In terms of tourism innovations, it was absolutely huge but one we now take for granted: 2017 marks 50 years since three young Americans – the “Bali Hai Boys” – created the tourism world’s first over-water bungalows in Tahiti. Don “Muk” McCullum, Jay Carlisle and the late Hugh Kelley – who were inspired to visit Tahiti […]
Tag: Tourism
Joel Fisher, Director of Display Advertising Sales, Asia Pacific, TripAdvisor
Joel Fisher is the Director of Display Advertising Sales for Tripadvisor in Asia Pacific. Based in Trip Advisor’s regional headquarters in Singapore, Joel is responsible for driving the growth of its display-based advertising business, leading the sales team across Asia Pacific, including India and Japan. Joel has 20 years of experience across sales, advertising and […]
BridgeClimb brand to continue under new owners
The BridgeClimb brand will live on under new owners Hammons Holdings who won recently won commercial climbing and tourism rights for the Sydney Harbour Bridge. BridgeClimb is the incumbent company and its contract expires at the end of September. In mid-August Hammons Holding bought BridgeClimb’s assets and today confirmed the iconic brand would continue, appointing Scenic […]
Anthea Hammon, Managing Director, Scenic World; Director Hammons Holdings
Anthea Hammon, who is speaking at Travel IQ 2018, is the Managing Director of Scenic World, a third-generation family business which has been operating in the Blue Mountains for over 70 years. As Australia’s most visited privately owned tourist attraction that welcomes over one million visitors annually, Anthea has led the company through a strong period of growth and […]
Rachel Argaman, CEO, Toga Hotels
A visionary leader who believes in “encouraging the heart,” Rachel is currently the CEO of Toga Hotels. With over 20 years international experience at senior management level in the travel and hospitality industry, Rachel has a passion for creating a results-oriented, responsive and market-driven culture within companies. This is backed by a driving belief that the […]
Booking fees, questions, lawyers and Webjet
Flight booking fees – now eliminated at Zuji and Expedia – appear to be a sensitive topic at Webjet, which charges up to $49.90 in fees to process international airline bookings ($29.95 processing fee, $19.95 price guarantee), and $29.90 for domestic airfares ($19.95 processing fee, $9.95 price guarantee). Lawyer Paul Zawa from Minter Ellison got in touch with TravelTrends.biz on behalf […]
James Baillie, Co-Founder, Baillie Lodges
James Baillie is a 20-year veteran of high profile Australian luxury lodge properties. Having (almost) grown up on Heron Island, James became the founding managing director for P&O Resorts in the 1998 and steered Australia’s first portfolio of premium experiential properties including Lizard, Bedarra & Wilson Islands and Silky Oaks Lodge. When P&O sold to […]
Hertz cuts Australian fleet by 40%, calls for border openings, launches #backontheroad
Hertz wants to get Australia moving again. Eoin Macneill, Vice President, Hertz Asia Pacific, today called on Australian governments to start opening borders and encouraging travel, revealing a lack of demand has forced the car rental giant to cut its Australian rental fleet by 40 per cent, from 35,000 vehicles to an estimated 20,000 sedans, […]
Geoff McGeary, Founder, Australian Pacific Touring
The McGeary family have owned Australian Pacific Touring – APT – since it was founded as De Luxe Motors in 1927 when Geoff’s father, Bill, built a bus body on a tray truck to cover part of the tram route during a tram strike in Melbourne. The company made steady progress until 1961 when Bill […]
2020 worst year ever for Europe, US, Asia Pacific, Middle East and African hotel markets
COVID-wracked 2020 was the worst year ever in terms of performance for the Asia-Pacific, US, Europe, African and Middle East hotel markets, according to industry analyst STR. Asia Pacific Occupancy: 44.5% (-35.6% compared with 2019) Average daily rate (ADR): US$74.99 (-22.2%) Revenue per available room (RevPAR): US$33.39 (-49.9%) Each of the three key performance metrics […]