Monday, August 3, 2009

‘World Travel Award’ Nomination Recognises Excellence of Navigate Oceania Members

Seven luxury lodges and resorts marketed internationally by New Zealand based tourism marketing specialist Navigate Oceania, have been nominated for the highly coveted World Travel Awards.

Known as the ‘Oscars’ of the global travel industry, The World Travel Awards are recognised as the highest vote of excellence and are complied from the opinions of 167,000 Travel Experts from around the world.

2009 Navigate Oceania World Travel Award Nominees:

Paihia Beach Resort, Bay of Islands
Australasia’s Leading Spa Resort
New Zealand’s Leading Spa Resort
New Zealand’s Leading Resort

Treetops Lodge and Wilderness Experience, Rotorua Australasia’s Responsible Tourism Award New Zealand’s Leading Luxury Lodge

Wharekauhau Country Estate, Martinborough New Zealand’s Leading Luxury Lodge New Zealand’s Leading Spa Resort

Claremont Country Estate, North Canterbury Australasia’s Leading Boutique Resort New Zealand’s Leading Luxury Lodge

Waipoua Lodge, Waipoua Forest
Australasia’s Leading Green Hotel

Ohtel, Wellington
New Zealand’s Leading Boutique Hotel

Cotter House, Auckland
New Zealand’s Leading Hotel

Karine Thomas, Director of Navigate Oceania comments, “Navigate is delighted that our member’s ongoing efforts to provide the best New Zealand experiences and maintain the highest levels of customer services have been recognised. It is a credit to the hard work of the lodge owners and managers who continually strive for excellence.”



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Melbourne International Arts Festival 2009 9 – 24 October

Acclaimed Artistic Director Brett Sheehy will deliver his first Melbourne International Arts Festival in October, with a program that encompasses all art forms and features over 730 international and local artists and musicians from 26 countries.

“It’s a thrill for me to be directing the Melbourne Festival, the jewel in the crown of Melbourne’s cultural landscape. In 2009 we embark on a new vision, where international works are drawn from every art form – opera, outdoor spectacle, visual arts, symphonic music, dance and theatre to hybrid arts, techno, heavy metal and neo-punk – for a unique celebration of contemporary artistic practices” Mr Sheehy said.

“With 90 percent of the works presented exclusive to Melbourne Festival, the only place in Australia or our region where this art can be seen and experienced will be in Melbourne” he said.

The 2009 Festival aims to be the most affordable international arts festival ever staged in Australia, with many low ticket price events and an expansive free program.

“There are free events, events with extremely low ticket prices, and a policy of allotting tickets for nearly every single performance to young audiences, so that even the most astonishing international opera, symphonic music, dance, theatre or hybrid arts can be seen by young devotees for as little as $25” said Mr Sheehy.

The 2009 Melbourne Festival features creations of artists from:

Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
China
England
Finland
France
Germany
Iceland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Korea
Liberia
New Zealand
Russia
Scotland
Singapore
South Africa
Sudan
Switzerland
USA
Wales
West Bank
Australia

WHAT: Melbourne International Arts Festival

WHEN: 9 - 24 October 2009

VISIT: www.melbournefestival.com.au





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Saturday, July 4, 2009

More than a third off selected sailing holidays

Holidaymakers who are happy to take their holiday at short notice can benefit from an extraordinary deal thanks to Sunsail Yacht Charters.

The world's leading sailing holiday company turns 35 this year and to celebrate, it is giving customers a whopping 35% off selected last-minute bookings from their base in the Whitsundays, north Queensland.

All customers have to do is call Sunsail and ask about the last-minute Birthday offers and they will be offered a selection of boats in the Whitsundays on specific dates over the next few weeks - at a massive 35% discount.

The discount is available on selected dates until the end of the year, which will be released at various intervals over the next few months.

And it is in addition to Sunsail's other 35th Birthday promotion, where customers can get $35 cash back simply by saying 'Happy Birthday Sunsail' when they book!

"We are thrilled to be celebrating 35 years and we want to share our milestone with our customers," said Sunsail's marketing manager Kim Lehmann.

"Booking one of these deals can really pay off for our customers. With more than a third off the charter price - and some really low airfares at the moment - cruising the beautiful Whitsundays this winter has never looked so good.

"And don't forget to wish us Happy Birthday when you book for an additional $35 cash back!"

Sunsail Yacht Charters started in 1974 with sailing flotillas first in Greece and then Turkey (1978). Sailing courses started in 1984, in the UK, and a rapid period of expansion in the late 1980s and early 1990s saw the company reach 390 yachts in the Mediterranean, 100 yachts in the Caribbean,19 yachts in Thailand and 6 international Beach Clubs by 1993.

The Australian and New Zealand operations were established in 1994 followed by the Seychelles (1995), Tonga (1996), Croatia (1998), Malaysia (2001) and Cuba, Tahiti and Corsica (2002).

Today, Sunsail Yacht Charters has 29 bases in 20 different countries, as well as a successful Beach Club in Greece, and offers not just boat charter holidays but sailing flotillas, participation in regattas, corporate and team-building events and five RYA approved sailing schools.

Sunsail Australia's base is located on Hamilton Island in the heart of the Whitsunday Islands cruising ground.

Flights arrive every day from major cities into Hamilton Island Airport and with the Sunsail base just three-minutes away in the air-conditioned courtesy bus, guests can be on their boat and sailing out the marina within a couple of hours, following their safety briefing. Sunsail can even provision the boat for guests, saving yet more time.

Sunsail's fleet of high-specification luxury yachts and catamarans cater for every kind of sailing experience and holiday, and yachts can be hired with or without a skipper.

Guests' comfort is as important as the safety and performance of the yachts, which are built to Sunsail's exacting standards in conjunction with the world's top yacht designers.

For up-to-date information on Sunsail's 35th birthday offer of a 35% discount off selected boats and dates - including the current available timeslots - check the special offers page on the website: www.sunsail.com.au


For more information or reservations call 1800 803 988



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