News in Brief: Tuesday December 10

Air New Zealand will fly to Australia’s Sunshine Coast for a third season from 27 June next year and has called the operation a "real success story".

Two return flights will operate each week with three operating peak periods from 8 to 22 July and 23 September to 7 October 2014.

“Since the inaugural service in 2012 we’ve grown capacity each year to the point where we will offer 75 percent more seats in 2014 than we did when the service launched," Air New Zealand group general manager Cam Wallace said.

“Kiwis have embraced the opportunity to escape to the Sunshine Coast’s golden beaches over the winter months," Wallace said.

Tourism Ireland is celebrating a bumper year with the latest results just released. Showing a massive 26.4% growth over 2012 figures during August to October, which equate to 61,300 visitors travelling to Ireland from Australia and New Zealand.

"When we received the 19.7% growth in the June to August figures we were really pleased, but to receive even higher growth – indicating a bumper September and October is really satisfying," manager for Australia & New Zealand Diane Butler said.  

"The team has worked extremely hard throughout 2013, the year of The Gathering Ireland. This initiative has set us in a great position for a fabulous 2014."

Qantas has launched its new twice weekly A330 service between Perth and Auckland that will operate until February 1.

The new service adds almost 1,000 seats per week over the busy Christmas and summer holiday period. The internationally configured A330 offers Skybeds in business class.

“Our new Auckland-Perth service will cater for demand over the busy holiday season and our new trans-Tasman schedule offers better flight times and more connections to flights both in Australia and around the world,” chief executive Alan Joyce said when announcing the route in August.

Pan Pacific Hotels Group will open its fourth Australian Parkroyal property in Melbourne Docklands – its second property in the Victorian capital.

The 281-room Parkroyal Melbourne, to open in 2016, is being developed by Digital Harbour Holdings to be managed by PPHG.

The Art Series Hotel Group has acquired a building in Spring Hill, Brisbane which will become its seventh Art Series Hotel.

The $155 million development will be the group’s largest hotel and residential project outside of Victoria and is a sign of it plans to expand brand around Australia over the next 18 months.

General Hotel Management (GHM) has announced plans for a five-star all-villa enclave called The Chedi Club Jimbaran in Bali.

Set to open in the third quarter of 2014, the property will have 34 butler attended pool villas as well as a Balinese pavilion.

"We are redefining the concept of a stay experience where guests have their own butlers, their own pools, and their own dining venues," GHM president Hans R. Jenni said.

The Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia board of directors has commended the recent achievments at Ayers Rock Resort.

"Indigenous employees have risen from just two staff two years ago to 215 staff today. There have been 47 graduates from the National Indigenous Training Academy and the indigenous tourism product on offer is outstanding," chairperson Lisa Gay said.

Hawaiian Airlines will add a fourth weekly flight on its Honolulu-Brisbane route, with the airline citing booming demand from both US and Australian travellers for the move.

The service increase will commence on March 31 and will add more than 20,000 seats to the Australia-Honolulu travel markets in 2014.

Virgin Australia will retime its Brisbane-Darwin services in a move it said will improve connections for passengers.

The flight, which previously departed Brisbane at 8.45pm and returned the following day at 1.15am, will now leave the Queensland capital at 9.30am and arrive in Darwin at 1.20pm.

The return leaves the NT at 2.05pm and touches down in Brisbane at 6.15pm. The changes come into effect on April 15.

Virgin said it will enable passengers to connect to nine domestic destinations within three hours of arriving in Brisbane.

Garth Solly has been appointed as group general manager of The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers, and Matakauri Lodge – three Relais & Chateaux properties located in New Zealand.