Friday, April 10, 2009

Kiwi bargain hunters love spontaneous travel

A Wotif.com poll of 6,381 Kiwis has shown New Zealand is a nation full of spontaneous travellers who love to “scout out the best deal”.

When asked what makes the ideal break, 46% of Kiwi respondents said it was “getting the best bang for their buck” admitting they were happy to “scout out the best deal” with a number of inclusions.

Megan Magill, Wotif.com General Manager Brand said the “Wot type of traveller are you?” quiz, posted on the website a week ago, had already received 37,444 respondents worldwide.

“Overall, 37% of New Zealanders taking the quiz were ‘spontaneous travellers’, closely followed by the ‘deal finders’ (30%),” Magill said.

“Many of our hotels have lowered their rates and thrown in great value-added inclusions, which are hard to resist.

“Add to this some of the great air fare deals available at the moment and it’s easy to see why there are so many ‘spontaneous travellers’ and ‘deal finders’ taking advantage of an impulsive weekend away or a bargain holiday.”

Another 18% of Kiwi respondents were ‘planners’.

“We’re seeing more of the ‘planner’ personality type booking with Wotif.com as we’ve recently extended our booking period to three months of deals, so it’s easier to plan and book around long weekends, special events and school holidays,” Magill said.

The quiz also asked respondents what they would do with a hypothetical “big wad of money” given to them by the “travel gods” - only 12% of Kiwis would put it in the bank; 43% would splurge on a getaway and the other 45% would wait for the perfect deal to make their money stretch further.

Kiwis’ travel personality almost mirrored that of Australian respondents.

Four $500 Wotif.com Gift Vouchers are up for grabs for those taking part in the ‘Wot type of traveller are you’ quiz. The competition runs until 14 April 2009.

Wot type of traveller are you?
The Spontaneous Adventurer: You’ve practically burnt a hole in the seat of your pants, after all, you do tend to fly-by-the-seat-of-them. Spontaneous may as well be your middle name – you’re quick to make a decision and grab life with both hands. You often decide to get away at the eleventh hour and use your spare time to get out and enjoy life. You tend to take lots of short breaks and see the weekend as a mini vacation. You’re always willing to try something new and as long as there’s a getaway on offer, you’ll take it.

The Planner’s true identity is often unknown, as your nose is more than likely stuck in your dayplanner, often keeping your face hidden from those around you. Every aspect of your life is mapped out in advance, so why would a getaway be any different? You take comfort in knowing ahead of time where you’re going and when. You’ll have researched the location, the hotel and all the attactions and entertainment to keep you busy once you’re there. For you, there’s saftey in planning ahead as it means you don’t miss out.

The Deal Finder is often spotted on the TV news, complete with crash helmet and knee-pads, racing through the crowd to snag the best bargain at the Boxing Day sales. You can smell out deal like a customs dog on Border Security. Not surprisingly, the Deal Finder squeezes out every cent on an accommodation deal – reduced rates, an arm’s length of inclusions and added-extras and, if there happens to be complimentary shampoo and conditioner in the room, all the better. Saving here and there means you can get away more often.

Outrigger gives guests 1000 reasons to smile!

Outrigger on the Lagoon Fiji is giving guests who stay five nights or more a fantastic resort credit of F$1000* to use at the resort’s restaurants, bars, paid on-site activities or on luxurious beauty treatments at the divine Bebe Day Spa.

The offer is available through all major wholesalers in Australia until June 30, ’09 (for stays to December 15 ’09) and represents an exceptional selling tool to tempt travellers away from current economic woes to venture out to the sunny, palm fringed shores of the Coral Coast.

For guests to receive the credit offer, they must stay in the resort’s premium collection of accommodation ranging from deluxe ocean view rooms, suites or bures – which have the added benefit of coming with their own Talai butler!

So on top of the great credit offer, guests will be thoroughly spoilt by their Talai butlers on call to offer special touches such as unpacking luggage, hanging and pressing clothes, delivering afternoon champagne and canapes, providing complimentary welcome drinks, making restaurant, spa and hairdressing bookings, and recommending offsite tours and activities.

This magnificent 5-star resort just over an hour’s drive south of Nadi features all the trimmings one would expect including four restaurants, five bars, kids club, the divine Bebe Day Spa, hilltop Kalokalo Bar, wedding chapel and one of the largest swimming pools in the South Pacific.

*The offer is valid until 15/12/09 (but must be booked by 30/06/09) and is based on 5 night minimum stays in Deluxe Ocean View Rooms, Suites or Bures. F$1000 credit is per room (not per person), and is not redeemable for cash or refunds on unused credit amounts. Credits can be used at all resort owned restaurants and bars, Bebe Day Spa (treatments only) and ‘paid’ onsite recreational activities. To book, contact your preferred wholesaler.

For an interactive tour of Outrigger on the Lagoon Fiji, visit www.outriggerfiji.com.

Five more Star carriers move to T1 at Heathrow

With the Move under one Roof (MuoR) program still taking place at London Heathrow for Star Alliance carriers, the airline alliance announced that five more airlines will complete the transition soon.

Austrian, Croatia Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS and TAP, currently operating from Terminal 2 will relocate to Terminal 1 over the June to August period. Once complete all Star Alliance carriers will operate out of either Terminal 1 or Terminal 3.

Star Alliance points out that this will make the alliance, “the largest alliance operating out of the core Central Area at Heathrow.”

Adding that, “the Central Area is the only area at Heathrow that has direct access to the full range of public transport: Heathrow Express and the London Connect Service, all Underground trains to Central London as well as all local and regional bus services.”

After the move, Heathrow’s Terminal 1 will see a common Star Alliance branded check-in area for those passengers travelling on Austrian, Croatia Airlines, Lufthansa, LOT Polish Airlines and TAP.

Terminal 1 will also see its airport lounge experience upgraded, with bmi announcing plans to launch a new lounge product closer to its own primary gates.

Eight other carriers, Air Canada, Air China, ANA, EgyptAir, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Thai and Turkish Airlines, will remain in Terminal 3 until 2013.
The remaining seven Star Alliance carriers have already completed the MuoR shift to Terminal 1.

Auckland yachting series nets $NZ16m

One event drives a $NZ11.54 boost to GDP

According to reports in New Zealand, an independent audit has concluded that Auckland’s return to the international yachting scene in February through hosting the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series injected about $16 million into the Auckland economy.

And it gets better as the while the $16.1 million cash injection translates to an $11.54 million increase in the Auckland region's GDP, the audit’s estimates did not include extra spending by super-yacht owners coming for the associated Millennium Cup regatta.

The series, which was run by Louis Vuitton, Emirates Team New Zealand and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, attracted Government spending of $750,000 for New Zealand's two boats and to help BMW Oracle with the two boats they shipped over from the America's Cup sailing base in Valencia, with Auckland City Council, Tourism Auckland and AucklandPlus each giving $20,000 to help secure the event.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

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