Carry On: News for business travellers

Princes Gate Hotel joins Distinction

Rotorua’s historic five-star Princes Gate Hotel has joined the Distinction Hotels Group. The changeover will occur on October 1 after 27 years of management by Brett and Vlasta Marvelly, parents of international soprano Elizabeth Marvelly.

During that time the Marvellys have expanded from a 37-room hotel in 1986 to the present day’s 50 rooms, each of which is described as a “blend of timeless elegance with modern luxury.” The site also has two restaurants, bar, conference facilities, thermal pools and the newly opened Monarch function room.

Distinction Hotels chief executive Duncan Fletcher says the company is excited to have one of New Zealand’s finest establishments boost its portfolio to 10 hotels. These include three three-star Discovery hotels.

Guangzhou gains 72-hour visa-free stopover

China Southern Airlines says New Zealanders traveling on its Canton Route to Europe can now spend up to 72 hours visa-free in Guangzhou, home to more than 13 million people at the head of the Pearl River Delta triangle linking Hong Kong and Macau.

New Zealand is one of 45 countries granted visa-free status for up to 72 hours for travellers flying to international destinations via Guangzhou. The decision brings Guangzhou into line with Beijing and Shanghai and allows visitors to travel to any part of Guangdong Province, including the economic hub of Shenzhen.

“The Cantonese really love their food, and this is evident in the amazing range and quality of Guangzhou’s food scene,” says China Southern’s Auckland general manager Mike Ma. “But that is only part of the story because Guangzhou and Guangdong typify how China is opening its arms to the wider world.”

The new visa-free stopovers come as China Southern upgrades its New Zealand services with the introduction of the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner from October 28.

Child-free zones take flight

Singapore Airlines’ budget brand Scoot Airlines is the latest carrier to unveil child-fee seating zones. Called “Scoot in Silence,” it follows on the heels of AirAsia X launching a “quiet zone” on its flights.

The operations are similar: under-12s are banned from the zones and cordoned off from the remaining passengers via a curtain, galleys and the exit doors (the space that usual separates business class from economy).

Japan Airlines has taken a different if similar tack on its Tokyo-Honolulu route, where the last four seats of economy have a curtained “women only” section. The idea is to give women privacy to do their makeup.

“About 60% of our passengers are women and the in-flight lavatories are always crowded before landing. This resolves the long line,” says airline spokeswoman Jian Yang.

Rather than separate children, Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways has introduced “The Flying Nanny,” an in-flight team of child experts that play with, calm and otherwise distract children from causing a scene.

Etihad has paired up with Norland College, an English childcare institute, to train the all-female staff of nannies on child psychology, sociology and child development. The carrier hopes to have 500 trained by the year’s end.

Future travel trends revealed

A TripBarometer survey by TripAdvisor show almost half of New Zealanders (40%) plan to increase their travel spend in 2014 and another 33% plan to spend the same. But 27% plan to spend less.

The survey reveals the leading travel and hospitality industry trends, according to over 19,000 travellers and over 10,000 accommodation business owners around the world. TripAdvisor conducts this study among its users twice a year and the results are analysed independently by research firm Edelman Berland.

Julio Bruno, TripAdvisor’s global vice-president of business sales, says, “If the travel plans of New Zealanders and travellers worldwide are a guide to the economic future, then 2015 looks like it could be a prosperous year for the international inbound tourism markets.

“In 2014, travellers from every region worldwide plan to travel mostly within their home market but in 2015, they plan to spread their wings to international destinations, including to Australasia.

“Given that New Zealanders still plan to travel more within their own region than overseas in two years, it looks like the New Zealand tourism industry is set to enjoy a double benefit. It can expect to see continued domestic and increased inbound travel in 2015.”

International convention campaign steps up

Tourism New Zealand has launched a business events-specific campaign, “100% Pure New Zealand – Beyond Convention” that targets associations, conference organisers and corporate decision makers in the US, China, Australia and South Asia.

International Business Events Manager Bjoern Spreitzer says a new website is a significant step among several key initiatives and the recruitment of a growing team of experts.

“While our campaign communicates New Zealand’s fantastic landscapes, welcoming hosts and world class venues, an additional focus is on talking directly to those sectors in which New Zealand can deliver expertise and leadership to the rest of the world,” he says. “These include marine, aviation, agribusiness, health science, high value foods, and earth sciences.”

The additional activity comes after the government committed an additional $34 million to Tourism New Zealand for the promotion of New Zealand as an international business events destination over four years.

This will include a presence at key trade shows such as CIBTM in Beijing, IMEX Las Vegas and Frankfurt, ITCM Bangkok and Shanghai and AIME in Melbourne.

Cathay expands Air Miles reach in economy

Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair has added more economy fare classes that can accrue Asia Miles points.  From October 8, passengers in the S, N and Q subclasses can earn Asia Miles at a rate of 25% of actual miles flown. These new earning classes are in addition to the economy fare classes that earn 100% of miles flown.

All fares offered by Cathay Pacific for sale in New Zealand will now earn Asia Miles. Recently, Asia Miles introduced new lifestyle rewards, which means New Zealand members can now redeem Asia Miles for vouchers from local retailers such as Countdown, Noel Leeming and Farmers.

Carry On: News for business travellers