Asia Vacations & South Pacific Vacations - Globus family of brands
Posted September 30, 2009 , comments closed) Travel to Asia and South Pacific regions of the world has increased with travelers’ growing interest in exotic travel. Whether they list China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tibet, Mongolia or Vietnam on their “must-see” lists for 2010, the Globus family of brands has unveiled a deep offering of vacations designed to enhance the lives of Americans venturing abroad.
“We are not only revealing new itineraries in Asia, our vacation styles to exotic locations worldwide have increased,” said Scott Nisbet, president and chief executive officer for the Globus family of brands. “We’re giving travelers a plethora of tours, river cruises and independent vacation packages to choose from.”
As part of its 2010 vacation offerings, Globus has unveiled several NEW vacations, including two tours: Essence of China and Exploring Australia vacations. And, Monograms the company’s independent travel arm has substantially increased offerings to Asia with NEW Tokyo & Kyoto, Beijing & Shanghai, Beijing & Hong Kong, China Escape and Bangkok & Phuket itineraries. On these vacations, travelers will traverse the Asia Pacific region of the world independently, with help from a Local Host.
“Our Monograms product has witnessed the most growth in these exotic destinations,” said Nisbet. “This expansion, in part, is because Monograms is the perfect choice for first-time travelers to a destination people who want the security and convenience of having an English-speaking Local Host on-hand to point them in the right direction and ensure they explore all of the ‘must-see’ sites.”
To celebrate its exotic vacations, the company is providing travelers $400 off per couple on the air-inclusive price on 2010 Asia & South Pacific vacations when booked before October 13, 2009.* Visit www.globusjourneys.com for more information.
2010 ASIA & CHINA VACATION HIGHLIGHTS:
NEW Essence of China (8 days), priced from $1,599 land- and intra-tour flights only.
Mystical Thailand (12 days), priced from $1,969 land- and intra-tour flights only.
Magical China & the Yangtze River (12 days), priced from $2,799 land/cruise- and intra-tour flights only.
Fascinating China & Mongolia with Yangtze River Cruise (17 days), priced from $5,389 land /cruise and intra-tour flights only.
NEW Bangkok & Phuket (9 days), priced from $989 land- only.
NEW Beijing & Shanghai (7 days), priced from $909 land- only.
2010 SOUTH PACIFIC VACATION HIGHLIGHTS:
NEW Exploring Australia (20 days), priced from $5,919 land- and intra-tour flights only.
South Pacific Sampler (13 days), priced from $3,139 land- and intra-tour flights only.
Naturally New Zealand (10 days), priced from $2,089 land- and intra-tour flights only.
Australia Escape (10 days), priced from $1,329 land- only.
Aussie & Kiwi Explorer (14 days), priced from $2,139 land- only.
*Book a 2010 Globus, Monograms or Avalon Asia or South Pacific air-inclusive vacation. Booking must be made, under deposit and discount applied between August 12 and October 13, 2009 for travel commencing through December 31, 2010. Offers not valid with any other offer except Journeys Club and applies to new 2010 bookings only. Offer reliant on space availability. Full cancellation penalties will apply. Additional restrictions may apply.
ABOUT THE GLOBUS FAMILY OF BRANDS
Littleton, Colorado-based Group Voyagers, Inc. is the privately held company that markets and sells the Globus family of brands within the United States. Globus, Cosmos, Monograms and Avalon Waterways offer travelers unparalleled tour, independent travel package, river and small ship cruise options. Considered the world’s largest tour operator, with more than 80 years of international travel experience, the Globus family of brands is dedicated to enriching the lives of travelers by turning foreign destinations into familiar harbors, where the expense of travel is forgotten and replaced by personal value.
Deadly quake rocks Samoa, triggers killer tsunami
Posted , comments closed- Samoan airline suspends operations
- Fight over driving side switch brewing in Samoa
- Many Australians and New Zealanders no longer want to visit Fiji
- Health alert as dengue fever rages in Pacific
- German tourist attacked, stabbed in Melbourne
- Man trap set to maim tourists
- To protect tourism Palau creates shark sanctuary
- Discover Raiatea
By
David Beirman, eTN Crisis Expert |
Sep 30, 2009
The earthquake that rocked Samoa at 0648 local time measured 8.3-magnitude on the Richter scale and subsequently generated a killer tsunami that has hit various parts of American Samoa, the south coast of Upolo (the most populated island of Samoa) and the smaller island of Manono. The death toll is estimated at 40 people on both American Samoa and Samoa and is expected to rise.
“As the earthquake struck sirens wailed in Apia, the capital of Samoa and bells rang in coastal villages all over Upolo,” eyewitness Elizabeth Angus said. “People who have been well prepared for a tsunami, immediately moved to higher ground and thousands of people were walking from Apia to the nearby hills.”
However, the tsunami struck on the southern coast of Upolo so quickly and with such ferocity that many people in low-lying areas could not evacuate, according to Angus. “One of the people who drowned in the tsunami was Tui Annadale, wife of Joe Annadale the owner of the upmarket Sinalei Resort on Uplolo’s south coast. Tui was much-loved by the thousands of Australians, New Zealand and American guests who have enjoyed the hospitality of the fabulous resort and Tui’s own commitment to hospitality.”
Although full details are not yet available, several popular tourist resorts on Upolo’s south coast are feared to have been affected by the tsunami, which followed the massive quake.
In Samoa, many of the beach fales and small resorts are literally located on the water’s edge and would have had little warning of a tsunami.
Damage to Apia is reported to be modest although media reports on American Samoa suggest that damage to coastal settlements there has been considerable.
The Samoan Tourism Authority is expected to provide updates in the coming hours.
Expert: Ferry disaster can deter tourists from visiting Tonga
Posted August 7, 2009 , add a comment- Many Australians and New Zealanders no longer want to visit Fiji
- Tourists to be banned from climbing Uluru
- Road safety message not reaching tourists: Police
- What crisis? Tourists still heading for the red centre
- Pedal power may help New Zealand lure tourists, revive economy
- Bushfires 'not affecting tourism in Victoria'
- Tourism Australia urging tourists to continue to visit Victoria
- NZ town dims lights to woo tourists
Aug 07, 2009
A regional tourism expert has warned it would be “tragic” if the ferry disaster which may have claimed 60 lives in Tonga deters tourists from visiting the island nation.
The country’s inter-island ferry, the Princess Ashika, sunk 86km from the capital Nuku’alofa just before midnight on Wednesday with 117 people on board.
Rescue boats have picked up 53 survivors and the bodies of two people, including Briton Daniel Macmillan, who had been living in New Zealand.
Hopes are fading for the remaining 62 passengers, most of whom were are women and children who were sleeping on lower decks indoors when the boat became unbalanced and rolled quickly.
The country’s prime minister Fred Sevele has called it a “huge tragedy” for Tonga: “It’s a very sad day … it’s big for a small place.”
New Zealand Tourism Research Institute director Simon Milne, who is in Tonga to meet with tourism heads, said the fragile industry was likely to be hit hard by the disaster.
“Like so many places in the Pacific, Tonga had been feeling the brunt of the global economic recession,” Milne said from the island group of Ha’apai, where the rescue operation is centred.
“People had been feeling like they could overcome it but this is another blow, a tragic setback they really didn’t need.”
Inter-island ferries are not commonly used by tourists, most of whom opt to fly between Tonga’s three island groups, Tongatapu, Ha’apai and Va’vau.
The Princess Ashika was the only boat servicing the islands and had been purchased from Fiji two months ago after the aged Olovaha, in use since the 1980s, developed engine troubles.
The vessel was to be a stopgap until a new Japanese-built ferry was delivered in 2011.
Pesi Fonua, editor of Matangi Tonga newspaper, said many locals had a “bad feeling” about the boat as it had broken down several times during its initial attempts to relocate to Tonga.
Passenger reports suggest in this case the timber cargo on board had shaken loose in rough seas, shifting the balance of the boat and quickly up-ending it.
But Sevele said the official cause was not yet known and stressed the vessel had passed safety inspections and was found to be suitable for insurance.
“We were quite satisfied according to the reports we got before we actually paid for the ship,” he said.
Meanwhile, three vessels resumed the search on Friday for those still missing, but search and rescue mission coordinator John Dickson said hopes of finding people alive were fading.
“Clearly survival rates after this length of time are of concern, but we remain hopeful of finding more survivors,” he said.
Karma Goes Social
Posted July 14, 2009 , add a comment) The Karma Group’s Creative Director, Clinton Albuquerque states, “Traditional marketing and PR weren’t providing the immediacy and specific target marketing that we required. We wanted to engage our audience on a regular basis and increase our brand awareness through the latest online channels.”
Social media marketing has become recognized as a key driver of brand affinity and brand awareness in the travel industry. Through increasingly popular channels such as TripAdvisor, companies are finding that they can make a personal connection with someone who has expressed an interest in their brand. These connections are two-way dialogues rather than a one-way marketing “push.” Mr. Albuquerque adds, “social media is a breakthrough marketing channel. We can now listen and interact with people, not just broadcast to them. It allows us to tailor our content to match their individual interests. Moreover, the feedback we obtain from these conversations helps us make our product better and more responsive to our target markets.”
Many industry insiders believe that social media is the future for the travel industry. Ric Shreves of water&stone notes, “the travel industry, more than any other I know of, benefits from word of mouth and viral marketing. Travellers trust what other travellers tell them, and photo and video sharing sites tap right into human nature, where seeing is believing.”
Karma Resorts is expanding rapidly. The Group currently operates two oceanfront luxury resorts on Bali’s dramatic southern peninsula and another in Koh Samui, Thailand, all of them earning industry accolades, including membership of the Leading Small Hotels of the World. Development is now underway on two new luxury villa resorts. Karma Margaret River celebrates the idyllic charms of this famous winemaking region in Western Australia, while Karma Agung, named after the sacred volcano that rears skyward behind it, spills down a hillside on Bali’s magical eastern coast. Exquisite new luxury villa resorts will soon unfold in Palawan (Philippines), Langkawi (Malaysia), Lombok (Indonesia), Fiji, Goa & Kerala (India) and Mykonos (Greece), putting Karma Resorts at the vanguard of 21st century global luxury living.
By creating a custom social media marketing campaign, the Group hopes to continue to engage their target markets and keep them more in tune with the rapid changes that happening within the resorts. To manage and execute their social media marketing efforts, Karma Resorts retained water&stone and ClearWhiteSpace. It was water&stone and ClearWhiteSpace who launched Bali’s first social media marketing services in May of this year. Clinton adds “The team at water&stone and ClearWhiteSpace have the technical expertise and the market experience to interpret and deliver our message in a fashion we trust. We also liked the idea that they are a local firm with whom we can work to tailor our social media marketing campaign and be proactive in reaching our target audience.”
About Karma Resorts
The Karma Resorts Group owns and operates luxury resorts.
About water&stone (the publisher)
water&stone is a boutique web design and online marketing agency. The firm specializes in the implementation of open source technologies and search marketing.
About ClearWhiteSpace:
ClearWhiteSpace is a creative marketing agency based in Bali.
For More Information:
Karma Resorts: http://www.karmaresorts.com
For more information about Karma Resorts, including links to the various resorts operated worldwide.
water&stone: http://www.waterandstone.com
For more information about water&stone, including company profile, portfolio and client list.
ClearWhiteSpace: http://www.clearwhitespace.com
For more information about CWS, including company profile, portfolio and client list.
Radisson Resort Fiji Denarau Island has launched an Early Bird Stay promotion
Posted December 22, 2008 , add a commentThe Radisson Resort Fiji Denarau Island has launched an Early Bird Stay promotion, with holiday makers receiving five nights’ accommodation at the price of three. On sale until 31 March 2009, the deal is applicable to all room types, with guests able to make a choice between the resort’s Guest Room, one Bedroom Suite or two Bedroom Suite with views of the gardens, lagoon or ocean. Continue reading 'Radisson Resort Fiji Denarau Island...'