Another week down, and it’s just about time to head to the pub for a vino or two.

So to cut down the time between doing your daily agent research and popping out of the office for a long lunch, we’ve got your weekly dose of all things agent.

Read on, hard workers, because it’s almost the weekend! Happy Friday!

Travel Counsellors get sentimental

Travel Counsellors welcomed 30 of its agents to its Melbourne head office this week to celebrate their annual anniversary day as Travel Counsellors and the continuing growth of their businesses during their time with the company.

Anniversaries ranged from one to eight years, and the large group of Travel Counsellors were greeted with a champagne reception and finished the day via webcam to the company’s international UK headquarters where they were thanked by Karen Morris Operations Director and Mark Hulme Head of Sales for their dedication and hard work.

Etihad doubles up for Melbourne

This weekend Etihad Airways’ ;aunches its second daily non-stop service between Melbourne and Abu Dhabi.

Etihad Airways flight EY462 will depart Abu Dhabi at 10:30am local time on Saturday August 1 and touch down in Melbourne at approximately 6.05am on Sunday August 2 . The return flight EY463 will depart Melbourne at 3:00pm on August 2 and arrive in Abu Dhabi at 11.05pm the same day.

The new service will be operated by a three-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with eight seats in First Class, 40 in Business Class and 280 in Economy Class.

Airnorth appoints new ceo

Airnorth officially announces that after 17 years as Chief Executive Officer and 26 years with the company, Michael Bridge will be stepping down from his role.

Airnorth’s current Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Daniel Bowden, has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer, effective Tuesday July 28 2015.

Bowden commenced with the Bristow Group in 2008 working in senior finance and operational management positions for their Australia Business Unit and has been working with Airnorth for the last six months.

Cook Islands is coming for you!

Cook Islands Tourism is hitting the road again this September as it tours the country on its annual Industry Blitz.

Registrations are now open for front-line sellers to attend in Melbourne (31 August), Brisbane (1 September) and Sydney (2 September), at exciting venues such as Cargo Hall, Alchemy Restaurant & Bar, and Bungalow 8 respectively.

To register for this year’s Industry Blitz and for more information see http://sale.cookislands.travel/trade/industry-blitz-registration.

Visit the Cook Islands online trade resource www.sale.cookislands.travel/trade where you’ll find a trade toolkit, industry offers, an image library and consumer brochures for download.

Selmo & co take on the Gulf

The world’s largest hand-knotted carpet, a mountaintop restaurant and a souvenir one-kilogram box of dates were just a few of the highlights for TravelManagers’ Anne Maree Selmo on her CT Partners exclusive famil of Six Senses Gulf State Resorts.

Selmo, representative for Edithvale in Victoria, spent ten days discovering some of the highlights of Abu Dhabi and Oman, including Muscat and Zighy Bay.  In total, nine consultants took part in an exclusive CT Partners famil, which was Selmo’s first visit to the Middle East.

Silversea goes big with expertise

Agents will now find it even easier to enter the luxury cruise market with extra support from Silversea Cruises expert, dedicated Sales Team across Australia and New Zealand.

Chosen for their vast experience in high-end travel, the team reinforces Silversea’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that all agents seeking knowledge on luxury travel and Silversea’s unique offering have sufficient support.

Silversea’s Sales Team consists of four Business Development Managers (BDMs):

• Leanne Fonagy, Northern New South Wales and Queensland, leannef@silversea.com
• Scott Graham, Southern New South Wales, ACT and New Zealand, scottg@silversea.com
• Craig Farrell, Victoria and Tasmania, craigf@silversea.com
• Charlie Turnbull, Western Australia and South Australia, charliet@silversea.com

Agents turn Japanese for JNTO

This July, ten travel agents from Australia were invited to experience Japan’s Golden Route, the most popular route for first-time travellers to Japan on an 8-day fully-hosted familiarisation trip to Japan hosted by Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) Sydney Office.

The trip started in the Hakone region, famous as a hot springs resort one and a half hours from Tokyo, where the group were treated to a scenic cruise on a pirate ship on Lake Ashi.

Mt Fuji was also on the agenda, as well as Japan’s cultural and traditional heart, Kyoto, Osaka, the historically-significant city of Hiroshima and the buzzing capital of Tokyo.

Pictured are: Back row (L-R): Sheri Foreman – TravelManagers, Jennifer Jones – TravelManagers, Brigitte Borel – Insider Journeys, Jade Fan – Mandarin World Tours, Catherine Kurmelovs – Bunnik Tours, Mark Kidd – Asia Escape Holidays, Paul Wang – JTB Australia

Front row (L-R): Jenna Thompson – Insider Journeys, Rebecca Kitlinska (Wendy Wu Tours), Ronnie Albanis (Intrepid Group).

Go to Hawai’i from your desk

Hawai‘i Tourism Oceania have released a third module on our YouTube channel showcasing the island of Maui. Learn about what makes Maui unique with this 10-minute presentation.

The Maui training video is presented by Sherry Duong from the Maui Visitors & Convention Bureau and will give you a great overview of the island, without you having to leave your desk.

Lufthansa posts profit-spike

The German airline posted “solid results” April-to-June although earnings “were strongly impacted by external effects”, chief financial officer Simone Menne said on Thursday.

Net profit soared to 529 million euros ($A795 million) during the second quarter, up from 173 million euros one year ago.

A rise in interest rates also eased pressure on the airline to top up guaranteed pension levels. READ MORE

AccorHotels profit jumps 52%

France’s AccorHotels has posted a 52% first half profit increase and outlined ambitious targets for the full year.

The world’s sixth-largest hotel group said on Thursday second quarter sales rose three per cent to 1.5 billion euros from 1.46 billion the same period last year.

That contributed to a half year increase of net profit of 91 million euros ($A137.07 million) and an increase of 5.25% to 2.7 billion euros in sales during the same period.

Tourism NZ goes 100% 

Tourism New Zealand’s new ’100% Pure New Zealand’ brand evolution will launch alongside its North Island Touring campaign, ‘Everyday a different journey’ this month.

Promoted across Australia’s Eastern Sea Board, the campaign delivers seamless messaging and visuals across multiple touch points including TV, outdoor, digital, social media and a dedicated site. READ MORE