Home Based Travel Agent - May 2008 - (Page 45)

FOR THE AGENT A TRIP WORTH TAKING Half the battle in selling Sydney is the perception of distance and travel time needed Getting There: Most visitors will arrive at Sydney Airport (also known as Kingsford Smith International Airport). Sydney Airport is the world’s oldest continually operated commercial airport and a major hub for Qantas (www.qantas.com). The entire airport is currently undergoing a large expansion, scheduled for completion in 2025. The effort will add high-rise offices and a multilevel car park, and expand both the international and domestic terminal. Australia’s newest international airline, V Australia (www.vaustralia.com), has announced daily direct Los AngelesSydney flights as its inaugural transpacific route when it takes to the skies on December 15. V Australia Airlines will offer three classes of travel including International Business, International Premium Economy and International Economy. The launch of V Australia means the Virgin Group is offering for the first time a global network of airlines that allows travelers to fly worldwide on Virgin airlines. To celebrate, V Australia Airlines is offering American travelers 1,000 International Economy seats between Los Angeles and Sydney for $777 round-trip. This is an Internet sale, and taxes, fees and restrictions apply. Everyday economy fares will start from $2,019 round-trip, exclusive of taxes and government-imposed fee. Selling Sydney: Tourism Australia recently launched its new Aussie Week marketing campaign. The group’s contention is that travelers in the U.S. think nothing of taking short trips to Europe, but they’re convinced that they need two or three weeks to visit Australia. The campaign makes the case that Americans—who regularly take seven-day trips to destinations such as Tuscany and Shanghai—can easily include Australia in their plans for shorter trips. The trick is to pick a region of Australia to explore in depth, instead of trying to experience the whole country in one visit. To this end, Tourism Australia has created three packages to Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, costing $1,699 per person. A five-star upgrade is available from $1,999. These packages include round-trip air with departures from San Francisco and Los Angeles and four-star accommodations for seven nights. Continued on page 46 The Tower Rooms at Westin Sydney Hotel have top city views in one hotel http://www.qantas.com http://www.vaustralia.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Based Travel Agent - May 2008

Home Based Travel Agent - May 2008 Contents Editor’s Note: When It’s Just Not Worth It Publisher’s Note: Never Underestimate Your Lifeline: When Things Go Wrong, You May Need To Agent Spotlight: Odyssey Travel’s Michelle Duncan New Technology: Resources That Can Help You Quickly Industry News: Costa Names Field Sales Director Hot Deals: From the Caribbean to Canada and London Success Stories Independent Associations Southern Swing Mexico Dominican Republic Cover Story: Australia Family Trips Theme Tours New Products: Urban At Ease Laptop Messenger Bag

Home Based Travel Agent - May 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.