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.
Air Rarotonga inaugural Commercial Flight Scheduled for 13 August
Visiting the Cook Islands just got a little easier. Air Rarotonga will begin scheduled services between Tahiti and Rarotonga to provide another access point for our Northern Hemisphere travellers. Your guests will be able to travel to the Cook Islands via a stopover in Tahiti as an alternative to an Auckland connection. Air Rarotonga will be the carrier between Tahiti > Rarotonga > Tahiti.
Oceania Cruises offers significant incentives for guests and travel advisors
Oceania Cruises, the world’s leading culinary-and destination-focused cruise line, has extended its OLife Ultimate package including additional 2022 and 2023 sailings, providing guests with significant benefits on their next voyage. The OLife Ultimate package features FREE Pre-Paid Gratuities and all OLife Choice amenities for FREE, which include Shore Excursions, a Beverage Package and Shipboard Credit, representing extensive savings for travellers. This is in addition to the FREE inclusive amenities such as internet, 24-hour room service, shuttles to city centres, soft drinks and speciality coffees, fitness classes, still and sparkling Vero water and launderette use. Bookings for 2022 sailings will also receive 15% off, in addition to the generous OLife Ultimate package.
Intrepid unveils new Citizen Science Program
Intrepid Travel – the B Corp certified world-leader in responsible travel – has launched their first-ever Citizen Science program in Antarctica. These participatory programs will be available on every departure on board their polar expedition ship, the Ocean Endeavour, which is making its inaugural sailing in November 2022.
There are a total of five programs ranging from the NASA Globe Observer, which observes cloud movements in concert with NASA satellite flyovers, to Seabird Survey where travelers can record wildlife viewings that will help scientists better understand seabird migrations in the Southern Ocean. The experiences will be facilitated by three Citizen Science Coordinators, new roles that Intrepid created to carry-out and support actionable research through their Antarctic operations.
Citizen Science is voluntary research collected through public participation, in which people can share and contribute data they observe to a variety of projects, with the goal of advancing scientific studies by increasing the capacity of information gathered.
Colorado Delegation Hosts 5 City Mission to Promote Destination Across Australia
The Colorado Tourism Office, partnering with Visit Telluride and Visit Denver, held a series of travel trade and media events this week as the state tourism board gears up for Australians heading back to the USA.
Starting in Adelaide, Colorado Tourism Office engaged with travel agents in a training evening at Prohibition Gin, leading a cocktail masterclass in which agents recreated a signature Telluride cocktail, The Grapefruit, as served in There Bar. Following Adelaide, the delegation, including Colorado Tourism Office’s International Tourism Director, Andrea Blankenship; International Market Manager, Liz Birdsall, and Visit Telluride’s VP Communications, Tom Watkinson, hosted a series of travel trade and media events in Byron Bay, Brisbane and Melbourne, before ending the week in Sydney.
