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Bryan Somers looks to trade for golf
BY PETER ELLEGARD NORTHERN Ireland golf and long- haul specialist Bryan Somers Travel is working with the trade again on golf bookings after going direct-only seven years ago. Director Jonathan Millar made the
revelation during the recent North America Golf Tourism Convention (NAC), organised by global golf tourism industry
organisation IAGTO,
Premier heads Faraway to Asia
A NEW addition to Premier Holidays Faraway (2014) programme is tailor- made cruising provided by Celebrity Cruises,
covering destinations
throughout Asia, from Benoa in Bali to Boracay in The Philippines. Prices start at £2,149pp and include full board throughout each cruise. A brand-new Philippines section
on
Florida’s Marco Island. The move corresponds with the launch of its first dedicated golf website –
www.bryansomersgolf.com – featuring 22 golf destinations around the world initially. With the company having its own
ATOL, Miller said it offered a service agents now wanted, particularly destinations
such as Portugal and
Spain, where it was very competitive. “We are working with local independents and we will be sending e-shots and e-blasts to them, but we are happy to take bookings from any agents,” Millar added. • IAGTO’s fifth annual NAC attracted a record 275 attendees, including 92 golf tour operators from 21 countries as well as golf resorts, courses, hotels, inbound operators and tourist boards from the US, Canada, Central America and the Caribbean. The 2014 event takes place next June in Charleston, South Carolina.
for
Cox & Kings bridges sub-continental divide
COX & Kings’ new India & Beyond brochure has a range of escorted group tours and tailor-made private holidays throughout India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives. New is a group tour to Kashmir – reintroduced for the first time in 25 years – a luxury tented camp, and suggestions for venturing beyond the well-trodden tourist paths. Srinagar: Heart of the Kashmir Valley is a nine-day, seven-night escorted tour priced from £2,395pp. Included is a two -night stay in a Kashmir houseboat and a ‘shikara’ cruise across the Dal Lake to explore narrow canals and waterways. A saving of up to £1,751 per couple is available when booking the private 13-night Grand Tour of Northern India tour before September 30 2013 for travel
IN BRIEF
Free calls from Hong Kong: The 436-room/56-suite Mira Hong Kong in Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, claims to be the first hotel in the Asia Pacific area to introduce free international calls, local calls and data connectivity via a handy mobile device for all hotel guests for unlimited use anywhere in the city.
themirahotel.com
Malaysia has Darwin alternative:
Malaysia Airlines will reintroduce a five- times-weekly
Kuala Lumpur-Darwin
service from November 1. The route, which was closed in 2002, provides easier access to Australia’s Northern Territory. A double-daily A380 service leaves Heathrow for Kuala Lumpur.
malaysiaairlines.com
Grand American’s solo option: Grand American Adventures has a ‘Solo Sleeper’ option that lets travellers, for a fixed price, book their own private tent or hotel room on nearly all tours, from the seven- day trip across the Canyons and Indian Lands of the West to the 12-day Deep South and Delta Blues tour. Prices start from £90pp.
grandamericanadventures.com.
Air Europa heads to Uruguay
Air Europa is marking the launch of its new route between London and Montevideo by running a 75-cab London taxi campaign. Uruguay is home to such treasures as the elegant capital, Montevideo, and the luxurious coastal resorts of Punta del Este and Jose Ignacio.
aireuropa.com
between October 1 and November 30 2013. The tour is priced from £3,502pp, with the second person travelling half price, from £1,751. This private tour is based on first-class hotels and includes private transfers and excursions, flights from London with Jet Airways or Virgin Atlantic and accommodation with breakfast daily. The operator says that this year it has
seen a 15% growth in private tailor-made travel across the Indian subcontinent, with more travellers wanting to explore places away from the usual tourist areas. With the new British Airways flight to
Colombo launching earlier this year, demand for trips to Sri Lanka has also increased, according to Balaji Kandasamy, Cox & Kings’ India Product Manager.
coxandkings.co.uk/india-subcontinent
features the Traders Hotel and the Shangri-La Hotel in Manila, as well as Maribago Blue Water Beach Resort and Shangri-La Hotel on Mactan Island. Premier’s Vietnam bookings are up
17% year-on-year and featured hotels include the Avani Quy Nhon Resort & Spa, which opened on August 1, and the brand new Banyan Tree Lang Co and Angsana Lang Co in Hue. New for Thailand is the getaway
island of Khao Yao Yai. Agents can claim £25-£150 per booking (dependent on the booking value) on any Faraway booking. trade.
premierholidays.co.uk; 08444 937 444.
New Zealand enjoys UK visitor increase
UK visitor numbers to New Zealand in the first half of 2013 were up 3.3% compared with the same time last year. “The first six months of the year saw a strong picture for arrivals – with total numbers up 5.8% against the same period last year and holiday arrivals up 10%,” says Justin Watson, Tourism New Zealand’s acting Chief Executive. “Our 100% Middle-Earth, 100% Pure
New Zealand campaign continues to achieve its objectives of providing the additional motivation and reason to convert interest in a holiday to New Zealand into a booking,” added Watson.
tourismnewzealand.com
10 September 2013
www.sellinglonghaul.com
Credit: Frankie Lints
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