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.
Accor announces new hotel in Tasmania
Accor, together with Singapore’s Fragrance Group Limited, has announced it will open a new hotel in Tasmania’s Devonport later this year, the Novotel Devonport. Construction is nearing completion on the highly anticipated 187-room hotel, which will feature a restaurant and bar, 24-hour room service and fitness centre, and a meeting room for up to 20 delegates. Overlooking the Mersey River, Novotel Devonport boasts an unrivalled waterfront location close to the Spirit of Tasmania terminal and with direct access to the Paranaple Convention Centre. The property represents one of the most significant tourism investments in the region in years.
Industry gives back with OzHarvest for Mandela Day
Marking Mandela Day on Monday 18 July, South African Tourism invited 30 trade partners and media to donate their time and cook meals for those less fortunate at OzHarvest in Sydney. Mandela believed that everyone has the ability to change the world for the better, and Mandela Day calls on everyone to take action against poverty in a way that will bring about sustainable change.
Under the guidance of OzHarvest chefs, the team of volunteers transformed rescued food into gourmet dishes inspired by the tastes and flavours of South African cuisine. Through the efforts of the volunteers, South African Tourism and OzHarvest were able to donate 400 meals to charities around Sydney for distribution to those in need.
Also joining the group was South African-born TV chef, Warren Mendes, who rolled up his sleeves to assist with the preparation of the meals. Chef Mendes appears regularly on Studio 10 and recently filmed a new series in South Africa – Food Trail: South Africa – which will air on Channel 10 from August 2022.
LaoSafe Helps To Reopen Laos
LaoSafe has certified more than 100 tourism businesses and helped to make Laos currently one of the most open Southeast Asian countries for international tourists. The success of the LaoSafe initiative has boosted confidence both inside and outside the country, paving the way for the arrival of international travellers.
Laos is now open to both vaccinated travellers and those who are not vaccinated but have tested negative for the Covid-19 virus. While restorative measures still apply in other countries, Laos has moved quickly to simplify the arrival experience with the goal of boosting the number of visitors to the country – a dynamic reversal after two years of tightly controlled borders. For further information, visit https://laosafe.gov.la/
Emirates partner with Air Canada
Emirates and Air Canada have announced the signing of a strategic partnership agreement that will create more options for customers when travelling on the carriers’ networks while also enhancing the customer experience throughout the journey. Emirates and Air Canada intend to establish a codeshare relationship later in 2022 that will offer enhanced consumer travel choices for Air Canada customers to travel to the United Arab Emirates and to destinations beyond Dubai. Emirates customers will also enjoy an enhanced travel experience when travelling to Toronto or to key destinations across the Air Canada network. Customers will have the ability to book connecting travel between both airlines’ networks with the ease of a single ticket, seamless connectivity at the carriers’ respective global hubs and baggage transfers to their final destinations.