It was like a car smash in which the driver and passengers were battered and bruised but managed to escape the wreck, hobbling away with a new resolve to make the most of every day – because you never know what will happen next. I’m referring to COVID, of course, which hit the Australian travel […]
Tag: Travel
Rezdy raises another $3m and there’s more on the way
Sydney company Rezdy has raised a further $3m to fuel growth in North America, opening a second US office in Raleigh, North Carolina. The company said: “This was an interim round to fund acceleration in the international growth of Rezdy ahead of a larger equity round later next year.” Grand Prix Capital, which first invested […]
Randall Deer, Managing Director, Ignite Travel Group
Randall Deer – Managing Director of Ignite Travel Group – is a multiple award-winning entrepreneur who has yielded exceptional success and growth for his innovative travel and tourism marketing company as he continues to challenge traditional travel practices. After completing a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance & Accounting) at the University of Adelaide at the age […]
Most leading Australian accommodation websites are US owned
Most of Australia’s best-selling accommodation websites are owned by US corporations, according to research from SiteMinder. Online channel analyst Duncan Waterman said: “The rapid rise of international sites like Expedia, Booking.com and Agoda in the Australian market really stood out. Some of the local online players unfortunately haven’t capitalised effectively on their early entrance into the market.” The top 10 […]
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 […]
Accor CEO Sebastien Bazin says business travel down 10% long term
Accor CEO Sebastien Bazin believes business travel will “never return to the new normal” and that in the long term corporate numbers likely sit around 10% less than they were pre-COVID. Short term, until mid-2021, he estimates business travel will be down 25% to 30%. “Longer term, my expectation is going to be it will […]
‘Thredbo’ is not owned by anyone, says Federal Court Judge
The decision by management at the Thredbo mountain resort to own the name ‘Thredbo’ sparked a series of events that backfired spectacularly yesterday when the Federal Court determined they could do no such thing, ruling in favour of businessman Glenn Smith, who operates numerous local accommodation businesses and websites including Thredbo.com. Thredbo, which has been […]
Winners and losers in Tourism Australia restructure
Tourism Australia has announced a major restructure which Managing Director Andrew McEvoy says is aimed at boosting consumer marketing, improving online strategy and execution while giving TA a role in finding new investment for Australian tourism infrastructure. The restructure sees the departure of key executive Richard Beere and strengthens the role of marketing under Nick […]
Viator smashes it: big profit after years of losses
No pain no gain. That could be the mantra at tours and activities business Viator, which has staged an incredible turnaround over the past 12 months due primarily to the hard-headed vision of Dermot Halpin, who has shaken the company up and made it profitable – literally tens of million of dollars in the black – […]
Changes ahead for GDS business model
President and CEO of Abacus, Robert Bailey, admits that the rise and rise of low cost carriers will inevitably lead to changes in the 40-year-old business model of Global Distribution Systems. “Low cost carriers will be a catalyst for change,” Mr Bailey said. “What the change will be I don’t know.” Mr Bailey said low […]