CATHAY PACIFIC TO LAUNCH NEW SERVICE TO JEDDAH

Cathay Pacific Airways has announced that it will launch flights to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s second major commercial city, with effect from 25 October. The four-times-weekly service will operate through Dubai on the way to and from Hong Kong.

The new service, to be operated by an Airbus A330-300 aircraft in a two-class configuration, will increase the airline’s presence in the increasingly important Middle Eastern market, connecting business and leisure passengers to Cathay Pacific’s extensive international network through the Hong Kong hub.

Jeddah will become Cathay Pacific’s 46th online passenger destination when flights begin and will mark the airline’s latest destination launch since Chennai in June 2008.

Effective 24 October, Cathay Pacific will offer a daily service from Auckland to Riyadh via Hong Kong.

Vanuatu Kitesurfing Classic - August 11-16

For the third year in a row, the Vanuatu International Kitesurfing Classic will take place on Efate Island.

The VIKC this year will be held between the 11 - 16th of August, on Efate. In addition to the previously seen freestyle and the long distance categories, another two events will be introduced this year. Wave riding and Air Time.

The first 4 days of the competition will be at Pango Village where the wave riding will be organized. And if the wind is off, Pango provides some very good surf breaks. During this time there will also be two long distance races along the pristine coastline between Pango and Mele Bay's Hideaway Island Resort. As in previous years, the show than most of Port Vila will come to watch is the freestyle and air time competition on the final two days, the weekend of the 15-16 August.

Kite surfing competitions are all about lots of spectators and everyone having a good time all day long and into the night, so there will be the usual music concerts, barbecues, beach volleyball and rugby sevens competitions, vendors selling food and souvenirs, and more.

The people of Efate have been progressively exposed to the spectacle of kite surfing over the last few years and they are some of the most excited spectators any kite surfer is likely to see. Sunshine, warm water, strong winds, smiling laughing faces...welcome to Vanuatu!

Any riders interested in coming who would like to get more information about the event (registration, accommodation options, logistics, etc) can contact us on 2009VIKC@gmail.com or mobile +678 7775875 and speak to Thomas .

You also visit their website www. http://www.seabreeze.com.au/News/Kitesurfing/Kitesurfing-Vanuatu-October-2008_1798573.aspx

Wellington Means Business

Positively Wellington Tourism’s Convention Bureau has launched a new tactical initiative that will make meeting in the capital even easier and aims to drive further growth in conference tourism.

In an exclusive partnership with Air New Zealand, Capital Meetings is offering a full service meetings package aimed at small to medium businesses.

The packages – launched in time for the national industry trade show, MEETINGS, in Auckland - include return flights, Wellington airport transfers, accommodation, meeting space, morning and afternoon teas and a daily working lunch. Lead in prices for an overnight package from Auckland start from as little as $313 per person.

Convention Bureau Sales Manager Martin Boland says the packages, booked through Air New Zealand Groups, are flexible, with additional nights and activities easily added. Delegates can be flown from all around the country and do not have to be coming from one centre.

“Capital Meetings is designed ideally for businesses holding events for around 20-80 people. It’s for people that don’t have time to arrange all the detail at the start, but need quality, cost effective solutions.”

Clients will be given a choice of a range of three to five star accommodation options as well as meeting spaces at iconic Wellington venues like Te Papa and the Wellington Convention Centre. An advantage will be that they have the freedom to adjust names on flight bookings at no extra charge.

“This is an off-the-shelf product that no other city in New Zealand has on offer right now,” Mr Boland said.

Positively Wellington Tourism Chief Executive David Perks says the initiative reflects the city’s commitment to making life easy for its visitors no matter what their reason for coming.

“Time is money for small businesses and this will free their staff up to focus on their projects while someone else researches the options for them.”

Following the launch of Capital Meetings domestically, Mr Perks said the natural progression would be to look at releasing trans-Tasman packages.

“Our respective Prime Ministers have identified a common border between New Zealand and Australia as a priority. We’ll be looking to launch Capital Meetings to the Australian market off the back of any such developments to maximise the market potential and make the experience the best it can possibly be. Business tourism is a vital component of Wellington’s visitor makeup and attracting more conference visitors across the ditch is a priority.”