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Opinion
Blog: Volunteering with BlazeAid
Jessica Riley, an Irish backpacker and journalist, shares her experience volunteering with Blazeaid on the clean-up after the 2013 Gippsland Bushfires in
Victoria. Read more »Defying off-peak dry spells with group buying
Rachel Beaumont founded Darwin Harbour Cruises with her parents and husband in 1996. She discusses the benefits of group buying sites after her experiences with online marketing company LivingSocial. Read more »Use it or lose it: the small scale accommodation survey
Last year the Federal Government committed to re-establishing a program for our sector to track the performance of our sector after funding was removed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Read more »
Fisheries set to bait sharks after constant stream of sightings, but is it the right thing to do?
The Department of Fisheries is set to begin deploying bait after a kill order was issued yesterday on a number of great white sharks that have been repeatedly spotted over the holiday period swimming near popular beaches in Western Australia. Read more »
Gen Y choose experiences over stuff
Chris Ball, founder and CEO at AdventureHoney suggests this generation are more likely to appreciate the things that money can’t buy. Read more »Industry feedback requested for Sydney Expo
Andrew Paltridge, managing director of the Sydney Adventure Travel & Backpackers Expo poses the question to industry folk: should the expo be split into an inbound/outbound event? Read more »
Treating customers like this is unAustralian
Travel agent Sarah Gohlke is unimpressed with how some people in the trade are operating…
I write this out of complete frustration and an intolerance for injustice. Read more »
Insurance rip-off…
Queensland hostel operator Brent Gemmell is unimpressed with the constant rise of insurance premiums…
What is happening with our insurance? As an industry we have been stung well over the top for a long time now. But this year we have reached new heights. Read more »
‘Australia must cut prices and re-enchant backpackers’
Australian tourism operators need to get real and drop their prices, while the country as a whole needs to ease backpackers’ visa restrictions and improve its promotional efforts, according to travel writer David Whitley. Read more »
From commissions to Koreans: ABiC debates continue
After Sydney’s successful Adventure and Backpacker Industry Conference drew to a close last Thursday, operators took the rare chance of all being in town together to arrange an extra informal meeting to further discuss some of the burning issues to have arisen from the conference. Read more »
Just a brainstorm in a schooner…
Scotty’s Beach House owner Boyd Scott suggests that while most of the industry is in Sydney for expo week, it makes perfect sense to hold an informal brainstorming session on how best to put Australia back in the tourist`s eye. Read more »
ATA’s tribute to the newly retired Ken Hart
Greg Zammit from Adventure Tours Australia bids farewell to his business partner of 22 years, Ken Hart, who retired two weeks ago. Read more »
THL rolls out a Mighty new brand
Tourism Holdings Limited (thl) will launch a new cost-effective car and campervan rental brand called Mighty.
The new brand has been designed to give travellers in Australia and New Zealand a cost effective camper or car option.
In a press release, thl said that the Mighty brand has been developed from travel industry feedback and customer insights, gleaned from months of field research.
“Our research shows the industry and customers want value-centric brands that appeal to a wide audience and go beyond the youth market.
“Mighty is as relevant as it is vibrant and fun – we are making self-driving holidays even more accessible to more people,” said Kate Meldrum, GM Marketing & Customer Experience, thl.
The launch of Mighty Cars and Campers highlights thl’s customer focused, design-led philosophy, as it transforms small campervan design and service delivery, while kick starting traveller stories across the country.
“Many travel lovers fondly recall childhood camping trips – the adventure; being intrepid and the desire to explore. Travel is about broadening horizons, gaining fresh perspectives and creating stories – and this is brought to life with Mighty,” said Kate.
The Mighty fleet offers a selection of vehicles to suit all value-seeking travellers, from sleepervans that sleep two to campervans sleeping four.
Mighty’s design revolutionises compact travelling with its hero product, The Mighty Jackpot. “The Mighty Jackpot experience is built on the foundation of camping ‘ceremony’ and task accomplishment. It provides a space that does only a few things, and does them well,” said Kate.
For more info, click here.
By Alex Harmon · June 21st, 2012 at 9:38 pm
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Comments
22 Jun 12
8:25 am
Yes like oz needs more campervans! At vans already selling at $26 per day the writing is on the wall for over supply. Last year they were selling at 50+ per day.
22 Jun 12
8:30 am
As one folds, another launches…it’s a tough time to enter, though: the current van yards look a lot more crowded than I’ve seen em for years, especially for mid June….London Olympics? Euro soccer? Class, anyone…anyone?
22 Jun 12
3:36 pm
“Our research shows the industry and customers want value-centric brands that appeal to a wide audience and go beyond the youth market”.
Kate, you might want to dust off that research and check the date it was published. If the date has faded beyond recognition then I’ll take a stab: 2002? You might want to research cheap parking yards.
22 Jun 12
3:40 pm
This is an easy one to follow, the Kiwi parent Company is quiet large with Maui, Britz and now Kea. The Kiwis now have increased competition from vans Spaceships and Jucy vans. They are simply moving with the market and adapting to change like we all need to. If it means that increased competition gives travellers a better deal in a safe quality vehicles, then we all win.. Maybe the supper budget vans will park up forever. Now if we just the same movement in boats in the Whitsundays, we will have the beginnings of a tourism reshuffle.
25 Jun 12
5:08 pm
Keith, as long as the high commissions keep flowing from the dodgy Whitsunday boats they will continue to be supported by those who have no interest in the long term effects of the area. I forcast the current situation would happen 5 years ago but everybody poo pooed the idea. Every day you can see examples departing Abel Point Marina that just should not have the numbers when quality lesser commission based craft are cancelling due to lack of numbers. Therein lies the root of all evil.
26 Jun 12
4:01 pm
In my understanding from the e-mails I received, Mighty Camper was coming as a replacement to Backpacker in OZ and NZ and Explore More in NZ? Did I get it all wrong?
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