Travel Weekly brings you the Monday Wholesaler Wrap, best served with a cup of English Breakfast tea and the stale Tim-Tams from the office pantry.

Kakadu to build on Australian Tourism Awards’ success with upgraded tourism infrastructure and major events in 2018

World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park has taken out the Australian Tourism Awards’ top prize for Major Tourist Attraction for 2017.

 The Tourism Awards were announced in Perth on Friday night, with Kakadu Board of Management member and Jawoyn traditional owner Maria Lee accepting the award on behalf of Kakadu National Park.

Lee said the award was great recognition for Kakadu’s attraction as one of Australia’s most distinctive tourism destinations and highlighted the commitment by the Kakadu team to enhance the Park’s visitor experience.

Trafalgar launches $899 air deal to Hawaii

Trafalgar is once again making The Good Life more accessible to guests with its new transparent Hawaii air deal, allowing them to now fly for $899 return (including taxes) with Hawaiian Airlines.

The Island State has so much to explore from its captivating beaches, local produce, it’s rich cultural traditions and fascinating history to delve deep into, so Trafalgar has uncovered the top five must experiences that its guests can enjoy on one of four trips with Premier, First Class and Moderate accommodation options – so there’s a trip for every kind of traveller.

Top Five Hawaii Experiences with Trafalgar:

1. Meet conservation naturalists at the Maui Ocean Centre, followed by a delicious farm-to-fork meal whilst learning about Hawaii’s sustainable food culture.
2. Stay in a hotel with a Manta Ray Learning Centre and the ocean on your doorstep.
3. Explore the seaside village of Kailua-Kona before visiting a coffee plantation to learn about the harvesting of local beans.
4. Take a helicopter over lava flows, waterfalls cascading thousands of feet into the rainforest, and remnants of ancient Hawaiian settlements.
5. Start your day with a private tour of Kauai’s historic Grove Farm Sugar Plantation.

South & Central America your way with Natural Focus Safaris

South Melbourne-based travel wholesaler Natural Focus Safaris (NFS) has gone to press with their 2018/19 South & Central America brochure, filled with exquisite wilderness lodges and secluded rainforest retreats such as Tierra Chiloé in Chilean Patagonia, Pacuare Lodge in Costa Rica and Manu Wildlife Center near Peru’s Manu National Park.

There’s even a selection of enchanting luxury properties in the surreal Atacama Desert and on far-flung Easter Island, whose famous stone “moai” feature on the cover.

For accommodation that moves you, there are sleek catamarans for navigating the Galapagos Archipelago, stylish riverboats to cruise the Amazon River and even a lavish Peruvian sleeper train. The popular Jacare Houseboat is reprised – an ideal base to search for jaguars in Brazil’s Pantanal, and so are the carefully curated selection of small ships for exploring Patagonia, the Falklands and Antarctica.

New ‘Taj Mahal and Tigers’ River Cruise Package

The majestic jewel of India, the Taj Mahal, the legendary Bengal tiger and the remote and sacred river of  Brahmaputra combine as highlights of a new river cruise tour to India in 2019.

Released by Cruise Traveller in partnership with Indian river cruise company, Adventure Resorts and Cruises (ARC), the 12-night ‘Taj Mahal and Tigers’ package in April 2019,  links a five-night tour of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur with a seven-night cruise on the mysterious Brahmaputra River in Assam, a culturally intact region in far-north-east India that sees few tourists but boasts so much wildlife it is known as the ‘Serengeti of India’.

Beginning on April 15, 2019, the tour package offers two nights in Delhi, a night in Agra and two nights in the ‘pink city’ of Jaipur, which, together, form India’s popular ‘Golden Triangle’. The on-land itinerary takes travellers on daily excursions that include the iconic Taj Mahal at sunset, the Palace of the Winds – the Hawa Mahal, the formidable forts of Rajasthan and an authentic Indian dinner with a local family in Jaipur.

Ormina Tours unveils their new Bologna City Break

Listed by the New York Times as one of the best travel destinations for 2018, Ormina Tours has now launched a new Bologna City Break Package that includes the surrounding Emilia-Romagna region.

The tour will take place over six days, where travelers will discover the region’s capital, as well as exploring must see towns, such as Ferrara, – the UNESCO listed town famed as an intellectual and artistic centre during the Italian Renaissance – and Ravenna – the capital of the Western Roman Empire boasting eight UNESCO listed monuments.

Foodies will have enough leisure time to explore the newly opened Eataly World, the largest agri-food amusement park in the world. The tour also includes a full day gastronomy excursion where guests will visit Parma’s world-famous Prosciutto and Parmesan cheese factories, as well as a Balsamic vinegar factory tour in Modena.

Insight Vacations announces 100 per cent definite departures on over 45 of its most popular trips this year

Insight Vacations continues to show its commitment to agents and guests by announcing that over 45 of its Europe, Britain and USA journeys this summer offer 100% definite departures.

Destinations your clients love are now definite. From viewing the snow-capped peaks of Switzerland, following the footsteps of Vikings in Scandinavia, exploring the fascinating history of Russia or enjoying an authentic meal in the Baltic states, it is now even easier to lock in 2018’s trendiest destinations.

Many other parts of Europe are also included, such as Britain and Ireland, the Iberian Peninsula, Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Europe.

Cruise the Arctic’s legendary Northwest Passage

One of the world’s most famous sea routes—the legendary Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic—can be explored on a just-released, 17-day expedition voyage in 2019 offered by eco-cruise company Adventure Canada.

To mark the release of the cruise, which features icebergs, polar bears, walruses, fjords, Inuit communities, and artefacts of former explorers, Australia’s Cruise Traveller is offering a free night’s accommodation both before and after the voyage, available until sold out.

Departing August 17, 2019, Adventure Canada’s cruise on the 198-passenger Ocean Endeavour will begin in Greenland, with its quaint villages, dramatic fjords, and glaciers, before crossing the Davis Strait to the iceberg-filled waters of Nunavut, Canada’s northernmost territory.

The voyage will follow the Northwest Passage from Baffin Island to as far as Kugluktuk near Coronation Gulf, with reindeer, polar bears, walrus, and muskoxen part of the scenery. An onboard archaeologist will perform onsite interpretations at ancient sites of the Thule and Dorset people, and there will be opportunities to experience the local Inuit culture first-hand.

APT Launch Kimberley with the Girls Tour

In recognition of International Woman’s Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, APT today has announced their first woman’s only tour to the Kimberley.

This unique one off departure on 23 August 2018 is aimed at aligning likeminded female travellers as they embark on the 15-day Kimberley Complete, Broome return tour.

Hosted by Jenny Pullman, a Kimberley Driver-Guide with APT for 3 years, the group will explore the wonders of the region, from stunning Mitchell Falls by helicopter to breathtaking Bungle Bungles at sunset, spectacular gorges, remote freshwater pools and the legendary Gibb River Road to name just a few.

Guest also have the option to extend their journey and join the Kimberley Coast Cruise on the expedition small ship, MS Caledonian Sky for a 10-night cruise.