Contiki Holidays recently hosted an all-ages travel agent famil to Europe with 35 agents from around the world, including three from New Zealand.

The eight day tour started in London and wrapped up in Munich, stopping in Paris and Lucerne along the way. In between zipping to the top of the Eiffel Tower and biking around Munich with a local guide, agents spent a night at Contiki’s own 16th century Chateau de Cruix in the French countryside.

Amy Kinniburgh, Contiki Auckland and Melissa Cox, United Travel Feilding get a birds eye view of the Swiss Alps	Claire Illes, Orbit Nelson and Emma Pilkington, House of Travel Taupo sample local cuisine in Lucerne

Introducing the destination and experiencing the world class facilities available on the Sunshine Coast is the objective of a Business Events Australia famil to the region currently underway. The group of professional conference organisers (PCOs) are sampling a little of what there is to do in the coastal towns of Caloundra, Mooloolaba and Noosa as well as dining at Makepeace Island, Sir Richard Branson’s coastal residence before heading inland to Yandina and Spicers Clovelly Estate.

Spice up the Sunshine Coast Spicers' two luxury retreats on the Sunshine Coast, Spicers Tamarind Retreat & Spa and Spicers Clovelly Estate are situated within a 10 minute drive from each other and the luxury lodges provide premium retreat experiences for the leisure and incentive client. A professional conference organisers (PCO) famil group currently on the Sunshine Coast spent time at both resorts including dining at the chef’s table of the Long Apron Restaurant at Spicers Clovelly Estate. Left: Frances Boortman, Driving Force Incentives and Jade Taylor, Dinamics at the Chef’s table at Spicers Clovelly Estate, Montville.

Ready, aim, pull... Frances Boortman, Driving Force Incentives; Suz Baker, Eventionz; Jade Taylor, Dinamics and  Hayley McIntyre, Williment Travel Group tackle Laser Clay Shooting with team building company, Corporate & Group Xperiences	About to board the helicopter transfer to Spicers Tamarind Retreat & Spa are Andrew Malcolm, Extra Mile Company; Frances Boortman, Driving Force Incentives; Jade Taylor, Dinamics; Hayley McIntyre, Williment Travel Group; Suz Baker, Eventionz and Amanda Hall, Business Events Australia	So far so good....says Andrew; Hayley, Suz and Frances

Conference and incentive groups can be catered for within the grounds of Australia Zoo. The privately owned zoo is spread over 100 acres and any of the grassed areas can be utilised for events, with marquees able to be erected for individual theming. A popular activity for groups is the animal encounters. Top of the line is the tiger and cheetah walks; pat a komodo dragon; behind the scenes tours and a hands on private animal experience. The famil group took part in the latter with a Burmese python, a wombat, koala, macaw and alligator as ‘guests’ at a private morning tea.

Frances Boortman, Driving Force Incentives gets all cuddly with the koala	Snake charmer extraordinaire Amanda Hall, Business Events Australia at Australia Zoo	Did anyone tell TRAVELinc's Ruth Scott, never to smile at an alligator, even at Australia Zoo…?

Meetings at Australia Zoo is available in one of three interconnecting classrooms or the zoo has one of the largest stadiums on the Sunshine Coast – the 5,000 seat Crocoseum. Utilised daily for a crocodile show, the stadium can be turned into an open air theatre with large screens on site or for private use.

Australia Zoo has been welcoming visitors for 43 years and the legacy that crocodile expert and Australia Zoo owner Steve Irwin created is still going strong, seven years after his death. The zoo has around 1000 acres of undeveloped land and new areas, the likes of Africa are part of the ongoing development of the iconic Sunshine Coast activity.

Leona Watson, owner of the Cheeky Food Group, invited the Kiwis to cook their own breakfast. Catering for nine was a walk in the park for Watson, as her team of chefs are accustomed to running cooking classes for up to 700. ‘We have turned convention centres, hotel ball rooms and accommodation rooms into cooking schools in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. You don’t need a permanent kitchen to cook. Most of the class is learning about preparation; how to correctly use a knife and create simple dishes with fresh ingredients’, says Watson.

Dressed in their Cheeky aprons are Hayley McIntyre, Williment Travel Group; Frances Boortman, Driving Force Incentives and Jade Taylor, Dinamics	Leona Watson, Cheeky Food Group shows Andrew Malcolm, Extra Mile Company how to whip up a healthy option of flambed strawberries and pineapple with toasted almonds and yoghurt parfait	Ready steady, cook… Frances Boortman, Driving Force Incentives;  Hayley McIntyre, Williment Travel Group and Lauran Hofman, manager Business Events Sunshine Coast are all go at the Cheeky Food Group cooking party on a room balcony at the Rumba Beach Resort, Caloundra
Suz Baker, Eventionz; Amanda Hall, Business Events Australia; Frances Boortman, Driving Force Incentives and Hayley McIntyre, Williment Travel Group prepare for dinner at Gusto da Gianni in Brisbane	Jade Taylor, Dinamics; Frances Boortman, Driving Force Incentives and Andrew Malcolm, Extra Mile Company relax for an afternoon on the Mooloolaba canal with Fish & Crab Charters	Lunch time with Fish & Crab Charters canal cruise
All aboard for Frances Boortman, Driving Force Incentives;  Suz Baker, Eventionz and Amanda Hall, Business Events Australia as they transfer to dinner hosted at Makepeace Island	Hayley McIntyre, Williment Travel Group; Jade Taylor, Dinamics; Andrew Malcolm, Extra Mile Company and Frances Boortman, Driving Force Incentives on Makepeace Island	Frances Boortman, Driving Force Incentives chills out on one  of the beautiful day beds on Makepeace Island

A lunchtime cruise around the canals and waterways of Mooloolaba onboard the Crusader 1, a charter vessel catering to fishing groups and corporates and incentives, was a relaxing way to spend the afternoon. Local catering company, Elliot’s Fine Food catered an antipasto platter with fresh seafood topped off with handmade macaroons and crème brule.
Andrew Malcolm, Extra Mile Company, says he would be interested in incorporating the Fish & Crab charter for a boys' fishing day during an incentive trip and was impressed with the smooth execution of the new operation.

Barefoot on the sand

It’s the first time a Seafood Feast on the Beach has appeared on the Noosa Food and Wine festival’s calendar and it appears that the sell-out sand restaurant could return again next year. The food and wine match lunch in a marquee set up on Noosa Beach attracted over 150 diners and the dress code was casual, but remove shoes to go barefoot in the sand. Four chefs, including New Zealander Martin Bosley, prepared a five course feast onsite, consisting of bbq Shark Bay prawns, Lakes Entrance fish soup with chickpeas and saffron aioli and bbq glacier toothfish – caught about 3,500km northwest of Perth, (it was delicious).

The Noosa Food & Wine Festival, now in its 10th year, has grown into an internationally recognised event on the region's calendar. This year the four day event was promoted in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Florence and Lauran Hofman, manager Business Events Sunshine Coast says that next year the promotion will move to another Italian city as well as breaking into France. A fun group activity, the festival caters to demonstrations, private lunches, high teas and wine tastings and is held annually in the middle of May.

Pippa McCreery, Business Events Sunshine Coast;  Andrew Malcolm, Extra Mile Company and Suz Baker, Eventinz prepare for a seafood feast	Noosa beach as a backdrop – stunning and Raelene Ohlson, Outrigger Little Hastings Street;  Amanda Hall, Business Events Australia; Leona Watson, Cheeky Food Group and Hayley McIntyre, Williment Travel Group reckon it’s not a bad place to be.	The marquee set up on Noosa Beach

Ten retail and one wholesale agent from House of Travel stores around New Zealand recently experienced the islands of Tahiti and Moorea courtesy of Tahiti Tourisme. The group were all first timers to Tahiti and experienced a mixture of site inspections combined with a taste of dining experiences and day tours that their clients are likely to enjoy. 'I particularly loved Moorea, a beautiful island and feel,' says Carmel Tocker, House of Travel Richmond. 'The resorts were fantastic and I loved swimming with the dolphins and paddle-boarding.'

When comparing prices, the group noticed that food and beverage is similar to the equivalent standard in New Zealand. 'Overall Tahiti was not as expensive as I thought,' says Janine McKay, House of Travel Merivale. Sarah Gaffney from House of Travel Newmarket says highlights included the dolphin encounter along with lunch at the Blue Banana on the island of Tahiti and getting into town and experiencing the caravan dining with the locals.

House of Travel enjoyed the hospitality of Air Tahiti Nui, Aggie Grey’s Le Meridien Resort, Moorea Pearl Resort & Spa, Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa, Moorea Dolphin Centre, Moorea Paddle Board Adventures, Sofitel Moorea Ia Ora Beach Resort, Radisson Plaza Resort Tahiti, Tahiti Nui Hotel, Manava Suite Resort, Tahiti Tours and Tahiti Tourisme.

Experience at the Dolphin Centre: Front - Janine McKay, HOT Merivale; Kylie Masters HOT Remuera; Second Row - Bianca Ratima, HOT Ponsonby; Linda Nettar, HOT Parnell; Aimee Mangin, HOT Ashburton; Donna Harrison, HOT; Jenny Nilsson, Trudi Vowles HOT Morrinsville Back Row - Carmel Tocker, HOT Richmond and Sarah Gaffney, HOT Newmarket	Moorea paddle board adventure	At Hilton Moorea: Back - Kylie Masters, HOT Remuera; Stacey Lee, Orbit CHC; Donna Harrison, HOT; Jenny Nilsson and Megan Arrenberg, HOT Product; Aimee Mangin , HOT Ashburton; Sarah Gaffney, HOT Newmarket; Trudi Vowles, HOT Morrinsville; Janine McKay, HOT Merivale; Carmel Tocker, HOT Richmond; Linda Nettar, HOT Parnell; Raumati Barbara, Tahiti Tourisme NZ; Front - Bianca Ratima, HOT Ponsonby

China Airlines and Explore Holidays hosted 12 travel agents on a 10 day famil to India and Taiwan recently. The group spent nine days in India, visiting Delhi, Agra, Bharatpur, Karauli, Rathambore National Park and Jaipur, before exploring Taipei with the Taiwan Tourism Bureau.

China Airline's New Zealand sales manager Gareth Williamson says 'this was the first long haul agent famil we have conducted from New Zealand, and it was pleasing to promote India given it’s rise as a destination for both leisure and business traffic, as well as to promote Taipei as a new stopover destination.'

Agents in India : Top Row L-R: Amanda Lewis, Flight Centre Chews Lane; Shelley Dunn, World Travellers Napier; Tania Wheeler, House of Travel Hamilton; Fleur Virtue, House of Travel Newmarket; Jan Arthurs, Pukekohe Travel. Middle Row L-R: Angela Nunn, House of Travel Albany; Deanna Tolj, United Travel Newmarket; Melanie Perkins, House of Travel Dunedin; Sesh Dayal, Flight Centre Botany. Front Row L-R: Phoenix Marshall, Adventure Travel Christchurch; Kelly Berthelsen, World Travellers Warkworth; Ranjeet Singh, Explore Holidays guide; Jo Saunderson, Explore Holidays and Gareth Williamson, China Airlines

Jo Saunderson, Explore Holidays; Shelley Dunn, World Travellers Napier and Gareth Williamson, China Airlines	The group getting ready for a camel cart ride
Cycle rickshaw tour in Delhi for Deanna Tolj, United Travel and Amanda Hillard, Explore Holidays Australia	Phoenix Marshall, Adventure Travel Christchurch; Amanda Lewis, Flight Centre Chews Lane; Deanna Tolj, United Travel Newmarket and Gareth Williamson, China Airlines

The Top End of Australia’s Northern Territory was put on showcase to five Kiwi incentive organisers recently, highlighting the cultural and historic experiences unique to the state’s capital Darwin, and its neighbouring wildlife hub Kakadu National Park.

Tourism Northern Territory’s business events officer, Becky Hargrove, says the northern shores of NT is maturing as a business events destination, with more local tourism businesses adapting for this market. She also sees more requests for the region’s Aboriginal culture to be incorporated into incentives.

‘I’ve noticed an increase in clients seeking a cultural experience in their incentive events,’ says Hargrove. ‘This could be a simple ‘welcome to country’ or more hands on experiences, such as painting clapsticks or making Larrakia bling. They say ‘give me the different, give me the wow’, and we're the Territory, so they expect that.’

Apart from being known for ‘croc spotting’ (it’s not a beach going city for this reason, many of the 120,000 residents have swimming pools to cool down), the indigenous culture is close to the heart of the Top End. The World Heritage listed Kakadu National Park sits in the north eastern corner of the Northern Territory and its diverse landscapes are recognised for rich wildlife, nature and indigenous cultural elements.

The park has around 100 tour operators that take in Kakadu, ranging from back packer targeted tours to the higher end market such as AAT Kings or Inspiring Journeys. Main attractions in Kakadu National Park are the rock art galleries at Ubirr, Nourlangie Rock and Naguluwur, where aboriginals have depicted hunting, religious aspects and other stories of importance thousands of years ago. The park is rich in wildlife, with the best time to spot crocodiles and birdlife during the dry season between May and October, when the water levels are lower.

A year-round option to see crocodiles up close is central city crocodile park, Crocosaurus Cove, where from the safety of a perspex tank (donned the Cage of Death), visitors are lowered into a saltwater crocodile enclosure while reptile handlers feed the 5 metre plus beasts to encourage their movement. The force of their jaws is astounding, and they are known to have greater strength when snapping than a Great White shark. Special functions at the park have been known to include the CEO or a prominent company figure in the tank as guests arrive.

The group was hosted by Tourism Australia, in conjunction with the Northern Territory Convention Bureau. Read full coverage of Darwin and Kakadu in TRAVELinc April May issue.

Dinner at Pee Wee's - East Point, an area developed to protect Port Darwin against naval attacks. Amanda Hall, Tourism Australia; Jackie Coyne, S2N; Natalie Bell, Associated Advertising & Promotions; Becky Hargrove, Tourism NT and George Spence, Realize Ltd	Pre-dinner entertainment by string band group The Darwin Rondalla. The band still has a current member from the original band's time in the WWII era	Pee Wee's 'Chocolate Slut', one of the restaurant's cheeky signature desserts
Breakfast on the water in Darwin Harbour, Australia's largest harbour, courtesy of Darwin Reef N Wrecks, one of the company's 'mini' fishing charters	George Spence, Realize Ltd, makes the first catch of the day, reeling in a decent sized snapper within minutes of throwing his line in	...Not to be outdone by Vickie Carson, Global Events
Defence of Darwin is a museum commemorating February 19, 1942, the day Japan bombed Darwin in two catastrophic air raids during WWII. The image shows the screen of a 13 minute cinema clip, which transforms into an exhibit display for seven minutes after each screening. The museum is pushed as an offsite venue to take in Darwin's astounding war history	Darwin Sailing Club has 'guaranteed sunsets' at the relaxed harbourside venue. Haydyn Johns, general manager Darwin Sailing Club; Amanda Hall, Tourism Australia, Becky Hargrove, Tourism NT; Jackie Coyne, S2N; George Spence, Realize Ltd; Vickie Carson, Global Events; Natalia Stevenson, Williment Event Management and Lesley Aldridge, Chimaera Group and Sales Incentive Travel	Having a go at making 'Larrakia bling', a traditional form of Indigenous craft and jewellery making using the string of a beach hibiscus plant. Lesley Aldridge, Chaemeira Group and Sales Incentive Travel; George Spence, Realize Ltd and Natalia Stevenson, Williment Event Management
Lesley Aldridge, Chimaera shows off her handmade 'Larrakia bling'	The showroom at Paspaley Pearls is also a 'playroom' says chief designer Jurgen Kammler. Vickie Carson, Global Events tests the world class pearls for their five virtues - lustre, complexion, size, shape and colour	Natalia Stevenson, Williment Event Management tries out thousands of dollars worth of Paspaley Pearls
Tasting some of the 44 beers on at tap (half of which are craft beers) at recently opened The Precinct, at Darwin Waterfront	Croc spotting on a Yellow Water River Cruise	Violet Lawson, from a local Aboriginal clan, uses berries to dye grass for basket weaving
The keen eye of Kevin Lyons, a Gagudju Adventure Tours senior tour guide, spotted this frill neck lizard in a tree while driving through Kakadu National Park. Becky Hargrove, Tourism NT and George Spence, Realize Ltd make sure to get some snaps	Jackie Coyne, S2N; Vickie Carson, Global Events and Natalia Stevenson, Williment Event Management with the lush Ubirr escarpements as a backdrop	Gagudju Dreaming guide Mandy Muir explains the thousands of years of history behind gunbim (aboriginal rock art) at Nourlangie rock art galleries
A special stop for a gourmet picnic lunch at Fogg Dam, overlooking wetlands rich in birdlife	Vickie Carson, Global Events and George Spence, Realize Ltd get up close and personal with a 5 metre saltwater crocodile at Crocosaurus Cove - situated in the middle of Darwin's city centre	Even with a limb bitten off from an encounter with another single male, this massive croc dwarfs Amanda Hall, Tourism Australia and Ashleigh Gilchrist, TRAVELinc in The Cage of Death, at Crocosaurus Cove
George Spence, Realize Ltd holds a baby croc	Lesley Aldridge, Chimaera Group & Sales Inventive Travel, isn't so sure about this little guy...	The lagoon pool at the new resort section of SKYCITY Darwin
32 luxury resort rooms opened in Darwin SKYCITY in August 2012	Natalia Stevenson, Wiliment Event Management; Jackie Coyne, S2N and Amanda Hall, Tourism Australia test out the new swim-up bar at SKYCITY Darwin's lagoon pool	The group was treated to a surprise Darwin city sights helicopter tour with Airborne Solutions