Grab yourself a coffee and catch up on today’s news in brief. It is packed with the latest deals, updates from the industry and everything you need to know in bite-size pieces.
Coral Princess arrives in Cairns
Local tourism operators welcomed the arrival of Coral Princess, which made her maiden call to Queensland’s tropical north, Cairns, yesterday. Cairns-based tour operator Nikki Giumelli from Bad Fishy Jet Boating said the return of cruise ships to the region was a positive step towards recovery.
The visit is one of 10 calls the 2000-guest Coral Princess will make as part of her winter season from her new homeport of Brisbane and marks ten years of Princess ships sailing from Queensland. It is also the first ship to bring the MedallionClass experience to Australia, making holidays with Princess more simple, effortless, personalised and connected.
Domino impact of flight cancellations
With airline schedules still not fully back and last minute flight cancellations a frequent occurrence, more and more Australians are finding their plans completely and frustratingly disrupted. When airlines cancel one sector of a booking, travellers are typically left with no flights at all given demand has already absorbed available flights. If there are seats available, they’re certainly not at the same price. The challenges created as a result are overwhelming and often costly for travellers.
Australia’s travel agents are passionate advocates for travellers whose travel plans are thrown into chaos as a result of this ongoing volatility in flight schedules. Peak industry body, the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA), is asking anyone caught up in the frustration of this situation to please remember that while their travel professional is always available to help find a solution, they also deserve our support and respect.
Mercure Pakenham to open in September 2022
The stunning new Mercure Hotel in Pakenham, Victoria is set to open its doors in September 2022, with 64 guestrooms and suites with a stylish lounge and cafe area. The hotel will also soon reveal a new restaurant that will be utilised by both hotel guests and the Pakenham population. The hotel also features business services with conference, function and boardroom facilities. Guests will also enjoy high-speed complimentary Wi-Fi and state-of-the-art streaming services. Ideally located within the Pakenham Race Club Precinct, Mercure Pakenham offers contemporary accommodation. With easy access to the popular Cardinia Club and only 500m from the Pakenham CBD, Cardinia Cultural Centre and train station, guests will have easy access to all that Pakenham has to offer.
TNQ sets new domestic records
Strong spending by visitors has brought a record $3 billion tourism expenditure boost to the Tropical North Queensland economy. Tourism Tropical North Queensland Chief Executive Officer Mark Olsen said the latest National Visitor Survey figures showed Australian holiday makers were spending more and staying longer in Tropical North Queensland making it the strongest growing region in the State over the past year.
“Aussie travellers to Tropical North Queensland spent a record $3 billion in the year ending March 2022, up 18.8% from 2019,” Mark Olsen said.
