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the review 43


Reno-Lake Tahoe ready for take-off


SKI resorts in northern California are expecting a rush of British skiers next winter after Thomas Cook Airlines announced it will launch the first-ever non-stop flights from the UK to Reno near Lake Tahoe. The twice-weekly flights from Gatwick, serviced by an A330, will run between December 19 2015 and April 9 2016. Winter resorts close to Reno-


Tahoe International Airport – passengers will be able to see ski runs from the airport’s runways upon landing – include Squaw Valley, host of the 1960 Winter Olympics; Heavenly; Kirkwood; Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe and Northstar CA. Andy Wirth, Vice Chairman of


the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority said: “This flight will open up one of the best skiing markets in the world….with


13 ski resorts


around Lake Tahoe British skiers might think they are in Zermatt or Chamonix! thomascookairlines.com


Etihad raises comfort bar


New Zealand plans a brand evolution


THE next evolution of the Tourism New Zealand brand is to be re-launched at this year’s Trenz show in Rotorua (May 17-20, 2015). “It’s the right and appropriate time to do this but it will be an evolution not a revolution since our current brand has already won a number of awards,” says Danielle Genty-Nott, Regional Manager UK & Europe, Tourism New Zealand. The launch will precede several major events


in New Zealand


BY STEVE HARTRIDGE ETIHAD Airways unveiled the first of its A380 and B757 (Dreamliner) aircraft in Abu Dhabi last month to a specially- invited group of international media and VIP guests that included Selling T


ravel. Etihad has 10 A380s on order – the first


started flying between Heathrow and Abu Dhabi on December 27 – and will take delivery of three more this year. Unique to the A380 is the ‘Residence’, a


three-room suite – costing $20,000, one way, for two – while both the A380 and the Dreamliner have


‘reimagined’ first


Travel 2’s new adventures


TRAVEL 2’s new 2015 touring brochure features escorted tours, adventure tours, river cruising, rail journeys,


self-drives and small


group journeys. Highlights of the new Worldwide


Touring brochure include: the seven-day


‘Galapagos West &


Central Islands’ small group tour, priced from £1,749 for departures from May 1-30 2015, and the 10-day ‘Wings over the West’ tour, starting and ending in Las Vegas and including a private plane, VIP coaches and the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train. Tour-only prices start from £1,649, for the same dates. travel2.com


St. Vincent hopes for direct service


ST. VINCENT’S new international airport – large enough to take any aircraft aside from the A380 – is now due to open by end-October 2015, in time for next year’s tourism season, according to Glen Beache, CEO of the St.


Vincent and The Grenadines


Tourism Office. “We are hopeful we will get two


flights a week from British Airways or Virgin Atlantic. We are also looking at hotel investment; we currently have


2,100 rooms and would like to get to 3,500/4,000, then we’d be set. We’re looking to attract big name brands. “The UK is one of St. Vincent’s biggest


markets with some 30,000 visitors a year. Over the past three years it’s (the UK) a market that has seen sustained growth. The new airport will make it easier to have a ‘call to action’ and we plan to target both the trade and consumers,” added Beache. Discoversvg.com


class apartments, larger business class suites and new features in economy. Etihad’s President and CEO James Hogan commented: “With the launch of these aircraft, we usher in a new era of unparalleled luxury, comfort and service.”


Hogan said the A380s would


eventually be the only aircraft used on the three-times-daily


Heathrow-Abu


Dhabi route. Sydney, New York and Paris will also be served by the aircraft. Etihad will take possession of up to 71 Dreamliners by 2023, with the first three due to start flying in 2015. However, there are no plans to deploy them on the London route, said Hogan. The new planes carry the airline’s new ‘Facets of Abu Dhabi’ livery: a mix of browns,


yellows and deep purples


shaped in triangles to reflect both the colours of the desert and the architecture of Abu Dhabi’s ever-changing skyline. The same colour palette features in


the airline’s first major uniform changes since the airline’s formation in 2003. etihad.com


including the ICC Cricket World Cup – hosted by New Zealand and Australia between February 14 (in Christchurch) and March 29 2015 – the FIFA Under 20 World Cup in June 2015, the Lions Tour in June 2017 and the World Masters Games in April 2017. In the short term, the latest (and last) Hobbit film will continue to attract more Genty-Nott:


visitors. Danielle “It’s been a


phenomenal success for us and Hobbiton is now the number one NZ scenic attraction. Night tours and its own beer have been added.” NZ


Tourism’s main focuses


remain activities/adventure, (New Zealand was


voted Best


Destination for Soft Adventure in Selling T


ravel’ Choice Awards – Genty-Nott season


travel, youth market and p remium travellers. newzealand. com


s Travel Agents is


pictured below with the award), shoulder


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