Paparazzo
Fiji hits the road in NZ
Tourism Fiji and partners have been on a four-city road show this week which saw around 250 travel agents keen to be updated on Fiji product.
Bridget Fogarty and Maria Stephens, both House of Travel
Kamani Pillay, Sincere Wong, Henal Patel, all helloworld Travel
Lisa Costello, Raffe Hotels; Jana Schleehauf, NZ Travel Brokers; Bianca Cummings, Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa
Wendy Merito, World Travellers; Sonya Lawson, Tourism Fiji, Samantha Muspratt, Likuliku and Malolo
Sonya Lawson, Tourism Fiji; Anita Gatley, Travel Managers Group
Nicola Preston, YOU Travel Mairangi Bay; Angela Manase, Manase Travel Studio; Chris Harrop, YOU Travel Mairangi Bay, Peter Manase, Manase Travel Studio
Jade Austin, Orbit Christchurch; Sheryn Ambler, Fiji Airways; Alyssa Field, South Sea Cruises; Michelle Mason, Orbit Christchurch
Ben Johnson of Outrigger and Castaway presents a prize to Gay Mathis of Kay Humphries Travel at the Hamilton event
Ellie van der Leij, Jaimee Thorne, Tessa Fisher, Flight Centre brokers
At the Auckland business events lunch, Jess Ogg, Event Travel Management (ETM); Tom Svensen, Tourism Fiji and Liz Maxwell, ESP Ventures
Cruise industry reunites
More than 200 tour operators, cruise executives, travel trade, regional tour office reps and others involved in the sector attended the New Zealand Cruise Association Conference yesterday. Held at the Aotea Centre, Auckland it was the first time the conference had been staged since 2019.
Michael Mihajlov, Carnival Australia; Stuart Allison, Princess Cruises
Thanks for everything… New Zealand Cruise Association CEO Kevin O’Sullivan and immediate past chair Debbie Summers
Megan Porter, Norwegian Cruise Line; Gabrielle Oliver, Oceania Cruises; Tony Smith, Francis Travel Marketing; Tracey Brennan, Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Jason Hill, Tourism Talent; Oscar Nathan, Bay of Plenty Tourism
Blair Anderson, Waimarino Glow Worm Kayaking; Jolanda Cave, Ngai Tahu Tourism
James Chatterley, Event Dynamics; Jason Baker, Tourism Results NZ; MC Paul Yeo, Tourism New Zealand
Catching up at the end of the business sessions… Bianca Bratton, PONANT Expedition Cruises; Kylie Crouch, First Travel Group
Ben Dale, Akorn Destination Management; Matthew Barnett, Chloe Barnett, both Bay of Islands Tours, Tony Brent, Akorn Destination Management
TMG celebrates 20th
Travel Managers Group (TMG) celebrated its 20th anniversary at a national gathering at Naumi Hotel, Auckland Airport this month. With a theme of Reconnect and Reimagine the event was also an opportunity for TMG to show gratitude to the wider network for their support and assistance over the last few years.
Speakers on the day included Jason Buckley, David Coombes and Victoria Courtney of Flight Centre and Greg Hamilton from TAANZ.
A number of awards were presented including: Emerging broker of the year, Kate Hawken; Broker division of the year, xtravel; Broker branch of the year 360Edge; Broker of the year, Bhagavan Srinivasa; TMG Champions – Outstanding contribution and achievement, Kristin Edgeworth, 360Edge and Shane Lust, xtravel.
Emerging broker of the year, Kate Hawken with TMG’s Angela Mills
TMG’s Amanda King, Ginny Akers, Megan Lowish, Kate Hawken with Fiona Farrell, FCTG Independent Support
Alison Sharp, TMG; Anita Gatley Wedding Travel: Kate Tawhai, TMG; Rebecca Kent, Rove Culture and Nicole Rutter, TMG
Kristin Edgeworth, Sally Brasell, Roshan Kencalo, all 360Edge and Briar Collins, Fine Travel
Grapevine spreads the word
The opportunities presented to the trade by the American Airlines flight into DFW starting on 1 November and the logic of recommending Grapevine as a base for clients were in Auckland recently when Heather Egan, director of leisure and international sales for the Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau hosted the trade to lunch at Non Solo Pizza.
Paula Watson, House of Travel; Mike Hearn, Amcham
Cherryl Browne, Cruise World; Caryn Young, Adventure World; Karen McCardle, Canuckiwi
Dave Nicholson, World Travellers; Heather Egan, Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau; Joe O’Sullivan, Cruise World
Leanne Cheesman, United Airlines; Paul Smith, First Travel Group
At the Grapevine lunch in Non Solo Pizza, Parnell, Auckland…Lauren Walker, GO Holidays; Lara Kamionka, Canuckiwi; Caryn Young, Adventure World
Lens on the TECNZ conference
Michelle Caldwell, Destinate; Paige Moor, Taupo Tandem Skydive; Sonya Warne, AJ Hackett Taupo Bungy and Swing
Kylie Archer, Expo 2022; Lynda Keene, Tourism Export Council; Wendy Petrie, MC
Vira Manley, Auckland War Memorial Museum; Lara Thorne, Waitangi Treaty Grounds
Luke McLeod, Tapoi Travel with Henry Horne, Hobbiton
Jason Goodson, Backyard Roadies; Louise Frend, Unique Stays & Experiences
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Cruise is back – we’ll drink to that
An industry gathering hosted by P&O at Harbourside in Auckland’s Ferry Building on Friday celebrated the return of cruises – with the star of the show, Pacific Explorer, clearly visible from the venue’s deck.
P&O New Zealand manager Belinda Clark notes another milestone – 20 years since the company started cruising New Zealand. ‘Next year we will carry 50,000 Kiwis. It’s not our biggest season but it is our most diverse, with events like our Pride Cruise, Country Cruise, Tribute to the King cruise and Kiwi Explorer Cruise.’ She says a key message for the trade is to get clients to book quickly, with even some of the later 2023 cruises getting close to selling out.
Emma Bull, GO Holidays, Debbie Christian, Travel Advocates
Mike Southcombe, Travel Advocates; Belinda Clark, P&O Cruises
Sarah Hunter, helloworld; Cherryl Browne, Cruise World
Gerard Murphy, Bon Voyage Cruises and Travel; Angela Webber, Jeff Leckey, both House of Travel
Toni Paltridge, First Travel Group; Joe O’Sullivan, Cruise World
Ramada Newmarket celebrates
One of Auckland’s newest hotels finally got to celebrate not one but two delayed milestones early August.
The Ramada Hotel and Suites Newmarket had delayed its first birthday celebration from June due to many people (for various ongoing Covid-related challenges) not being able to make it, and this followed on from the fact that the actual opening last year was never really officially marked because of the Auckland lockdown.
More than 40 corporate travel managers, retail and wholesale leisure agents, meetings and events organisers and local Newmarket businesses took the chance to look around the hotel and partake of some hospitality.
Richard Crouch, sales director of Safari Hotels, says the hotel is now ‘absolutely up and running’ with strong corporate business from Monday to Thursday. ‘We also offer a great crash pad proposition for people on the weekend with Newmarket on our doorstep, and Spark Arena and Eden Park just a train stop or two away. ‘We’re close to the hospital for anyone needing to stay in the area a few days.’
Ramada Newmarket has 93 rooms, including 49 self-catering apartments ideal for longer stays.
Richard Crouch (centre), Safari Hotels; Tej Divekar, Alma Van der Lee, both Tandem Travel
Kirsten Pollock, ATPI; Jamie Swan, CTM
Winner of a night’s accommodation at Ramada Hotel, Alma Van der Lee (centre), Tandem; with Kerrie Gregory, Ramada Newmarket and Richard Crouch, Safari Hotels
Lauren Walker, helloworld; Marie Smith, ATS; Emma Robertson, helloworld
Luba Kuznetsova, Expedia; Minnie Gaao, Ramada Newmarket
Brett McVeigh, Lynn Retter, both CTM; John Willson, First Travel Group
HOT for Birmingham
HOT Events, with NZ Olympic Travel, hosted travel partners, clients and associates to a Commonwealth Games breakfast early August. Held at the Birmingham Club (aka the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron), things didn’t quite go to plan in terms of the sport – neither the men’s nor women’s 7s teams made the finals that were televised at the time. However, the morning still served as a fun sporting catch up.
Sam Cameron, Destination New South Wales; Lisa Hopkins, Business Events Industry Aotearoa
Julia Bozich, Ange Webber, Paula Watson, all House of Travel
Chris McLean, Air New Zealand; Vic Wales, HOT Events
Celeste Ryall, House of Travel; Henry Matthews, NZ Olympic Committee
Edea Lu, Tourism Australia, David Fordyce, House of Travel; Sam Cameron, Destination New South Wales; Daniel Wright, Tourism Australia
Luxon speaks at Skal AKL
Thursday’s Skal event with Chris Luxon as guest speaker attracted some 70 people, from travel retail and wholesale, hotels, airlines, outbound operators and the inbound sector. Read what Luxon had to say here.
Harmeet Seghal, NZ Business Traveller; Derek Bachelor-Cook Kiwi Rail; Margaret Spiro, Travel Industry Mentor Experience
Alita Holdaway, JNTO; Peter Manase, Manase Travel Studio
Anmol Gulati, Park Hyatt Auckland; Josephine Do, Crown Institue of Studies; Michael Shah, Northern Club
Michael Shah, Northern Club; Megan Singleton, Skal Auckland president; Christopher Luxon, Leader of the Opposition
Jacqui Wilkinson, White Glove Experiences; Paul McGowan, Stunning Makeovers
Rachel Brown, Park Hyatt Auckland; Jams Doolan, Hotel Council, Victoria Wales, Christchurch Skal president
Paul Dymond, Wendy Wu Tours; Dave Coombes, Flight Centre; Nigel Pilkington, former Skal world president
