TravelBulletin for November 2020 - Pay packets of travel's fat cats are looking skinny in the

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NOVEMBER 2020

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CONTENTS

FEATURES 32 New South Wales Myles Stedman discovers a road trip on NSW’s South Coast offers the perfect getaway.

COVER STORY 18 Travel’s fat cats looking skinny The pay packets of executives leading Australia’s travel and tourism companies are looking relatively scrawny this year, with the impact of COVID-19 seeing some changes at the top of travelBulletin’s annual Million Dollar Club listing, writes Bruce Piper.

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MONTHLY 02 State of the industry 08 Issues and trends 26 Cruise

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36 Last word

32

COLUMNS 02 From the publisher 06 Steve Jones 08 AFTA View 31 CLIA View

This month’s contributors Steve Jones, Joel Katz, Darren Rudd

This page bottom right: ©Destination NSW

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travelBulletin NOVEMBER 2020

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STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

From the publisher Bruce Piper

IN BRIEF

2

SIR Winston Churchill once said “never let a good crisis go to waste,” and that certainly appears to be advice being taken by Qantas amidst the current coronacrisis. In my opinion the carrier has masterfully navigated the pandemic, taking the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to restructure its cost base including realising its longheld goal of outsourcing its heavily unionised ground handling operations, as well as putting pressure on landlords by hinting it might even relocate its Sydney head office if another state made a generous enough offer. All this has been happening alongside a huge recalcitrance to pay refunds, and multiple announcements by CEO Alan Joyce about the grounding of the QF international fleet until at least the middle of 2021 – without actually cancelling those future flights until closer to the time, forcing customers who want their money back now to cancel themselves and incur the appropriate fees. While nobody doubts the pressure the airline is under, the extreme measures are somewhat disingenuous – and I can guarantee that

Qantas Holidays returns QANTAS Airways, one of the major shareholders in Helloworld Travel Limited, has also now become a big competitor too, with the relaunch recently of the Qantas Holidays brand under the airline’s own in-house operations. The move is not unexpected, after Helloworld Executive Director Cinzia Burnes last year confirmed that the company would

travelBulletin NOVEMBER 2020

the instant borders open up there will be Qantas planes in the air again much sooner than Joyce’s current gloomy prognostications. Being excessively downbeat about the situation definitely plays into the airline’s hands, particularly when it comes to the CEO’s cherished ambition of reducing what the airline is forced to pay travel agents. With hundreds of travel agencies closing across the country – including 400 stores just within Flight Centre – it’s my guess that Qantas executives are relishing the opportunity to turn the tables on relationships with agency consortia, with the inordinate power of Australian resellers long seen as the “tail wagging the dog” in airline circles. The outcomes of contract negotiations are likely to see incentives and overrides slashed, and there have also been suggestions that agent base commission could be even further reduced. Of course where Qantas leads other airlines will follow, so the days of travel agency groups reaping fat head office override profits from the labours of their loyal members may be at an end.

not be renewing its licence for the Qantas Holidays name, and instead would focus its travel packaging on the Viva Holidays brand. The reborn Qantas Holidays is the outcome of 18 months work – indicating that the carrier was working on the project for some time before Burnes made her announcement. The new platform dynamically packages flights and accommodation, and as part of the Qantas Loyalty ecosystem also allows


consumers to earn and burn Qantas Points. As well as being able to select a particular destination – only domestic at this stage given border restrictions – the new Qantas Holidays site offers a range of “holiday styles” such as luxury, family, romance and more. At this stage Qantas hasn’t advised whether it plans to join AFTA and ATAS, now that it is operating as a travel agent in its own right.

TAHITI LOOKING VERY NICE

LAST month’s launch of the new Tahiti Specialist Programme saw Tahiti Tourisme run a series of workshops to update travel advisors on the latest from the Islands of Tahiti. Sessions included a Paul Gauguin painting class in partnership with Ponant/Paul Gauguin Cruises, a yoga session and a Tahitian dancing class. Pictured at one of the gatherings are, back row from left: Michelle Schulze, TravelManagers; Anna De Mari, Travel Partners; Julie Painter and Vicki Hope, TravelManagers; Heather Del Vecchio and Lucy Vieira, Spencer Travel. Front row: Caroline Brunel and Rita Mardirossian, Tahiti Tourisme.

Helloworld opens up HELLOWORLD Travel last month issued one of its most frank trading updates for some time, detailing the impact of COVID-19 on its operations and even breaking out its yearon-year sales of touring, air and cruise products. Intriguingly, the figures indicated that as far back as January Helloworld’s land product sales were down as much as 35% on the prior year – some months before the pandemic was making its presence felt. Of course since March TTV has plummeted, apart from a bright spot in September when the Princess 2020 World Cruise ex Sydney saw the group’s cruise sales more than double the same month last year. CEO Andrew Burnes also confirmed expectations that long-haul travel to the US and UK/Europe is currently not likely to resume until late 2021 or early 2022, and warned that while so far Helloworld’s agency network numbers had remained “largely intact” with a net reduction of 75 across Australia and New Zealand,

The liquidity runway for agents is getting shorter

Andrew Burnes, CEO, Helloworld Travel

”the liquidity runway for agents is getting shorter”. As far as head office is concerned, Burnes said cost cutting measures and cash reserves meant it could maintain operations “well into 2022 or longer”.

Agent voices heard THE national mobilisation of travel agents which has seen scores of meetings with local politicians has certainly raised the profile of the industry’s COVID19 travails, with Federal Parliamentarians repeatedly mentioning agencies in speeches over recent weeks. One of the most noteworthy was from former Labor

Prime Minister Bill Shorten, who managed to swallow his well-documented ill will towards Helloworld when he urged the Government to provide further support for the sector. Progress in recent days also includes a hopeful statement from the Federal National Party backing an industry-specific support package – and there was even a somewhat balanced report from Channel 9’s A Current Affair about the plight of travel agents, a stark contrast to the program’s normally strident anti-industry stance. AFTA continues to be Continues over page travelBulletin NOVEMBER 2020

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STATE OF THE INDUSTRY Continues from previous page hopeful that a package will be forthcoming, with Shorten and other speeches also noting a doubling of the Federation’s ask to $250m. As well as engagement with MPs, there has been significant mainstream media coverage of local agents in News Corp publications, and a strong push supporting agents from Kate Carnell, the Small and Family Enterprise Ombudsman.

Borders to digitise THE Federal Government has announced a tender for a new “permissions capability” platform, in a wide-ranging project which will allow incoming passenger cards to be completed electronically. First use-cases for the proposed system also include a Simple Visa product for travellers from overseas, with the aim of replacing

existing ageing technology systems which underpin current visa processing. It’s envisaged that the tender would be awarded by March 2021, with the new Digital Passenger Declaration to be delivered as soon as the third quarter of next year.

TA enlists star power THE latest iteration of Tourism Australia’s Holiday Here This Year campaign has seen media, comedy and skincare power couple Hamish Blake and Zoe Foster-Blake urging Aussies to open their wallets and really experience their own back yard. Tourism Australia MD Phillipa Harrison told travelBulletin the aim was to “drive as much domestic demand as possible, particularly to those regions and operators that are typically popular with international visitors.

“Our goal is to try and get Australians travelling differently...urging them to start ticking off their holiday bucket list or heading interstate for the trip of a lifetime,” she said. The iconic homegrown personalities appear in a new TVC and on social media, with the campaign initially unfortunately omitting travel agents as one of the calls to action.

Our goal is to try and get Australians travelling differently... urging them to start ticking off their Scurrah out at VA holiday VIRGIN Australia is set to bucket list

Phillipa Harrison, Managing Director, Tourism Australia

be run by former Jetstar chief Jayne Hrdlicka, after a backflip by the carrier’s new owners Bain Capital saw incumbent Paul Scurrah announce his departure. Scurrah has only been in the role for 18 months, and said he had decided to step down “after some long discussions with my family. “The time feels right and I know the business will be in good hands,” he said.

HEADLINES 01 Oct 01 Oct 02 Oct 06 Oct 06 Oct 07 Oct 08 Oct 12 Oct 12 Oct 13 Oct

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TD Awards industry support Flight Centre cuts 90 stores Trading in HLO shares to resume ATAC steadies the ship No specific travel sector support in Budget FCTG axes cievents brand “Door still open” - AFTA RedBalloon agent platform Helloworld names new NZ GM Tourism Australia adds more star power

travelBulletin NOVEMBER 2020

15 Oct 15 Oct 15 Oct 19 Oct 21 Oct 22 Oct 23 Oct 28 Oct 29 Oct 30 Oct

HLO confirms departure of John Constable Virgin Australia CEO to step down Cover-More COVID policies Aussie arrivals to go digital Ombudsman “inundated” by agents Big future for agents says TTC Qantas to save on agent costs Globus launches Aus & NZ for locals CTM acquires Tramada Webjet ads a “mild retort”


DATA ROOM DOMESTIC ON TIME PERFORMANCE

VISITOR ARRIVALS

March 2020

Jetstar

Source

80.6% 78.5% 26.8%

Arrivals on time Departure on time Cancellations

Original

USA New Zealand UK India China Singapore Hong Kong Ukraine New Caledonia Philippines ALL VISITOR ARRIVALS

Qantas

Arrivals on time Departure on time Cancellations

RESIDENT RETURNS

Top 10 destinations, August 2020

86.1% 87.0% 11.4%

450 370 310 220 160 130 110 90 80 70 3,030

Top 10 destinations, August 2020

% change - original Aug 19/ Aug 20 -99.1 -99.7 -99.1 -99.3 -99.9 -99.7 -99.7 -59.8 -98.1 -99.5 -99.6

Source: ABS

1,060 900 850 500 330 310 280 260 230 220 8,070

.9 %

84.2% 85.4% 17.3%

-44.6%

Arrivals on time Departure on time Cancellations

USA New Zealand UK China Hong Kong PNG Lebanon India United Arab Emirates Singapore ALL RESIDENT RETURNS

% change - original Aug 19/ Aug 20 -98.8 -99.2 -98.8 -98.6 -97.1 -95.6 -96.1 -98.6 -92.3 -99.3 -99.1

Source: ABS

All airlines

82.8% 85.1% 22.7%

Original

-50

Virgin Australia Arrivals on time Departure on time Cancellations

Source

-42

DOMESTIC AIR MARKET

.9%

August 2020

-4 3 -4 7.1 %

.1 %

Growth % -41.2 -41.6 -39.2 -3.1* -35.2

%

5.20m 6.10bn 7.39bn 82.5 53.5

Growth Yr to Yr to % Aug 19 Aug 20 0.58m -88.9 61.00m 35.89m 0.65bn -89.4 71.15bn 41.58bn 1.25bn -83.0 88.57bn 53.81bn 51.7 -30.8 80.3 77.3 14.1 -73.6 635.2 411.4

-44.8

Total pax carried Revenue pax km (RPK) Avail seat kms (ASK) Load factor (%) Aircraft trips (000)

Aug 20

-40.0%

Aug 19

-4 3

.4 %

-41.2% -41.0%

*Percentage points difference

INTERNATIONAL AIR MARKET SHARE Share of passengers carried – August 2020

INTERNATIONAL AIR ROUTES Top 10 city pairs, year end August 2020

Others, 22.4% City pair Qatar Airways, 24.5%

SriLankan Airlines, 2.8% Malaysia Airlines, 3.0% Etihad Airways, 3.0% Air New Zealand, 12.3%

United Airlines, 4.4% Cathay Pacific Airways, 4.4% Singapore Airlines, 6.2%

Emirates, 10.6%

Auckland-Sydney Singapore-Melbourne Singapore-Sydney Auckland-Melbourne Singapore-Perth Hong Kong-Sydney Auckland-Brisbane Singapore-Brisbane Los Angeles-Sydney Denpasar-Perth Top 10 City Pairs Other City Pairs ALL CITY PAIRS

Passengers YE Aug 19 1,584,687 1,632,875 1,511,302 1,244,161 1,104,278 1,218,264 953,831 925,908 916,890 882,406 11,974,602 30,270,146 42,244,748

Passengers YE Aug 20 932,101 863,831 860,028 733,957 662,150 598,200 539,953 528,445 508,175 486,870 6,713,710 16,859,919 23,573,629

% of total % change 20/19 4.0 -41.2 3.7 -47.1 3.6 -43.1 3.1 -41.0 2.8 -40.0 2.5 -50.9 2.3 -43.4 2.2 -42.9 2.2 -44.6 2.1 -44.8 28.5 -43.9 71.5 -44.3 100.0 -44.2

Source: BITRE

China Southern Airlines, 6.5% Source: BITRE

travelBulletin NOVEMBER 2020

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STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

MelbourneSydney Brisbane-Sydney BrisbaneMelbourne Gold CoastSydney AdelaideMelbourne Melbourne-Perth Adelaide-Sydney Perth-Sydney Brisbane-Cairns BrisbaneTownsville ALL CITY PAIRS

Passengers Passengers % change YE Aug 19 YE Aug 20 (000) (000) 9,166.9

5,115.7

-44.2

4,807.5

2,802.2

-41.7

3,595.9

2,044.6

-43.1

2,695.0

1,610.4

-40.2

2,517.8

1,418.1

-43.7

2,121.5 1,874.8 1,690.5 1,281.7

1,237.7 1,061.9 998.0 858.7

-41.7 -43.4 -41.0 -33.0

1,000.6

661.7

-33.0

61,003.5

35,893.7

-41.2

Source: BITRE

0

-84 -84 -84 -84 -81 -82 -78 -75 -73 -76 -78

-20

-40

-60

-80

21 S ep 28 S ep 05 O ct 12 O ct

City pair

AUSTRALIAN CONSUMER SPEND ON TRAVEL: NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA INDEX

07 S ep 14 S ep

Top 10 domestic city pairs, August 2020

03 A ug 10 A ug 17 A ug 24 A ug 31 A ug

MAIN DOMESTIC ROUTES

-100 Source: News Corp

AUSTRALIAN AIRPORTS

International passengers through Australia’s major international airports, August 2020 City pair Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Perth Adelaide Gold Coast Cairns Avalon (a) Darwin Canberra Newcastle (b) Sunshine Coast (c) Port Hedland Norfolk Island (d) Townsville (e) ALL AIRPORTS

Passengers YE Aug 19 16,890,066 11,353,152 6,309,876 4,323,222 1,087,110 951,951 657,725 310,803 245,229 85,906 6,687 13,478 8,959 .. 584 42,244,748

Passengers % of total % change YE Aug 20 20/19 9,370,791 39.8 -44.5 6,243,770 26.5 -45.0 3,577,410 15.2 -43.3 2,479,554 10.5 -42.6 634,405 2.7 -41.6 527,136 2.2 -44.6 324,316 1.4 -50.7 221,514 0.9 -28.7 132,593 0.6 -45.9 41,713 0.2 -51.4 7,371 0.0 +10.2 6,420 0.0 -52.4 4,758 0.0 -46.9 1,878 0.0 .. .. .. .. 23,573,629 100.0 -44.2

(a) Scheduled passenger services commenced Dec ‘18 (d) Scheduled services ceased May ‘17 and recommenced (b) Scheduled services (seasonal) recommenced Nov ‘18 Sep ‘19 (c) Seasonal services only (e) Scheduled services ceased Sep ‘18

Source: BITRE

Steve Jones’ Say WHY is travel and tourism so under-appreciated? It’s a question I’m sure many of us have frequently pondered over the years. But none more so than in 2020. And it’s not just in Australia where the industry is overlooked. Just as AFTA’s endeavours to get meaningful sector support have fallen on sympathetic, but ultimately deaf ears, so

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it is in the UK. For COVID reasons, Britain has once again been my home for the past few months and regardless of the location, the story is depressingly familiar. An industry that has barely been able to trade for months, that has pleaded for help with increasing desperation, is met with a collective shrug of the shoulders. The political position is that provision has been made for businesses across the board, which aid travel firms as much as everyone else. And it’s true the impact of COVID should not be categorised or seen as a competition in misery. Everyone has had it tough this year. That said, the travel trade has been decimated in a way few others have. It is an inescapable fact that while other industries have slowly recovered as restrictions have eased, travel has remained in

While other industries have slowly recovered as restrictions have eased, travel has remained in lockdown

lockdown. There has been nothing to sell, no revenue to generate. The appetite to explore UK-style corridors has been negligible in Australia, even if Scott Morrison tentatively flagged the issue in midOctober. As for the New Zealand bubble, from a travel industry perspective it is worthless in its current form. With this in mind, why have the Governments of Australia and UK blanked the industry and refused to offer additional assistance? Do they regard it as dispensable, an industry selling a discretionary, flippant product that we can all do without? All industries have their stories of hardship, yet the business conditions for travel have been unique. Any signs of a short-term improvement are absent. Regrettably, so is the political will to help.


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ISSUES & TRENDS

AFTA VIEW

Nitmiluk National Park ©Tourism Australia

Darren Rudd, Chief Executive Officer Australian Federation of Travel Agents

I WOULD like to commence this month’s column by acknowledging the tremendous and collaborative efforts of AFTA members over the last eight weeks. Everyone, in a uniform and constructive way, has demonstrated great commitment, passion and shared responsibility as we flight for the survival of our sector. In recent weeks we have seen both State and Federal Parliamentarians, Government agencies, trade and mainstream media champion the cause in partnership with the travel sector in a never before seen effort of collaboration. Negotiations between AFTA and the Federal Government around sector specific support continue and we are in very detailed, data-driven discussions, which is part of standard government process (irrespective of what sector it is earmarked for) when evaluating such a substantial request for funding. I have been in Canberra several times since the Federal Budget was announced and I assure you that dialogues with representatives of the Finance and Tourism Ministers, the Treasurer, as well as the Prime Minister’s Office are still very much alive. So, to every single one of you who has participated in a meeting with your local Federal MP, the fact that we have got this far is largely a result of your efforts – thank you. These meetings will be an ongoing vehicle that will be used for separate policy initiatives as we rebuild this sector to its former health, wealth and prosperity. On Monday 27 October, I had the pleasure of briefing the Deputy Prime Minister along with Pat Conaghan MP, Federal Member for Cowper and great advocate of travel agents. He was completely engaged and across the detail, thanks to the hard work of Pat and other Parliamentarians. Following that and other meetings, the Federal National Party announced its unified support for a travel industry support package to their senior coalition partner, the Federal Liberal Party. Please read it HERE. The AFTA Team and I remain committed to driving as hard as possible for a positive outcome with respect to this rescue package. Stay tuned.

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travelBulletin NOVEMBER 2020

NORTHERN TERRITORY INVITES AUSSIES TO COME AND PLAY THE Northern Territory Government is enticing travellers to come and stay during the territory’s traditionally low tourist season by providing discounts of $200 for every $1,000 spent on a booking made with trade partners. The $5 million NT Summer on Sale campaign is the largest conversion-based tourism campaign the territory has ever run, and extends from 1 October to 31 March next year. “Last year Aussies spent more than $64 billion on overseas holidays. With international travel off the cards until at least next year, we’re encouraging our friends to the east, west and down south to come and have the adventure of a lifetime here,” said Tony Quarmby, Tourism NT Executive General Manager Marketing. In addition to the discount for travellers, agents who book their clients' experiences in the Northern Territory will receive a $50 incentive and every five bookings made garners an entry into a draw to win a spot on an exclusive NT famil. Tourism NT has partnered with Flight Centre, Helloworld/Viva Holidays and Holidays of Australia, but all travel agents can get involved by making a booking through these wholesalers. CLICK HERE for more details.


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travelBulletin NOVEMBER 2020

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ISSUES & TRENDS

GUSCIC UNREPENTANT OVER “THOSE ADS” THE travel agent community was given a rare insight into the thinking of Webjet CEO John Guscic last month, with the company’s recent addition to the ranks of AFTA prompting an opportunity for an interview with the leader of Australia’s only listed online travel agent (OTA). Speaking to travelBulletin publisher Bruce Piper, Guscic addressed the elephant in the room as he was invited to explain the rationale behind the controversial Webjet TV advertisements of 2016 which derided bricks and mortar travel agents. The outspoken Guscic defended the move as a riposte to a similarly aggressive advertisement which was released by AFTA as part of the 2014 launch of the AFTA Travel Accreditation Scheme. Making it clear he did not believe an apology was necessary, Guscic said the Webjet advertisements focused on the convenience and choice offered by an online player – but also made it clear that he is completely cognisant of the value that traditional agents play too. “Webjet does what offline travel agents can’t do – you can go on our website at three in the morning and book a ticket, that’s the convenience we offer and

there’s no argument about that. And you’ve got choice – clearly, in an online environment where you can connect to every available airline through technology and get instantaneous results,” he said. “But you get a whole lot of other things from a travel agent...a curated response, an intimate relationship and an offer that’s specific to the needs of the person that’s sitting across the table,” Guscic said. “Travel agents add tremendous value,” he added, saying that prior to AFTA’s initial advertisement “I’d always felt we’d operated in a collective travel ecosphere alongside everyone else in the industry”. The Webjet CEO said that his philosophy had always been for the company to run its own race and not get involved with the cut and thrust of the rest of the industry. But fast-forwarding to 2020 and the impact of COVID-19, that’s all changed – hence the decision to join AFTA, ATAS and ultimately take a place on the Federation’s board of directors. “We as an industry are under tremendous pressure as a consequence of this thing that is nobody’s fault. It’s a scenario that nobody could envisage. Having

a unified voice to contribute, to ensure that we as a travel industry survive and thrive – it made sense at this point in time to contribute to that,” he said. Guscic noted that in recent months Webjet had worked alongside other bodies to lobby the government, the ACCC and others around refunds. “I think we’ve contributed very positively to that conversation. Clearly we have self-interest, but it’s happened for everyone’s benefit.” Guscic was clearly aware that he’s not everyone’s cup of tea, admitting he would be the “most inappropriate person in our organisation to put on the board”. Instead Webjet’s Chief Operating Officer, Shelley Beasley, has taken on the AFTA role “and we are delighted to be part of it,” he said. “We are on a war footing as an industry, and we want to contribute to the survival of the industry,” he concluded. Webjet’s controversial 2016 TV advertisement

AFTA’s TV advertisement from 2014

10

travelBulletin NOVEMBER 2020


AGENTS WILL REMAIN KEY FOR TTC THE Travel Corporation’s (TTC) Global CEO, Brett Tollmann, believes that there is still a bright future for travel advisors, despite the massive disruption imposed by COVID-19 this year. Although booking patterns may change, he forecast that, particularly in the case of long-haul travellers from Australia and New Zealand to the USA and Europe, trips are actually likely to get longer in the future because coronavirus measures may necessitate complex procedures for crossing borders. Although naturally the reduction in bricks and mortar outlets in Australia is a concern for TTC, he downplayed suggestions this would drive a major shift to direct-to-consumer distribution. In contrast to recent years where there has been a trend to shorter, more frequent trips, the rise of extended overseas travel

is going to mean the role of travel advisors is even more important. “There are so many moving parts – we can’t book all of that,” he said, suggesting travellers will be wanting to combine multiple packages such as guided holidays, river cruises, ocean voyages, car hire and more. “We’re not built to do that, and so we’re not going to be able to satisfy the consumer out there,” he told travelBulletin. Tollmann, who presides over a 40-brand portfolio including Insight, Trafalgar, Uniworld, Contiki, Adventure World, AAT Kings and more, urged the industry to try to remain positive and look forward to 2021 with optimism. “We are expecting a literal tsunami of bookings once borders open,” he said, with consumers across the globe eager to travel as soon as they are able.

A summer sale like never before. Earn * $

50

* Terms and conditions apply.

For every eligible booking and a chance to win a place on an ‘All of NT’ famil, which includes an amazing experience on The Ghan.

For more information, visit tourismnt.com.au/summer-sale travelBulletin NOVEMBER 2020 11


ISSUES & TRENDS

Produced in collaboration with Globus family of brands

©Tourism Australia

GLOBUS FAMILY OF BRANDS TURNS TO OWN BACKYARD LIKE many in the travel industry, the COVID-19 pandemic has seen Globus family of brands turn its eyes to our own backyard, creating a range of new itineraries in Australia and New Zealand to suit local travellers, with the first tour departing February next year. Globus family of brands is not new to operating tours in the region, but traditionally its itineraries have been designed to suit the inbound market, mostly with UK and US customers exploring Australia. The new collection however is designed specifically for Australians and New Zealanders and packed with incredible experiences, over nine Cosmos

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travelBulletin NOVEMBER 2020

tours and four Globus trips. The itineraries focus on discovering lesser known sites and unique experiences that locals often wouldn’t consider doing independently. “We asked Aussies what they would love to see from an escorted tour closer to home and worked closely with local travel operators and tourism boards across both countries to curate itineraries we knew they’d love,” said Gai Tyrrell, Managing Director Australasia of Globus family of brands. “As state borders start to reopen around the country and Aussies start planning their next domestic holiday, there are lots of great reasons to consider an escorted

tour,” she said. “As well as enjoying a range of spectacular sights and experiences, guests on our tours can travel with ease, knowing everything has been perfectly planned for them; meet likeminded people who they’ll create lifelong memories with; and rest assured, knowing our local experts and Tour Directors are on hand to deliver an incredible experience.” Some of the highlights of the new program include The Great Ocean Road and Kangaroo Island tour with Cosmos. The eight-day trip starts in Melbourne and takes travellers along the Great Ocean Road, stopping at iconic sights like the 12 Apostles and Loch Ard


Gorge before sampling cab savs in the Coonawarra wine region (without having to worry about driving after a second glass). The trip then heads to the Murray river, with a cruise aboard an historic paddle steamer before journeying through Hahndorf to the Fleurieu Peninsula and onto Kangaroo Island. Another fascinating trip is Globus’ Contrasts of the Kimberley, which gives guests the chance experience the diverse landscapes in the Top End. Travellers join an art class with an indigenous artist, take a sunset cruise through Katherine Gorge, sleep under the stars at El Questro station and cruise the Geike Gorge before ending their trip in Broome with a craft beer tasting as the sun sets. In a post-pandemic world, many travellers’ priorities have changed and Globus family of brands is ensuring guests’ health and safety is protected. Trips will have a maximum capacity of 24 guests, to allow for comfortable physical distancing and new on-trip

protocols and procedures have been put in place to elevate the company’s already high hygiene standards and help mitigate the risk of infection. These procedures include pretrip health screenings for staff and guests, daily disinfecting, reduced luggage handling and pre-screening each restaurant, activity and accommodation to ensure it's COVID-safe. In addition, Globus family of brands is offering guests peace of mind, with all bookings before 31 January 2021 given complementary SafetyNet Protection, meaning travellers can cancel their trip with no penalties up to 30 days prior to departure, or amend their tour up to 24 hours in advance of the trip leaving. To celebrate the launch of these new trips, Globus family of brands is offering 5% off the new Cosmos trips, and 10% off Globus itineraries, when booked before 31 January 2021 for travel next year. To find out more, CLICK HERE for Cosmos tours and HERE for the Globus itineraries.

Loch Ard Gorge ©Tourism Australia Hot Water Beach ©The Coromandel

Adventure is knocking.®

Launceston 1

Just a stone’s throw away.

Bridestowe Lavender Estate

TASMANIA

2

St Helens

Grey Mares Tail

Bothwell

Save

5% *

New Norfolk Hobart 2

on tours

Bruny Island

TASSIE QUICK BITE

2021 Australia & New Zealand tours out now! From the cleanest air and freshest produce of Tasmania, to the unique thermal mineral pools of The Coromandel, a surplus of sights and experiences await right here, in our own backyard. As borders reopen, it’s time for your customers to restart their travel adventures.

7-day tour | Hobart to Launceston Highlights include: Bruny Island local produce tasting and lunch, Chocolate class, Belgrove Whiskey distillery, Bay of Fires Walk, Jam making class at Eureka Farm, Pyengana Dairy for a cheese tasting, Bridestowe Lavender Estate lunch, Janz Estate wine tasting.

From

Check out Cosmos’ new tours online and contact your BDM for a product update.

$2,612* per person twin share

incl. discount (based on 16/04/21 departure)

For bookings call 1300 130 134 or visit CosmosTours.com.au * Terms & Conditions apply. 5% discount applies to new 2021 bookings made and deposited by 31/01/21. All discounts based on land-only portion of core tour on twin share price, not including extra night accommodations, extensions, upgrades, taxes/fees, tips and, supplements/reductions. A nonrefundable deposit of $250 per person per tour is required within 7 days or by 31/01/21 (whichever comes first) to secure reservation and offer. Offer may be withdrawn or amended at any time without notice. Additional restrictions may apply. For full terms & conditions visit cosmostours.com.au.

Bay of Fires, Tasmania — 41.1400° S, 148.3000° E

Bay of Fires

Jansz Estate

Adventure awaits.


ISSUES & TRENDS

COVER-MORE TO OFFER COVID POLICIES COVER-MORE Travel Insurance APAC CEO Judith Crompton faced up to the travel industry last month, in an exclusive interview conducted at The Travel Industry Hub by travelBulletin publisher Bruce Piper. As well as answering questions about the company’s management of hundreds of thousands of refunds, Crompton confirmed that Cover-More had not been resting on its laurels over the last six months in terms of product innovation, with the imminent release of new COVID-19 policies expected this month. Initially only covering domestic travel within New Zealand and then Australia from early December, Crompton wasn’t able to provide further details at this stage, but said she believed the introduction of COVID-19 policies was a key

step towards helping boost consumer confidence and get bookings moving. She also addressed travel agent concerns about Cover-More’s 100% refund initiative which led to significant commission clawbacks for some agencies. “It was an easy decision, and at the same time a very hard decision, but in the end we had to stand by the end consumers,” she said. The Cover-More chief also urged agents with outstanding concerns to reach out personally. As well as new product development, Cover-More has established a new global command centre in Brisbane to service the needs of retail customers, and is also set to release smartphone apps that will allow leisure customers to call for help at the touch of a button wherever they are in the world.

“ ”

...in the end we had to stand by the end consumers Judith Crompton, Cover-More Travel Insurance, CEO APAC

Corporate Travel Management takes over Tramada CORPORATE Travel Management’s (CTM) acquisition of travel agency software specialist Tramada last month took the industry by surprise, not least because Tramada is a key supplier to 80% of the Australian and New Zealand business travel sector, many of whom are direct competitors to CTM. The move was yet another canny deal for CTM, which by all accounts looks to have positioned itself well for recovery as the COVID-19 pandemic

14

travelBulletin NOVEMBER 2020

subsides – and clearly had cash in hand to buy out Tramada owner Anna Buduls. The move marked the end of an era for Jo O’Brien who has led the business as CEO for almost 15 years, with the operation to now be headed up by Bjorn Bohme, Tramada’s Global Director of Product and Engineering. CTM unusually didn’t announce the acquisition to the Australian Stock Exchange, with GM Australia/NZ Greg McCarthy

telling travelBulletin it was “not material” to the company’s bottom line. And while he has provided assurances that it’s business as usual and that the company will continue to service its existing clientele across Flight Centre, Helloworld, CT Partners, Express Travel Group and more, there is understandably some uneasiness in the ranks of the industry about a major competitor now becoming a major supplier too.


2020 WINNERS Congratulations to all the finalists and winners of the Travel Daily Awards 2020 and thanks to everyone who nominated and voted. MOST SUPPORTIVE AIRLINE VOTED CATEGORY Qatar Airways

MOST SUPPORTIVE TECHNOLOGY SUPPLIER VOTED CATEGORY Sabre

MOST SUPPORTIVE HOTEL GROUP/ACCOMMODATION SUPPLIER VOTED CATEGORY Expedia TAAP

MOST SUPPORTIVE GROUND TRANSPORT SUPPLIER VOTED CATEGORY DriveAway

MOST SUPPORTIVE INDUSTRY SUPPORT SERVICE VOTED CATEGORY Air Tickets

MOST SUPPORTIVE OCEAN CRUISE LINE VOTED CATEGORY Princess Cruises

MOST SUPPORTIVE EXPEDITION CRUISE LINE

VOTED CATEGORY Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours

MOST SUPPORTIVE RIVER CRUISE LINE VOTED CATEGORY APT Travel Group

MOST SUPPORTIVE TOUR OPERATOR/WHOLESALER VOTED CATEGORY Globus Family of Brands

MOST SUPPORTIVE INDUSTRY SALES EXECUTIVE VOTED CATEGORY Linda Costantini - Emirates

MOST SUPPORTIVE TRAVEL CONSULTANT - TAS JUDGED CATEGORY Robyn Sinfield - Home Travel Company

MOST SUPPORTIVE TRAVEL CONSULTANT - SA JUDGED CATEGORY Brianna Schwarz - Helloworld Norwood Jan Smith - Enhance Travel

MOST SUPPORTIVE TRAVEL CONSULTANT - WA

MOST SUPPORTIVE TRAVEL CONSULTANT - QLD

JUDGED CATEGORY Cathy Donaghy - Helloworld Travel Strathpine

JUDGED CATEGORY Barry Downs - Bicton Travel Christine Ross-Davies - Attadale Travel Jo-Anne Deveson-Francis - Global Travel Solutions

MOST SUPPORTIVE TRAVEL CONSULTANT - NSW

MOST SUPPORTIVE LEISURE TRAVEL AGENCY

JUDGED CATEGORY Maria Tadros Anissa - Tadros Travel

MOST SUPPORTIVE TRAVEL CONSULTANT - ACT JUDGED CATEGORY Maria Slater - Maria Slater Travel

MOST SUPPORTIVE TRAVEL CONSULTANT - VIC

JUDGED CATEGORY Kathy Pavlidis - Travel Associates Kew

JUDGED CATEGORY Bicton Travel

MOST SUPPORTIVE CORPORATE TRAVEL AGENCY JUDGED CATEGORY FCM Travel Solutions


ISSUES & TRENDS

Expedia's Stu Udy with the company's award for Most Supportive Hotel Group/ Accommodation Supplier, received by mail after the Zoom . award ceremony

Gai Tyrrell, Peter Dougla s and Chris Fundell fro m Globus were all smiles at the announcement of the tour operator’s win of Most Supportive Tour Operator/Wholesa ler.

TRAVEL DAILY HAI

The finalists for Most Supportive Travel Consultant - WA.

THE inaugural Travel Daily Awards last month provided a moment of brightness amid the COVID-19 gloom, giving the industry the opportunity to showcase some of the extraordinary efforts being undertaken by travel agents and suppliers to support one another through this crazy year. After a nomination process which saw more than 600 individuals and companies highlighted by their peers, voting and judging led to the selection of finalists and then winners. In a year where the normal calendar of industry events and awards had been completely disrupted, participants said it was a delight to be able

The Club Med team coordinated their outfits, all dressed in white for the announcement of the Most Supportive Hotel Group/Accommodation Supplier winner.

The finalists for Most Supportive Industry Sales Executive.

16

travelBulletin NOVEMBER 2020


rt Allison, Heather Pryde, Elly Eves, Stua From left to right: Shiky Chen, s all from Princess Jone e Chlo and Lee n Vivie Nick Ferguson, Iris Lee, . t Supportive Ocean Cruise Line Cruises which took home Mos Cathy Donaghy, winner of the Most Supportive Travel Consultant - QLD with her trophy.

ILS INDUSTRY to honour one another, with many people still working in the industry taking part alongside those stood down or looking for new roles. Unfortunately a gala awards ceremony was out of the question given pandemic restrictions, but the TD and travelBulletin team made the best of it with a day-long series of Zoom calls with finalists to announce the winners, whose trophies were then dispatched across the country. We were delighted to see how the industry joined in the fun, and are very much looking forward to doing it again bigger, better and in-person in 2021!

Emma Davie, Lina Trimarchi and Katherine O’Neill from Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, which was nominated in both Most Supportive Tour Operator and Most Supportive Expedition Cruise Line and took the gong for the latter home.

DriveAway won the Mo st Supportive Ground Tra nsport Supplier category. Pic tured is Charlie Youssef and Natasha Wahab from the company.

IHG's Chris Waite dressed up for the occasion for the Zoom call for the announcement of the winner of the Most Supportive Hotel Group/Accommodation Supplier.

travelBulletin NOVEMBER 2020

17


COVER

The pay packets of executives leading Australia’s travel and tourism companies are looking relatively scrawny this year, with the impact of COVID-19 seeing some changes at the top of travelBulletin’s annual Million Dollar Club listing. With massive layoffs, job cuts and stand-downs across the board, many of those at the top have also shared in the pain, and the belt-tightening looks set to continue for some time yet. Bruce Piper investigates.

TRAVEL’S

FAT CATS LOOKING

SKINNY T HIS time last year the travel and tourism industry was riding high after a strong 2018/19 financial year. Booming inbound and outbound numbers meant plenty of opportunity to make money within the sector, and record profits were being recorded by Australia’s publicly listed travel, hospitality, aviation and holiday groups. In turn they were paying

18

travelBulletin NOVEMBER 2020

shareholders strong returns, and the prosperity was also reflected in some stunning pay packets at the top end. Fast forward to 2019/20 and things aren’t quite so rosy – however it should be noted that the pandemic only hit in the final third of the year when the industry ground to a screeching halt and then into a rapid reverse. Continued over page


travelBulletin NOVEMBER 2020

19


COVER So while that led to a haircut for many executives who took significant pay cuts amid the onset of coronavirus, it was preceded by eight months of strong trading, including normal dividend payouts for several companies – while others even continued to pay dividends as the travel world imploded. Flight Centre Travel Group MD Graham Turner has long been at the top of the Million Dollar Club, with the travel agency powerhouse producing exceptional results for investors over many years. In fact 2018/19 was an absolute standout for Flight Centre shareholders – and of course that meant a big benefit for Turner himself who has a major stake in the company. A one-off special dividend, on top of the company’s normal payouts, boosted

his total remuneration to an eye-watering $48 million for the prior 12 months (travelBulletin October 2019). Things are somewhat different this year, with only a single dividend payment during the year, and then a pay cut across the board for Flight Centre execs, meaning that he had to settle for “only” $17 million-odd in 2019/20 – around a third of his income the previous year. And while that still left him at the top of the travelBulletin Million Dollar Club, Turner is also noteworthy as one of those who took the biggest cuts year-on-year, with a 65% drop. That was somewhat of a contrast to the Flight Centre chief’s industry peers Andrew and Cinzia Burnes at Helloworld Travel Limited. Again being major shareholders in the business meant the pair rightly

[Flight Centre’s Graham Turner] had to settle for “only” $17 millionodd in 2019/20 – around a third of his income the previous year

benefited from dividend payouts, but there were certainly some eyebrows raised when the company persevered with the planned payment of its 9c per share interim dividend on 19 March 2020 (a total of $11.2 million across the shareholder base) – right amidst the chaos of Australia’s international border closures. In fact at the same time as making that significant payout, the company was also making the first round of cuts to its staff numbers, including 275 redundancies and standing down an additional 1,300 staff, or 65% of its workforce. All remaining personnel were offered reduced working hours – and the Burnes’ agreed to take no salary at all for the rest of the financial year. That probably wasn’t too difficult for them to manage, given they had just paid themselves that

The 2020 Million Dollar Club (top 15) Name

Company

Total income

Graham Turner

Flight Centre

$16,804,688

Jamie Pherous

Corporate Travel Management

$5,114,726

Robert Kirby

Village Roadshow

$5,022,371

Andrew Burnes

Helloworld

$4,837,280

Cinzia Burnes

Helloworld

$4,724,261

Christopher Luxon

Air New Zealand

$3,918,841

John Alexander

Crown

$3,708,203

Todd Nisbet

Crown

$3,040,478

John Guscic

Webjet

$2,908,841

Ken Barton

Crown

$2,632,178

Jane Hastings

Event Hospitality

$2,435,704

Barry Felsted

Crown

$2,432,058

Matt Bekier

Star Entertainment

$2,385,882

UNNAMED

Air New Zealand

$2,310,000

Alan Joyce

Qantas

$2,120,022

20

travelBulletin NOVEMBER 2020

NOTE

Each diamond symbol represents a $1 million dollar diamond, which is about 10 carats, depending on the cut and clarity of the stone. Either way it’s certainly a huge rock.


2020 Travel Agent top earners (top 15) Total income 2020 vs 2019

50 million

2020 earnings 40 million

2019 earnings

30 million

20 million

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dividend, meaning that for the financial year they each took home around $4.75 million – actually a small increase on the previous year. Others at the top of the 2020 Million Dollar Club include Corporate Travel Management founder and CEO, Jamie Pherous. Pherous, who the previous year had successfully survived multiple attacks from hedge fund activists, had to deal with a 44% reduction in his income. However that still meant a $4.6 million dividend paid in the first half of the 2019/20 financial year, so he remains in second spot on the list this year, with a still extremely respectable income of just over $5.1 million. That was despite Corporate Travel Management’s board prudently deciding to defer the payment of its own interim dividend – planned for 14 April – which saved the company nearly $20 million in cash. And while he along with other executives at CTM have been managing on reduced salaries, that certainly hasn’t dampened their enthusiasm for the industry, with the company so well placed through the pandemic that it has made several canny acquisitions which are likely to have set it up for a strong post-pandemic future. The fourth major travel agency business listed on the Australian Stock Exchange is Webjet, and it’s certainly been a roller coaster 12 months for its CEO John Guscic. Having set the business up for success through some major acquisitions which have made the company’s

[CTM has been] so well placed through the pandemic that it has made several canny acquisitions which are likely to have set it up for a strong postpandemic future

WebBeds B2B hotel wholesale operation the second biggest in the world, Guscic went along for the ride with the purchase of millions of shares in the company – financed with borrowings as he backed his own vision to see the Webjet share price and dividends increase. That all went well until the pandemic hit and the company’s value was literally decimated almost overnight, dropping from $17 down to just $1.70 per share. Although it’s not reflected in the 2019/20 figures – he held onto his stake until mid-September – the sale of more than 5 million shares on-market at a fraction of the price he had previously paid must have been a very bitter pill. Nevertheless it’s a pill he swallowed with characteristic

resolution, and just last month he told travelBulletin about his determination to continue to lead Webjet through the COVID chaos. The Webjet board clearly continues to back him, with the company’s recent Annual General Meeting voting in favour of a rejigged package for Guscic which puts him in the box seat to benefit from future share price upsides. For the 2020 financial year a dividend paid in the first six month period meant his $1.5 billion base salary was roughly doubled, so he took home $2.9 million, down about 20% on the previous year. Others in the top echelon of travel agency earners in 2020 included Flight Centre Travel Group chiefs Chris Galanty, CEO Corporate, who endured a 57% reduction in travelBulletin NOVEMBER 2020

21


-44.10% Jamie Pherous Corporate Travel Management

Cinzia Burner Helloworld

$2,908,841 John Guscic Webjet

income to just over $1.5 million. The company’s Chief Financial Officer Adam Campbell saw his income plummet 85% to $1.34 million – similar to the 84% decline experienced by EGM The Americas, Dean Smith at just $498,000. And the company’s CEO Leisure, Melanie Waters-Ryan, also saw a 46% cut meaning she took home just over $1.25 million for the year. Also on the list is former Helloworld Travel Group GM Retail & Commercial, John Constable, whose long-rumoured departure from the company only merited

22

travelBulletin NOVEMBER 2020

<

$4,724,261

+4.19%

+3.22%

<

Andrew Burnes Helloworld

<

$ 4,837,280

-19.79%

$1,149,547 John Constable Helloworld

$3,918,841 Chris Luxon Air New Zealand

$2,120,022 Alan Joyce Qantas

$1,980,309 Lim Kim Hai Regional Express

a brief mention in the fine print of the company’s Annual Report last month. As in previous years Constable’s package was significantly boosted by housing, motor vehicle and travel allowances relating to his initial relocation to Australia from the UK which bumped up his total package to $1.15 million, a decline of 16% on the previous year. Webjet Group Chief Commercial Officer Shelley Beasley, who recently also became a member of the AFTA Board, had a relatively stable year, taking home $774,000 which

< -45.84%

<

Melanie Waters-Ryan Flight Centre

-15.66%

<

<

$5,114,726

-64.49%

-22.08%

<

Graham Turner Flight Centre

$1,251,551

-80.38%

<

$16,804,688

<

COVER

-33.33%

was actually a 2% increase on 2018/19, while Helloworld Group GM Corporate Nick Sutherland also survived well, with a 7% uptick in income to $571,000 for the year.

CHANGES IN THE COCKPIT THIS year’s airline top earner list is significantly different to 2018/19, when Qantas CEO Alan Joyce was the undisputed captain with a total package worth $10.8 million. By contrast this year he only just scraped into the overall


industry Million Dollar Club after taking home $2.1 million, which left him in third place in the airline rankings. In fact the top airline earner this year was former Air New Zealand CEO Christopher Luxon, who with exquisite timing exited the industry on 3 January 2020, taking home incentives and exit payments which lifted his package to NZ$3.9 million – meaning he earned more in just the first half of the year than any other Australasian aviation executive over the full 12 month period. Since then Luxon has managed to satisfy a long-held desire to move into politics, having been elected to the New Zealand Parliament last month as the National Party member for the Auckland electorate of Botany. Although Air New Zealand doesn’t explicitly publish salary package details for its other key management

Last year Alan Joyce was the undisputed captain of the airline top earners... by contrast this year he only just scraped into the overall industry Million Dollar Club

personnel, as in previous years we’ve had a pretty good idea of who’s who among the airline’s top earners who are only broken out in salary brackets. It’s our guess that the second highest paid Air NZ executive, with a salary of about NZ$2.3 million, is former Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Cam Wallace, who is also no longer with the airline having last month been announced as the head of New Zealand radio conglomerate MediaWorks. Regional Express Executive Chairman Lim Kim Hai was fifth on the airline top earners list this year, and as in previous periods took no salary whatsoever but instead lived on $1.98 million in dividends, down 33% on the 2018/19 year. That wasn’t enough to put him in the overall Million Dollar Club list for 2020. It was a similar story for several other former

Qantas high flyers, including Jetstar Group CEO Gareth Evans who only took home about a third of his income this year, with a $1.3 million package compared to almost $4 million in 2019. The same can be said for former QF CEO International Tino La Spina and Andrew David, who is now chief of both domestic and international at Qantas, whose respective packages of $1.2 million and $1.1 million were down significantly on the previous year. Unfortunately for industry voyeurs fascinated by the goings-on at Virgin Australia, the airline’s administrators have managed to obtain an exemption from the usual reporting requirements, meaning it’s not possible to have any insight at this stage into how much now departing CEO Paul Scurrah and other senior executives have taken home. Scurrah’s base salary of $1.3 million is likely to

Travel agent top earners (top 15) Name Graham Turner Jamie Pherous

Company Position Flight Centre Executive Director Corporate Travel Management Managing Director CEO and Managing Andrew Burnes Helloworld Director Group GM- Wholesale Cinzia Burnes Helloworld & Inbound and Executive Director John Guscic Webjet Managing Director Chris Galanty Flight Centre CEO Corporate Adam Campbell Flight Centre CFO Melanie Waters-Ryan Flight Centre CEO Leisure Group GM - Retail and John Constable Helloworld Commercial Group Chief Shelly Beasley Webjet Commercial Officer Tony Ristevski Webjet Chief Financial Officer Nick Sutherland Helloworld Group GM – Corporate Dean Smith Flight Centre EGM The Americas Neale O'Connell Corporate Travel Management CFO Charlene Leiss Flight Centre MD The Americas

Total Salary Dividends $498,442 $16,306,246 $436,010 $4,678,716

Total income $16,804,688 $5,114,726

Diff 19/20 -64.49% -44.10%

$588,755

$4,248,525

$4,837,280

+4.19%

$552,602

$4,171,659

$4,724,261

+3.22%

$1,508,184 $1,482,317 $1,314,706 $1,172,541

$1,400,657 $31,847 $21,145 $79,010

$2,908,841 $1,514,164 $1,335,851 $1,251,551

-19.79% -57.54% -84.42% -45.84%

$1,042,047

$107,500

$1,149,547

-15.66%

$770,191

$4,574

$774,765

+1.86%

$683,819 $528,101 $477,874 $447,326 $408,833

$13,728 $43,000 $20,534 $2,238 $8,275

$697,547 +1244.12% $571,101 +7.38% $498,408 -84.42% $449,564 $417,108

travelBulletin NOVEMBER 2020

23


COVER have been significantly boosted when the airline’s prospective new owners forced him out in favour of former Jetstar chief Jayne Hrdlicka, but unfortunately the opacity of the administration process hasn’t allowed us to peek behind the Virgin Australia curtain this year.

FAMILIAR FACES IN HOSPITALITY WHILE not insignificant, the impact of COVID-19 on the top earners in Australia’s listed hotel, activity and experience businesses appeared to be less, with the list this year continuing to feature those at the top of Village Roadshow, Crown, Event Hospitality, Star Entertainment and Sealink Travel Group. At SeaLink there was a significant changing of the guard, with the company merging with Transit Systems and a new focus on bus services providing some very useful diversification for the business. SeaLink’s outgoing MD and CEO Jeff Ellison actually boosted his package by almost 30% to about $1.8 million – and that only reflected the six month period until he stepped down in early January. His replacement, Clint Feuerherdt, was also on the list with a $1.7 million package,

again just for the subsequent half year, meaning he will be one to watch for 2021. Village Roadshow Executive Chairman Robert Kirby is third on the 2020 Million Dollar Club list this year with a total income of $5.1 million, reflecting the payoff from his 78 million shares in the company. Crown Executive Director John Alexander, who stood down as the company’s Chairman in the lead-up to the current probity inquiry by the NSW Government, still managed to take home $3.7 million, while a number of other Crown chiefs also filled out the list including Ken Barton, Todd Nisbet and Barry Felsted. Over at rival Star Entertainment CEO Matt Bekier earnt $2.4 million, while Event Hospitality MD Jane Hastings was also in the list with a $2.4 million package.

THIS MAY BE JUST THE START WHILE it’s always intriguing to look at the disclosures in listed companies’ annual reports and marvel at the astronomic sums that some are taking home, it should also be noted that those at the top end are benefiting from dividends which have seen them take significant personal risks – both in founding

Airline top earners (top 15) Name Chris Luxon Unnamed Air NZ executive Alan Joyce Unnamed Air NZ executive Lim Kim Hai Unnamed Air NZ executive Unnamed Air NZ executive Unnamed Air NZ executive Gareth Evans Unnamed Air NZ executive

Air New Zealand

Unnamed Air NZ executive

Air New Zealand

Tino La Spina

Qantas

Andrew David Unnamed Air NZ executive Unnamed Air NZ executive

Qantas

Position CEO (until 03 Jan 2020) ?Cam Wallace (Chief Commercial Officer) CEO ?Jeff McDowall (Chief Financial Officer) Executive Chairman ?Carrie Hurihanganui (Chief Ground Operations Officer) ?Mike Tod (Chief Marketing & Customer Officer) ?Jennifer Sepull (Chief Digital Officer) CEO Jetstar Group ?Captain David Morgan (Chief Operations Integrity & Standards Officer) ?John Whittaker (Chief Air Operations & People Safety Officer) CEO International (from 01 Nov 2019) CEO Qantas Domestic

Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand management

Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand management

24

Company Air New Zealand Air New Zealand Qantas Air New Zealand Regional Express Air New Zealand Air New Zealand Air New Zealand Qantas

travelBulletin NOVEMBER 2020

Total Salary $3,918,841

Dividends

$2,310,000

Total income Diff 19/20 $3,918,841 -22.08% $2,310,000

-11.83%

$2,120,022

-80.38%

$2,060,000

+3.00%

$1,980,309

-33.33%

$1,850,000

$1,850,000

+14.20%

$1,440,000

$1,440,000

-1.37%

$1,310,000

$1,310,000

-10.27%

$1,285,059

-66.75%

$1,250,000

$1,250,000

-9.42%

$1,230,000

$1,230,000

-7.52%

$1,744,000

$376,022

$2,060,000 $1,980,309

$1,214,000

$71,059

$1,160,000

$44,902

$1,204,902

-63.44%

$1,113,000

$10,812

$1,123,812

-66.92%

$1,100,000

$1,100,000

-14.73%

$1,070,000

$1,070,000

-10.08%


Other listed companies top earners (top 10) Name Robert Kirby John Alexander

Company Village Roadshow Crown

Todd Nisbet

Crown

Ken Barton

Crown

Jane Hastings

Event Hospitality

Barry Felsted Matt Bekier

Crown Star Entertainment

Jeffrey Ellison

Sealink Travel Group

Clint Feuerherdt

Sealink Travel Group

Greg Hawkins

Star Entertainment

businesses and then supporting them with their own capital. As they say “you have to risk it for the biscuit,” and the swings of previous years’ successes are certainly going to be balanced out by some significant roundabouts in 2021. As many travel business owners are finding, with COVID-19 and Government policies continuing to wreak havoc, incomes are being decimated right across the industry. It’s incomprehensible to many in the community who remain in stable employment, but perhaps

Position Executive Chairman Executive Director EVP Strategy & Developments CEO and MD Managing Director and CEO CEO Australian Resorts CEO MD and CEO (until 16 Jan 2020) CEO (from 16 Jan 2020) Chief Casino Operator

Total Salary $1,125,355 $3,588,336

Dividends $3,897,016 $119,867

Total income $5,022,371 $3,708,203

Diff 19/20 -2.36% -21.23%

$2,967,119

$73,359

$3,040,478

-21.26%

$2,589,240

$42,938

$2,632,178

-44.10%

$2,432,584

$3,120

$2,435,704

-17.08%

$2,378,546 $2,385,882

$53,512

$2,432,058 $2,385,882

-21.40% -47.32%

$1,238,503

$607,725

$1,846,228

+28.14%

$1,101,894

$631,859

$1,733,753

$1,417,920

they should try to imagine living on just a fraction of what they took home the previous year – as many in our list this year are already experiencing. Unless a solution to COVID-19 is found and we learn

$1,417,920

-21.72%

to either cure, or live with, the virus, the significant reductions in this year’s Million Dollar Club are unfortunately just a foreshadowing of what is likely to be a complete bloodbath in 2021.

Unless a solution to COVID-19 is found and we learn to either cure, or live with, the virus, the significant reductions in this year’s Million Dollar Club are unfortunately just a foreshadowing of what is likely to be a complete bloodbath in 2021

travelBulletin NOVEMBER 2020

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CRUISE

CLIA STEPS UP RESPONSE CRUISE Lines International Association (CLIA) ocean-going members last month agreed to conduct pre-embarkation testing of all passengers and crews on ships with a capacity of more than 250 people, in a move which puts cruising at the forefront of safe travel in the COVID-19 era. CLIA Global President & Chief Executive Officer Kelly Craighead announced the major initiative during a virtual conference in the USA, saying “we see testing as an important initial step to a multilayered approach that we believe validates the industry’s commitment to making health, safety and the well-being of the passengers, the crew and the communities we visit our top priority”. She also noted cruise lines were optimistic the measures would allow for a “gradual, phased resumption of cruising”, and said members had already been working for many months with experts worldwide to develop protocols for resumption. The announcement came in the lead-up to the ground-breaking news that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was replacing its long-running “no-sail” order for ships in American waters with a plan which would allow a resumption of voyages under strict protocols. Meanwhile closer to home, last month also saw CLIA Australasia announce significant value-adds from its cruise line members for

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Cruises, Riviera, Royal Caribbean travel agents who renew their International, Seabourn, Scenic, membership of the organisation Silversea, Uniworld, Virgin Voyages into 2021. and Windstar Cruises. The new CLIA Travel Agent CLIA Managing Director Rewards Program promises more value than the annual membership Australasia Joel Katz said “the new bonus commission and rewards cost, and is being backed by more available in 2021 can repay the than 20 operators. cost of CLIA membership many The Rewards Program will allow travel partners to receive exclusive times over. “This is a significant and tangible benefits such as rebates, gift benefit from CLIA cards or extra cruise lines and commission when creates a clear making eligible advantage for bookings with Together with all our those who support participating cruise existing member their professional line members success with CLIA throughout benefits including our membership.” next year. education programs, “Together with Initial cruise events and certification all our existing line participants member benefits will include Aurora program, this including our Expeditions, additional 2021 benefit education Azamara, Celebrity will ensure CLIA programs, events Cruises, Celestyal, and certification Crystal Cruises, agents are rewarded program, this Cunard, Dream as our industry moves additional 2021 Cruises, Holland into recovery benefit will ensure America Line, CLIA agents are Norwegian Cruise rewarded as our Line, Paul Gauguin, Joel Katz, Managing Director industry moves P&O Australia, Australasia, CLIA into recovery.” Ponant, Princess


Azamara increases trade presence in Australia AZAMARA has expanded its local sales team to help dedicated Regional Sales Manager Belle Osmic. A team of four will now provide “more in-market support” to help support what Azamara described as a key region for its business. NSW and Victoria will now be served respectively by two new Business Development

Managers, Jessica Marsh and Kristina Sambaher, while Natalie Bax has joined the brand from the Royal Caribbean Group as a Business Development Coordinator. The appointments come after the appointment of new International Managing Director Patrice Willoughby at the beginning of the year, and show the cruise line’s confidence in

the trade in the region. Azamara said the additions would enable it to introduce new cruisers to its ships, and that its new BDMs would be on the road to meet with luxury travel partners. The expanded Azamara sales team will also stay in contact with the trade through online training sessions and weekly webinars.

CELEBRITY RAMPS UP AGENT SUPPORT CELEBRITY Cruises has pledged its commitment to Australia’s travel agents with a new partner support site. Designed specifically for the local market, the portal will house tools and resources to help advisors learn about, promote and sell the Celebrity brand. The site has been purpose-built to “increase selling opportunities and help agents navigate their business recovery,” Celebrity Sales Director ANZ Cameron Mannix explained, adding it reflected the cruise line’s commitment to investing in “real tools and real

solutions” to back the efforts of its partners. The launch of the site comes as part of a wider, formal recognition of Celebrity’s dedication to the Australian travel agent community, dubbed the Celebrity Commitment, which was introduced last month by the cruise line’s President & Chief Executive Officer Lisa Lutoff-Perlo. Mannix expressed his enthusiasm for the new tool, reinforcing Celebrity’s commitment to rebuilding the cruise industry.

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CRUISE P&O accelerates new arrivals P&O Cruises Australia has waved goodbye to Pacific Dawn and Pacific Aria over the past two months, with both vessels leaving the fleet sooner than previously planned as Carnival Corporation continues to optimise its ocean-going hardware during the cruise pause. That leaves Pacific Explorer as currently the only ship in the local P&O fleet – but not for long, with the company also announcing that the new Pacific Encounter and Pacific Adventure will now arrive in the first half of 2021. Both ships are coming from sister brand Princess Cruises, with Pacific Adventure (previously Golden Princess) now expected to commence sailing from Sydney on 30 April next year. She will be followed shortly thereafter by the 3,000guest Pacific Encounter (previously Sea Princess) which is currently slated for a May 2021 debut. P&O is offering very generous cancellation and refund policies to encourage 2021 bookings on the fleet, along with a special travel agent commission bonus.

CRUISECO MAKES THE MOST OF THE PAUSE CRUISECO and World’s Leading Cruise Lines last month scaled the “Everest of reporting challenges,” completing a major tech project during this year’s cruising downtime to enable the live visibility of Cruiseco bookings with brands including Cunard, P&O and Princess. The work was conducted in partnership with Princess and tech provider Odysseus, and

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means each of the World’s Leading Cruise Lines brands are able to capture all of the travel agent member details on every booking made through Cruiseco via the online platform. The announcement came just a few days after Cruiseco reported it was also working to drive sales with Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) through a new initiative designed to deliver 3%

upfront commission. Only new bookings are eligible, however cash sales and future cruise credits are also applicable, with commission to be paid after the receipt of funds from Norwegian Cruise Line. The offer, which should help boost the cashflow of travel agent partners, is also available until the end of the year on NCL cruises departing up to 2023.


HURTIGRUTEN has developed a new range of Antarctica itineraries for the 2022-23 season, with fully-inclusive packages ex Australia priced from just $10,999 per person, aboard three expedition ships, including its newest vessel, Fridtjof Nansen. The program includes international and local charter flights, transfers, pre- and post- hotel accommodation, a premium onboard drinks package, free wi-fi, and an expedition kit. Fully commissionable to travel agents, guests are also entitled to take up Hurtigruten’s book with confidence offer providing generous flexibility terms. The Antarctica deal is available for bookings confirmed by 18 December, and is combinable with Ambassador, COVID-19 rebooking and back-toback combo discounts. “We’ve tried to break down every single barrier to really give people the opportunity to plan ahead and travel in 2022,” said Hurtigruten’s APAC MD, Damian Perry . “The concept is saying, let’s remove the barrier of price and give someone a really attractive package across our whole Antarctica network, which is 10 different itineraries

©Svai AS/Hurtigruten

HURTIGRUTEN MAKING ANTARCTICA EASIER THAN EVER

and 30 different departures across three different ships. “We’re making it as simple as possible for our travel partners, this is a package all ready to go at an incredible value that is allinclusive…we’re going to back it all up with a book with confidence offer, which is a changeyour-mind solution. “It’s trying to tick all the boxes of how it may look in the future to give great solutions and make it really profitable for the future,” he said Perry noted Hurtigruten

The highest rebooking rate, which sits around 95%, sits around those destinations like Antarctica… they’re not pulling back, very few are cancelling, people are still wanting to tick off Antarctica

Damian Perry, Managing Director APAC, Hurtigruten

had already seen a lot of confidence for 2022 in those looking to return to international travel with big bucket list trips. “I think it’s going to be quite an effective year,” he enthused. “2022 is looking quite strong in destinations such as Antarctica and the Arctic…we’re getting bucket list bookings to places like the Northwest Passage. “The highest rebooking rate, which sits around 95%, sits around those destinations…they’re not pulling back, very few are cancelling, people are still wanting to tick off Antarctica.” With Hurtigruten having made large investments in the trade over the past 12 months, such as through its B2B portal, Perry said the cruise line’s commitment to travel partners would not diminish as cruising returned. “We’re still very much focused on the trade, they’ve been fantastic support for Hurtigruten over the years,” Perry said. “You will see a continued investment in trade…we want to break down those barriers so they can earn a good revenue out of this model and be really effective.”

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CRUISE

BRIGHT FUTURE AHEAD FOR SILVERSEA AND ITS PARTNERS DESPITE Silversea having cancelled voyages until at least the end of this month, Managing Director Asia Pacific Adam Radwanski has noted an improvement in demand. The newly appointed local head recently told travelBulletin September was Silversea’s best-selling month compared to others that have been affected by the pandemic. “2021 is likely to be more close-to-home and this is where we see most of our demand...Kimberley is flying off the shelf, it’s selling extremely well...which gives you the indication that as we get closer to a vaccine development there is more confidence,” he said. “Our expedition product to Antarctica, the Arctic, Galapagos, is doing very well, because the customer base missed out on 2020 and now they’re booking for 2021 or 2022.” Radwanski said the solid demand indicates there is a very strong future for luxury cruising – in which the travel trade would have an important part to play, especially given today’s fluid travel ecosystem. “We see some demand in certain areas of the market and we’d love to help our travel partners to tap into that demand by developing specific plans. “Relationships with travel agents will be really

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Kimberley is flying off the shelf... which gives you the indication that as we get closer to a vaccine there is more confidence

Adam Radwanski, Managing Director Asia Pacific, Silversea

Adam Radwanski

important and they will play an important part of the rebuild of demand in the cruise industry. “Because of the nature of the changing environment, you won’t have the highly liberalised travel environment we’ve seen, for at least a year. “Some countries will have restrictions, some will require a permit, some borders will be closed. “The travel industry will transform themselves into experts in where customers can go, where the opportunities are, and cruise lines will certainly rely on trade distribution. “There are a lot of tools we’ve enhanced and developed the past few months to help the cashstrapped and vulnerable trade industry to help them back onto their feet and

start generating demand and much-needed income.” Radwanski mentioned there were more developments and projects in the pipeline but didn’t provide details at this stage. The former Qatar Airways Senior Manager Australasia is hoping to position Silversea as the “mostpreferred” ultra-luxury cruise line, for both customers and trade partners. An important step towards this was achieved late last month, when Silversea took delivery of its new ship Silver Moon, the third vessel built by Fincantieri for the brand and the ninth vessel to be added to the cruise line’s fleet. A fourth Fincantieri-built vessel, Silver Dawn, will be on the way next year, with Radwanski expressing his excitement about the fleet updates the line is undertaking.

Hunter River, Kimberley ©Silversea


Viking will test daily VIKING has installed a facility on one of it ships to enable daily onboard coronavirus testing of all passengers and crew members. It is a high bar set by Viking, announced after Cruise Lines International Association at the beginning of the month said it would mandate pre-cruise tests for all passengers. Viking confirmed it had completed its first “full-scale PCR laboratory at sea” on board Viking Star, which is able to process daily “non-invasive” saliva tests for a full complement of 930 passengers and crew members.

NCLH + RCG out for 2020 NORWEGIAN Cruise Lines Holdings and Royal Caribbean Group have announced an extension of their suspensions of global cruise voyages until 31 December. Royal Caribbean Group’s suspension will include Azamara’s 2020/21 summer sailings throughout the Southern Hemisphere, but will exclude Singapore sailings, while NCLH’s Regent Seven Seas Cruises world cruise is also out.

Environmental hurdle for Carnival BEFORE resuming cruise operations, Carnival Corporation will be required to provide certification all of its cruise ships sailing in American waters comply with a range of environmental requirements, a judge has ruled. All the company’s vessels must verify compliance with criteria which covers pollution prevention equipment, spare parts, staffing, IT support, voyage planning and waste offload support.

CLIA VIEW

Joel Katz, Managing Director CLIA Australasia

#WEARECRUISE SHOWS THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR INDUSTRY THE cruise industry has made huge progress in laying new foundations for our future, committing to extensive new measures that will uphold safety in response to COVID-19. But as we work with governments to address the complex issues involved, it’s also important to show our leaders that cruising extends far beyond our ships and the destinations we visit. This spring, CLIA Australasia launched a new campaign to highlight the many other businesses that make up our wider cruise community, and the impact they’ve suffered as a result of the global shutdown. Rolled out online with an initial series of four videos, the #WeAreCruise campaign tells the stories of travel agents, tour operators and cruise line suppliers whose businesses have been devastated by the suspension of cruising. These businesses represent just a fraction of the 25,000 jobs

across Australasia that are in jeopardy while our ships are at anchor, and they are a key reason why our $5 billion-a-year industry needs an opportunity to move forward. While the suspension has been the right response to COVID-19, there is an urgent need to open a pathway towards resumption with extensive health measures in place, so we can bring an economic revival to businesses and communities around our region. CLIA has been working tirelessly with governments and health authorities to make this possible, but we need help to show the true size and importance of the cruise community. We’re encouraging travel agents and industry supporters to join our #WeAreCruise campaign. To help, we’ve created a WEBSITE with information, links to the videos, social media assets and guides on how to contact local MPs.

HEADLINES OCTOBER 2020 07 Oct 09 Oct 13 Oct 15 Oct 20 Oct 29 Oct

CLIA mandates testing of all passengers Singapore confirms cruise restart Live Cruiseco WLCL link Pacific Aria to leave fleet ahead of schedule Costa COVID-19 cluster Helloworld’s massive cruise month

travelBulletin NOVEMBER 2020

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NEW SOUTH WALES

SOAKING UP THE SOUTH COAST BEAUTY Australia is the kind of country that begs you to take a road trip; the cues are everywhere. From Highway 1, the longest national highway in the world, to iconic drives through the NSW outback to Broken Hill, a road trip is an Aussie rite of passage; Myles Stedman explores one of the best routes in NSW, from Sydney to Merimbula over four days.

P

ACK your bags and empty esky for a trip down the south coast. Starting from Sydney, head south, passing through the National Park, to where you will find your first notable monument and photo opportunity, the Sea Cliff Bridge – New South Wales’ answer to California’s Bixby Creek Bridge. Be sure to savour your traversing

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of this bridge, as you are travelling one of only seven off-shore parallel-to-coast bridges in the world. From there, follow Lawrence Hargrave Drive to Wollongong, and stop for a coffee on the beach, preferably from local institution Buck’s Café. If coffee on the beach is not Australian enough for you, consider a surf lesson with Australian Surf


NEW SOUTH WALES

Opposite page: Sea Cliff Bridge is one of the few off-shore parallel-to-coast bridges in the world ©Destination NSW This page clockwise from top left: Learn to surf with Australian Surf Tours in Wollongong ©Australian Surf Tours Spot dolphins with Dolphin Watch Cruises in Jervis Bay ©Somethingswild Take in the famous Kiama blowhole ©Destination NSW Walk on some of the whitest sand in the world along Greenfield Beach in Jervis Bay ©Destination NSW

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NEW SOUTH WALES Tours, which offers learn to countryside between Ulladulla surf programs for all levels and and Milton. If you’re looking for abilities. The company has a a place to rest your head, try range of lessons, from one day Bangalay Luxury Villas, located on to 12 weeks, and their progams Seven Mile Beach at Shoalhaven also include delicious food, Heads. There are 16 fully selfbeautiful scenery and wildlife contained villas and the onsite experiences, allowing travellers restaurant Bangalay Dining offers to experience much more than quality food from local producers. just the waves if they want. Next up is the coastal town A little further down the coast of Narooma, the gateway to is the famous Kiama Blowhole, Montague Island – one of New which under certain conditions, South Wales’ best-kept secrets. can spray 50 litres of water up to It is here you can take in a wide 25 metres in the air, more than array of animals, such as the enough to thoroughly soak you native colony of seals and sea and any travelling companion you lions, and more than 90 bird may have brought. species. If you prefer to stay on After Kiama, your next stop is shore, Narooma is at the heart Jervis Bay, where of the Oyster you can take Coast, and there the White Sand are no shortage of Walk which winds locations at which After a brisk through the coastal you can sample bushwalk the blue forest of Jervis Bay this Australian of the water coupled delicacy. The National Park and past some of the Sydney rock oyster, with the stunning purest sands in still heavily farmed white sands is so the world. Make in this area, is sure you take one of the local enticing it will be your swimmers favourites. If you hard to resist a dip as well – after a want to take in brisk bushwalk the Narooma from blue of the water the sky, South coupled with the stunning white Coast Seaplanes offers a range sands is so enticing it will be of tour packages, or if they don’t hard to resist a dip. suit they can arrange a bespoke Jervis Bay is also a marine adventure. sanctuary and the wildlife in the Soon after departing Narooma, area has increased dramatically you will arrive on the Sapphire in the past 20 years since it was Coast. Merimbula makes a great created. Dolphin Watch Cruises base to visit and take in some of is one of the most experienced Australia’s best produce including operators in the bay, and will take wine, meat, oysters, seafood, cruisers to drop in on up to 120 olives, dairy, fruit & vegetables, bottlenose dolphins in the region. honey, herbs, jams and eggs. For those after food and wine Captain Sponge’s Magical Oyster experiences, head to Cupitt’s Tour is a great way to taste the Estate, a family run boutique locally farmed oysters, with a combination winery, cellar door, two-hour on the water experience restaurant, bar, microbrewery run by owner and Captain Brett and fromagerie set in the coastal Weingarth AKA “Sponge”. Make

“ ”

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NEW SOUTH WALES Clockwise from top: Merimbula makes a great base to explore the Sapphire Coast South Coast Seaplanes has a range of packages or can put together a bespoke experience for travellers Taste locally-farmed oysters on Captain Sponge’s Magical Oyster Tour Enjoy the locallymade drop at Cupitt’s Estate winery near Ulladulla All images this page ©Destination NSW

sure you take your time in this region to satisfy your tastebuds as well as enjoy the area’s stunning natural scenery. Soak up some of the outdoors when you stay at Tanja Lagoon Camp in Mimosa Rocks National Park. There are four luxurious self-contained safari tents at the camp, which overlook a coastal lagoon. Bushwalk, kayak, stargaze or simply sit back and relax in your queen-size bed. Travellers can easily do this road trip in four days one way. There’s so much to see and do that you’ll have to miss things on the way down – luckily you can take in some of what you’ve missed on the way back. Luckily, selling NSW is even easier now, with many of the experiences featured ready to work with the trade. For full details of experiences, see Destination NSW’s Trade Toolkit, which includes on-demand trade training tools and resources. Travel distributors based in Australia and overseas are invited to access this free resource via Destination NSW’s dedicated landing page for the trade. CLICK HERE to access the toolkit.

Book your client an unforgettable road trip in NSW.


LAST WORD

SUDOKU

Medium

The aim of Sudoku is to complete the entire grid using the numbers 1-9. Each number can only be used once in each row, column, 3×3 box.

Funnies Flashback We’ve trawled through the Travel Daily Window Seat archives to give you a blast from the past. Here’s a gem from 13 Aug 2013: HONG Kong Airlines has decided to fight back...literally. Management at the carrier is sick and tired of abusive flyers threatening its staff while inflight, and has introduced a form of Kung Fu to mandatory flight attendant training. Win Chun is a variety of the ancient martial art but focuses on confrontations in confined spaces... such as an aircraft. New crew intakes are already learning the self-defence, which is being received very well and resulting in high levels of positive feedback from trainees happy with their new abilities.

www.sudokuoftheday.com – visit them and get a new Sudoku every day!

WHERE IN THE WORLD ONE of the most famous landmarks on this isle, this rock pinnacle can be seen from miles around. The rock outcropping was created by a massive ancient landslide and today is one of the most photographed landscapes in the world. The landmark also shot to fame with it’s inclusion in different films including The Wicker Man (1973), Prometheus (2012), and Snow White and the Huntsman (2012). Do you know the name of this rock pinnacle and where in the world it is located?

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INTRODUCING THE TRAVEL DAILY TRAINING ACADEMY ‘HUB’ Your one-stop home for travel industry training. More modules added across 2020 and 2021.

SUPPLIERS ON THE TRAVEL DAILY TRAINING ACADEMY

Austr i an National To u r i s t O f f i c e


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ŠCook Islands Tourism

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