QANTAS extended its
deadline for booking the Qantas Aussie Air Pass from Dec. 31, 2004
to Aug. 31, 2005. Hayman Island was added to the list of
destinations. The pass includes roundtrip economy air between Los
Angeles or Honolulu to Sydney, plus three domestic flights within
Australia. Prices start from $999. Divided in zones, the base price
is Zone One with travel to and from Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne,
Brisbane, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Hobart and Launceston. For an
additional $200, Zone Two cities include Cairns, Hamilton Island,
Townsville, Alice Springs, Ayers Rock and Darwin. For an additional
$400, Zone Three options are Perth, Broome and Hayman Island. For
more information or to book, call (800) 965-6252 or visit www.australia.com.
SEVERAL PACKAGES have
been added to the Tourism Australia Web site [www.australia.com],
including four luxury vacations. Packages include the countrys top
city and beach retreats as well as sightseeing options. Starting
from $1,399, they include roundtrip air from Los Angeles on Qantas,
domestic air in Australia, transfers and accommodations.
NAME
GAME: The Beijing New Century Hotel in Beijing, a
five-star property, will be renamed Hotel Nikko New Century Beijing
by JAL Hotels Co. when it reopens on Dec. 20 after undergoing
renovations. Hotel Nikko New Century Beijing will be the second
hotel in the Nikko Hotels chain in Beijing (the first is the
Jinglun Hotel). The property is located in the northwest section of
Beijing near the high-tech IT zone, government ministries, the
National Library and the Beijing Zoo.
VIKING RIVER
CRUISES said it contracted Chongqing New Century Cruise
Co. to add a third ship, the Viking Century Sun, to its China fleet
to meet the strong demand for Yangtze River cruises. Viking Century
Sun will join the recently launched Viking Century Sky on the
Yangtze for the 2006 season. Viking River Cruises will manage the
hotel and catering onboard the vessel. For 2005 and 2006, Viking
River Cruises will offer three- and four-night cruises as well as
nine-day cruises between Chongqing and Shanghai, offered as part of
cruise-tour packages that include Beijing, Xian and
Shanghai.
THE PACIFIC ASIA
TRAVEL ASSOCIATION (PATA) forecasts that more than 300
million international visitors will travel to the Asia-Pacific
region in 2004, about 10% more than the previous record of 274.8
million in 2002. PATA attributed the forecast to pent-up demand for
the region following the SARS crisis, competitive fares by low-cost
carriers and the strong Euro, among other reasons. One of the
regions leading performers is China, which has seen international
arrivals rise to almost 80 million from January through September,
compared with 66 million during the same period in 2003.