Cruising Australian Waters

THE Most Luxurious Ship Ever Built, Seven Seas Explorer, will cruise Australian and New Zealand waters as part of her 2020/21 season for the first time since debuting in 2016. 

With over USD $450 million spent on building the exclusive, 375 suite ship – including over an acre of marble, an enviable US$7 million art collection, and one of the biggest suites at sea – it is no surprise that Seven Seas Explorer has been hailed as The Most Luxurious Ship Ever Built.

Seven Seas Explorer will be entering Australian waters for the first time on the 28th December 2020, visiting Darwin before she sails down to Sydney on the 6th January 2021.

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Countdown to the the New Year in Auckland

AUCKLAND will be the first major city in the world to welcome in 2019, and is planning a visual and entertainment extravaganza to light up Auckland’s cityscape this New Year’s Eve. 

For the first time, Vector Lights on #Auckland Harbour Bridge will join the celebrations with a sparkling display from 9pm, before building up to a countdown to midnight where it will pulse in time with the Auckland Sky Tower.

At the stroke of midnight, Vector Lights will explode into a five-minute spectacular designed to complement SKYCITY’s fireworks display, then continue until 1am. Those lucky enough to be down at Silo Park for the Wondergarden Festival will have a perfect view of the bridge and the fireworks alongside world-class international and local acts.

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New tax for international travellers to New Zealand

THE tourism industry wants to work with the Government to ensure its new tax on most of New Zealand’s international visitors is used to enhance their experience of the country, the key issue is how it will be spent.

The International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) will see around 2.3 million of the 3.8 million annual international visitors required to pay a levy of $35 each before they come to New Zealand, raising an estimated $80 million in the first year.

Australian and Pacific residents will not be required to pay the levy, which is due to be introduced in the second half of 2019.

The main collection method will be a new Electronic Travel Authority, which visitors from visa-waiver countries like the UK and USA will have to complete before travel. They will have to pay an estimated $9 for the ETA, on top of the visitor levy.



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Welcoming the royal newly-weds

NEW ZEALAND is preparing to welcome the royal newly-weds, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, on their first official visit to the southern realms.

The four-day royal visit (28 October - 1 November) will be the last stop on a 16-day royal tour that also includes visits to Australia, Fiji and Tonga. 

In #NewZealand, their royal highness's will visit the main cities of Wellington and Auckland, travel across Cook Strait to Abel Tasman National Park on the northern tip of the South Island, and Rotorua - the cultural and geothermal heart of the central North Island.

Royal Tour Outline

• Tuesday 16th October - Monday 22nd October: Australia 
• Tuesday 23rd October - Wednesday 24th October: Fiji 
• Thursday 25th October - Friday 26th October: Tonga 
• Saturday 27th October: Sydney, Australia 
• Sunday 28th October: Wellington, New Zealand
• Monday 29th October: Wellington and Abel Tasman, New Zealand
• Tuesday 30th October: Auckland, New Zealand
• Wednesday 31st October: Rotorua, New Zealand

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Study and Travel in New Zealand for free

GO Overseas and Education New Zealand are running the 5th annual promotion to offer five full-tuition #scholarships to study abroad in #NewZealand.

Five well-deserving students will have the opportunity to live abroad, expand their cultural competencies and add a valuable asset to their resume - all for free. In addition, STA Travel will be sponsoring two of the student’s round-trip flights. Two undergraduate and three graduate students will be selected to win this year’s scholarships.

The paperless scholarship application is unlike a traditional essay format. The goal is to get students engaged and excited about New Zealand from the get-go so even if they don’t win the scholarship, they will still be interested in studying abroad. 

www.gooverseas.com/scholarships/new-zealand 

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Travel & Tourism generated 18% of New Zealand’s GDP in 2017

RESEARCH published by the World Travel & Tourism Council has shown that in 2017, the total contribution of Travel & Tourism accounted for 17.9% (NZD$47.5bn) of New Zealand’s GDP. This figure is set to rise by 2.9% per annum and forecast to account for 20% of New Zealand GDP over the next decade. 

The travel sector grew by 3.2% in 2017, faster than the economy as a whole which grew at 2.9% in the total wider economy. New Zealand is the 32nd largest travel economy in the world.

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Picture Credit: CreditDebitPro www.flickr.com/photos via photopin

Celebrating 40 years of rafting the Franklin River

TASMANIAN Expeditions has launched an exclusive World Heritage Franklin River Rafting adventure led by conservationist Geoff Law in January 2019, to mark the 40th anniversary of the first commercial rafting expedition down the iconic river. 

In January 2019, Geoff Law, will lead an exclusive 40th anniversary World Heritage Franklin River Rafting adventure for Tasmanian Expeditions. It is a unique opportunity to experience the unique World Heritage protected river and the surrounding wilderness with someone who is a major part of this river’s history.

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Hotel Indigo Auckland to open in 2021

AUCKLAND will welcome New Zealand’s first Hotel Indigo to the neighbourhood in 2021, with IHG signing an agreement with Ninety Four Feet, an Australasian property development, investment, and construction company, to open Hotel Indigo #Auckland. 

Uniquely, no two Hotel Indigo properties are the same, with each drawing on the story of its local area to inspire every aspect of the hotel to help guests feel part of the destination. The “City of Sails” will set the backdrop for this boutique hotel, drawing inspiration from local artists for its design, service, amenities, food and beverages.
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Hilton expands in New Zealand

LOCATED in the beautiful rural town of Karaka, just 30 minutes south from Auckland city, the new DoubleTree by Hilton Karaka is part of the famous New Zealand Bloodstock Sales Centre; the country’s largest international thoroughbred auction venue. 

Construction of the hotel will commence by the third quarter of 2018 and is due for completion by early 2020. The hotel will feature 120 stylish guest rooms, including four spacious suites, a restaurant and bar, fully equipped gym, pool and two meeting rooms. The hotel will also have full access to Karaka Pavilion which encompasses four meeting and event spaces, accommodating events from 12 to 600 people.

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Wellington is a winner

DEUTSCH Bank’s most recent Liveable City Index has named New Zealand’s cool little capital #Wellington number one for the second year in a row! The Deutsche Bank Liveable City Index, ranks world cities in categories such as safety in the city, health care, cost of living, pollution and climate. Wellington has topped the table against bigger and arguably better-known cities including Zurich (2nd), Copenhagen (3rd), Edinburgh (4th) and Vienna (5th).

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Glimp is Helping Kiwis Travel Cheaper

GLIMP'S website was founded in 2016, following a high demand from Kiwis wanting to compare prices on utilities, internet, credit cards, insurance and mortgages. Glimp now offers an easy and free solution to compare travel insurance providers and plans.

With the travel insurance comparison tool on Glimp, Kiwis can compare a range of options based on their destination and flying date. The comparison tool will then offer a variety of options likely to suit their travel needs, along with a full breakdown of what is included in the cover of each plan. The entire process of comparing travel insurance companies generally only takes less than five minutes.

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From Greece to Africa

GLOBAL luxury travel network Virtuoso, has analyzed its data warehouse of transactions sourced from Virtuoso's U.S. and Canadian travel agencies to reveal the top destinations for upscale travelers this summer, as well as the fastest-growing places of interest. While European countries continue to attract the most visitors, the ranking of the hottest locales displays surprising diversity, showcasing comeback destinations as well as others that may be starting an upward trajectory.

The Virtuoso Top 10:The most popular destinations for summer vacations based on future bookings.

1.   United Kingdom
2.   Italy
3.   Canada
4.   France
5.   South Africa

6.   Greece

7.   Germany

8.   Netherlands

9.   Ireland

10. Spain

The Virtuoso Hot 10: The countries that have seen the largest percentage of growth in year-over-year bookings.

1.   Greece
2.   Poland
3.   Dominican Republic
4.   New Zealand
5.   Zambia

6.   Morocco

7.   Turks and Caicos Islands

8.   St. Lucia 

9.   Vietnam

10. Egypt

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Open doors at Camp Glenorchy

ECO-CONSCIOUS travellers arise, Camp Glenorchy, a new era in sustainably designed accommodation, has opened its doors in New Zealand.

Aside from providing beautifully appointed, comfortable accommodation, the founders behind Camp Glenorchy hope to inspire and share learning about new standards in sustainable tourism.

Set in the foothills of the Southern Alps in New Zealand’s South Island, Camp Glenorchy is a scenic 40-minute lakeshore drive from Queenstown along one of the country’s prettiest routes. The region is famed for beautiful movie locations and as the setting off point for some of the country’s best known hiking trails, water-based adventures on Lake Wakatipu and braided rivers, and access to two national parks.

Camp Glenorchy’s resource-efficient guest accommodation comes in a range of budget options from the seven cabins, to two bunkhouses and seven powered RV/campervan sites with common areas for guests. It also boasts the South Island’s largest solar garden and three wetlands developed to collect and fully process all wastewater onsite, producing clean water for irrigation of native plant landscaping.

The third stage of an environmentally sustainable tourism development known as The Headwaters, Camp Glenorchy’s profits will go to the local Glenorchy Community Trust to support initiatives that enhance the liveability and vibrancy of the small town.

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All lit up . . .

WITH less than ten weeks until Queenstown’s award-winning light festival illuminates the night sky, the countdown is officially on. The LUMA Southern Light Project returns to Queenstown, #NewZealand on the Queen’s Birthday Weekend (June 1 – 4) featuring a world light festival ‘first’ with four evenings of illuminated art, light sculptures and entertainment. 

The free public event focuses on the transformation of space, public interaction, art, culture and education, made possible by curated collections of stunning light sculptures and thought-provoking installations. Visitors can expect to be dazzled by an array of interactive and unique light displays, each one designed to encourage them to engage with the art and the surrounding Queenstown landscape. 

Set within the picturesque Queenstown Gardens and waterfront, visitors can explore the illuminated winter wonderland with hot food in hand warming their fingers, as the art captivates their minds. The ‘world festival first’ will see local and international artists collaborating on an instillation using over 90,000 individual light sources to turn trees in the Queenstown Gardens into an enchanted forest.

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Up in the air . . .

HAWAIIAN Airlines, the only U.S. carrier to serve New Zealand with nonstop flights to Hawai‘i, is celebrating its fifth anniversary on the Auckland-Honolulu route with an increase in flights commencing this month. The airline will expand its schedule between Auckland to Honolulu from three to five services weekly commencing 21 March, 2018. 

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Picture Credit: By Vards Uzvards from San Francisco, CA - Hawaiian Airlines (p4056860),commons.wikimedia.org

Commonwealth Games influx

THE latest International Visitor Survey released today shows a record 301,000 people visited the Sunshine Coast in the 12 months to December 2017. 

Fittingly, the Sunshine Coast’s record figures were supported from the key nations of New Zealand (65,000), UK (60,000) and Canada (14,000); as the region looks to welcome nine international teams and over 500 visiting athletes and officials in the lead up to the #commonwealthgames. 

Teams using the Sunshine Coast as their pre-Games training base include Scotland, England, Wales, New Zealand, Isle of Man, Singapore, Niue and St Helena along with a number of athletes from domestic sporting teams, including Australia’s Olympic champion women’s sevens rugby squad.

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Australians primed for a winter holiday in the North Island

GEOTHERMAL and volcanic landscape of the Central North Island coupled with glow worm caves and Maori cultural events and cuisine are all unique to New Zealand.

Tourism #NewZealand is leading the development and implementation of a $750,000 marketing campaign which capitalises on Ruapehu, Taupo and Rotorua with spare capacity across accommodation and experiences during the #winter months (Jun-Sep).

The six week promotion showcases the geothermal experiences and landscapes of the central plateau volcanic zone, lakes, hot pools, glow worm caves, National Parks and Māori culture with a snow experience at Whakapapa or Turoa, Mt Ruapehu as part of a wider winter touring holiday.

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The lure of Wellington and Marlborough

WELLINGTON'S creative and cultural attractions plus a scenic Marlborough trip are being promoted to lure Australians here for an autumn break.

Tourism New Zealand is partnering with the Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency (WREDA) and Destination Marlborough to raise awareness of both places among Australians and to encourage them to visit.

A four week campaign will run from next week with the aim of increasing the number of arrivals by 7.5 percent in March to May this year. That would see more than 7000 Australians heading to Wellington and Marlborough for a short holiday.

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Picture Credit: pintrest Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand by Rach Stewart

Jucy set to introduce electric campervan fleet

THOUSANDS of international tourists visiting New Zealand could be driving electric campervans within two years following a new electric vehicle (EV) trial. The #NewZealand trial will mark the first time an electric campervan has been rented to tourists in this market. 

During their journey, two visiting French students will travel thousands of kilometres throughout the North Island in a prototype Jucy #campervan, powered only by electricity. The tourists plan to visit around 30 destinations in the North Island over a three week period. Jucy CEO Tim Alpe says the company aims to introduce a new category of electric vehicle to its fleet to meet growing demand from millennial tourists.

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An unlikely social media sensation

A lone tree that grew from a fence post in the South Island of New Zealand has become an unlikely social media sensation. The straggly crack willow tree on the shores of Lake Wanaka is thought to be at least 80 years old and is attracting photographers from around the world, keen for the perfect shot.

Amateur and professional photographers gather on the shores of Lake Wanaka at dawn and dusk to photograph the “most photogenic tree in the world”. The tree even has its own dedicated Facebook page and has been featured in international publications such as The Guardian and The Sydney Morning Herald. The hashtag #thatwanakatree has been used more than 13,000 times on Instagram.

The tree is the focus of photography tours and people pose naked beside it, have their wedding photographs taken in front of it or meditate beneath it.

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