Friday is the day for early marks, pub lunches and maybe a tipple post 12pm. It’s also the day for our Big Fat Agent Wrap, which comes with the same amount of glee as those other things.

G Adventures announces UMI winners

G Adventures, the world’s leading adventure travel company, has announced the first six weekly prize winners of its hugely popular Über Massive Incentive, UMI in the Jungle.

The UMI weekly rewards are given away to random winners and include Go Pro packages, UE Boom Speakers, iPad Minis and G Adventures travel vouchers.

The six UMI weekly prize winners announced are:

1. Danielle Moore – Helloworld Queensland
2. Grace Cole – STA Travel NZ
3. Kasey Buckland – Travel on King NSW
4. Vianka Xu – STA Travel
5. Matt Paine – Helloworld Launceston
6. Kelly Gainsford – House of Travel

This year’s major prize will see 12 winners heading on an African Jungle adventure with flights included, where they will experience a once-in-a-lifetime trip through Uganda and Rwanda.

To be in with a chance to win, agents must earn incentive points by booking travellers on G Adventures trips. One incentive point will be awarded for every G Adventures passenger booked on a trip, five points for every passenger booked on a Jane Goodall Collection trip and ten for every G Expedition Polar booking valued over $10,000.

Magellan Corporate Famil

L-R: David Barnett (Solve Travel), Chris Goddard (Maxims Travel), Scott Darlow (Magellan Travel Group), Christine Stevens (Platinum Travel Corp), Kelli Robinson (American Airlines), Tina Killeen (Spencer Travel Group), Martin Keating (Cairns Business & Leisure Travel), Robert Nangle (Travel Design International)

National Manager Magellan Corporate, Scott Darlow led a delegation of Magellan Corporate agents to the Vancouver Head Office of the groups global partner, Uniglobe.  The trip was co-hosted and sponsored by American Airlines with additional sponsorship from Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.

It wasn’t all hard work for the delegation who also had the opportunity to enjoy the sights of Vancouver and surrounding islands on board a Sea Plane, to take a tour of the impressive Boeing Factory at Everett where they were able to sight an American Airlines Dreamliner in the final stages of being assembled, and they enjoyed a private tour of Seattle’s Museum of Flight at Boeing Field in Seattle.

The delegation enjoyed the impressive business class flat beds on American Airlines flagship Boeing 777-300ER and private limousine transfers and expedited security at LAX in each direction.

Virgin Australia’s Fernanda Pinto awarded

The 2017 CAPA Centre for Aviation scholarship has been awarded to Fernanda Pinto from Virgin Australia’s Sales Support team at TIME’s 25th intake ceremony at Amadeus IT Pacific, Sydney.

As Fernanda embarks on her mentoring journey, she will join the ranks of some 150 TIME graduates from more than 60 travel, tourism and hospitality businesses who have been through the program since 2009.

At the event to acknowledge the graduation of TIME’s 23^rd group and announce its 25^th intake, Fernanda said, “I’m so excited to receive this incredible opportunity from the Travel Industry Mentor Experience and CAPA. I am confident that when I look back in the near future, this program will be a turning point in my career.”

Travel Counsellors Phenix roadshows

The Travel Counsellors head office team recently travelled around Australia delivering a series of training roadshows aimed at educating and informing Travel Counsellors agents working from home on their own travel enterprises. With a strong focus on sales, the roadshows were well-received by Travel Counsellors agents looking to refine their sales processes in order to grow their business.

Delivering roadshows in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane throughout the first half of February, the Travel Counsellors head office team presented an informative program aimed at driving sales, especially through the innovative quote and book system called Phenix.  Created in-house by the Travel Counsellors team for the Travel Counsellors team, Phenix is unlike any other currently used within the travel industry.

Allowing agents to book a wide variety of world-leading travel products including hotels, cruises, flights, transfers and activities, the platform also enables Travel Counsellors to access highly competitive direct rates, creating bespoke itineraries and acting as wholesalers themselves.

TTC launches Agent Academy

The Travel Corporation (TTC) has asserted its ongoing commitment to its valued travel agent partners with the launch of a robust new training initiative, the TTC Agent Academy.

The singular platform showcases three core brands of Trafalgar, Contiki and Insight Vacations via a series of interactive, user-friendly modules and is complemented with a 90-second inspirational video animation highlighting the key benefits of the scheme.

The Agent Academy has been created with the aim of facilitating effortless sales, and the new e-learning platform offers a simplified manner in which agents can easily build their knowledge of the award-winning family of brands to make their roles more financially rewarding and to keep their clients coming back.

A video is available and for further information, please contact your local Trafalgar, Contiki, Insight Vacations sales manager or visit this link.

Adventure World 2017 Roadshows

Soft-adventure tailor-made specialist Adventure World has extended an invitation to travel agents around Australia, to experience their “Our World Your Way” 2017 National Roadshows this March and April.

Adventure World values the regional support they receive from agents and so are taking their roadshows to places they’ve never been to before. With 30 venues across Australia in metropolitan and regional areas, this year’s roadshows are the largest in over 35 years with Adventure World and their partners visiting regional areas such as Orange, Port Macquarie, Darwin, Hobart, the Sunshine Coast.

For a list of Roadshow 2017 dates, venues and to RSVP, head to: www.adventureworld.com.au/2017roadshows/

Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood to feature La La Land

In celebration of this year’s award season, Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood will spotlight the Lionsgate’s Oscar nominated film, La La Land, as a limited addition to the studio tour.

From 18 ​Feb – 6 March, 2017, Australian travellers can find themselves in a scene from the critically-acclaimed film that has so far been inaccessible to date. Tour guests will be able to step onto the ‘Café Sur Le Lot,’ coffee shop set, which has been carefully reconstructed from the film, allowing guests to experience where Mia worked prior to becoming a star.

The tour also includes an exclusive look inside many of the film’s production and backlot areas, which were also used in the creation of Academy Award Best Picture winners, Argo and Casablanca.

Tour details: Open: Monday – Sunday, 9am – 3pm; Tours leave every 30 minutes; Regular tickets are ​USD​$62 per person.

Encore joins Magellan

Corporate, leisure and events travel management company, Encore Journeys, will join the Magellan Travel Group on the 1st of March, the latest in a run of new member acquisitions by the Group.

Encore Journeys is a prominent, Victoria based agency which begun in March 2013. At this time, directors David Hummerston and Leon Burman, returned to the travel industry after the successful sale of their previous business, etm group.

etm group started in 2001, and grew to a staff of approximately 90 people and a sales turnover of $70 million per annum and proudly won NTIA Best Conference & Incentive Travel Agency in 2011 and 2012.

TravelCube gives away beach getaways

TravelCube is celebrating the launch of its 2017 Beach Collection brochure – which now features 10,000 properties around the world – by giving travel agents the chance to win an unforgettable seven-night trip to Cuba, along with weekly ‘beach breaks’.

TravelCube’s Beach properties are now the company’s fastest growing segment, with bookings up by 40% over the past 12 months. This year’s Beach Collection offers properties in more than 100 destinations, including Cuba, the South Pacific, the Mediterranean, Hawaii, The Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia.

To be in the running agents need to book a TravelCube beach product between 15 February and 29 March. At the end of each week, the agent with the most beach properties booked and paid for will win prizes including five nights’ at the Sheraton Mirage, Gold Coast and four nights’ at the Sheraton Bali, two nights at the Royal Beach Seminyak and two nights at Istana Rama, Bali.

Visa status for Australians travelling to Uzbekistan

Further to advice issued by luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent in December, the Uzbekistan government has recalled its decision to waive visas for Australian passport holders. Procedures therefore remain unchanged with travellers advised to begin the visa application process at least three months prior to travel.

Uzbekistan is one of A&K’s newest destinations and has seen rapid growth since its introduction to the portfolio in 2015. Home to the legendary cities of Samarkand and Bukhara, the country offers extraordinary architecture, grand mosques, UNESCO World Heritage sites, breathtaking landscapes and rich handicrafts.

Get a taste of Canada

Join Great Canadian Trails expert, Keri May, at the free events to be held at 6pm on  Tuesday, 28 February (Sydney),   Wednesday 1 March (Melbourne) and Thursday, 2 March (Brisbane)at World Expeditions’ city offices – details and registrations here.

Canada boasts 47 National Parks and Reserves, dozens of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves, hundreds of thousands of lakes, a handful of stunning mountain ranges and the longest coastline in the world and World Expeditions’ 29 adventures there are a great way to see some of its most scenically stunning regions.

SureSave and Express Travel Group partner on new look PDS

SureSave, the leading provider of travel insurance and emergency assistance within the agency channel, has developed ‘Express Insurance by SureSave’, a new Product Disclosure Statement (PDS), designed exclusively for members of Express Travel Group (ETG).

ETG is an established Australian, family owned and operated travel company, which represents the largest group of independent travel agencies in the country. Spanning across three brands – Select Travel Group, Independent Travel Group and italktravel, ETG reaches over 700 agencies across the country.

Benefits of  ‘Express Insurance by SureSave’ PDS include: a new ‘Event’s based PDS; more visually appealing layout; online PDS with hyperlink navigation; developments to cover. To find out more about Express Insurance by SureSave, visit https://www.suresave.com.au/express/welcome-pds.

Tempo bulk buy discount

Tempo Holidays have announced a bulk buy discount on offer until 30 April 2017.

It’s easy! Book 5 or more services and/or accommodation greater than $2500 in value and Tempo Holidays will apply a 3% discount to either pass onto the customer or agents can keep it as extra commission.

Valid for all new bookings, there has never been more reason to create a multi-element, tailor-made package with Tempo Holidays.

Tempo Holidays have also announced a mega sale on until the end of 2018 in which travellers can save $1000 per person off their booking plus a free night worth of accommodation.

For the purchase of a minimum seven night all-inclusive stay combining two Tierra Hotel packages in Atacama and Patagonia, Tempo Holidays are offering an exclusive discount and a free night at Hotel Le Rêve, Santiago.

Tierra hotels are design lodges offering all-inclusive luxury experiences in Chile. Featuring innovative architecture and interiors and well as dramatic and picturesque landscapes, these lodges are ideal for an indulgent getaway to South America. All activities are included and range from walks, hikes, climbs, horse-rides and tours by van or vehicle.

Save $1000 per person on Treasures of South America small group tour

Contours Travel is offering a discount of $1000 per person on its hosted ‘Treasures of South America’ tour, a 27-day itinerary which includes canoe trips on the Amazon river, sightseeing at the lost Incan city of Machu Picchu and two nights in Rio de Janeiro. Three departures are available

Perfect for first-time visitors to the continent, the all-inclusive itinerary takes travellers through Peru, Chile, Brazil and Argentina in comfort and style, while travelling in a small group of 16 or less. Bookings made before June 30, 2017, will attract a $1000 discount.

Highlights of the tour include private tango lessons in Buenos Aires, weaving demonstrations by a local cooperative in Chinchero, a ride in the world’s highest urban cable car at La Paz, and the opportunity to personally deliver and help install a water filter to a remote community in the Andes.

Single supplements are usually $3218, but will be reduced by $200 if booked by June 30, 2017. The package includes return economy flights from Australia and 42 meals.

TTC Weekly deals

Winter Wonderland
Save 7.5 per cent on tours from Insight Vacations 2017/18 Seasons brochure when booked and paid in full by 24 August 2017. Save up to $223 per person on Insight’s Winter Wonderland tour which visits Europe’s top winter destinations; Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

Priced from $2,474 per person (including 7.5 per cent early payment discount) departing between 18 November – 30 December 2017 (subject to availability). For full terms and conditions visit insightvacations.com or call 1300 727 767.

Grand Christmas & New Year’s Cruise
Save $1,900 per person with Uniworld when you book the all-inclusive 13-day Grand Christmas & New Year’s river cruise by 31 March 2017 and pay in full.

From Nuremberg to Budapest along the shimmering Danube enjoy a luxury 12-night cruise in a riverview stateroom onboard the River Beatrice, including all meals and unlimited beverages onboard, 9- days of hosted excursions, services of an experiences Uniworld Cruise Manager and more! Priced from A$7,099 per person twin share (including discount) departing on 22 December 2017. For more information call 1300 780 231 or visit uniworld.com

Northern Wonders
Save up to $500 per couple when you book AAT Kings 8 day Northern Wonders guided holiday and pay in full by 26 April 2017. Journey through landscapes that blend magnificent beaches, sprawling farmlands and geothermal wonders, as you make your way to New Zealand’s Far North.

Priced from $2,025 per person (including discount), twin share and available on select departures between 11 October 2017 – 21 March 2018. For more information or to book call 1300 556 100 or visit aatkings.com *Conditions Apply.

Last minute offer
Book before 31 March 2017 with Creative Cruising and receive a last minute reduced cruise fare on their New Zealand, Tahiti & Hawaii cruise.

This package includes  an 18-night cruise onboard Radiance of the Seas from Sydney to Honolulu, meals and entertainment onboard, one-way Economy class airfare from Honolulu flying Hawaiian Airlines and more! Priced from $2,429* per person (airfare departing Sydney & Brisbane) cruise departs 18 April 2017. *Conditions apply please see www.creativecruising.com.au or call 1300 362 599 for more information.

Unlimited access to Europe
Save up to 12% off Busabout’s Unlimited Hop – on Hop – off Pass and travel throughout Europe the way you want to. To book call 1300 287 226 and quote promocodeEB2, valid until 28 February 2017. For more information and a range of other Europe trips on sale visit http://www.busabout.com/.

Southern Adventure
Save from $291* when you book Contiki’s 13-day Southern Adventure (ex LA) by 28 February 2017. Take a venture to the deep south, kicking off in LA and ending in New Orleans, with highlights like Vegas, the Grand Canyon & Texas in between.

Priced from $2,624 *per person and available for travel between 10 March 2017 – 9 March 2018. For more information visit www.contiki.com or phone 1300 266 845. *Conditions Apply

Taste Mauritius
Save $570* per couple when you book Adventure World’s Tailor-made 6-day A Taste of Mauritius trip and deposit before 31 March 2017. Catch a glimpse of the exotic Mauritius way of life. Priced from $965* (including discount) per person and available for departure on select dates between 22  April -30 September 2017.

For more information and full terms and conditions visit Adventure World at www.adventureworld.com call 1300 363 055 *Conditions Apply

THE LIBRARY, CHAWENG BEACH, KOH SAMUI MARCH 2017 TRAVEL AGENT INCENTIVE

To celebrate the launch to the Australian market of The Library in Thailand, an additional 2% agency commission will apply for any bookings made in March 2017 for a minimum 3 nights.

A member of Design Hotels, The Library is set against the stunning backdrop of Koh Samui’s Chaweng Beach.

The Library presents 46 studios, suites and fabulous Secret Pool Villas (scheduled opening November 2017), spread over 12,800 square metres and a library binding the property which houses a collection of more than 1400 books to borrow.

Guests will receive a bottle of complimentary sparkling wine on arrival for stays until 20 December 2017. Blackout periods apply.

Please quote code: TA12% when booking.