Carry On: News for business travellers

Etihad plans Australian lounges
New lounges will open at both Sydney and Melbourne airports next year, followed by the debut of Airbus A380 services from both cities, Etihad Airways says. The Sydney one is due to open in "early 2014" while the Melbourne lounge is expected to open later in the year.

Etihad  will operate both lounges under its own brand for first and business class passengers, while eligible Virgin Australia travellers and frequent flyers booked on codeshare Etihad flights will also be eligible. The lounges will be modelled on Etihad’s other international lounges such as  Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris the flagship one at Abu Dhabi Airport.

World travellers keep rising
The number of people travelling internationally continued to increase in the first four months of 2013. An extra 298 million international travellers was up 4.3%, or 12 million more than the corresponding period in 2012.

The growth was driven by Asia Pacific, which achieved a 6% rise in tourists. Arrivals to Europe and the Middle East increased 5%, while Africa saw 2% more arrivals and the Americas increased 1%. By sub-region, Southeast Asia (+12%), South Asia (+9%) and Central and Eastern Europe (+9%) were the top performers.

From May to August 2013, the UNWTO estimates that the world will see 435 million international tourists. Forward booking data reveals a 4% rise in international flight reservations, with the highest rates of growth deriving from Africa and the Middle East (+7%) and the Americas (+5%), followed by Europe (+3%) and Asia Pacific (+2%).

For the full year 2013, international tourist arrivals are expected to increase by 3-4% – in line with UNWTO’s long-term forecast of 3.8% annual growth from 2010 to 2020.

Cathay Pacific seeks more Australian flights
Cathay Pacific has reached a government-imposed limit of 70 flights per week out of Australia, covering most capital cities as well as Cairns. It now wants that cap lifted before adding more services to Hong Kong. The airline sees flights to London and Europe via Hong Kong as major drawcards for Australian travellers, along with shorter hops flights into China on Cathay and its sister Dragonair.

Cathay's chief operating officer Ivan Chu told the Australia Pacific Aviation Summit this week of the old Chinese proverb: "Dig a well before you are thirsty."
"When the market grows we want to have the capacity to allow us to grow" he says.

Business tourism agreement signed
Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) and Conventions and Incentives New Zealand (CINZ) say the marketing of international business events destination will be significantly enhanced by a new cooperative agreement.

The two organisations have signed a memorandum of understanding that outlines how they will work closely together. TNZ general manager marketing communications Justin Watson says it will invest $200,000 in CINZ’s existing marketing activities to enable greater reach and effectiveness.

He says while both organisations have a longstanding relationship, the increased focus by TNZ on international business events makes it timely to put some formal context around it.