The Australian travel industry’s monarch of luxury hospitality, Lynne Ireland, has been appointed as Global Sales Director – Australia & Oceania for Meliá Hotels International, LATTE can reveal.

Travel Associates achieved a record 1H profit and TTV of around $360 million, earning feedback from Turner who said the brand was a “very profitable business”. Scott Dunn’s TTV was circa $100 million, while Independents was huge at approximately $768 million.

Oceania Cruises will deploy its upper-premium and ultra-modern ship, Vista, on its 2026 world cruise visiting 43 countries, 101 ports and 81 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, LATTE can reveal.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises hosted its annual conference in Amsterdam over the past few days, the only river cruise line to host such an event with brand representatives from around the globe ascending on the Dutch capital. Not just senior executives, sales staff and frontline personnel, but Uniworld’s hardworking nautical, culinary and hotel operations crews as well.

Ultra-luxury cruise line, Seabourn, will provide luxury travel planners with increased certainty on future sailings when it expands its booking window from 24 to 36 months, LATTE can exclusively reveal.

At least three well-known Australian travel agencies are on the verge of joining Flight Centre Travel Group’s Luxury Travel Collection Member Portfolio (LTCMP), with one as early as next month, LATTE can exclusively reveal. What is more, the LTC Member Portfolio will also extend its reach into New Zealand this year.

Flight Centre Travel Group’s Luxury Travel Collection (LTC) launched its doors on Friday to a new B2B “luxury travel department store” concept designed to create a seamless booking experience for travel advisors.

Numinous Luxury Travel Representation has won market representation in Australia and New Zealand for Queen of Clubs, a lifestyle luxury concierge that trades exclusively with travel organisers.

Baillie Lodges has launched a new initiative designed to offer mateship and connection to its regional community partners.

Langham Hospitality Group (LHG) has signed management agreements for three hotels on a single plot. The newly built properties are part of Xiamen Seaworld, China Merchants Group’s (CMG’s) mixed-use development perched on the western shore of Xiamen’s main island.

Delta Air Lines will launch a brand-new seasonal Los Angeles-Brisbane route commencing 4 December 2024, operating three times weekly through 28 March 2025. The introduction of Brisbane as Delta’s second Australian gateway was foreshadowed exclusively by LATTE late last year.

Two-hundred luxury travel advisors from around Australia and New Zealand aligned with The Luxury Travel Collection are now laser-focused on being the “next generation of travel” and capitalising on the burgeoning, younger HNW customer.