Travel extra may 2015 6mb by Travel Extra

page 001 cover May 2015 07/04/2015 12:10 Page 1

R U O

Y CAIRNS THE TREND IS TROPO THEME PARKS SURVIVAL GUIDE AUSTRALIA 60,000 IRISH GO EACH YEAR

e d a r T

Anthem of the Seas arrives

Cityjet’s survival plan

France 2015

ER P PA

IRELAND'S PREMIER SOURCE OF TRAVEL INFORMATION MAY 2015

Free

VOLUME 19 NUMBER 5

The Australia issue

Great offers from a big island

page 002 11/03/2015 17:21 Page 1

Page 003 News 07/04/2015 12:22 Page 1

MAY 2015 PAGE 3

NEWS

www.travelextra.ie

African advisories Controversy over reaction to Egypt and Tunisia events

enya has called foul after several governments, including Ireland, said its coastal region was unsafe and there are reports that it will follow Thailand’s lead last year in setting up its own travel insurance scheme for tourists who still wish to visit. The Department of Foreign Affairs imposed an “all but essential” travel ban to Lamu County and Archipelago, Mombasa Island and within 5km of the coast from Mtwapa Creek north of to include Malindi, Watamu, and Kilifi, and even Tiwi, not including the International Airport. The update came after an incident which was not related to Kenya, the attack on Maka al Mukarama hotel in the Green Zone corridor of Somalian capital Mogadishu, by Al Shabaab insurgents who stormed a meeting attended by officials of Omar Sharmarke’s new Somali government. Kenya’s ire turned on its former colonial oppressor, citing London’s

EGYPT’s visa requirement for individual

tourists are still no clearer (beyond a clarification that package holiday travellers such as Sunway and Red Sea Resorts are not affected), two weeks after they were hastily announced. Egypt's Tourism Office says that talks are currently in effect between Egyptian Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant entities to discuss details on tourists' individual visas travelling to Egypt. We are still awaiting a clarification for the queries in question.

were taken on a 750-mile detour thanks to a satnav error by a bus driver. The driver was supposed to bring the group to the French ski resort of La Plagne, but the driver accidentally selected La Plagne village in south west France. The skiers eventually arrived at their original destination - 24 hours late.

NEW YORK’s Mayor de Blasio and stricter blanket travel ban as a response, not to any threat, but to Nairobi’s refusal to renew a troop training deal unless London agreed to have its troops deployed to Kenya subject to Kenyan law.

An unnamed tourism source thundered: I think there can be no doubt left now that they are using such advisories to browbeat Kenya into submission over so many contentious things.

Kenya’s famous safari product should not be hit by travel advisories

ADDIS Two firsts from Ethiopian

Airlines, our first direct flight by Dreamliner is Dublin’s first sub-Sahara Africa scheduled flight.

HAVANA

GOTHENBURG SAS take

HELSINKI

HALIFAX Europe Airpost once a

KOS Back in the Falcon brochure

week flight to Nova Scotia was the surprise of the summer.

that Fast & Furious—Supercharged is to open on June 25.

SATNAV A group of 50 Belgian tourists

TEN SUMMER EXCURSIONS

up the former Ryanair route with 2w service.

UNIVERSAL Studios Hollywood said

Thomas Cook have announced a once off flight form Belfast International, reviving memories of direct flight sin the 1980s.

Finnair return to the route offering through connections to China and other long haul destinations.

with direct charter flights.

LOS ANGELES Back on the map thanks to Ethiopian Airlines..

NANTES Aer Lingus return to the French holiday destination.

NEWQUAY Cornwall is again accessible through Aer Lingus Regional.

Wow Air start a scheduled service with impressive stopover fares to Boston and Washington DC.

REYJAVIK

NYC & Company announced a growth programme: Road to 10m more visitors.

HEIDELBERG Marketing launched

holiday packages for cyclists and offers guided tours for groups

SEAWORLD launched a new print and TV campaign called Meet the Animals in a bid to improve its public image following the Blackfish documentary controversy. Meanwhile, SeaWorld appointed Joel Many as the new chief executive from April 7. MERGER A report by the Westminster

government recommended that Visit England and Visit Britain should separate, with Visit England focusing on domestic tourism marketing while Visit Britain delivering international campaigns.

CANARY ISLANDS are to host

some of the toughest events on the world calendar, including: Magma Bike Marathon, El Hierro, April 18. TeideXtreme, Tenerife, April 19. Challenge Fuerteventura, April 25.

The Perfect Package! NEW Destination Kos

FREE Child Places

Kids’ Clubs, Holiday Villages & Splash Resorts

Summer • Winter • #nrg lively holidays • Lapland

ONLINE: falconholidays.ie

CALL: 1850 45 35 45

Terms and conditions apply. Falcon is fully bonded and licensed by CAR (TO 021). Departures from Dublin, Cork and Shannon Airports.

VISIT: Falcon Travel Shops or Travel Agent

Page 004 Knowledge 08/04/2015 08:25 Page 1

MAY 2015 PAGE 4

THE KNOWLEDGE Travel Extra Advertising & Subscriptions 59 Rathfarnham Road Terenure Dublin 6W Editorial Office Clownings Straffan Co Kildare Managing Editor: Gerry O’Hare gerry@travelextra.ie Editor: Eoghan Corry eoghan.corry@ travelextra.ie Publisher: Edmund Hourican edmund@bizex.ie Sales Director: Maureen Ledwith maureen@bizex.ie Accounts and Advertising: Maria Sinnott maria@bizex.ie Picture Editor: Charlie Collins pix@travelextra.ie Sunday Supplement & Online: Conor McMahon conor@travelextra.ie Chief Features Writer: Anne Cadwallader anne@travelextra.ie Contributors : Eanna Brophy eanna@travelextra.ie Marie Carberry marie@travelextra.ie Carmel Higgins carmel@travelextra.ie Cauvery Madhavan cauvery@travelextra.ie Sean Mannion sean@grafacai.ie Ida Milne ida@travelextra.ie Catherine Murphy cathmurph@yahoo.com

Travel Extra takes no responsibility for errors and omissions. Distribution Manager: Shane Hourican shane@bizex.ie Origination: Typeform

Printer: WG Baird Limited Caulside Drive Greystone Rd Antrim BT41 2RS Contact +35387-2551675 if you have difficulty getting Travel Extra.

www.travelextra.ie

CONTENTS 3 News Where to go,how much to pay 6 Hotels: News 8 Postcards: News from the trade

10 Australia: Eight page destinatoin special featuring Sydney, Broome, Cairns and the Whitsunday Islands 18 Turkey: Turquoise was invented 22-24 Feature: Theme Parks 2015 26 Afloat: Awaiting Anthem

27-32 Flying: Airline and airport news 33 Ireland: Home holiday news 34 Global Village Inside the travel industry 36 Window seat: Our columnists 36 Pictures: Out and about

Theme park protocol internet access, you can pick the least crowded times. Note that tickets are not refundable or transferable and subject to availability.

lanning a theme park visit can be a bit of a rollercoaster. How can you make your clients’ theme park trip a better experience for adults and children alike? Here are a few hints.

CALCULATE

Most people gravitate to the left when they enter a theme park. By going right and taking in your attractions anti-clockwise, you will beat the queues to the rides, particularly if you go early.

Price systems can be complicated, and to make sure you are going to get maximum benefit, you need to do your sums and plan your time. There’s no point buying an expensive multi-visit pass, only to find that you use it once before it expires.

GO EARLY

COMBINE

TURN RIGHT

Theme park queues lengthen and shorten in cycles. The early comer gets to do five or six extra rides because the queues are shorter. Something as simple as a baseball hat can gain you valuable midday time in the hotter parks such as Orlando and Portaventura.

BREAKFAST Food in theme parks can be exorbitant, so eat well before you set out. Most theme parks won’t allow you to bring food, so work out the prices in the various restaurants in advance so that you won’t be ripped off. Very often the most expensive are strategically placed to capitalise on lunch breaks or the exact moment teenies are hit by the munchies.

FAMILY

Tickets can save a surprising amount of money. A family of two adults and up to four children aged between six and sixteen can save around $30. The same applies to Duchas attractions at

Getting the right ticket can be a roller coaster home. Visiting in a group of two or three families is usually better value than just with your own. At some parks, a group of twelve or more qualifies for a ‘passport’ ticket offering savings of up to 30pc.

SUNDAY Evening. This is when the resorts empty, as everyone returns home for work on Monday. When planning your trip stay an extra day and take advantage of the empty theme park and the short queues on Sunday evenings, particularly in parks that stay open late. Sunday evening in February is the best time ever to do Disney Paris, Ireland’s favourite theme park destination.

FAST-TRACK when and where you have the option. The time saved makes it well worthwhile for the small outlay, particularly as the sun climbs or, in Orlando, humidity soars. It

saves queuing time and makes everyone less grumpy, and if you are paying for a day ticket, gives you an extra couple of rides for time spent queuing. There is a snag: Disney’s fastpass locks you into a particular ride. You cannot get a fast pass for another ride until a stated time. So gather fast passes for the most crowded rides early in the morning, and use the transport system to travel between them to do your rides. Tickets are multiple entry and the monorail is air conditioned, so it doesn’t take as much time as the queue would in the first place.

BOOK in advance and online if you can. Ticket specialists such as Attraction Tickets Direct can offer big savings. In Europe, most big attractions now offer internet booking deals, typically offering savings 10pc. Tickets are cheaper if booked at least 48 hours in advance. If you have

Many of the attractions within a region or within the same parent group also team up with one another to offer combined entrance at reduced rates.

LONG -Term The Americans stay for shorter periods than Europeans at the major Orlando theme parks, so the owners offer us five day passes which can be incredibly good value.

PROMOTIONS These are a favourite device in theme parks, as with hotels and airlines, to boost low season capacity. Arrive in a big European theme park outside of school holidays in shoulder season you will not only enjoy shorter queues but lower prices too. This is a big advantage for anyone with pre-school kiddies or who have unusual discretion days, such as the traditional Punchestown closing for Kildare schools. Checking websites is the easiest way of finding one-off, seasonal deals. Offers include

May reductions for those who don’t need to take children out of school.

AGE -specific theme parks can save money and stress. Legoland is the best for teenies, Disney for middle children and white knuckle specialists such as Universal, Cypress Gardens, Knott’s Berry Farm, Portaventura or Alton Towers keep the teenagers happy. But don’t be put off, every park has a teenie section, and Disney has a spectacular under sevens for free offer. The best rides are often found in lower profile legacy theme parks such as Knott’s Berry farm in Anaheim or Six Flags parks around the USA.

STRESSFUL Surveys show that maximum pressure on parents is exerted by children between six and nine years of age. Once you know you can prepare. Set limits in advance.

BEWARE Beware of prices of up to $250 for a ticket if you haven’t taken up one of the discount schemes. There are over 75 different types of ticket types to Disney, so buying them is a complicated business. Watch out for places that have no-child discount like Discovery Cove. And be wary of attempts to up-sell. Merchandise can make a theme park visit very expensive indeed. After every ride you can purchase a photograph of yourself looking terrified for €6-€15. T-shirts at €15-€24 are close to rock-concert rates.

page 005 07/04/2015 12:25 Page 1

THINK YOU KNOW CRUISING?

THINK AGAIN

Anthem of the Seas℠. This changes everything. When it comes to cruise holidays, you probably think you’ve seen it all before. We think it’s time for a rethink. Anthem of the Seas℠ is redefining the cruise holiday landscape and now it’s finally arrived in the UK for its inaugural season. This remarkable ship is paving the way for the future of holidays, with incredible experiences and cutting-edge innovations that can’t be found on any other cruise ship in the world. We’ve got a feeling that when your customers see Anthem of the Seas℠ , they’ll look at cruising in a whole new way. And maybe you will too.

ONE UNIQUE HOLIDAY FOR ONE SEASON ONLY This extraordinary ship is only sailing from the UK until October 2015, so make sure your customers don’t miss their chance to experience a holiday like no other.

cruisingpower.ie

DID YOU KNOW? You might think you’ve told your customers all they need to know about a cruise holiday, but have you told them that they can: • Skydive in the middle of the ocean • Drive dodgems onboard a cruise ship • Order cocktails mixed by robots • Choose between 18 different restaurants, serving world-class cuisine from around the globe? They can — but only with Royal Caribbean!

Page 006 Hotels 07/04/2015 12:24 Page 1

MAY 2015 PAGE 6

HOTELS

www.travelextra.ie

reported Ireland had the third highest RevPAR increase in February among European countries (+23.2 pc to €63.12) behind Lithuania (+35.6 pc to €26.50) and Croatia (+24.3 pc to €15.99) and ahead of Malta (+23.0 pc to €46.23); Hungary (+20.8 pc to €31.49); and England (+20.7 pc to €81.40). Hotel occupancy in Europe rose 3.1pc to 62.6pc for February 2015. Vilnius occupancy rose 21.5 points to 49.4pc. Moscow occupancy was down 5.7 points to 58.2pc.

STR GLOBAL

AIPCO André Vietor from the Interna-

tional Association of Professional Conference Organisers and Kevin Kelly of BigBuzz Marketing Group were among the speakers at the AIPCO Business Tourism Conference 2015 in Powerscourt.

GALGORM Paul Smyth’s Galgorm

new £10m 48-room extension and spa village is to open in September. Themes in the spa village include Snow Paradise, the Orangery, a riverside sauna, plunge pool, sheltered relaxation area with open fire and private Dutch Tubs, heated by their own log fires.

KINVARA's 32-room Merriman Hotel is

on sale with a guide price of €695,000.

HOTREC, the European association rep-

resenting the European hospitality industry, warned that the EU Council of minister’s current position on the Package Travel Directive will damage the hotel industry by making ancillary services, such as arranging taxi transfers from the airport, spas in the hotel, bicycle renting and tickets to events subject to the new Package Travel Directive.

ARGENTINA A Hotels.com survey

claimed that visitors to Ireland from Argentina had the highest average spend of €128 per room per night in 2014. This is up 19pc on last year and 24pc above the Irish national average of €103.

BEST WESTERN CEO of Best

Western in England Richard Lewis has resigned and will be replaced by Rob Payne in an interim capacity.

JW MARRIOTT’s 191-room Venice

Resort had its soft opening ahead of its grand opening celebration on June 24.

DESIGN Hotels opened the 10-suite GRough in Rome, from the creators of PalazzinaG housed in a 17th century bourgeois building. HORWATH HTL reported that the ex-

tended-stay segment not only has performed well and is gaining popularity among developers and investors.

AMResorts announced five new resort contracts in Dominican Republic (Secrets Cap Cana and Dreams Dominicus La Romana), Mexico (Breathless Riviera Cancun), Costa Rica (Secrets Papagayo Costa Rica) and Aruba for the first time (Zoëtry Isla Di Oro Arub). Trivago in England says searches to Tunisia have fallen 22pc following the Bardo attack.

Hotel Group completed its acquisition of Whites Hotel, Wexford and Pillo Hotel, Galway,

DALATA

Charlie Sheil: Knew that Marker would perform ahead of expected as soon as doors were open

Phase 2 for Marker T

Marker Glass box is big project for summer 2015

he Marker Hotel has embarked on a new phase of expansion. The Marker’s big project for 2015 is a glass box with retractable roof. “We have planning and are now looking at the project,” GM Charlie Sheil says. The original plan was to trade as a four star plus property, as expressed by Michael McElligott and reported by Travel Extra in advance of the launch. After six months the hotel changed the policy and sought, and was duly awarded five star status. “I knew in April 2012, the first month of opera-

tions, that the hotel was performing better than expected.” “This enabled us to plan 2013, and 2014 saw further improvements.” The Marker has a 70pc business occupancy during the week and then found what he calls ”a surprising amount of leisure business to be picked up at weekends.” Charlie says he is proud of what the hotel has achieved on the food and beverage side with head chef Gareth Mullins. The roof top bar proved a success with the Dublin silicon community sited near the hotel, something which gave rise to the glass box proposal for 2015.

The hotel is adjacent to the Bord Gáis theatre which enabled it to develop a theatre menu and then a la carte, “two concepts rather than two sittings,” Charlie Sheil describes it. The Marker has 187 rooms and nine conference rooms with audio visual facilities. Charlie Sheil had previously opened the Clarion in Cork, which he describes as a similar project in a regenerated area, and then Gibson Hotel with Harry Crosbie beside the Point Village, which had very difficult starting six months in 2010.

INTERCONTINENTAL CHANGEOVER SUCCESS

ohn Malone Partnership will invest €5m in the 197-room fivestar InterContinental Hotel in Ballsbridge (known as the Four Seasons until January) after purchasing it for an undisclosed sum from London & Regional Property. JP Kavanagh recently returned from Dubai to

become GM of the hotel, Having been GM of the Fitzwilliam, Sheraton in Edinburgh, the Turnberry, the Connaught in London and Mandarin Oriental. He replaces acting GM Paul Downing who oversaw the changeover from its former identity. “It was a seamless change,” says Gillian De Lacy of Intercontinental.

“The new sign was erected at 8.30am on New Year’s Day and we completed what is normally an 18-month process in ten days.” The partnership owns the five-star Westin Hotel on College Green as well as the Trinity City Hotel, the Hilton Dublin and the Limerick Strand Hotel.

. JP Kavanagh

BOUTIQUE HOTELS DEFINED

nalysis by Highland Group offered answers to a tenyear-old conundrum: how to define boutique, lifestyle and soft brand hotel sec-

tors. The definitions are: ■ Boutique: Unique in style, design-centric, either independent or affiliated with a smaller brand system, with 40 to 300 guestrooms.

■ Lifestyle: Prescribed franchised products that are adapted to reflect current trends. ■ Soft brand: Individualised hotels that give

owners and operators the opportunity to affiliate with a major chain distribution while retaining their unique design, name and orientation.

page 007 07/04/2015 12:24 Page 1

Page 008 Postcard 07/04/2015 12:27 Page 1

MAY 2015 PAGE 8

POSTCARDS FROM THE TRAVEL SCENE

must be in the wrong terminal” was the reaction from one passenger when he waked into the new shopping area at terminal 1 in Dublin Airport. The area, which used the brand name The Loop, has been converted from a straight line walk past some jaded retail outlets into something curvier. Dublin Airport’s manager of retail services, Paul Neeson described the highlights: a new sweetshop, the Irish

tihad, Trailfinders and the Tourist Authority of Thailand were hosts at a Trailfinders staff evening in the Red Torch Ginger restaurant. Trailfinders is the leading Irish operator to Thailand which attracted 62,727 Irish last year. Joanna Cooke from TAT and Shannon O’Dowd from Etihad gave presentations to the Trailfinders staff and invited guests. Shannon O'Dowd discussed The Residence on the A380 and

an Sten Olsson came to Dublin to name Stena Superfast X (pronounced ten) and inaugurate her service on the Dublin Holyhead route on Wednesday last. The ship had to go an operation transformation since she last saw salt as DFDS Dieppe Seaways operating between Dover and Calais. Kathryn Thomas, godmother to seven children and now a ship, an tAthair Pádraig Ó

Whiskey Collection which offers 400 whiskeys from around the world, and the Wine Goose Chase, stressing Ireland’s ancient connection with international wine (wine has been coming back on the ships exporting Irish butter to Spain from prehistoric times; listen here). Mary Byrne gave a short history of the relationship between Ireland and wine. Picture shows the curved section of the new area.

the Economy Smart Seat's fixed wing headrests. Joanna Cooke reiterated how the junta has had no impact on Thailand's tourism industry and noted how the military government has helped regulate taxis, clean up beaches and improve visitor safety (a new tourist hotline was launched this week, dial 1111). Picture shows Karen Maloney of Etihad, Shannon O'Dowd of Etihad, Dave Hayeems of Trailfinders and Joanna Cooke of Thai Tourism.

Cuill and Reverend William Black blessed the ship. Ian Davies, route manager spoke of the increased flexibility that the ship brings to the route, Dan Stena Olsson talked about his love of coming to Ireland and the ships he has inaugurated since his first trip in 1971: “Stena is exactly the type of customer we like.” Picture shows Kathryn Thomas with Dan Sten Olsson and Eamonn O’Brien of Dublin Port.

o celebrate the start of Finnair’s new service from Dublin to Helsinki, Sales Director Fredrik Charpentier, announced that the service is to be extend to the winter three times weekly. Dublin Airport Authority hosted a reception at the Royal Hibernian Academy for the trade where Charpentier and his team outlined their plans for the service. Heidi Ahonen said it had been 2007

tout France is anticipating a recovery in the Irish market this year after four years which saw visitor number decline below 600,000 for the first time since the 1990s. Speaking at Rendez Vous 2015 Agnes Angrand said that the Toulouse area had seen a particular increase and there was more interest in the Irish market from the french regions, ten of which participated in a recent roadshow. Picture

ookabed hosted an agents’ lunch in Sophie’s Restaurant at Dublin’s newest hotel, The Dean on Harcourt Street. Picture shows Lee Osborne and Bev Fly, representing Bookabed, with Adam McKnight, representing the co-sponsor, A2B Transfers. Over drinks on the rooftop bar, Lee

since Finnair served Dublin Vincent Harrison of Dublin Airport said there were six new airlines in Dublin this year and 20 new routes while Martin Skelly replied on behalf of the Irish Travel Agents Association describing the quality of the Finnair product as “a race to the top.” Picture shows the Finnair team at the event: Ana Gibson, Anssi Partanen, Heidi Ahonen and Frederik Charpentier.

shows Christian Mantei, Director General of Atout France, Agnes Angrand of Atout France in London responsible for the Irish market, Matthias Fekl, Minister of State at the French Dept of Foreign Affairs with responsibility for Tourism and Francois Huwart, Chair of Atout France, at Rendez Vous de France in the Porte de Versailles convention centre in Paris. Next year’s Rendez Vous will take place in Montpellier.

Osborne thanked the trade for their support and briefly introduced Bookabed’s White Label product, now available to agents.. Strong winds and heavy showers failed to dampen the mood. Mosts guests were sampling the Dean’s signature lunch for the first time, topped off with custom-made Easter eggs.

This year at Travel Counsellors, we’re celebrating our 10 year anniversary since launching in the Republic of Ireland. And what an amazing 10 years it’s been. We’ve created a safe place for talented travel professionals to grow flourishing businesses, offering the support, guidance and award winning technology to empower them to deliver the very best, personal service to their customers. It’s why we continue to grow year on year, with over 60 Travel Counsellors and a turnover of €22 million. It’s also why in our recent company survey 97% of our Travel Counsellors agreed with the statement “I love my job”. We’re very proud of the special family we have created, and would love more people to be part of it. So if you want to help us celebrate an amazing 10 years and be part of the next 10, please get in touch today.

Call us for a chat 0818 33 20 03 Find out more at www.travelhomeworking.ie or email the team at careers@travelcounsellors.ie

Page 010 Sydney Bridge Climb 07/04/2015 14:37 Page 1

MAY 2015 PAGE 10

DESTINATION AUSTRALIA

Where life is a bridge Eoghan Corry tries a famous bridge limb of a famous bridge

Travel Extra's Eoghan Corry embarks on a rivetting adventure.

omething that marks out both of Sydney's most iconic attractions is how close they sit to the horizon to each other. As you view from Circular Quay into the morning sun the bridge seems to sit like a steel hat upon the ferry boats, and the fans of the opera house sit like fins on the low horizon beyond. Two of Australia’s four tourist icons (the others are the rock and the reef) are effectively in the same oblong square, inviting an instagram moment. The Irish flag is the one that you notice coming up the street. One of the most famous Irish pubs in the world, Mercantile is right at the top of George Street, the hostelry closest to the Sydney Harbour bridge.

It is on the corner of an extension of George Street that led through Robert Campbell’s property to the boat operated by Commodore Blue Billy Blue who ran the first ferry service across the harbour from Dawes point to Blue’s point. Beyond that is the Harbour View Hotel. Here, the prevailing sound changes and is dominated by the rattle of traffic travelling overhead on the steel girders. Some motorbikes are parked in a large park beside a refurbished industrial chimney. “Warning: unauthorised climbing on bridge is an offence, maximum penalty of $2200,” reads the sign. No need to worry. The legal climb costs a tenth of that and seems more fun.

here is a pylon lookout a little bit further up the street but when you come to number 3 Cumberland Street you can do something perfectly legal and one of the great experiences for the modern tourist in Sydney, the bridge climb. The pre-climb cinema presentation comes without a commentary and, when we watched it, had an atmospheric “replace lamp” note in the bottom corner. There you learn the little details about the bridge, the pet raven that had three young last year, two of whom survived, the thieving magpies that prey on visitors, and Ireland’s contribution to the opening ceremony in 1932: a disgruntled

Anglo-Irish activist Francis de Groot photobombed the ceremony. A member of Australia’s version of the Blueshirts, he arriving on horseback to cut the ribbon with his sword and upstaging the left-wing Premier Jack Lang.

he rhythm of Sydney’s best experience is determined by chains and clinks, like first fleet convict. You lock and unlock, check for tightness and move along the steel girders of the bridge. It helps you are in a

shapeless jump suit, the kind used in American prison movies. They have breathalysed you, to make sure the excesses of the night before don’t cause you to stumble. You are given a hankie which is used for communication, presumably for crying help more than anything more sophisticated. And we are off, clunking and climbing and attaching our safety cords to successions of steel bars, the view getting better the higher we go. Wendy Chung, the bridge climb guide recites the stats you don’t want

to hear. How high. How deep the fall, the guy who fell off the bridge into the water and survived, the 16 who died. The steelwork was a sequence of red hot rivets being conveyed and hammered into place.

t is easy to see why it is so popular. Forever afterwards you feel a sense of ownership of one of the world’s greatest tourist icons. You can imagine what the fellow who fell off felt like.

Eoghan Corry flew to Australia with Emirates Airlines, who a double daily service from Dublin to Dubai and onwards to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide. He was hosted by Tourism Australian, www.australia.com. See www.bridgeclimb.com for details of the Sydney Bridge Climb. A one and a half hour sampler costs Aus$148 €100), a day climb Aus$248 (€165), a twilight climb Aus$308 (€205) and a night climb Aus$218 (€145).

page 011 07/04/2015 12:30 Page 1

Become an Aussie Specialist today

Learn about diverse nature experiences, luxury getaways and adventure activities in Australia including where you can get up close and personal to our wonderful wildlife. Join the Aussie Specialist Program and gain access to top tips, sample itineraries, factsheets and city maps. SEE FOR YOURSELF WHY THEREâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NOTHING LIKE AUSTRALIA Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing like knowing Australia like a local, become an expert now www.aussiespecialist.com

Page 012-013 broome 07/04/2015 12:33 Page 1

MAY 2015 PAGE 12

DESTINATION AUSTRALIA

o see the best bits of the northern outreaches of Western Australia, you need to take to the sky. Our Cesna is waiting for us on a red dirt airfield. Our pilot Yohan Chandiramani completes a runway inspection for animals before we take off for a flight over Cape Leveque and the vast Buccaneer Archipelago. The star attractions are the horizontal falls, water flushing through two narrow inlets as the tide rises and falls with a ferocity that has created headaches for three centuries of sailing vessels. As we fly over the nude section of Cable Beach the pilot jokes: “we'll get lower next time to get those sweet back packers.” From up here you are reminded that Western Australia is a vast state on a vast sub-continent. At 976,790 sq miles, if it were independent it would be tenth largest country in the world just after Kazakistan.

ur flight to a sheep station turned camel trek centre in Mount Augustus brings us over a different

Eoghan Corry in Broome and Kimberley

Best of the North West landscape. When the Fitzroy river floods it becomes the second largest in the world, 14km wide, so the land is surprisingly green. There I heard about the aborigine who was refused a passport because he was not Australian enough. Gudibul Butt and Bugily Bangu told me how it happened. They planned a big adventure from their Mount Ander-

sen camel tour operation to Pushkar camel fair in Rajasthan. They all trundled into Broome post office to apply for their passports, where a stern woman told them that needed birth certs from both their parents. This was a problem, for many of the group had parents whose births had not had never been registered. “How do I know you are Australian?” she asked the disbelieving

The Horizontal waterfalls at Kimberley

STAY AND PLAY

■ Broome Sightseeing Tours www.broomesightseeingtours.com (+61 8) 9192 0043 ■ Matso's Broome Brewer, www.matsosbroomebrewery.com.au (+61 8) 9193 5811

■ Accommodation was at Eco Beach, Broome WA: www.ecobeach.com.au Tel: (+61 8) 9193 8015 ■ Cable Beach Club Resort & Spa: www.cablebeachclub.com (+61 8) 9192 0400

group. The matter was revolved just two hours before the flight was about to take off. Casper my camel responds to the lads shouting “husta” in their native language, Nyikina-Mangala, as we weave through bush tomato plants, waddle, eucalyptus and boab trees. Gudibul (“that’s my blackfellah name, the tourists call me TJ”) feeds him grass along the way. Rob Bamkin runs indigenous tours on behalf

of the Jarlmadangah Burru community in Mount Augustus. The place has a dark past. The aboriginal people were worked here in slave like conditions until 1967. They received no money, just their food and clothing. A hundred years after slavery as abolished in America it as still extant in Australia. Eventually, when the owners were required to close down they thrashed the place before they went. There is a toilet but

when I flush before returning to the airplane I wash down a frog.

roome, rather app r o p r i a t e l y, sweeps a visitor off their feet. As befits the top westernmost corner town of Australia, nearer to Singapore than to Sydney, it has a strong sense of its own identity, a small town always aware of its precious place in a big world. Precious is not an over-

■ Eoghan Corry flew to Australia with Emirates Airlines, who a double daily service from Dublin to Dubai and onwards to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide. He was hosted by Tourism Australian, www.australia.com. ■ Internal flight from Perth to Broome was with Qantas Airways: www.qantas.com.au

Clockwise: Fishing on Eco Beach, camel trek with Gudibul “how do I know you are Australian” Butt, Boab Tree at Sunset, near Kununurra, Cape Le Grand National Park and a former outback sheep station now camel trekking centre near Mount Augustus

Page 012-013 broome 07/04/2015 12:33 Page 2

MAY 2015 PAGE 13 statement, because Broome is a town built on pearls. The most expensive pearls in the world still come from here. Pearl shops line Dampier Terrace, selling their wares, Linney’s, Kaili’s, Paspalay. The pearling masters who lived here were amongst the richest people in Australia in their time, utilising migrant Japanese and virtually enslaved aborigines for diving duties - pregnant women were preferred because they had extra oxygen in their blood stream. They included Patrick Percy, who committed a murder in Cork as Patrick O’Sullivan before fleeing to the new world and becoming, of all things, a policeman. Drive a couple of hours in either direction, and you will find more beau-

DESTINATION AUSTRALIA

“

Camel trek on Cable Beach, photograph by James Morgan tiful and even more remote coastland.

You can smell the silkiness of the ocean” says Edwina Kelsch as we approach

Eco beach resort. Eco is an aboriginal word although it might have been dreamed up as part of a modern marketing campaign.

The name may have been the inspiration for entrepreneur Karl Plunkett who set up his highend resort here, twice, after it was blown down

by a 300kph cyclone in April 2000. They pride themselves on being eco-friendly down to the shampoo and soap. “You can tell from the smell from the sewerage system when people have brought their own soap in for a big event like a wedding,” Simon Murray, our host tells us. An owl comes to sit on the balcony with a doomed mouse dangling from his beak, the sounds of the waves beyond. Later I float on my back for a long time in the dark bay looking up at the Southern Cross and the milkspill of unfamiliar stars.

aula O'Brien from Leighlinbridge welcomes us to Cygnet bay Oyster farm. She guides tourists through the facilities and brings them on boat rides

across the azure bay. It is an astonishing place where the tide can run at 18 knots as a body of water four times the size of Sydney harbour piles in and out of the bay twice a day. There is just one main road in and out of here, and 2,600 islands to be explored in one of the emptiest places on the planet. Cable Beach resort lodges have the design and feel of a traditional pearling master quarters with the room in the middle of house to keep cool in summer. From the ocean bar we watch the camels returning from their sunset trek. How do people get here? Fly from Perth or Sydney. They are campaigning to get direct flights from Singapore. Not a moment too soon.

BOOK ONLINE NOW

You can book your summer in France today with Irish Ferries, for just €100 deposit. With more crossings than anyone else and the most convenient arrival times, bring your car and all the luggage you need and learn the true meaning of Bon Voyage.

J901

Book with a €100 deposit minimum 43 days before travel, final balance payable 42 days before departure. New bookings only. Subject to availability. See irishferries.com for details.

Page 014-015 Whitsundays 07/04/2015 12:36 Page 1

MAY 2015 PAGE 14

DESTINATION AUSTRALIA

oing Troppo is the phrase they use in Queensland for those who head north beyond the grassy palms of Brisbane past the Whitsundays, past Townsville, past and all the way to Cairns. Cairns and Port Douglas used to be sleepy sugar towns. The population sat around 30,000, something like Castlebar. And then tourism arrived like a cyclone that changed the town forever. It was the Japanese who came first, they loved the beaches and the mangroves and they took boats out to the reef to dive. To this day nothing has changed. The airport got bigger, its runway longer. Today holidaymakers pour in on domestic flights from Sydney and Melbourne. There are plans for international flights which could change the game even further. If Northern Queensland was a country its presence on the tourist map would be even greater than it is today. Its climate is as far removed from Sydney and Melbourne as it is from Dublin or Dubai. The boats that bring the tourists to the reef, 15 different operators heading out each day, unwrap an unbelievable underwater world for every single one of the passengers. To dive in the Great Barrier Reef, even in an age when experiential

Whit Parade

sound like Tweety Bird. You will sometimes find some fairy lights. Fairy lights is the territory of the ski resort and the mad weeks in the lead-in to Christmas. Beach resorts like them too, if they flash you know the beer is going to be a little bit cheaper in the establishment behind it.

A A taste of the tropics from Queensland tourism has become an overused word, is one of the great must dos. In an era when everybody talks about a bucket list this is both the top, the brim, and the bottom of everybody's bucket. To walk through Cairns town you can see how tourism has changed its sleepy streets. The signs tell you of diving, sailing, of didgeridoos and coffee shops and fast food. Should the Crown of Thorns starfish succeed in its ambition of wiping out the coral that frames, inspires, and defines all of the tourist activity that happens on this coast, Cairns would be a much

poorer place turning back to sugar to sustain itself. There are some things much sweeter than sugar, seeing the reef is one of them.

some standing straight but more importantly two or three to lean over precipitously as if they just had one cocktail too many in the neon lit bar beyond. Neon is important. It's important that there is at least one red lobster and every single pun known to the English language is used by the bar names.

priately sized cars along the way and one or two open top sports cars to show that the midlife crisis is a worldwide phenomenon. If beach bars are ubiquitous, beach bar prices are ubiquitous as well expect to pay $12 for the cocktail cost you $3.50 three blocks away. But hey, you cannot hear the sound of the sea when the drink gets cheaper. In the evening the soundwaves fill with lively music by singers who all think they have to

Crew members on the Solway Lass which offers sail tours of the Whitsunday Islands in Queenlsand

he beach bars of the world are ubiquitous and increasingly homogenous. They look the same, no matter what part of the world you travel to. They line up along carefully paved roads with cycle paths and lots of sand. They are framed in the landscape of the senses: with the sound of the waves in the background and lots of palm trees,

his is a place for pedestrians. The beachfront is not for drivers although there are always a few inappro-

ustralia has become a big city tourist destination for those who seek out the hot spots of Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Most tourists come, however, for the outback, the wildlife, and the stunning scenery. Cairns, redolent of the rainforest and mangrove swamp, where the beaches come with added spice, the excitement and note of peril of stingrays and crocodiles, offered more of what Australian tourism has come to mean to the rest of the world

he Whitsundays are about three quarters way up Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s east coast, a long way from places: 1,000km to Birisbane, 600km to Cairns, 1,800km to Sydney. Here you can see weather patterns ap-

Clockwise: Walking trail on Molle Island, Solway Lass crew members and their ship, which once ran aground in Dublin bay, landing by seaplane

Page 014-015 Whitsundays 07/04/2015 12:36 Page 2

MAY 2015 PAGE 15

DESTINATION AUSTRALIA proaching on the horizon long in advance. It looks like haze, like fog. It looks like the clouds dip down precariously. Sometimes the cloud comes down in a black cone on the horizon, indicating something wet is coming..Very wet. Swimming pool dropped on your head wet. These are the Whitsundays at their best. The sea and the sky don't just play out this drama. The shadows amid the trees and on the grasses and on the plants reflect everything that is going on in the meteorological complexity beyond. Wherever the sea and its attendant breezes dominate, everything changes quickly, at breakneck speed. The wind has no time to wait. The landscape has no time to stay and smile for the photog-

tell not even a piece of the story. They don't tell the story at all.

Photographing Molle island in the Whtisundays, Queenlsand, Australia

rapher, keeping the colours ready for the next shot. Look away and look back, and everything has changed beyond recognition. This is as true in the west of Ireland as it is in the tropics. The silence is broken

by the cacophony of birdsong. The path is well marked and the obstacles reduced to a series of steps. Occasionally nature shouts back, and throws a tree across the path line. As you tramp along the

path with the fading leaves of a previous autumn, your eye is always on the ground for the animals that you may not wish to encounter, the death adder, the stuff of headlines. As in many tourist attractions, the headlines

hy are the Whitsundays such a playground? The beaches. Beyond Whitehaven, justifiably famed for its 98pc silicon sheen, are quite ordinary. These sort of islands can be found all over the world, in the Caribbean, off South America off Africa, off Thailand. Tropical sends out good messages to the tourist. It means green and lush hot sunshine nourished with rain and the debris of the previous season rotting on the forest floor. But these 74 islands are ideally situated, isolated yet not too isolated, the furthest is 40 nautical

miles of the Australian mainland so they are an easy reach for sailing boats. Most tourists come in by air and there is good landing facilities, adequate beds on land in the resorts created by 1980s entrepreneurs on seven of the islands, and another 2000 beds available in the flotilla of hospitality craft that sail off these islands. You can find features like this in the Mediterranean, but they would be crowded. Here, a small sail bring you to somewhere isolated where you can retreat into a world of the imagination, not far removed from that encountered by the first explorers all those hundreds of years ago. And then retreat back for a cocktail to the bar.

X r m i f jr , pSCSOS

JS cB8S ]PB: fic BF o [ q M> : K L GJ oJ>NP: M :S6

*(#€

JCPGl

q>BSONC 5B9> KB>J4BC<x qBBH CB7 S: 777lN9>B@NSJ>@B<:lPBF B> Q5 @KBCN *!* ( y;) *)yA B> S: 5B9> :>S8NG SLNCP5

7S5ON :>J@, JCPGl JC NPBCBF5 vvBCN ± @S>:J> !):S6N< € \\p,SCO SGGN>G9LLSLN <JF@GN, QSLSLN PBF@>J< PGS<<, M>NN BCQBS>O <N>8JPNl

Page 016 Cairns Port Douglas 07/04/2015 12:48 Page 1

MAY 2015 PAGE 16

DESTINATION AUSTRALIA

arrived late iand in the darkness found the Pacific Ocean whose soothing sound had beckoned me from my room in the in M Gallery Reef House ho9tel in Palm Cove. It was beautiful. There were dark shapes of wood and mangrove debris in the water and I splashed and dived and peered at the tropical moon through the shimmering surface water. There were signs there, but who stops to read signs after a long journey and in the darkness. When I re-emerged dripping through the hotel lobby the staff and guests expressed some surprise. What was I ding? Swimming, I beamed, like I had just come from the fortyfoot. I learned that someone had been walking their dog a little earlier near where I had swum and the dog was taken by a crocodile.

Totally troppo Eoghan Corry in Cairns and Port Douglas Is that a crocodile footprint? A walk along the seashore at Palm Cove, Queensland

oing Troppo is the phrase they use in Queensland for those who head north beyond the grassy palms of Brisbane past

the Whitsundays, past Townsville, past and all the way to Cairns. Cairns and Port Douglas used to be sleepy sugar towns. The population sat

STAY AND PLAY ■ Cairns ZOOm: An all-weather wildlife exhibit combining a rainforest environment with a first challenge ropes course consisting of 50 elements of crossings and ziplines - including one which takes participants over the resident four-metre saltwater crocodile connected to a continuous belay system allowing visitors to step outside the glass Dome, and take in the sights of Cairns City, Trinity Inlet and Cairns Lagoon. http://cairnszoom.com.au/dome-climb ■ Hartley's Crocodile Adventures place to view hundreds of fresh and saltwater crocodiles and local wildlife, native snakes, cassowaries, wallabies and koalas with 2100 metres of timber boardwalks and pathways lead through woodlands and rainforest and a boat cruise on Hartley's Lagoon to see crocodiles and other wildlife in melaleuca wetland. www.crocodileadventures.com ■ Kewarra Beach resort, villas on a seashore beside two extensive beaches, listen to the sounds of the night before you fall into a deep sleep. http://www.kewarra.com Kuranda Village in the Rainforest with two market locations, the Original Markets and the Heritage Markets with Aboriginal artifacts, handmade leather goods, wood and jewelry.

www.kuranda.ora ■ Mossman Gorge Centre Indigenous ecotourism development serving visitors to the Mossman Gorge World Heritage site. Http:://mossmanaorqe.com ■ QT Port Douglas with 170 guest rooms and one and two bedroom villas with either garden or pool views. Complimentary use of retro QT Bikes. www.qtportdoualas.com.au ■ Sailaway Sunset Sailing on board 'Lagoon 500, tropical Sunset over the Coral Sea with mountain views, drinks and canapes .www.sailawavportdoualas.com ■ Skyrail Rainforest Cable brings visitors on a cable car gliding just above the rainforest canopy. The rail makes two stops at Red Peak and Barron Falls station. At Red Peak Station qualified Rangers provide guided boardwalk tours. Reinforced glass floors have been fitted to 11 cabins offering a view directly down onto the canopy of World Heritage Listed Barron Gorge National Park. www.skvrail.com.au ■ Tjapukai by Night cultural evening of entertainment with buffet dinner, built on traditional Tjapukai land in a rainforest setting. www.Tjapukai.com.au

around 30,000, something like Castlebar. And then tourism arrived like a cyclone that changed the town forever. It was the Japanese who came first, they loved the beaches and the mangroves and they took boats out to the reef to dive. To this day nothing has changed. The airport got bigger, its runway longer. Today holidaymakers pour in on domestic flights from Sydney and Melbourne. There are plans for international flights which could change the game even further.

f Northern Queensland was a country its presence on the tourist map would be even greater than it is today. Its climate is as far removed from Sydney and Melbourne as it is from Dublin or Dubai. The boats that bring the tourists to the reef, 15 different operators heading out each day, unwrap an unbelievable underwater world for every single one of the passengers.

To dive in the Great Barrier Reef, even in an age when experiential tourism has become an overused word, is one of the great must dos. The sights, the adrenaline, the wonder of being up close is repdictable. That thundering, swelling sound is not. It lingers in the ears. Today people have more bucket lists than buckets. The Reef is at the top, the brim, and the bottom of everybody's bucket. To walk through Cairns town you can see how tourism has changed its sleepy streets. The signs tell you of diving, sailing, of didgeridoos and coffee shops and fast food. Should the Crown of Thorns starfish succeed in its ambition of wiping out the coral that frames, inspires, and defines all of the tourist activity that happens on this coast, Cairns would be a much poorer place turning back to sugar to sustain itself. There are some things much sweeter than sugar. Seeing the Reef is one.

he tall building which accommodates the Cairns Zoom has seen money purposes in time. Fitting it out for sideshow of the Cairns zoo seemed like a splendid idea. A large crocodile was lowered into the exhibit area by crane, his dignity descending faster than the conveyances which put him in place. You walk through a faux tropical forest and meet animals along the way and it seems odd that you do this in a city when the real thing it's not so far away. Then they decided that looking at the animals was not enough. You can zip line and climb through the rainforest as well. On the outside of the building you can lie back against your railing and feel like you are flying or about to part company with the safety of the harness. It is an uncomfortable mix watching and doing, unsure what tourists really want in Cairns. They may be right.

■ Eoghan Corry flew to Australia with Emirates Airlines, who a double daily service from Dublin to Dubai and onwards to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide. He was hosted by Tourism Australian, www.australia.com and Tourism Queensland.(slogan: Where Australia Shines) www.queensland.com.

page 017 07/04/2015 12:45 Page 1

D'=GD

Page 018-019 Turkey 07/04/2015 16:43 Page 1

MAY 2015 PAGE 18

DESTINATION TURKEY

ravel writers have an in-joke about turquoise. They challenge each other to write articles about exotic beach destinations without using the T word. The south east of Turkey is exactly where the word fits most easily. The word ‘turquoise’ comes from ‘Turk’ meaning Turkish, and was derived from the beautiful colour of the Mediterranean Sea on the south western Turkish coast. It is on the coastline between Izmir and Antalya that the best known resorts are found: Bodrum of the castle, Marmaris of the azure water, Datça of the flowers, Köycegiz with its lake and watery archipelago and Fethiye of the ancient monuments. Two of the world’s greatest beaches are within a drive of each other: stony Olu Deniz near Fethiye and sandy Patara near Köycegiz. Patara is one of the longest stretches of sandy beach on the Mediterranean at 14km (or nine miles in old money). The beach is the breeding ground of the endangered Loggerhead turtle and so development has been kept at bay. Instead it is backed by something more ancient, Lycian and Roman ruins and swooping dunes with no buildings visible except of a small café. It isn’t very Christmassy, but the nearby village of Patara was the birthplace of St Nicholas, the 4th-century Byzantine bishop who later passed into legend as Santa Claus. As you continue west you reach the mountain cities, Termessos and Arikand, as well as the coastal towns such as Olimpos, Kale, Kekova and what was the most beautiful of all before the tourism explosion, Kas.

hands, first one or two, and then the whole theatre in unison in an attempt to wake up the emperor. Hence the tradition of the round of applause designed, not (as we delude ourselves) to pay tribute to the actors, but to wake us up at the end of a boring show. According to the guide in Pergamum anyway and he should know. Many is the audience member, the modern day Hadrian, who has been woken up since.

Land of turquoise

I Eoghan Corry talks Turkey Beautiful Bodrum bay

ou don’t have to look far beyond the beaches to find something special. Bodrum was once home to the Mausoleum, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The wonder did not survive, but nowadays it has enough intriguing ruins, stunning beaches and cliff-top resorts attract people from all over the world and make it one of the signature attractions of this coast. The highlight is the Castle of St. Peter, also known as Bodrum Castle, built by the Crusaders in the 15th century and claimed as one of the world’s best preserved medieval monuments. The castle now operates as a museum, with the focus on the Museum of Underwater Archaeology. It overlooks the internal marina of Bodrum filled with millions of dollars worth of sailing craft.

ome day soon the number of tourists to Ephesus on a single day will fill its ancient stadium. Amidst the debris of the seven civilisations that have swept over Turkey, Ephesus is the headline act of the region. The archaeologists cheated. The oft photographed library front is a rebuild. The much heralded discovery of early high rise comes with no strong visuals. On a big cruise ship day in Kusadasi, 30,000 will trundle over Ephesus ancient ruins. Come early when it is hot. There are the usual pillared temples, triumphal arches and theatre, but at Ephesus you also get a real feel for what life was like in Roman times: the rutted marble-paved streets lined with shops; clusters of ancient houses and mansions decorated with frescoes and mosaics; gyms, baths, exercise rooms, even a brothel.

Eoghan Corry travelled to Turkey courtesy of Turkish Airlines, who now fly double daily from Dublin to Istanbul

There are also period costume shows. If you want some real drama, listen to America cruise tour groups asking questions of exasperated guides. My favourite? “Where did all the cats come from?” Ephesus has a story for every pile of stones. Here they used to get slaves to sit on the marble toilet seats to warm them in winter.

or ruins with a view, try Pergamum, an hour and a half out of Izmir, and the place medicine was invented. Galen came from here but they were already curing people before he left to make his name in Rome. The wealth of the city was built on olive oil, and, by Dionysius, were they wealthy in Pergamum. Most of the ruins stand on the acropolis, which has a spectacular situation on a spit of land rising 1,000ft above the plain and the modern city of Bergama (also worth visiting for its late-me-

dieval Ottoman buildings). Capital of the Attalid kings, it once rivalled Athens and Alexandria as a cultural centre. Its famous library (not rebuilt) was second only to Alexandria, can be seen along with the ruins of palaces, temples an amazing neckstrain-steep amphitheatre cut out of the mountain, and the foundations of the temple of Zeus. The goodies were taken to Berlin, the Germans gave the locals some nice pine trees in return. Our retired schoolteacher guide (his name translates as “Immortal”) told us that when Hadrian came to Pergamum he fell asleep two nights in a row at the theatrical performance. As no one was allowed to leave before the emperor left at the end of the evening, the locals got a little tired of waiting for him to wake up and a tad cranky. When it happened again on the third evening they started clapping their

stanbul has a well guarded secret: the Prince’s Islands. This hidden treasure is a 30minute ferry ride away from the ferry port. The sultan’s resort island of Büyükada offers a taste of the resorts you find around Izmir, a mere three euro boat ride from the city. Was it not for the enchanting city skyline on the horizon. It could be a distant Mediterranean red-tile hideaway. Hiring a bike (€7.50) enables one to escape to a more distant beach. A citybreak with its own private island Most tourists stay in the nest of hotels around Taksim Square, an eclectic area, which mixes legitimate bars like the delightful Biz Jazz Bar (it has GREAT live music and a bubbling atmosphere) with more sordid girly bars. Istanbul is not just a city of 2,000 mosques, 157 churches and 18 synagogues, but also home to some of the hottest nightlife in Europe. The hottest places are within easy reach of each other. Su Ada has the edge on the private yacht scene as it is offshore. It is vying to be trendiest night spot in Istanbul with Sortie (formerly Laila), and Reina (still, as its name suggests, reigning champion, but expect to pay €100 for a round of drinks).

Page 018-019 Turkey 07/04/2015 16:43 Page 2

MAY 2015 PAGE 19

DESTINATION TURKEY The restaurant with the best view in town is Hamdi, serving inexpensive local produce made with the best local ingredients in the best location since 1970. Mustafa Bey’s family has built the place up and it is now a 500-seat business over three floors. The food is VERY specialist - minced meat pizza, yoghurt starters, and no one else serves pistachio kebab. Don’t miss it.

ostly, Istanbul is about water, the Bosphorous which leads to the Black Sea, the Golden Horn, the world’s largest natural harbour, and the mouth of two rivers. The Bosphorous divides Europe from Asia. The Golden Horn divides the European side in two, and the long bridge where the salt water meets the fresh water is line with anglers, day and night. The centre of Istanbul is Eminonu quay, a tram ride from the tourist at-

itual (Church of Panagia of Blechernae, leafy green and out of the way, a real treasure), the boring (Tekfur Palace), the over-rated (spice market) and the sublime (the huge underwater cisterns near Hagia Sophia).

Coastline of Kınalıada on Istanbul’s Princes Islands, Prens Adaları tractions where the throngs gather to cram the ferries bound every 15 minutes for the magical, mysterious Asian shores. The ferries are coloured vividly with scarlet lifebuoys, and belch black smoke as they chug away from our continent. The 20-minute crossing to Uskudar costs about 50 cents. It can be a breezy pleasure, enhanced with strong tea in tiny tulip glasses.

The skyline shines in every direction, billowing mosques, brandishing their towers like medieval bayonets, the silent Galata Tower, a relic of Genoese-colonial times; Topkapi lurking behind its veil of vegetation, the extravagant mansions and palaces that line the shoreline, and in the distance, the gatepost castles of the Bosphorous which reminded everyone that Constantinople was un-

stormable. There is lots to see and a short time to do it, I did 25 stops on a city tour to beat all city tours - five mosques, three churches, four parks, four viewpoints, three museums and other attractions at speed. I paid homage, in rapid fire succession, to the reliquary (Patriarchate at Fener), the beautiful (St Giorgio), the aesthetic (St Savior in Chora), the spir-

Isabel Harrison Shannon Airport

Declan Power Shannon Airport

he sunshine dances on the choppy surface of the Bosphorus. The mysterious Kiz Kulesi, a fairytale lighthouse on a rocky outcrop, sits near the shore. In the distance you can see the Princes’ Islands, a taste of holiday resort Turkey, a three euro boat ride from the city, like lumps of granite peering out in the Sea of Marmara. They are an enticing sight, sun resorts from the south east magically towed to lie within easy reach of the metropolis. Then before you have taken it all in, the engines go quiet. Welcome to Asia. As well as the European city (6m people) there is a burgeoning

Asian city (9m people) of Istanbul on the other side of the Bosphorous Uskudar Chrysopolis, the “city of gold” in In Athenian antiquity) is a city in its own right, full of life and tradition. You can go to the endpoint at Fehnerbahce (the only major soccer club is on the Asian shore, unlike Galatasaray and Bezitkas) to walk the gardens and look back at Europe. Dominating the main square is the magnificent Iskele Camii, which was built sometime around 1557 by Sinan as a tribute to Mihrimah, daughter of Suleyman the Magnificent. If you make it to Yeni Valide Camii you will find a peaceful courtyard to sit in with cats for company. As the evening light fades the buzz of Bagdat Street matches anything back on the European side of the Bosphorous (time it right and you can have a drink in Baggot Street and Bagdat Street in the same day).

n?OO ;L DIKDM RHO KDPOAODPOD; You’ll love doing business with us. Isabel Harrison isabel.harrison@shannonairport.ie +353 (0)61 712 629

Between us anything’s possible As an independent airport, we work with our customers to tailor a service which is flexible to their needs. We are free thinking and receptive to new ideas so by working together we can make anything possible.

Declan Power declan.power@shannonairport.ie +353 (0)61 712 403

shannonairport.ie

page 020-021 07/04/2015 14:24 Page 1

PRESENTED BY

»»» LIST OF EXHIBITORS WAITING

A2B Travel Extras Abbey Travel Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority Accident & General Adams & Butler Aer Lingus Affordable Car Hire Air Canada/Air Canada Rouge Amadeus Marketing Ireland Andalucia Tourist Board APG Ireland ASM - Airline Sales & Marketing ATTS Travel Representation Solutions Barcelo Hotels & Resorts BEDSONLINE BookaBed Celebrity Cruises China Southern Airlines Commission for Aviation Regulation

Contiki Holidays Cork International Airport Costa Sal Villas and Suites CroisiEurope River Cruises Cruisescapes Crystal Alfresco Holidays Crystal Summer Dawson Travel Discover Travel Disneyland Paris Dominican Republic Tourist Office DoSomethingDifferent.com Dublin Airport Emirates Ethiopian Airlines Etihad Airways Europe Airpost/ATTS Travel Representation Solutions Eva Air

GOLF TEAM CLASSIC In association with

Thursday 23rd April 2015 12noon Shotgun Start - LATE VENUE

Citywest Golf Course | Saggart, Co Dublin Followed by Reception, Dinner and Prize Giving in Citywest Hotel

BOOKING

Please contact Maria Sinnott t: + 353 (0)1 291 3707 e: maria@bizex.ie

Expedia Travel Agent Affiliate Programme Falcon & Thomson Holidays Fiesta Americana Hotels & Resorts Mexico Flexible Autos Fred.Olsen Cruise Line Getabed Gran Hotel Atlantis Bahia Real 5* GL Hard Rock Hotel AIC Hertz Rent A Car Hotel VIK San Antonio Innstant Travel Insight Vacations Ireland West Airport Knock Irish Ferries ENIT - Italian State Tourist Board Kansas/Oklahoma Travel & Tourism Keith Prowse Travel Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority

page 020-021 07/04/2015 14:24 Page 2

Friday 24th April 2015 2pm - 7pm

To find out more log on to:

www.irishtravelindustrytradeshow.com

VISIT

To Pre-Register for FAST TRACK ENTRY log on to www.registrationdesk.ie/irish-travel-industry-trade-show-2

VENUE

Citywest Convention Centre | Saggart, Co Dublin

BOOKING

Please contact Maureen Ledwith t: + 353 (0)1 291 3700 | e: maureen@bizex.ie Or Paulette Moran t: + 353 (0)1 291 3702 | e: paulette@bizex.ie

TO WELCOME YOU INCLUDE ««« Limelight Communications Lowcostbeds Lufthansa German Airlines Lux* Resorts & Hotels Luxair Med Playa Hotels Merlin Entertainments MSC Cruises PortAventura Portuguese Trade & Tourism Board (ICEP) ProCon Solution A/S Promote Iceland RCL Cruises Red Sea Holidays Riu Hotels & Resorts Riviera Travel Romanian National Tourist Authority Sabre Travel Network Salou Tourist Board

SAS - Scandinavian Airlines SeaDream Shannon Airport Silversea Cruises Snaeland Travel - Iceland South African Airways Spanish Tourism Board Steigenberger Hotel Group - Germany Stena Line Sunway Travel Thanos Hotels Paphos Cyprus The Travel Corporation Total Hotel Experience Tourism Authority of Thailand Travel Extra Travel Focus Travel Solutions Travelcube Travelport

WORK WELLNESS PRESENTATIONS SPEAKERS

Karl Henry www.karlhenry.ie

Tunisian National Tourist Office Turkish Airlines Turkish Culture and Tourism Office Unique Japan Tours United Airlines Uniworld Boutique River Cruises Viajes EUROAMERICA Virgin Atlantic Airways Visit Scotland Voyages-SNCF Benelux Wallace Travel Group Wendy Wu Tours WestJet World Travel Centre Your Car Hire

BBQ Sponsored by

John Graham www.johngcoaching.com

Helen Corrigan www.healingcorner.ie & www.healthie.ie

Friday 24th April 2015 11am - 1pm VISIT

Friday 24th April 2015 7.30pm - LATE VISIT

To Pre-Register for Presentations log on to www.irishtravelindustrytradeshow.com

To Book your place to the event please log on to www.irishtravelindustrytradeshow.com

Lake Suites Citywest Convention Centre | Saggart, Co Dublin

Main Ballroom Citywest Hotel | Saggart, Co Dublin

Please contact Maria Sinnott t: + 353 (0)1 291 3707 | e: maria@bizex.ie

VENUE

CONTACT

VENUE

CONTACT

Page 022-025 Theme Parks 08/04/2015 08:28 Page 1

MAY 2015 PAGE 22

THEME PARKS 2015

fter hundreds of millions of euro invested in bigger, faster and more spectacular rides, theme park owners have turned their minds to more practical things this summer: queue times. Getting to the attraction faster and spending less time queuing has become a priority. Last year Walt Disney World implemented its new Fastpass plus system for making reservations for its rides and shows in advance of your visit to the resort. Fastpass plus allows you to make three reservations a day for rides and shows at the Disney parks, up to 30 days in advance of your trip, doubled to 60 days for guests who've booked a stay at one of Disney's on-site hotels. To take advantage of the reservation system, you must have purchased a Disney World theme park ticket and associated it with an account on the Walt Disney World website. Once you're logged in with a valid ticket, you can start making reservations within your time window. Developments at Disney Orlando include the evolution of Downtown Disney into Disney Springs, doubling the

Roll-outs for summer

Goofy’s ski ride: Fewer new rides are to open in 2015. number of shops, restaurants and other venues. The new area will open in phases starting in 2015 and include Morimoto Asi. Other new restaurants include the Boathouse an up-scale, waterfront dining restaurant at Disney Springs, STK Orlando steakhouse

Old style Fastpass is passe

with a chic lounge and the only rooftop dining venue in Disney Springs, Two Chefs Seafood, The Palm Restaurant; and North Quarter Tavern. Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, complete with punge pools are set to open on one of its original onproperty hotels with a remodelled Great Ceremonial House, the Disneyfied name of the hotel's lobby. Disneyland will closed its Innoventions exhibit hall at the end of March amid a lot of speculation as to what they wil do next with the space. Disney’s new Avatarinspired land, is set to open in 2017. The resorts says that the expansion will be the largest in Animal Kingdom’s history and will feature floating mountains, bioluminescent rainforests and a Banshee flying attraction, as well as new after-dark entertainment.

or summer 2015, the crowds will be heading to the three new Merlin attractions at I-Drive 360 on International Drive, Orlando Eye is a 400foot-tall observation wheel s one of a trio of new attractions from IDrive 360, a new entertainment complex from Merlin Entertainments, alongside Madame Tussauds and Sea Life Orlando delivering a new wave of displays of colourful fish, sharks, jellyfish, sea horses and more. A new land opens this year at Legoland Florida Resort called Heartlake City, to include a horsethemed disc coaster called Mia’s Riding Adventure and an interactive show, ‘Friends to the Rescue’ as well as new shops inside Heartlake Mall.. SeaWorld Orlando will get a new show: Clyde & Seamore’s Sea Lion High. SeaWorld are expected

to annoucne something big at IPW. Other Orlando openings for 2015 include the Dr Phillips Centre for the Performing Arts and the arrival of franchise team Orlando City Soccer Club. Mangos Tropical Café, one of South Beach’s hottest dance clubs is coming to Orlando offering 55,000 square feet of entertainment space. Escapology Orlando brings a new kind of entertainment to Orlando challenging teams of up to six players to escape from a themed room with just 60 minutes to combine clues, solve puzzles and discover the key to escape. Crayola Experience at nearby International Drive will offer 25 handson activities. The Whiskey on Sand Lake Road, offers 100 brands of whiskey for the thirsty connoisseur.

niversal Orlando Resorts are celebrating their 25th anniversary and the forthcoming release of the new Jurassic World film will bring an extra buzz to the Jurassic Park Discovery Centre at Islands of Adventure this summer. We are, of course, still recovering from Universal’s big opening of 2014, the London/Diagon Alley attraction, is a mini theme park in itself scattered between the two theme parks: The Knight Bus, Hogwarts Express, Knockturn Alley, Ollivanders and Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts can be found in Universal Studios and at he other end of a connecting Hogwarts Express train, Dragon Challenge, Flight of the Hippogriffs, and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Explorer’s Reef opened at SeaWorld San Diego last year, a multimillion-dollar transformation of the park’s front

Page 022-025 Theme Parks 08/04/2015 08:28 Page 2

Page 022-025 Theme Parks 08/04/2015 08:28 Page 3

MAY 2015 PAGE 24

THEME PARKS 2015 entrance from “gate” to “experience.”

t Legloand Windosr, the Traffic attractions include an enlarged LEGO City Driving School is with more child-size Fiat cars and a new lane on the test course. Boating School is getting a new look featuring more boats and more LEGO models, featuring surprising animations and audio affects . Novice motorists (aged 6-13) looking to pass their LEGO City Driving School test this year will be briefed in a bright and colourful newly revamped training area before taking the wheel of a LEGO Brick shaped mini electric powered Fiat car to negotiate the test course. A new LEGO FRIENDS themed area opens on the Resort from early summer, and 10 LEGO Friends themed rooms opened at the Resort Hotel this spring. There are now 55 rides and attractions on the park. It is the Year of the Penguins at Chessington World of Adventures Resort, with a live show by the DreamWorks Penguins of Madagascar, a newly themed penguin ride in the park’s Africa land and Humboldt penguins in a new walkthrough experience Buests at the Resort Hotels can sleep in special DreamWorks Penguins of Madagascar themed bedrooms at the Chessington Safari Hotel. A wing coaster, Flug der Dämonen opened at Hiede Park in germany in 2014, one of only three in Europe. The big attraction at the park is Colossos, which is the second steepest wooden rollers coaster in the world. Thorpe Park Resort is to launch the world’s first I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! Maze. Visitors navigate through tunnels, crawly corridors and “dark caves that will

The newly opened Caban Bay Beach resort in Orlando as new budget and family accommodation make you squawk.” Contestants will then enter shower cubicles in the next Trial to take part in a live game show experience, the Chambers of Horror.

lton Towers innovation for 2015 is Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure. From May 2015, thrill seekers can take part in the Big Six Challenge, featuring the world’s first 14 looping

rollercoaster, The Smiler. Last year’s big opening was the younger children’s section, Cbeebies Land with 13 new rides: In the Night Garden Magical Boat Ride, Get Set Go TreeTop Adventure, Postman Pat's Parcel Post

Numtums Number GoAround, Charlie & Lola's Moonsquirters & Greendrops, Justin's House PieO-Matic Factory, Nina's Science Lab, Mr Bloom's Allotment, Something Special Sensory Garden, Tree Fu Tom Training Camp and Wobble World. Alton Towers new accommodation opening in 2015 is the Enchanted Village with 120 fairytale lodges and five treehouses alongside children’s play areas and a new themed restaurant that will also feature family entertainment. The Enchanted Village is themed around a fairytale hideaway and located in woodland next to the Alton Towers Hotel. The treehouses will sleep groups of eight while the fairytale lodges will provide perfect family accommodation sleeping five people.

y the sound of things Alton Towers wil be transformed over the coming years. The theme park operators will remove three

Sheikra at Busch Gardens

rides and replace them with a mixture of flat rides and water rides: Ripsaw, The Blade and The Flume. Meanwhile, the Sonic Spinball roller coaster will be removed altogether, as part of a proposal to reduce the visual and noise impact of the Adventure Land area Proposals also include a new entrance to the east of Duel in the Gloomy Wood area. This would radically change the experience of entering Alton Towers, with guests no longer gaining the customary view of Towers Street with the mansion in the background. Alton Towers development sets out six priorities: ■ Develop a year-round destination with new onsite accommodation and more indoor, all weather attractions. ■ Maximise overnight stays by building new on-site accommodation. ■ Appeal to different demographics by offering a range of attractions that will attract families and thrill-seekers alike. ■ Expand beyond the theme park to offer addi-

Page 022-025 Theme Parks 08/04/2015 08:28 Page 4

MAY 2015 PAGE 25

THEME PARKS 2015 moys Kingdom' (also known as Arthur: The Ride), the park’s 12th roller-coaster.

tional entertainment beyond the park's gates. ■ Improve "visitor circulation" making it easier for guests to get around the notoriously sprawling Alton Towers site. ■ Invest in preserving the site's heritage by renovating and preserving areas of the historic Towers building.

steel dive coaster, baron 1898, opens at Efteling this year. Next year it wil be followed by €42.5m dark ride Court of Hearts (Dutch: Hartenhof)) which could be transformational for the park. In the oft postponed project, visitors will ride in a cart which will take them into the castle of the park mascot, Pardoes, which is his fantasy world of Symbolica. Europa Park in Germany celebrates its 40th

Cbeebies at Alton Towers In the Night Garden Boat Ride anniversary in 2015 and will be releasing a new 4D film based around the park mascot, Euromaus, and his friends called 'The Time Carousel'. Upgrades to existing attractions include adding a dark ride portion to Whale Adventures, a

complete refurbishment of Columbus Dinghy, new travelator between the car parks and main entrance, new parade and a brand new entrance for hotel guests. The park plans a €100m aquapark between Europa-Park and the A5 Motorway to be

opened in 2018. It s probably the only theme park with its own Michelin two-star restaurant, “Ammolite the Lighthouse Restaurant" in the Superior Hotel Bell Rock in Europa-Park. Last year’s big opening was 'Arthur in the Mini-

hantasialand opened ChiapasDIE Wasserbahn last year, what it calls the world’s most advanced log flume ride, a six minute adventure and the world’s steepest drop on a log flume ride. Gardaland in Verona opened “Oblivion the Black Hole” dive coaster in March having opened Prezzemolo Land last year. Liseberg in Gothenburg opened Helix, a steel roller coaster featuring two launches, seven inversions and numerous airtime spots that is the second longest roller coaster with inversions in the world. The 5,000 brick XWing fighter returns to Legoland Billund, where the Lego brick was origi-

nally conceived, for display throughout the season. Legoland Deutschland launches Catch that thief at the Lego City Police Station as the new theme for the summer. It sounds like an episode from the Simpsons, but an 800-acre Noah’s Ark Encounter park is planned to open in Hebron, Northern Kentucky about 50 miles south of Cincinnati. The brainchild of Answers in Genesis, the fFounders of Northern Kentucky's controversial CreationMuseum say enough money has been raised to proceed with a $70m biblical theme park built around a 510-foot replica of Noah's Ark.

Page 026-027 Afloat 07/04/2015 14:27 Page 1

MAY 2015 PAGE 26

AFLOAT STENA

Line completed a £6m refit investment programme of its Irish Sea northern corridor fleet when Stena Precision finishes its upgrade at Belfast’s Harland & Wolff shipyard. Seven ships have been upgraded by Stena Line over the last five months including Stena Line’s flagship vessels Stena Superfast VII and VIII which operate on the Belfast-Cairnryan service.

CHINA

is to get a second of Royal Caribbean's three Quantum-class ships, Ovation of the Seas, when it homeports in Tianjin from June 2016. Currently under construction, Ovation will join Quantum of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas and Legend of the Seas in four different cities: Shanghai, Tianjin, Hong Kong and Xiamen.

AMA Waterways will build two more ships

Anthem of the Seas' Conveyance from Meyer Werft Shipyard

in 2017 and will begin operations in Bordeaux in 2016, basing AmaDolce there for 20 food and wine-based itineraries. AmaWaterways has ceased operations in Russia in 2015 and 2016, but launched its first ship in Burma and its second ship on the Mekong.

Prelude to Anthem

DISNEY Magic’s summer 2015 in Europe features "Frozen"-themed events, and the movie's characters will be onboard doing meetand-greets and taking roles in Disney's original onboard shows. Disney Magic is to come to Dublin in 2016 as part of a 12-night Britain and Ireland cruise. Disney Magic will return to Norway and Iceland, as well as to destinations in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. Dublin is to get 86 cruise ship calls this year with three further calls to Dún Laoghaire. A further 17 ships will dock in the bay and passengers will be tendered off.

Anthem of the Seas to sail form Southampton

CRUISE WRITER

Ireland was represented by a winner at the CLIA cruise journalism awards at the Ham Yard Hotel in London. Mark Evans of The Herald won the best river cruise feature for his Travelling like royalty on the River Queen.

xcitement is building for the launch of high-tech Anthem of the Seas (part spaceship, part cruise ship, if Royal Caribbean are to be believed) Anthem is a sister to Quantum of the Seas and shares many of the same features. According to Lisa LutoffPerlo of Royal Caribbean the only difference between Quantum and Anthem is the Broadway Show, We Will Rock You instead of Mamma Mia. It shares the recreational features such as virtual sky diving, a pod that rises over the ocean, bumper cars and the surf and wall climbing facilities

VIRGIN

is set to order its first two cruise ships, according to Richard Branson. Construction is expected to take five years at a cost of $1.7bn. Meanwhile, former Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Colin Veitch is suing Branson for allegedly stealing his idea to enter the luxury cruise industry.

HOLLAND America Line has delayed the launch date for its newbuild ship Koningsdam by six weeks until March 31, 2016. Koningsdam will now depart on its first cruise, a seven-day round trip sailing from Civitavecchia, Italy (Rome), on April 8, 2016.

CMV Gloria Hunniford renamed Cruise & Maritime Voyages' newest ship, the 1,250-passenger Magellan, on Thursday, boosting the fleet size to four.

■ 2,090 staterooms: 1,570 balcony staterooms, 147 ocean-view staterooms, and 373 inside staterooms. ■ 34 wheelchair accessible staterooms and 28 are studio staterooms for single travellers, including 12 studio staterooms with balconies. ■ Aft-facing staterooms are a 2story "loft" suites. Interior staterooms feature a floorto-ceiling 80-inch high-definition TV screen showing live views from the outside of the ship a "Virtual Balcony".

CARNIVAL’S NEW BUILD SPREE

STENA ’s Car Holiday Report 2015 says one in four Irish holidaymakers are planning to take the car with them on holiday with France, England and Spain the top three destinations. Irish holidaymakers like to fill up their boots during the trip buying local delicacies, souvenirs and clothes to take home.

that are a signature of Royal Caribbean. The "H2O Zone" kids' water park featuring the first wave pool on a cruise ship. the Royal Promenade mall down the centre of previous RCCL classes is replaced with the two-story Royal Esplanade" Staterooms on the Quantum class are 9pc larger than those on the preceding Oasis class. Anthem of the Seas has 16 passenger-accessible decks, eight featuring balcony staterooms overlooking the ocean, recessed into the ship so they don't look down directly at the ocean. The ship features:

arnival Corporation, who already has 10 new cruise ships on order before 2018, is to add nine more ships to its fleets over 2019-23. Five ships will be built by Fincantieri at its shipyards in Monfalcone and Marghera, while four will

be built at Meyer Werft's shipyards in Papenburg and Turku. Carnival owns nine cruise brands: Carnival, Princess, Holland America, Seabourn, Cunard, AIDA, P&O, P&O Australia and Costa. The ships all will be next-generation designs

though each will be designed and developed specifically for a specific brand and the cruisers that brand serves. They will be deployed to destinations in North America, Europe and China. Additional information

on the ship designs and which of the company's brands will receive these ships will be released later. The shipbuilding agreements, which include options for additional ship builds, are subject to several conditions, including satisfactory financing.

NCL UPGRADES NORWEGIAN STAR

orwegian Star, just out of dry dock has been retro-fitted with O'Sheehan's pub (and 24-hour complimentary restaurant), despite the departure of Kevin Sheehan as CEO. Moderno Churrascaria, the Brazilian-style steakhouse, has moved to Deck 13 and an adjacent Sugarcane Mojito Bar added. Additions include a first at-sea

Jimmy Buffet Five O'Clock Somewhere Bar while Ginza, formerly $15 per person, is now a complimentary dining venue. Enhancements include digital touch-screen signage; updates to the casino, photo gallery, pool deck and galley areas; window replacements; and new carpeting and flooring in passenger areas. Safety updates include a lifeboat and tender boat release systems upgrade; thrusters and

stabilizer maintenance; and ballast and bilge piping replacement. Technical upgrades include silicone paint on the hull, along with an Azipod hydrodynamic upgrade to reduce fuel emissions and energy consumption. Norwegian Star will sail seven- to 14night itineraries from Copenhagen throughout the Baltics and Norwegian fjords.

Page 026-027 Afloat 07/04/2015 14:27 Page 2

MAY 2015 PAGE 27

AFLOAT

River cruise build boom Viking launches 8 ships in one day

ivercruise shiplaunch champions Viking splashed back into action with another mega-launch day: naming 12 new river vessels in one day, eight in Amsterdam and four in Rostock, bringing its fleet to 60. Amsterdam was the venue of the naming of eight 190-passenger Longships while two more were named in Ros-

tock as well as two scaled-down 96-passenger vessels customised for the shallow Elbe River. Godmothers were some of the longest-serving Viking employees. Viking, which launched 10 vessels in 2013 and 16 in 2014, has six new river vessels on order for 2016, with the option to build more based on demand. Avalon Waterways named the 128-passenger

Avalon Tapestry II in the Normandy village of Les Andelys, one of four launches for the group this year. Tapestry II will join the 140-passenger Avalon Creativity on the Seine River. Avalon will launch two further river vessels in 2016, the Avalon Passion on the Danube and Avalon Imagery II on the Rhine, and new itineraries in Holland and Belgium.

7 NIGHTS HALF-BOARD

569

2 ADULTS AND UP TO 3 KIDS

Upgrade for free! Megalaunch fo Viking ships in Amsterdam

THE MARIE A SURPRISE

niworld asked a descendent of Maria Theresa Princess Anita von Hohenberg, to name its newest river ship, the 150-passenger Maria Theresa at a ceremony in Amsterdam. Amenities include a swimming pool with

floor-to-ceiling modesty glass that frosts over when passengers walk through the door to have a dip. Passengers wil be familiar with he line's signature Leopard Bar with its animal print interior, cinema, spa, fitness room and complimentary bicy-

cles and Nordic walking poles. The Maria Theresa will cruise the Danube River with itineraries including the 14-night European Jewels voyage from Budapest to Amsterdam, springtime Tulips & Windmills and winter Christmas market cruises.

Book a Pontins self-catering holiday to Britain with Stena Line and not only will you have a great fun-filled holiday to look forward to, we’ll give you a free half-board upgrade, on selected arrival dates, when you book by 30 April.

Early bookin g offer extend ed

What’s the deal? • Return Superferry travel with your car for 2 adults and up to 3 kids • 3, 4 or 7 nights in a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment at either Pontins Prestatyn or Southport • Full breakfast and 3 course evening meal each day • A range of fun activities* • Family entertainment and shows every evening

Everyone deserves a break.

ANOTHER MSC STRETCH

SC Sinfonia has left Genoa to resume service following enlargement and enhancement at Fincantieri’s Palermo shipyard. Features include new clubs dedicated to

younger guests, including the outdoor Spray Park with exciting waterfalls and water slides, more balcony cabins, more spacious public areas and a greater choice of restaurants. MSC Cruises, which has grown by

800pc in capacity since 2004, carried 1.67m guests and reached a turnover of €1.5bn, is forecasting an additional 10pc growth in 2015.

Book online

agent.stenaline.ie or call 01 907 5399 *Charge may apply for some activities. Subject to availability. Holidays operated by Stena Line Travel Group AB - Licensed and bonded TA 0733. €15 service fee for telephone bookings. See website for further details. Half-Board upgrade valid on departures between 14 Apr - 21 May, 30 May - 16 Jul & 1 Sep - 22 Oct 2015.

Page 028-032 Flying 07/04/2015 13:09 Page 1

MAY 2015 PAGE 28

THE FLYING COLUMN

Aviation with Gerry O’Hare

DELTA restarted its seasonal flight between Dublin and Atlanta using a 225-seat B767-300. The daily flight, which complements Delta’s existing service between Dublin and New York-JFK, departs Dublin at 11:40am until April 6 and 11:10am from April 7 until October 24, returning from Atlanta at 8:36pm. Delta business class offers flat-bed seats with full 180 degree recline and direct aisle access, using Westin heavenly inflight bedding from Westin Hotels Delta offer 200 onward connections to destinations throughout the US and popular Mexican and Caribbean destinations such as Cancun. Picture shows Delta event for travel agents to make the return of seasonal flights from Shannon to New York-JFK. SITA’s 2015 Baggage Report showed that the rate of mishandled bags in 2014 was 7.3 bags per thousand passengers, down 61.3pc from a peak of 18.88 bags per thousand passengers in 2007 and contended that the air transport industry has saved US$18bn despite a significant rise in passenger numbers to 3.3bn. Another SITA survey showed 63pc of passengers prefer to use their own smartphone, tablet or laptop for inflight entertainment.

ETHIOPIAN Airlines plans to increase annual revenue to $10bn over the next 10 years and increase the number of international destinations from 84 to 120. The carrier also hopes to expand its fleet from 80 aircraft to 140.

Pa Byrne speaking at the CAPA Airlines in Transition conference at Poiwerscourt.

Cityjet’s next step Fall in fuel price has given lease of life to airline

ityJet has extended its DublinLondon Service with the BALKAN Holidays will add an addilaunch of an additional flight tional weekly flight from Belfast to Bourgas, on Sunday’s from April 19 brining Bulgaria, operating every Sunday from June 22 Sunday flights to four, serviced by 95 to August 2. passenger AVRO85 Regional Jet. It is the first move towards epxanALITALIA launched a new graduate programme.400 candidate applied this year. 24 ions by the beleagured airline which were selected for enrolment in the programme, has separated from Air France and lost its CEO and other senior execuwhich commenced in Etihad Airways’ Abu Dhabi hub on Tuesday. Picture shows the first tive s in recent months. Cityjet chair Pat Byrne told the participants with Wissam Hachem, Etihad AirCAPA Airlines in Transition conferways Vice President Learning & Development, ence in Dublin that the airline was and Fatma Al Ali, Etihad Airways Head of UAE National Development.

FLYBE begins operating its summer schedule today, with 27 new routes and two new bases at Bournemouth and Cardiff.

AMERICAN Airlines stopped selling duty free merchandise on international flights after a disagreement with inflight retail partner Duty Free Air and Ship Supply.

FINNAIR’s board of directors approved a €30m investment to add Wi-Fi to most of the airline’s wide body and narrow body fleet.

WCA announced that its 2016 global conference will take place in Abu Dhabi, from March 10 to 16.

AIR New Zealand and Air China’s proposed alliance could see services commence as early as December this year.

AIRBUS celebrated the delivery of its 9000th aircraft — the first A321 to be delivered to VietJet Air. AIR FRANCE signed Jolco for the refinancing of one 2009-vintage A320.

pursing a twin strategy of expaning its newtork out of London City and providing white label services for other airlines. “Our strategy is to become really, really good at what we do in providing our own brand service in our network from London City, we currently have seven routes and we intend to have a few more “Then we can take that reputation and capability and put that on offer to other airlines as well so we can recreate that on a route network that they

may not have the size or cost base.” “We are happy to provide to their standards and show them our high standards of operation and quality.” “It is a twin strategy of own risk flying and flying for other people to provide a really top class quality service at affordable cost.” Cityjet were in a better position to take advantage of last year’s unexpected fall in fuel cost as they were not heavily hedged.

PAT BYRNE: AF KILLED MY BABY

ityjet founder Pat Byrne has stepped back in to the chair at the airline. He told the CAPA Airlines in Transition conference in Dublin that the entrepreneurial spirit and survival instinct of a regional carrier can be destroyed if partially owned by a major carrier” “The rationale years ago was that Cityjet represented an incredibly low cost base for Air France, a cost base they could only dream of. “It was operating at two levels, at London City and at Charles de Gaulle, a number of routes for Air France. “The rationale for selling

it to Air France was that as a small airline you run out of cash and run out of new shareholders and Air France had been taking a creeping position from 25pc to ultimately 100pc. “When they took over they basically dissembled any commercial capacity that the airline had itself and said we will do all of that. “The plan was that Cityjet would become a very competitive tool in the Air France box. It did not work because Air France decided we had to face down Ryanair and Easyjet. In Air France we had a lot of change that was interesting. It destroyed the capacity

for a low cost base for an Irish carrier to operate for Air France out of Ireland. It killed the child because it made its uncompetitive. “A regional airline that takes equity investment from a major carrier has to make up its mind whether it will soon become a department of a larger carrier and eventually it will be hindered and handicapped by all of the things that stop that carrier being an agile and flexible airline. “They destroy it. It is not deliberate. it just happens. It is cultural. The entrepreneurial spirit of a regional carrier has no place in being a subsidiary of a mainline. It doesn’t mean

that they cannot work with each other, you can’t do ACMSI for a large carrier or do codeshare with a major carrier. “You must retain your independence, your independence of mind, your independence of action, the way you go about your business, the way you continue to have a war on costs. You cannot do that when you are partially owned by a major carrier because you become sloppy and complacent and you feel that think eventually everything will be all right because they will always take care of us. You lose that very basic instinct for survival.”

Page 028-032 Flying 07/04/2015 13:09 Page 2

MAY 2015 PAGE 29

THE FLYING COLUMN

Aviation with Gerry O’Hare

Ryanair becalmed Years of Trans-Atlantic talk comes to haunt airline

yanair issued a statement to the Stock Exchange attempting to calm a storm partly created by their own publicity machine: Ryanair said“In the light of recent press coverage, the Board of Ryanair Holdings Plc wishes to clarify that it has not considered or approved any transatlantic project and does not intend to do so”. It came about because the Ryanair trans-Atlantic for a tenner media circus was started anew. Michael O’Leary described Monday’s statement that Ryanair’s board gave the green light for transatlantic flights as “a miscommunication”. This particular miscommunication generated 1,200 news articles and ended up on prime time television and radio across most of the TV and radio stations despite the fact there is nothing new to report except a reminder of how Ryanair does business.

Not going to Long Island anytime soon The board gave the CEO the freedom to jump into the market if the price of wide bodied craft falls, which it shows no sign of doing. Nothing has changed. Trans-Atlantic remains

a long term goal. Ryanair will not be offering the service themselves, but will establish a sister airline to link 12-15 airports in Europe with 12-15 in North America.

AIR CANADA EXPANDS SERVICE

ir Canada Rouge will add four weekly flights to its Dublin-Toronto route this summer from June 13 to September 16. This is in addition to the year round Dublin-Toronto service operating daily from 28 June 2015 and means there will be up to eleven flights a week. The additional flight will depart Dublin at 9.00 and return from Toronto at 18:55, the existing service departs

Dublin at 12:25 and returns from Toronto at 23:10. The additional DublinToronto flights will be operated by 280-seat wide-body Boeing 767300ER in 24-35-221 congfiguration. Premium rouge customers get priority checkin and boarding; two free checked bags (three free checked bags for eligible Altitude members); larger seats with extra legroom; complimentary premium

food and beverages and a complimentary iPad to view in-flight entertainment. Maple Leaf Lounge access can be purchased where available; Rouge Plus grants five inches of extra legroom; and all rouge Plus and rouge customers, a complimentary hot meal and nonalcoholic beverages. Rouge’s inflight entertainment system can be watched by all passengers on a private laptop, An-

droid device or iPad, iPod or iPhone, or they can rent an iPad on board for $10. Customers who choose to use their own Apple device to enjoy player will want to download the latest Air Canada app from the Apple App Store. Customers with laptops are advised to install Adobe Flash Player and Android device users can now download the app from the Google Play store to access player.

GOLD CIRCLE Aer Lingus is to launch a new loyalty, recognition and reward programme later this year to replace the current “Gold Circle” frequent flyer programme, to be fully implemented from Q1 2016). AMERICAN and US Airways combined operations on April 8. The merged American Airlines resumed seasonal services from Dublin to New York JFK last week. American will also resume the former US Airways seasonal service from Shannon to Philadelphia on May 7th and from Dublin to Chicago O'Hare and to Charlotte on May 8th. Dublin-JFK (Boeing 757-200) departs at 8.55am while the return departs JFK at 6.50pm. From May 8 Dublin-Chicago (Boeing 767-300) will depart at 9.40am and the return departs at 6.10pm. Dublin to Charlotte (Airbus A330-200, the first time a widebody has been used on the route ) will depart at 9.30am and depart Charlotte at 6.10pm. From May 7th Shannon-Philadelphia (Boeing 757-200 ) will depart at 11.35am and depart Philadelphia at 9.10pm. American Airlines also operates a year-round A330 service from Dublin to Philadelphia, with fully lie flat in business for the first time and seatback entertainment in economy.

ICAO The number of airline passengers carried annually will double to 6bn by 2030, Secretary General of ICAO, Raymond Benjamin told the 400 delegates from 71 countries who attended the Global Aviation Training Symposium in Malahide.

STOBART Air is to restart services from Shannon to Birmingham from June 18. CITYWING will recommence flights between Belfast City Airport and the Isle of Man and Blackpool from April 1st . SKYTEAM were recognised as Alliance of the Year 2015 by Air Transport News. Outgoing Ryanair CFO Howard Millar was appointed chairman of BDO accountancy firm. AVOLON announced the delivery of its first B787-9 to Virgin Atlantic, the first of four aircraft scheduled for delivery. This week, Avolon also delivered a B737-800 to Aeromexico, an A321 o Philippine Airlines and a B737800 to Pegasus Airlines..

Page 028-032 Flying 07/04/2015 13:09 Page 3

MAY 2015 PAGE 30

THE FLYING COLUMN

Aviation with Gerry O’Hare

DUBLIN Airport is to spend €20m on10 new aircraft parking spaces and three new aircraft taxiing lanes at the northern end of the airfield, the largest single capital investment at Dublin Airport since the opening of Terminal 2. Dublin processed 1.5m million passengers in February up 17pc, figures for the first two months of year were 2.9m, up 15pc. RYANAIR’s long awaited entry to the German domestic market sparked a war. Ryanair announced a four-times daily service to Berlin Schönefeld among seven new Cologne routes. Germanwings responded by initiating three daily services to Schönefeld from both Cologne and Stuttgart (they already operate seven daily flights to Tegel) and Ryanair then increased frequencies from four to five daily. RYANAIR is to increase frequency on 23 Stansted routes and begin services to Castellon and Ponta Delgada in winter 201516. KLM plan to raise baggage fees by a reputed 25pc for passenger who purchase tickets on or after April 1, the lowest charge rising from €15 to €20 per piece.

EASYJET is to introduce fast-track security for Plus members from March 19, at 34 airports including Belfast. TRAFFIC in Irish airspace was up 8.7pc in February 2015. En route air traffic was up 9.2pc. Dublin traffic was up 11.2pc with an average 449 daily commercial movements. Cork was down 6.2pc with 43 average daily movements. Shannon was down 8.6pc with 37 average daily movements.

MOBILE

boarding passes will account for a third or all flights in five years. 745m boarding passes were delivered on mobile devices in 2014.

VLM Airlines will resume its WaterfordLondon Luton service from April 27. The flight will operate twice daily, Monday to Friday using a Fokker 50 aircraft with 50 pax. IATA

reported that the 2014 global jet accident rate was 0.23, which was the lowest rate in history and the equivalent of one accident for every 4.4m flights.

FLY LEASING acquired an A321200 aircraft on Monday.

EASYJET designed an app for the Apple Watch, which was officially launched on Monday and goes on sale April 24.

AVOLON sold an A320 to Aircraft Leasing & Management in England.

BOEING is showing airlines an ideas for the B737-8ERX, a long range B737 MAX 8 to compete with the A321LR.

AIR FRANCE KLM is to increase its summer schedule capacity by 1.7pc. Transavia wil increase its schedule by 7.8pc.

BOEING

sold half of the current 777s it plans to build in 2017.

In happier times: The Flybe inaugural to London City airport

Battle of LCY Flybe withdraws leaving two carrier to London City

ublin routes to Southend and London City are both being dropped by Flybe from April

13. Flybe says the routes are dropped due to changed circumstances. Their route from Belfast City to London City is being expanded from four to five daily. Saad Hammet CEO of Flybe speaking to Travel Extra on the margins of the CAPA Airlines in Transition conference in Powerscourt

said that “it was a fast moving environment, BA launched after us, City weren’t hedged with all the benefits that brings, it was a crowded market. We are re-calibrating but we are still committed to London City, “We have increased frequencies from double daily to triple daily on Aberdeen, from four to five daily on Belfast and four to six daily on Edinburgh, You have to react to the changing environment.

Paul Simmons, Chief Commercial Officer said passenger numbers “are below our projections and there are no signs of this situation changing, which has led to us taking this decision. “Passengers who have booked to fly on this route are being contacted and offered an alternative flight or a full refund. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause our customers.”

AER LINGUS SAYS JOBS WILL GO IF IAG FAILS

er Lingus annual report listed five consequences for Aer Lingus if the proposed transaction does not proceed: As a stand-alone airline, Aer Lingus would not have the same growth opportunities and would be exposed to a greater degree of risk than in a combination

with IAG Reduced growth prospects and possible detrimental changes to Aer Lingus’ commercial partnerships could lead to lower than expected passenger traffic. This may require additional restructuring measures, including reducing staff costs, beyond the savings currently anticipated in

the-current CORE programme. Aer Lingus’ share price may decline to a price below that offered by IAG. In case the transaction fails because of the Irish Government’s decision to not sell its shares on grounds other than price, this may have a negative impact on the ability to attract shareholding.

Stephen Kavanagh

ETIHAD DROPS LINGUS INTEREST

tihad has lost interest in Aer Lingus and wil not be investing further in the airline. Etihad CEO James Hogan told aviation industry executives at an event in London that the original plan was for a “large investment” in Aer Lingus, but once it became clear

that the management of the Irish carrier did not share Etihad’s vision of increasing the number of flights between Dublin and Abu Dhabi, the company moved on to focus on deals with airberlin and Alitalia. “The landscape has changed,” he said. “It is a great airline, profitable and functional. The vision

could have been for a large investment.” He sdaid Etihad airline could sell its stake if the Irish government backs offer made for its flag carrier by the British Airways parent International Airlines Group. Between 2012 and 2014, Etihad accumulated 4.99pc of Aer Lingus The two air-

lines operate code shares on [Etihad] routes between Dublin and Abu Dhabi, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Kuala Lumpur, Muscat and Bahrain and on Aer Lingus routes from Dublin to Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Boston and New York JFK.

Page 028-032 Flying 07/04/2015 13:09 Page 4

€

MAY 2015 PAGE 31

THE FLYING COLUMN

Aviation with Gerry O’Hare AERCAP Aengus Kelly’s AerCap was reported to be studying the 737 Max meaning Boeing has achieved asweep of jet lessors. HEATHROW Belfast-based Lagan Construction won two contracts for runway works at Heathrow worth an estimated £10m.d. FLYNAS from Saudi Arabia signed with SITA.

ERA Europe’s Regional Airlines called for a European plan on airport capacity that focuses on building new runway and terminal capacity.

AIR LEASE CORP Steven Alan Joyce speaking at the CAPA airlines in transition conference in Powerscourt

Qantas perks up Tallaght tycoon Alan Joyce calls in at Dublin

allaght born Alan Joyce took time off an investors roadshow to stop back in to Dublin and talk to delegates at the CAPA airlines in Transition conference. One year into the transformational programme and in the first half of the financial year which ended in December, we saw a financial turnaround of $620m with only a small

work in progress. We are very pleased with the progress we have made. Great effort by all of the people. Best customer ratings we have ever had. The youngest fleet we have ever had. Strong financial results coming through generating positive cash flows. We are really looking forward to achieving more over the next two years.

benefit for the fuel price fall. Out business made $370m at the underlying level. Every division made money. It was the best results since 2010 and the first time since the global financial crisis that Qantas International made money. We are on the right path but we have still two years to go in the transformational programme so it is still

CEO Tewolde Gebremariam and crew were on board flight ET700 from London Heathrow, while Minister Paschal Donohoe and Kevin Toland of there DAA were at the other end to welcome them. Ethiopian

and business aviation on June 4 - 6 is moving to Lyon-Bron airport more central and easily accessible airfield after eight years at CannesMandelieu, bringing the event closer to a greater number of cities less than 1h30 flight away by single-engine.

Airlines fly from Addis Ababa to LA via Dublin this summer, connecting Ireland to 49 destinations in Africa. It will be Ireland’s first direct service to sub Saharan Africa.

AIR ZIMBABWE is seeking a $260m capital injection. Tewolde Gebremariam and Paschal Donohoe at launch

AER LINGUS STARTS FIT OUT

er Lingus new business class seating is now available on four of the airline’s eight A330s (four 200s and four 300s) to be fitted with the new cabin with the further four being completed over the coming weeks. Current lead in fares valid until April 7 for travel from May 1 to October 31 include Dublin to New York €899 each way, Dublin to Boston €999 and Dublin to San Francisco €1759 each way. Irish suppliers include seat manufacturers Thompson Aero, Botany Weaving for soft furnishings, Voya for the amenity kits and In-flight Claire Sutton and Micheál Gannon showcasing the seat

AER LINGUS has rejected an allegation by Andrew Haines of the London CAA that Aer Lingus is in breach of consumer law in their handling of passengers hit by disruption to flights: “procedures, relating to the provision of information to customers affected by operational disruption, are fully compliant with all the relevant regulations. We have provided a number of documents to the CAA in recent months to substantiate this point and we continue to engage with the CAA to address their concerns.” EL AL announced its 50th Boeing aircraft. CANNES air show for light aviation

DREAMLINER STOPS BY IN ADVANCE OF ROUTE here was lots of excitement at Dublin airport’s Runway 28 as Ethiopian Airlines’ B787 Dreamliner made its first visit to the capital ahead of its inaugural Dublin-Addis Adaba flight in June.

Udvar-Hazy of aircraft lessor Air Lease Corp speculated that Airbus and Boeing are facing bubble trouble, saying the massive backlogs at the two dominant airframers are not as solid as they were, orders have been placed by overambitious low-cost carriers and struggling airlines in markets such as Russia and Indonesia. Airbus’s backlog is 6,400 and Boeing 5,790,

Dublin for in-flight entertainment including movies, box sets, TV, radio and music. Food suppliers include Burren Smokehouse Salmon from Birgitta Curtin, goat’s cheese from Siobhán Ní Ghairbhith of St Tola, Co Clare, Coopers Hill venison from Coopershill estate an 18th century manor house in Co Sligo, lamb and beef from Lambay Island and Toonsbridge mozzarella from Johnny Lynch. Overall €25m was invested in developing the business class product. A €2.5m marketing campaign will publicise the new product.

LONDON CITY AIRPORT said that the number of passengers using their phones to download their boarding passes has increased 7pc to 21pc. The number of passengers using manned desks in the terminal was down 7pc to 29pc, while 54pc of passengers now check in online.

FLYMOJO announced by the Malaysian government is expected to start operating in October using Bombardier CS100 aircraft, which will operate from Koto Kinabalu and Johur Bahru.

ETIHAD Airways completed a Korean Finance Lease for its second A380 aircraft. RYANAIR unveiled its new advertising on the lifts at Terminal 2 in Dublin airport.

APPLE WATCH Both Delta and United Airlines are expected to launch an app for Apple Watch before its release on April 24.

CORK

Airport unveiled its new brand

Page 028-032 Flying 07/04/2015 13:09 Page 5

€ €

MAY 2015 PAGE 32

THE FLYING COLUMN

Aviation with Gerry O’Hare

RYANAIR launched its Winter 2015 schedule three months earlier than 2014 with 1,600 routes across its European network, reminding consumers of the consumer product upgraded to allocated seating, a free second carry-on bag, reduced fees, a new website, a new app with mobile boarding passes, and Ryanair’s Family Extra and Business Plus services. Ryanair took delivery of nine Boeing 737-800's increasing its fleet to 306 aircraft. Richard Branson's Virgin, BA's only English competitor at Heathrow, wrote to the Oireachtas Transport Committee to express concern that connecting flights it offers to Aer Lingus passengers to destinations such as Barbados, San Francisco, Vancouver and Hong Kong will not be protected. DUBLIN AIRPORT unveiled an exhibition of signed jerseys from all 34 teams, Ireland’s 32 counties plus New York and London, that compete in the GAA All-Ireland football and hurling championships.

Air France stewardess serving meals on an A350 test flight

A350s greenlit

SHORTS Belfast’s troubled Shorts plant was given a lift by a £1bn CSeries aircraft order. ALAN JOYCE is the second most mentioned businessman in Australian Media, according to a profile of the Tallaght man in the Financial Times.

AVIOS unveiled the Apple Watch wearable-friendly BA and Iberia loyalty programme app

QANTAS warned of a fake Facebook scam offering a free first class flight.

FINNAIR A350 flights start on Apr 9, with long haul services to start in the autumn to Shanghai, then Beijing, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore.

KLM will cancel some flights to Bangkok, Chengdu, Rio, Hangzhou, Nairobi, Shanghai, Xiamen & Toronto in May due to ongoing union talks. KLM halted their 787 order and plans for an Edmonton route.

FLYBE will commence its daily StanstedIsle of Man service on March 29, 3w StanstedNewcastle service on March 29 and daily Stansted-Newquay service from May 16.

AMEDEO is in talks with two customers for some of its A380s in 2015.

SPICEJET settled out of court with five Irish lessors — B&B Air Acquisition, Steddell, Torodell, Xavierdell and Virgodell — over $16m in claims from unpaid dues relating to aircraft leases.

ETIHAD’s investment in Air Serbia has revived Belgrade Airport, and challenged the hub order in Central/Southeast Europe. TURKISH Airlines added Bari and Porto to its route network AUSTRIAN Airlines launched a medium-haul fleet renewal programme. GMAC The Aer Lingus & G-Mac Foundation partnership was renewed.

Aer Lingus confirms orders to replace A330 fleet

er Lingus's annual report confirmed the airline's Airbus A350-900 order for delivery of nine new aircraft between 2018 and 2020 (A350XWB or Regional variant) to replace existing A330s and expand capacity. From May an additional A330 aircraft will be leased for the peak 12 week 2015 summer season increasing long haul seat capacity by 13pc. The confirmation came in Aer Lingus's annual report which also noted that short-haul market is becoming increasingly seasonal, highly competitive on price and vulnerable to Euro-Sterling developments. The airline cited benefits from holding 55pc of the prime slot times including peak business 7 am slots and short haul capacity will be up 2.4pc in summer 2015 season. Share of the Irish short haul market including Aer Lingus Regional is 41pc. Time sensitive business passengers comprise circa 17pc of the total Dublin airport market, circa 3pc lower than the percentage of time sensitive passengers travelling on Aer Lingus services. Transatlantic continued to perform very positively throughout 2014 while increasing capacity by 23.8pc. Aer Lingus is to seek annual cost reductions of €40m and grow ancillary spend to a target of €23 per passenger. The report said that new routes to San Francisco and Toronto launched successfully in April 2014 and performed ahead of management expectations. Transatlantic continued to perform very positively throughout

2014 while increasing capacity by 23.8pc. Services to Boston, New York, Chicago and Orlando continue to perform strongly. Aer Lingus expects to retain our market share on a seat capacity basis in the Ireland to North American and Canadian market at circa 51pc for summer 2015. “A key commercial focus for Aer Lingus is to increase our share of this market by continuing to develop the number of passengers connecting through our Dublin hub. The development of our Dublin hub strategy seeks to serve passengers travelling in both directions between European and North American. Circa 50pc of our transatlantic passengers relate to point to point traffic with the remaining 50pc connecting via Dublin.” The airline committed to maintain short haul profitability in the context of a highly competitive environment with an emphasis on maximizing the

Stephen Kavanagh

contribution earned during the peak seasonal period. The airline predicts that price will continue to play a more fundamental role in consumer decision making. “We therefore continue to work to improve our cost base to increase our competitiveness.” Aer Lingus and Aer Lingus Regional will be increasing mainline short haul seat capacity by 2.4pc over the peak summer 2015 season, but in the off-peak winter season, they “tactically reduced short haul capacity by 7.7pc in order to protect margins and focus on the performance of our core European routes.” European leisure and Mediterranean routes such as Faro, Malaga, Alicante and the Canaries are the main routes that they compete directly with other low cost carriers.

Page 033 Destination ireland 07/04/2015 14:45 Page 1

MAY 2015 PAGE 33

DESTINATION IRELAND

The Fram polar exploration ship in Oslo joined Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening for St Patrick’s Day.

TOURISM IRELAND’S BIGGEST EVER GLOBAL GREENING FOR ST PATRICK’S DAY

Enda Kenny with mark Dalby

Going down to the woods Longford to get 100m holiday village

enter Parcs says that its plans to create a holiday village close to Ballymahon, Co Longford will have capacity for up to 2,500 guests and add €32m million to the economy annually. The group signed an option agreement with Coillte for a development in Newcastle wood which

will create 750 jobs during construction and 1,000 permanent jobs if it goes ahead. Taoiseach Enda Kenny urged the local authority to "get it right" when the planning application comes before them. Between 10-12pc of trees would be removed from Newcastle Woods to build the resort.

Centre Parcs CEO Martin Dalby said he would come back time and time again to the planning process until it was achieved. Coillte has entered into an agreement to sell 375 acres of forestry to Center Parcs subject to planning permission. The initial investment will be more than €100m.

n a major coup for Irish include the famous Porte tourism, the Colosseum de Bourgogne in Bordeaux, in Rome, the Sacréthe John Seigenthaler Cœur basilica in Paris and Pedestrian Bridge in the Grand Ole Opry (the Nashville, the Jumeirah Etishow that made country had Towers hotel in Abu music Dhabi, the famous) in National SanctuNashville ary of Cristo Rei were illumi(Christ the King nated in statue) in Lisbon green for and the Fram the first polar exploration time ever on ship in Oslo. St Patrick’s Day this The new sites year – as were joined by part of some ‘old Tourism Irefavourites’ which land’s Global have gone green Greening in previous 2015. years – including The Niagara Falls, The ‘greened’ London annual iniEye on St Patrick’s Day. the London Eye, tiative, the Leaning which sees Tower of Pisa, a host of major landmarks the Sky Tower in Auckand iconic sites around the land, the Christ the world turn green on 17 Redeemer statue in Rio de March, has gone from Janeiro and one of last strength to strength. Other year’s newcomers, the sites which went green for Sleeping Beauty castle at the first time this year Disneyland® in Paris.

EDEN ENTRIES SOUGHT

áilte Ireland has invited entries for the EDEN competi-

tion. Held every two years, this year's theme is Tourism and Local Gastronomy. The winning destination will receive a promotional photo shoot to market itself as well as

€5,000 to use to highligh its attractions. The winning entry will also represent Ireland at an exhibition in Brussels later this year. Eligible destinations: Small destinations with lower visitor numbers in comparison to the national average; destinations that offer authentic

tourism experiences; and destinations that have a well-developed gastronomy that is characteristic of the region. To enter, email eden.helpdesk@failteireland.ie or contact the local regional tourism office. Closing date: Wednesday, April 8.

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe TD; Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan TD; and Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland at the announcement of Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening lineup for St Patrick’s Day 2015.

Page 034-035 Agent 07/04/2015 13:16 Page 1

MAY 2015 PAGE 36

GLOBAL VILLAGE

Inside the Travel Business

ON THE BEACH based in Cheadle in England were issued a travel agents license by the Commission for Aviation Regulation.

LESLIE KANE, formerly with Ryanair, has joined Air Transat as Director of Sales for Britain and Ireland.

AIR CANADA has appointed Margaret Skinner as Director of Sales Europe. She was previously Sales Manager Ireland and Britain for American Airlines.

SANDRA CORKIN from Oasis Travel won Business Person of the Year Award by award sponsor Ian Nelson of the Progressive Building Society at the Lisburn City Business Awards. MERCURY Richard Greenaway’s Mercury Holidays launched programmes to Antigua & Barbuda. INSIGHT Consultants is merging with Bill O'Herlihy Communications. Both agencies have managed several major tourism accounts. DATALEX Aidan Brogan’s travel software company Datalex reported a 69pc increase in profit after tax to $2.7m for the year ended Dec 31 2014. ALILA Hotels & Resorts appointed Patrick Pahlke as vice president of sales and Doris Goh as chief marketing officer.

SKILLNET Travel Professionals Skillnet is offering a 2 day Finance for Non Finance Professionals programme at the Professional Development Training Centre in Blanchardstown, May 21 and 22, 9.30am-5.30pc. Cost €299. KEVIN NOLAN Carrick on Suirborn Kevin Nolan of Topflight said goodbye to his friends in the industry at Bridge 1859 Ballsbridge after 15 years in the business. Kevin was Topflight’s representative on the Irish Tour Operators Federation. CELEBRITY Cruises Modern Luxury Squad Martin Graham visited Debbie Hartley at Vision Cruise to present her with a two-night cruise getaway and Corie Heuston from John Cassidy Travel in Swords to present her with a bottle of champagne. The Squad will be on the road to present further opportunities to agents to win prizes including free flights, team nights out, champagne, spa vouchers and an exclusive two night sailing on-board Celebrity Eclipse in May by using their Celebrity Rewards points as part of the Spring Into Luxury March campaign. More at CelebrityRewards.com.

MEXICO The 40th Tianguis Turistico Mexico returned to Acapulco, where local planners showcased their US$200m infrastructure spend including plans for a new transportation system known as ACABus and extensive hotel renovations. Activity was 7pc ahead of target, although slightly down on last year’s Tianguis in Cancun, 50pc up on when it was held in Acapulco: 30,000 appointments, 2,500 exhibitors and 266 local and 424 international buyers. Cancún hosted 8,000 more appointments and 157 more buyers last year.

Shane and Richard Cullen of Killiney Travel at the 2014 Travel Centres conference in Killashee

The centres-fold Travel Centres expells two agencies from consortium

ominick Burke of Travel Centres dramatically expelled Matt Corcoran’s King Travel and Richard Cullen’s Killiney Travel in response to queries about the funding of the consortium. The expulsion took place immediately his return from a Travel Centres fam trip to China. Three agents met with Mary King and a Travelsavers and a fourth was unable to attend at the last minute. Richard Cullen of Killiney Travel said he had not made up his mind. “I

was pushed.” When the issue went public he said there was no going back although he had a meeting with Dominic Burke subsequent to his expulsion. Matt Corcoran said he was dissatisfied with what we were getting for the €600 annual fee when they were not getting paid commission. and had spoken with other members that found that they were not getting value for money. Emails to the expelled agents said: “at a specially convened meeting of

the Advisory Board of Travel Centres which took place yesterday, it was decided to address the issue of agents who have not been keeping up to date with their membership fees as it was deemed unfair to the vast majority of agents who are compliant in this matter each year. Regretfully, I must inform you that your membership of Travel Centres has been terminated with immediate effect and all preferred suppliers to the group have been notified of same.”

NOMINATIONS FOR TRAVEL AGENTS AGM

artin Skelly has been returned unopposed o a second year as President of the Irish Travel Agents Association. Des Manning has been returned unopposed as treasurer as nominations closed in advance of the AGM on

April 24th. The ITAA has its best trading year since before the global recession with a surplus of €25,000. This contrasts with an operating deficit of €50,000 four years ago. The cost savings were achieved with a salary reduction of 30pc, cut in rent through a move of

premises, expanded activities in advertising, conference and awards. Affiliate membership has grown from 57 to 89. Retail membership has remained constant at 90. Regional meetings for proposals for board membership in the Association’s seven regions are taking place.

Des Manning ITAA treasurer

IATA FUND PAYOUTS ARRIVE

ayments from the IATA trust fund, which had been on hold for several years, were eventually released the week before Easter. Payments were sent to

from the proceeds of the fund, after legal fees had been withdrawn. Cheques of between €9,000 and €11,000 were received by the agencies. They relate to the winding down of the old IATA

bonding scheme and its replacement under new IATA terms and conditions. A total of 47 agencies were in receipt of the pay-out. The number of IATA licenses in Ireland has been reduced to 96 because of

the more draconian conditions and criteria imposed Many smaller agencies have opted out and have become reliant on airline consolidators.

Page 034-035 Agent 07/04/2015 13:16 Page 2

MAY 2015 PAGE 35

Inside the Travel Business

GLOBAL VILLAGE TOPFLIGHT Ten agents won a place on Topflight’s VIP Italian Trip to Sorrento and Lake Garda on April 28: Sinead Hearne of East Cork Travel, Emma Black of Thomas Cook, Lisburn, Caitriona Duffy of Cassidy Travel, Blanchardstown, Marie Grenham of Grenham Travel, Karen Kelleher of Barter Travel Group, Marc Lynch of Abbey Travel, Michelle Lyons of Fahy Travel, Patricia Ryan of Limerick Travel, Stella Grant of O’Hanrahan Travel and Sean Healy of Lee Travel.

Citywest is the venue for the irish Travel Industry Trade Show on April 24-25

Busier business Record number of trade exhibitors and presentations

rish Travel Industry Trade Show has burst its boundaries and taken over the downstairs area of the Citywest. Aer Lingus will be bringing their business class seats (pictured being showcased by Claire Sutton and Micheál Gannon) to demonstrate to the trade. Headline sponsors are the Travelport (GM), Shannon Airport (golf day) and Sunway (barbecue). There will be four bus routes oper-

ating to the exhibition and social events for front line travel professionals from Dundalk, Cork, Galway and Waterford, with an offer of subsidised travel for agency staff from other parts of the country. There is a waiting list among exhibitors at the show a waiting list for the Irish Travel Industry Trade Show, The show is set to be the biggest Travel Trade Show ever staged in Ireland and the only B2B event on the island guaranteed to bring together

every aspect of the industry. The show will coincide with the ITAA AGM and front line staff will be bussed in from all parts of Ireland for a programme of social events and networking over two days. For the first time, a Trade Show for travel industry professionals will bring together owner/managers and front line staff alike from all over Ireland to meet suppliers and hear about their products.

AMADEUS say the launch of Amadeus Ticket Changer Refund and Amadeus Ticket Change Involuntary will be supported by an educational campaign offering interactive elearning tools to help travel agents learn more about the product suite. The an automated suite of products enables travel professionals to manage re-pricing, re-issuing or refunding requests in a matter of minutes. JOURN.IE Neil Burns launched journ.ie “to help users in the Hospitality Industry connect with their customers quickly and easily, identify high quality online conversations and the originators of this content, highlight upcoming opportunities, conduct market research, and manage reputation.”

CUBA Enquiries for trips to Cuba are up 150pc since January, as Irish holidaymakers rush to visit the pristine Caribbean island before the Americans arrive. Abbey Travel has joined Cuba Travel in the market and is promoting two group holidays. Cuba cruise announced weekly cruises from December 2015, featuring two days in Havana. AMADEUS appointed Champa Magesh to as new MD for Amadeus Ireland and Britain. RORY McDYER

Travel will be 25 years in business this month. Picture shows Rory McDyer of Rory McDyer travel and Martin Skelly, president of the Irish Travel Agents Association at the Finnair event.

RUNNING START FOR MCDONNELL’S RED SEA

ed Sea Holidays' first ever Irish brochure was launched featuring direct flights from Dublin to Sharm el Sheikh. Red Sea Holidays headed up in Ireland by Niall McDonnell, will operate direct flights to Sharm El Sheikh this summer utilising 40

seats on the Falcon charter commencing May 21 and continuing until October 22. very part of every holiday is fully commissionable and includes 20kg luggage, resort transfers, full rep service, low deposit at just €100 per person and most also offer late

EMIRATES Stella Grant of O’Hanrahan Travel (Ulster), Donna McGann of Eimear Hannon Travel (Leinster), Lynne Casey of Fahy Travel (Connacht), and Lorraine O’Connor of Travel Fox (Munster) were the winners of the Emirates’ trade competition to see One Direction live in concert on April 4 in Dubai with Emirates.

checkout and fixed child prices irrespective of date or duration, even in school holidays Part of the familyowned Red Sea Hotels group, the English-based Egyptian owned company offers four and five-star all-inclusive options.

TIGS Niall McDonnell

100 AIRLINES UP

T Ian Heywood of Travelport celebrates

ravelport chose the CAPA Airlines in Transition conference in Dublin to showcase their Smartpoint product which provides travel agencies with real-time access to more than 400 airlines (lo-cos included) and 600,000 hotel properties.

Travelport celebrated the 100th airline to sign up for its rich content product, only launched in November last year. And yes, there was cake.

president's (Audrey Headon) Prize, sponsored by Etihad Airways, will take place on April 16 at Druid Glen. Tee is reserved from 1050 to 1340, cost to members: €50 and guests €75. Timesheet is now open.

TRAVEL CENTRES' ran a fam trip to China supported by Turkish Airlines and the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development. Pamela Brownlee of Flyaway Travel reported it was an amazing trip: the Great Wall, Summer Palace, the Forbidden City, although she is not sure how one would manage without an interpreter. And she can nearly agree with the song there are 10m bicycles in Beijing.

€

Page 036 window seat updated 08/04/2015 08:23 Page 1

MAY 2015 PAGE 36

WINDOW SEAT Last month in numbers 4,905 Capacity of Royal Cairbbean’s new Anthem of the Seas at maximum occupancy

2,500 Capacity of the proposed Center Parks holiday village in Ballymahon Co Longford. 167 Number of routes served from Dublin airport this summer

163 Number of weekly trans-Atlantic flights from Dublin this summer 82 Number of routes served from Dublin by Ryanair. 25 Number of hotels sold so far in Ireland this year, a record 21 Number of new rotues from Dublin in 2015 with the additon of Swiss’s new Geneva service

LIGHT CAMERA; HEAVY WORK

he Canon G1X Mark II travel kit does two incredibly cool things that make the travellers’ life very easy indeed. Its wifi capabilities are cutting edge. The camera logs into wireless and uploads to snapchat or instagram on instruction. It also links to another accessory, so you can view the potential photograph on your smartphone and press a button on your phone to take the picture. The second is equally cool: in the middle of a high resolution video you can take a high resolution photograph without interrupt-

ACCESSORIES: The Canon G1X Mark II travel kit ing the video. It means leaving a second camera at home. The is relatively compact: pocket size is an overstatement because it requires a big pocket and is quite heavy but when you measure it against the peers and the hassle of changing lenses it is an amazing addition to the market place. It belongs in the point and shot category but the resultant images do not. Images compete with compete with full frame DSLR.

Specific travel options include snow, underwater and botany options, easily selected without having to adjust too many menu items.. Ease of use is enhanced by a touch screen menu, it offers dual 3:2 and 4:3 aspect 14-bit RAW file formats, industry leading lens speed and overall specifications, high-quality external electronic view finder option Many of the photographs in the following pages were taken with the Canon G1X Mark II. You cannot have a better recommendation than that. The Canon G1X Mark II travel kit"retails around €700.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce picked the Aran Islands as his favourite holiday

Busman’s holiday: Alan Joyce Every month we ask a leading travel professional to write about their personal holiday experience. This month: Alan Joyce, CEO of Qantas

here is a picture I keep on my ipad as a screens aver and it is from a trip to the Aran Islands, it is still my screen saver and I tell

everyone look at that, go to island. We then went up to Scotland took a car drove down to Cardiff it is one of the best holidays I have had in a long time.

It comes from an amazing holiday in 2013. We went back to Ireland because of the Gathering campaign. I decided let’s do that. I picked up my parents in Dublin went over to the west, to the Aran Islands, drove up through Mayo into Donegal Derry and Belfast. I didn’t fly until I was 21 and working for Aer Lingus, would you imagine, because I was from a working class background in Tallaght. We used to go to Butlin’s to Mosney

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

assenger numbers through Dublin airport are up 8pc, but we are still missing a million and a half passengers from the 2008 peak. When you factor in the (double counted) 750,000 connecting passenger movements, then you see how sluggish is the recovery. The question is what will cause this recovery? More excitement in the industry? Lower fares? More product? Al of the above. But the

opposite is happening. Lead in fares are higher in the recession than in the boom because routes have been dropped or consolidated. Most of all, the slow rise in passenger numbers have disguised the fact that travel agents have less product to sell and less novelty to trumpet around the industry. Once again Ryanair is the one who have created most noise with their new summer and winter routes for Dublin and Shannon. The high

profile Ethiopian, American and Canadian routes and the double dailies to Istanbul, Dubai and Abu Dhabi have create a bigger stir with lower numbers. The prize to be won is the one and half million passengers who have stopped travelling since 2008. It is a lucrative prize and one that will be hard won from avaricious airlines. Tour operators and travel agents would be wise to start their counter.

and then to the Isle of Man on the ferry. That was our holidays when we wee kids. I would really recommend Sydney. It is an amazing city the most iconic. I have had amazing experiences in the Kimberleys in western Australia. I went fishing for barramundi in Bunga Bunga. It was out there, very outback, very Australian and one of the most amazing experiences.

IN YOUR NEXT TRAVEL EXTRA: Available to Travel Agents or online June 15 2015

AMERICAN ISSUE Washington Nevada Oregon New York MEGAFLIGHT SEASON

Page 037 -38 pics 07/04/2015 13:21 Page 1

MAY 2015 PAGE 37

MEETING PLACE

Out and about with the Travel Trade

Cindy Cattigan of Aer Lin Ciara Foley of Platinum Travel, chair of Visit USA Martin Graham from the Celebrity Cru Stephen Kavanagh and ises ‘ModPA CA the at r wle rtra Ca of on in Dublin, Kevin O'Malley the USA ambassador ern Luxury Squad’ visiting Debbie Ha ldo gus with Yvonne Mu rtley at Vit our rsc sio we n Po Cru at ise to present her with ference in Dublin, and Pat Reede of United Airlines a two-night cruise Airlines in Transition con

Clare Dunne of Travel broker and Simon Daly of Topflight at the Finnair event in The Royal Hibernian Academy,

it England Project DirecJeremy Brinkworth, Vis it and Gayle Molloy of Vis tor, Rugby World Cup cuppevent England, at the world

Tara Duffy, Renata Pe reira and Georgina Navarro of RCSI Travel at the Finnair event in The Royal Hibernian Ac ademy,

Tony Lambert of Fingal Chamber of Commerce and Janice McElroy online manager at the Loop at the launch party for the Loop at Dublin Airport

Marie Edwards and Ka ren Smyth of Carlson Patrick McKinney, Onder Gencer, Murat Baland Wagonlit at the Finnair event in Th e Royal and Onur Gul of Turkish Airlines at Dublin Airport Hibernian Ac ademy,

David Hanly, Conor O'Hara, Tom Lonergan and Ciaran Mulhall at the TIGS inaugural event of the season in Portmarnock

Anita Thomas, Ciara Mooney and Majella at Babington in Glasgow where they were hosted nney and Emer Farrell Pe n rdo Go e, ad Co Tom , ock arn by Ifonly rtm Po in the TIGS outing

Riita Balza of Finland Tourism and Neal Collin s of Topflight at the Finna ir event in The Royal Hibernian Academy

Dyer travel and Martin Rory McDyer of Rory Mc on h Travel Agents Associati Iris Skelly, president of the my ade Ac ian e Royal Hibern at the Finnair event in Th

Brian Hughes of United, Valerie Metcalfe of Fcm, Cormac O'Connell of Dublin Airport Authority and Beatrice Cosgorve of Etihad at the CAPA Airlines

Burke, Sinead Quiish and Siobhan O’Donnell, Cathy refurthe launch party for the Nicola Wells of DAA at t por minal 1 in Dublin Air bished "the Loop' at Ter

Alan Joyce, Kevin Tolan d and Conor McCarthy before the opening da y of the CAPA Airlines in Transition conference

llCabellos and Mary Sti Hilary Finlay, Gonzalo in son sea the of nt eve l ura man at the TIGS inaug Portmarnock,

Page 037 -38 pics 07/04/2015 13:21 Page 2

MAY 2015 PAGE 38

MEETING PLACE

Out and about with the Travel Trade

rzier simmee and Hope Sa Sharon Jordan of The Travel Corporation and Rochelle Siegel of Kis who up gro a rid Flo it Vis a Pat Dawson CEO of the Irish Travel Agents Asof rt pa nd of Amelia Isla ff Town House in Dublin sociation at the Finnair event in Dubllin Cli in dia me vel tra d hoste

Denise Harman of Ca rlson Wagonlit and Jim Vaughan of Justclick at the Finnair event in Th e Royal Hibernian Acad emy,

Airport Authority and Marion O'Brien of Dublin son Blu at the Finnair dis Ra Ann Marie Murray of ernian Academy, event in The Royal Hib

Mark Evans of The He rald receiving his cruise journalism award from Andy Harmer of CLIA and Kathryn Beadle of Uniwo rld.

Mary Grace-Lynch and Stephen Chircop of Dreemz Wedding Planners with Marie Anne Barthet Brown of the Maltese tourist board

Yvonne Muldoon of Ca rtrawler, Beatrice Cosgorve of Etihad and Bri an Hughes of United at the CAPA Airlines in Tra nsition conference

st, , CEO of Europe Airpo Jean-Franรงois Dominiak d an , TS AT hyte, MD of Catherine Grennell-W t of the ITAA en sid Pre , elly Martin Sk

TIGS winning team Peter O'Hanlon of Travelfind- Ivan Beacom, Maureen Ledwith & Ais ling ers, Clem Walshe of Loscostbeds, Volker Lorenz Cooney pictured at the 'Visit England ' Rugby Wo rld Cup briefing of Amadeus, and Niall McDonnell of Red Sea

Dave Hayeems of Trailfinders, Cormac O'Connell Jamie Whelan from Aba restaurant and Ruth rt Authority welcoming of DAA and Darach Culligan of Darach Culigan O'Shea of Dublin Airpo nt in Dublin Travel at the TIGS outing at Portmarnock guests to the Finnair eve

s Ab- Cormac O'Connell of Dublin Airport Authority and Carmel Corrigan, Martin Penrose and Andre nish Embassy and De w Kaisa Leidy of the Fin Brendan Breen of e-travel at the Finnair event in Lynch in Glasgow where they were ho nt sted by at the Finnair eve in vel tra t bo Ifo Ab nly s De of tt bo The Royal Hibernian Academy, ademy, Dublin, The Royal Hibernian Ac

Murat Balandi of Turkis h Airlines and Niall Mc Donnell of Red Sea Re sorts, winner of the ove rall men's prize, at TIG S outing at Portmarnock

Glen Melia of Atlas Travel and John Downey of Celtic Horizons at the Finnair event in The Royal Hibernian Academy,

A and Tony Lambert of Vincent Harrison of DA urlaunch party for the ref Fingal Chamber at the rt, po Air blin Du minal 1 in bished "the Loop' at Ter

9 page 039 07/04/2015 13:21 Page 1

Featuring:

Wedding & Honeymoon Destinations at Home and Abroad

Date for your diary:

YOUR TRADE DAY Friday 22nd January, 2016 VENUE

RDS Simmonscourt | Simmonscourt Road Ballsbridge | Dublin 4

EXHIBIT

Please contact Maureen Ledwith, Sales Director t: + 353 (0)1 291 3700 e: maureen@bizex.ie

To find out more log on to:

www.holidayworldshow.com

DUBLIN

HOLIDAY WORLD 2016 SHOW DATES RDS SIMMONSCOURT

Fri Fri Sat Sun

Jan Jan Jan Jan

22nd 22nd 23rd 24th

10am 1 pm 11am 11am

1pm 7pm 5.30pm 5.30pm

Trade Trade Trade Trade

Only and Public and Public and Public

BELFAST

HOLIDAY WORLD 2016 SHOW DATES TITANIC EXHIBITION CENTRE

Fri Jan 15th Sat Jan 16th Sun Jan 17th

1 pm - 6 pm Trade and Public 11am - 5.30pm Trade and Public 11am - 5.30pm Trade and Public

page 040 07/04/2015 13:22 Page 1

Cloud 9 Business Class Flat Beds

Award-Winning Fine Dining

Big Screen Entertainment

EXPERIENCE THE BOEING 787 DREAMLINER ...plus AWARD-WINNING AFRICAN HOSPITALITY 3 X WEEKLY NON-STOP SERVICES BEGIN JUNE 20 Friendly Warm Service

Give your clients the best of both worlds to Los Angeles and to Africa from Dublin Introducing the ultra-modern Boeing 787 Dreamliner from Dublin to Los Angeles and from Dublin to Addis Ababa and beyond …to more than 50 African destinations including Johannesburg, Accra and Zanzibar…plus on-board, an unforgettable experience awaits with the warm welcome of our friendly crew. [e Dreamticket comes true.

ethiopianairlines.com • Call 01-663-3938

}zkj ~vlsvqz vq ~ylv|~ 9GD@

}zkj ~vlsvqz kj~yy kzlhv|z vq ~ylv|~ 9GD4<D@