07Mobile technology and the desire for business travellers to have control (and immediacy) over their own arrangements presents both challenges and opportunities for the corporate travel management sector, says Jamie Gray of Gilpin Travel.
Recruitment: ‘Reflecting true worth’ important
Tuesday, 25 June 2019 02:04About 80% of people applying for jobs in the travel and tourism sectors are actually more qualified than they realise, and are not reflecting their true worth on their CV, according to a recruitment specialist.
Advice: Complex itineraries
Thursday, 20 June 2019 22:06Do the complicated stuff and charge well for it – that’s one of the keys to success according to experienced travel designer David Moss, of YOU Whangarei.
NZTB – Helloworld
Thursday, 13 June 2019 22:47From 1 July, New Zealand Travel Brokers will join the Helloworld network as an Associate Member.
'Better Bucket List’ trends
Tuesday, 11 June 2019 21:52House of Travel’s ‘Better Bucket List’ digital campaign has received thousands of entries since its launch on Sunday, 2 June with trending destinations including the Greek Islands, Italy and USA – including New York, Chicago and LA.
VR features will help sell Orlando
Friday, 07 June 2019 01:28New tools for travel designers were amongst the announcements by Visit Orlando this week, along with hotel and attraction openings and the revealing of record visitor numbers.
Bonvoy to fore At Marriott
Tuesday, 21 May 2019 03:03With leisure travel at an all time high, and experiential travel being a strong motivator, travel agents were able to hear more about Marriott’s experiential rewards programme, Marriott Bonvoy, at the At Marriott event in Auckland recently.
Marriott International’s Ramesh Daryanani, VP global sales Asia Pacific, says the big trend that is inspiring families, couples and individuals to travel is experiences. ‘What we have done with Bonvoy is to make it more than just a hotel programme. We are making it more experiential where people can attend once-in-a-life-time experiences, for example, attending the Hong Kong Sevens in a suite,’ he says.
Transfers made easy
Tuesday, 21 May 2019 01:28Taking the frustration (and sometimes even fear) out of booking transfers for both the trade and their clients is
the main goal of Ugo Transfers.com, says founder and CEO Brad Wicks.
Survey: PE, downgrades and LCCs to fore in biz travel cost cutting
Tuesday, 21 May 2019 01:21Sixty five percent of respondents in a Sabre Corporate Travel Survey say that premium economy continues to gain ground in the region.
One travel manager in three has recorded an increase of close to 5% in premium economy bookings over the last year. As travel-related expenses become a central consideration for companies, the survey also reveals that downgrades, shifting reservations from business to economy class, account for close
Six seconds to get CV noticed
Monday, 06 May 2019 22:16TMS Talent Candidates have on average six to 15 seconds to get their CV noticed by a recruiter or potential employer when applying for a new role.
Presidential push for rapid SA visa solution
Monday, 06 May 2019 22:02Frustration with South Africa’s visa dispensation system has been expressed from the highest levels of the country’s government during Africa’s Travel Indaba last week.
ETG CEO: not all FTG would come
Tuesday, 09 April 2019 22:21Tom Manwaring CEO / director at Express Travel Group (ETG) says the company did not enter into negotiations with First Travel Group on the basis that ‘X, Y and Z members’ would agree.
‘Time for a dose of realism’
Thursday, 04 April 2019 23:40New Zealand’s tourism planning has in part been based on inaccurate and unreliable forecasting and it is now time for a dose of realism, a hotel conference in Auckland heard this week.
Declutter the internet
Wednesday, 03 April 2019 23:43Embracing the research that clients do online but the taking the core information and ‘decluttering it’ to make a tailored experience is a major key to success for the modern day travel designer, according to a double TAANZ National Travel Industry Awards winner.
‘Make it fun’ advice for agents
Tuesday, 26 March 2019 20:57Making customers feel like they are on holiday as soon as they walk in the shop is part of the formula to keep loyal clients, says an industry stalwart who retires this week after 50 years in travel.
Embrace cloud connectivity
Monday, 18 March 2019 23:03Travel management companies, plus hospitality and transport providers, have been urged to embrace cloud-based apps and recognise how essential connectivity has become for corporate travellers.
New brand fills need
Friday, 08 March 2019 21:12The growth and development of modern luxury, plus identifying a need to service the sector in a dedicated way, are key reasons for the formation of Our Luxe, according to creator of the Our World sub-brand Lindy Christian.
Solo female travel
Friday, 08 March 2019 17:18Women traveling solo continue to present huge opportunities to the travel trade, according to Caryn Young, head of operations at Adventure World in New Zealand.