WWW.TRAVELTALKMAG.COM.AU - ISSUE MAY 2016 TT617 HAWAII Much ado on Maui BHUTAN In royal footsteps A taste of TORONTO 6 hot spots in SOUTH AMERICA PLUS: NEW HOTELS, COMPETITION WINNERS AND TRAVEL OFFERS MEMBER EDITORIAL Jon Underwood Managing Editor Email: [email protected] Jessica Zoiti Deputy Editor Email: [email protected] Gaya Avery Online Editor Email: [email protected] Rebecca Lawson Sub Editor CONTENTS 34 EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Jessica Zoiti, Flash Parker Features Departments ART DIRECTOR Vanessa Pribil Email: [email protected] 34 HAWAII 4 AGENTtalk Some 20 years after his first visit, JON ADVERTISING UNDERWOOD returns to Maui, Hawaii’s 17 NEWStalk Sydney: Jenny Rowland second largest island, and finds it has still Mobile: 0414 746 146 retained its undoubted charm. 18 TRAVELtalk Fax: (02) 9969 3390 Email: [email protected] 42 SOUTH AMERICA 22 CRUISEtalk Perth: Debbie Sproule LATAM Airlines shares some of the region’s Tel: (08) 9300 0219 best kept secrets, insider tips and experiences 26 PROPERTYtalk Fax: (08) 9300 0237 for 2016, plus a look at some of the best tours Mobile: 0403 833 295 currently available across the continent. 30 SKYtalk Email: [email protected] 32 SMART business DIRECTORS AND ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS 46 ASIAN ESCAPES Jenny Rowland (Sydney) A comprehensive round up of all the latest Debbie Sproule (Perth) happenings in Asia including new properties, ON THE COVER Perth Office: health and wellness offerings, and a tour that PO Box 1105 Hillarys WA 6923 follows in royal footsteps. DISTRIBUTION AND SUBSCRIPTIONS - ISSUE MAY 2016 TT617 Tel: (08) 9300 0219 52 UK: LIVERPOOL WWW.TRAVELTALKMAG.COM.AU Email: [email protected] From The Beatles to football to modern art, Annual subscription of 11 issues $72.60 Liverpool is a thriving city full of cultural, (within Australia) historical and sporting activities. We take a Annual Subscription of 11 issues $175.40 (international) look at just some of what this famous HAWAII metropolis has to offer. Much ado Rates include GST, postage & handling on Maui BHUTAN PUBLISHED BY 54 UK & IRELAND In royal Pointer Publishing Pty Ltd footsteps A number of new hotels have opened up in ABN 92 150 111 701 A taste of hot PO Box 1105 Hillarys WA 6923 the UK and Ireland in recent months. Here, TORONTO 6 JON UNDERWOOD offers a selection of great spots in Tel: (08) 9300 0219 SOUTH Website: www.traveltalkmag.com.au properties for your next visit to Europe. AMERICA 56 CANADA PLUS: NEW HOTELS, COMPETITION WINNERS AND TRAVEL OFFERS Toronto is a gastronomic wonderland of the Torres del Paine, Patagonia. Cab Audited highest calibre. FLASH PARKER takes us on a Picture courtesy Juan Jaeger Distribution 6170 tasty tour of one of the most diverse cities in August - September 2015 the world. CONGRATULATIONS! Everyone in the Traveltalk Travetalk for the past office would like to congratulate Shawn ‘Flash’ Parker on four years. Indeed, being named the 2016 Photographer of the Year by the this issue contains a Society of American Travel Writers. Not only did Shawn story and images by take out the prestigious award, he’s also been nominated Shawn on the food scene in Toronto (see page 56). While every care and precaution has been taken in the preparation of Traveltalk, no liability can be accepted for errors or omissions herein. as 2016 Travel Writer of the Year as well. If he wins, he’d be “It’s an honour to be named among the finest Information is published in good faith to stimulate independent investigation by the reader. Views and opinions expressed in Traveltalk the first person to ever capture both awards. photographers in America; most of them must have do not necessarily reflect those of the management. All articles are fully protected by copyright. To obtain written Why are we so delighted for Shawn? It’s because his been on assignment while I was home sneaking in my permission to reproduce any material please contact the managing editor on [email protected] images and words have been appearing on a regular basis in submission package,” Parker said of the award. TRAVELTALK 617 MAY 2016 | 3 AGENTtalk ENJOYING SOME DISNEY MAGIC A GROUP of agents from all over the world got to experience Florida’s famed Disney World on an exclusive Travel Consellors famil recently. Staf from six of the company’s operating countries participated in the famil that saw them spending time inspecting accommodation options and enjoying the said Kate Trickett from Victoria. best hotels, restaurants, attractions and wide range of entertainment, shopping and David Hughes, Managing Director of experiences in order to set up their own dining experiences on ofer. Travel Counsellors Australia, believes the wholesale enterprise. Travel Counsellors run Staying seven nights in Disney’s Grand charms of Disney ofer good opportunities their own home-based businesses so they Floridian Resort, the group got to experience for many types of travellers. “As a powerful are able to be wholesalers, allowing them to the nightly laser and freworks show, Blizzard brand the appeal of Disney is wide. Disney create their own packages and set their own Beach Water Park, the Magic Kingdom theme World ofers a great opportunity for multi- prices and margins. park and signature dining experiences at a generational travellers – grandparents Sarah Bennett of Roleystone in WA, Hulda range of top quality cafes and restaurants. travelling with grandkids and parents taking Strydom of Burns Beach in WA, Chrissie Shah “While many famils involve lots of travel their own children on their annual holidays,” of Floreat in WA and Lisa Minopoulos of Angle time, this one didn’t, so we were able to truly he said. Vale in SA were able to see what a Singapore get to know the resort by using the facilities, Meanwhile four Travel Counsellors from stopover ofers travellers in transit. They eating at the cafes and restaurants, and Western Australia and South Australia have sampled hawker food, drank cocktails while checking out the various theme parks which just returned from a unique familiarisation admiring the skyline at rooftop bars and were all within stone’s throw of the resort – tour to Singapore. took in a bit of culture at the newly-opened although the VIP tours and transfers helped,” The group were looking to fnd the National Gallery of Singapore. The snowy seven UPSCALE IN UTAH SEVEN AUSSIE travel consultants were DELTA AIRLINES and the Utah Ofce of treated to a snowy famil in Rusutsu and Tourism hosted eight Flight Centre and Kiroro in Japan recently. Escape Holidays agents on an eight-day The famil was organised by Starwood ‘Winter Ski & National Parks’ itinerary Hotels & Resorts, along with partners Japan through the U.S. state. National Tourism Organization (JNTO) and All Showcasing two seasons and two Nippon Airways (ANA). The group stayed at experiences in one holiday, agents enjoyed two of the hotel chain’s premium properties skiing and après-ski activities, including a – The Westin Rusutsu Resort, Rusutsu and trip on the Alpine Coaster Ride, sampling Sheraton Hokkaido Kiroro Resort, Kiroro – as the ski-in whiskey tastings at High West Distillery and Salon and enjoying a four- well as dropping in at The Kiroro, a Tribute course Swiss dinner served from fve stone freplaces at Fireside Dining at Deer Portfolio Hotel, Hokkaido, which falls under Valley Resort. Starwood’s newest brand umbrella. From Arches National Park the group travelled to Bryce Canyon National Park Participants also experienced a range of to walk the Navajo trail loop into the canyon then on to Zion National Park for its winter activities including skiing, tubing, sandstone clifs, waterfalls and The Narrow slot canyons. snowmobiling and snow-shoeing, gaining a frsthand insight into Japan’s diverse ski and winter sport oferings. GETTING IT ON IN OREGON The group few over to Japan onboard PARTICIPANTS FROM Australia were among a ANA, which launched its Sydney to Tokyo 22-strong group of tour operators from around route in December, and ofers connections to the world who attended the inaugural Oregon more than 40 destinations across Japan. Road Rally. ■ jnto.org.au Eight countries were represented on the trip, which explored Oregon on a seven-day trek covering each region of the state. The group savoured the food carts in Portland, rode dune buggies on the Oregon Coast, experienced Crater Lake National Park, hiked at Smith Rock and Columbia River Gorge waterfalls, explored Oregon Wine Country, drank hot chocolate at Timberline Lodge and rode a bucking bronco in Pendleton. “We were thrilled to be hosting these key representatives from our primary international markets,” said Teresa O’Neill, Vice President of Global Sales at Travel Oregon. “In 2014 alone, Oregon saw 1.6 million visitors from the participating countries, which generated $400 million in economic impact for the state.” 4 | WWW.TRAVELTALKMAG.COM.AU AGENTtalk BOOKING THE COOKS A taste of Black Forest SOME 37 top selling agents and A GROUP of travel agents from wholesalers took part in an inaugural around Australia experienced a famil organised by Cook Islands Tourism nature holiday in the Black Forest of Corporation in partnership with Air New Germany recently. Zealand recently. The German National Tourist The week-long program was full Ofce, together with its partner of cultural experiences and activities, Emirates, hosted a business class visiting the sister island of Aitutaki, famil to some of the country’s inspecting properties and also having natural highlights, combined with the opportunity to network with the vibrant cities of Munich, Stuttgart representatives from the tourism and Freiburg. The group stayed in industry in the Cook Islands. traditional and modern properties “Not only was this a fantastic throughout the trip and visited historic old towns in the Black Forest such as Freudenstadt, opportunity to give our agents the right Wolfach and Triberg.