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Tag: Melbourne

  • Indonesia to promote tourism in Melbourne

    Indonesia to promote tourism in Melbourne

    The Tourism Ministry is going to host Business Gathering event on Dec. 14-15 in Melbourne, Australia.

    The ministry has invited travel agents, tour operators and media to take part in this event.

    “The distance between Australia and Indonesia is not that far and Australians are very interested in destinations in Indonesia. Moreover, 90 percent of them have their own holiday schedule and high buying power for holiday tour packages,” said the ministry’s deputy minister for overseas promotion I Gde Pitana.

    “Our target is to inform the Australian people that Bali is safe now; the eruption has come down. The distance between Mount Agung to Denpasar is 65 kilometers. Bali Promotion is back. If nothing gets in the way, the 15 million target can be achieved,” Pitana added.

    During the gathering, the ministry will conduct a presentation about destinations in Indonesia and entertain visitors with traditional dance performance and souvenirs.

    “Melbourne is chosen because it’s the best business and shopping center in Australia,” told the ministry’s deputy assistant for Asia-Pacific tourism promotion, Vinsensius Jemadu.

    The number of tourism visits from Australian tourists is the four highest in Indonesia.

    This year, the ministry is aiming to welcome 1,816,000 tourists from Australia, an increase by 29 percent from last year’s target, which was 1.4 million people. (kes)

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  • Cebu Pacific looks to grow further in Australia in 2018 with Melbourne

    Cebu Pacific looks to grow further in Australia in 2018 with Melbourne

    Cebu Pacific is looking at launching services to Melbourne in 2018, further strengthening the Philippine low cost carrier’s position in Australia following the upcoming upgrade of Sydney to daily.

    Cebu Pacific has served Sydney for three years and has talked about the possibility of adding service to Melbourne since launching Sydney in late 2014. Talk about Melbourne has escalated over the last year as the performance on Manila-Sydney has improved, prompting the decision to upgrade Sydney to daily for the peak summer season. Sydney has until now been served with four to five weekly frequencies depending on the time of year.

    Cebu Pacific will operate seven weekly frequencies to Sydney in Dec-2017 and Jan-2018, compared to five weekly frequencies for the same period last year. Cebu Pacific for now has loaded a schedule of five weekly frequencies on Manila-Sydney from early Feb-2018. Cebu Pacific CEO Advisor Mike Szucs told CAPA on the sidelines of the 8-Nov-2017 CAPA Asia Aviation Summit that the airline plans to initially operate five or six frequencies during the non-peak and shoulder months but aims to eventually serve Sydney with a daily year-round schedule.

    “Australia is working well because it is selling well on both ends,” Cebu Pacific CEO Advisor Mike Szucs said. “Australia is a very good market for us.”

    Mr Szucs also said Cebu Pacific is now looking at launching services to Melbourne in 2018. “Australia is doing really well for us. We’ve grown the Manila-Sydney market phenomenally. We are the number one player in terms of passenger traffic on Manila-Sydney. We are increasing Sydney to daily frequencies from this December,” he said. “Melbourne is on the agenda for some time next year. We are not there yet – we need to go and finalise the numbers but Melbourne is looking interesting.”

    Philippine Airlines (PAL) is currently the only airline operating the Manila-Melbourne route, while Manila-Sydney has three nonstop competitors including PAL, Qantas and Cebu Pacific. PAL serves Sydney daily and Melbourne with three weekly flights, while Qantas has five to six frequencies on Sydney-Manila (depending on the time of year).

    Cebu Pacific has a fleet of eight A330-300s but has been using its widebody fleet mainly on short haul routes since suspending three Middle East services in mid-2017. Sydney and Dubai, which is served daily most of the year, are the only remaining long haul routes in Cebu Pacific’s network and use the equivalent of two aircraft.

    Mr Szucs said Cebu Pacific will have the opportunity to resume long haul growth in 2018 as A321s enter the fleet. Cebu Pacific mainly plans to use the new A321 fleet to up-gauge short haul routes from A320s but has the flexibility to use some of the A321s to replace A330s on short haul routes, freeing up A330s for new long haul routes. “As the A321s come in next year we will be able to start redeploying A330s again into some targeted long haul markets,” Mr Szucs explained.

    Under this scenario, Melbourne is on the top of the list as Cebu Pacific is not interested for now in resuming expansion in the Middle East, due to what it considers irrational competition in the Philippines-Middle East market. Cebu Pacific is also not interested, for now, in launching Manila-Honolulu, which originally was in its long haul network plan, as this market is highly competitive and unbalanced, consisting mainly of ethnic or VFR traffic.

    Manila-Melbourne is a less competitive route and the Australia-Philippines is a more balanced market. In the Sydney market, Cebu Pacific has been able to generate a relatively even mix of outbound and inbound traffic, covering the leisure, ethnic or VFR and business segments. For the latter, Cebu Pacific mainly targets SMEs as it does not have a premium product.

    “Australia is working well because it is selling well on both ends,” Mr Szucs said. “Australia is a very good market for us.”

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  • Melbourne man finds MAGGOTS in his KFC

    Melbourne man finds MAGGOTS in his KFC

    Another day, another time a takeaway-food giant goes and breaks our fried-chicken-loving hearts.

    Le sigh.

    This time, it’s KFC. While we know downing a large Popcorn chicken combo and a 10-pack of Wicked Wings may not be the best for our health (ugh), what this Melbourne man found in his KFC chicken of choice will FLOOR you.

    As reported by Yahoo, 34-year-old Manny Estanislao was left shocked/horrified when he found maggots in KFC food he’d bought to cater a baby shower.

    Mr Estanislao of Roxburgh Park, north of Melbourne, explains that everyone at the baby shower had been enjoying the KFC chicken when a little boy discovered not one, but THREE maggots in the last piece.

    “Everyone was disgusted because we’d all eaten from the same chicken. We were all worried too,” Mr Estanislao told Channel 7, who he also sent a disturbing video of the creepy-crawlies in his food to.

    Responding to the larvae-filled claims, KFC have stated that they don’t believe that the maggots were in the chicken at the restaurant “pre-purchase”.

    “KFC works closely with leading Australian forensic entomologists to understand flies to ensure our restaurant cooking and food handling practices are robust so we can keep our food safe,” the statement began.

    “We urge customers to take care when leaving food uncovered during the warmer months to prevent these instances from occurring. We would welcome the opportunity to speak directly to the customer. They can contact us via our website.”

    No matter when/where the maggots originated, we’re still scratching our own skins at the thought of it…

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  • Mercedes-Benz Opening ‘Mercedes me’ Store In Melbourne

    Mercedes-Benz Opening ‘Mercedes me’ Store In Melbourne

    The most liveable city in the world is soon to become home of Australia’s first Mercedes me Stores. This will be the seventh Mercedes me location worldwide, joining cities including Hamburg, Munich and Hong Kong.

    Set-up as an inner-city concept, Mercedes me Melbourne will allow you to soak up the atmosphere of Mercedes-Benz in a space synonymous with the foundations of Melbourne lifestyle – Food, Sport, Art, Design, Fashion, Innovation and Coffee.

    Reside in cutting-edge architecture whilst enjoying world-class food and coffee from Melbourne’s famous ST. ALi. Learn more about Mercedes in an open, casual environment with our interactive facilities and welcoming specialists.

    During the evenings, Mercedes me Melbourne’s unique venue will transform, offering an eclectic mix of events and entertainment. Whether it be an exclusive preview of the latest products, bespoke fashion show, movie screening or live music, Mercedes meMelbourne will be the place to be.

    Prepare yourself for a space of versatility. Whether you’re a vehicle enthusiast or an avid coffee drinker, you will fit right in. As this journey progresses, we are becoming increasingly excited to share this new experience with you.

    Stay tuned and ensure you keep up to date by registering your details.

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  • Ikea to revamp Melbourne location

    Ikea to revamp Melbourne location

    Swedish furniture retailer, Ikea, will give its Richmond store a multi-million-dollar facelift to upgrade the store’s layout with new entrance points and better lift accessibility.

    The project, which is expected to be completed by mid-2018, will expand the store’s showroom and a refreshed restaurant will be installed and serve cafe-style food including barista made coffee and cakes.

    The Swedish Food Market and Bistro will be upgraded to provide a better experience to customers, the retailer added.

    Chris Brown, Ikea Richmond store manager, said the investment will pave the way for a transformation at Ikea Richmond for it to be better equipped to meet the needs of its customers.

    “We are looking forward to opening a new and improved store and shopping experience for our customers that will continue to evolve,” Brown said. “Ikea Richmond will be more even inspiring and relevant for our customers, and even easier to access once the renovation is complete.”

    Ikea Richmond, which opened in 2003, currently employs over 350 co-workers, a figure which, according to the retailer, will grow by approximately 10 per cent through the store upgrade and expansion.

    The store will continue to trade as normal throughout construction.

    Earlier this week, the furniture retailer launched an augmented reality application, which it sees as a “total game changer for retail”.

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  • Pandora bets big on Melbourne

    Pandora bets big on Melbourne

    Pandora Australia and New Zealand managing director Mikael Kruse Jensen has just signed the dotted line on a five-storey flagship store in Melbourne’s Bourke Street Mall, in a deal that’s understood to be worth almost $1 million in annual rent.

    It’s a big store, with a big price tag – but Jensen is bullish on the Australian market after the Copenhagen-headquartered brand unveiled a 12 per cent sales uplift in the June quarter.

    The store itself is being designed as an activation hub, with the third floor of the venue set aside for events and staff training.

    It will be Pandora’s fourth store in Melbourne’s CBD and its eleventh opening Down Under in twelve months – with more to come.

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  • Autosports Group announecs acquisition of BMW Melbourne

    Autosports Group announecs acquisition of BMW Melbourne

    Autosports Group Ltd acquisition of Bmw Melbourne.

    Expects to pay for the bmw melbourne businesses a consideration of approximately $22 million.

    Unit enters agreement with bmw melbourne to buy businesses such as bmw melbourne ,mini garage melbourne ,south bank motor cycles and bmw body shop.

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  • Cos to open third store in Melbourne

    Cos to open third store in Melbourne

    H&M-owned Cos is opening its third Melbourne store in the inner suburb of Armadale this spring.

    Spanning 248sqm, the single-level store will hold the brand’s SS17 collection and feature an internal courtyard and skylight space.

    The fashion brand said it will use the original Edwardian architectural features of the early 20th century building and incorporate its “aesthetic of clean and modern lines combined with natural elements.”

    “We hope that this new store will allow our customers to continue to explore Cos in a great new environment,” said Marie Honda, managing director of Cos.

    Cos, which stands for Collection of Style, is H&M’s second-largest brand and targets a slightly older consumer with its minimalist aesthetic and higher price points.

    It is positioned alongside the Swedish company’s other brands, Other Stories, Cheap Monday, H&M Home, Monki and Weekday.

    “An important part of the H&M group’s strategy is to develop, launch and build new global brands,” said H&M CEO Karl-Johan Persson in July.

    “A good example of this is Cos, which will reach revenues of around 10 billion Swedish krona this year with profitability in line with that of the H&M brand. The value of Cos today already far exceeds the amount we invested in it, and this is just the beginning of the journey.”

    Cos’s opening at Armadale follows a recent spate of fashion brands moving into the area, with Decjuba Kids and Rebecca Valance recently opening in the suburb.

  • Saint Laurent opens debut Australia store in Melbourne

    Saint Laurent opens debut Australia store in Melbourne

    Saint Laurent has opened its first Australian store in Melbourne. Located in the Chadstone shopping centre – the luxury mall already home to the likes of Balenciaga, Chanel and Fendi – the new Saint Laurent boutique sells both men’s and women’s collections and accessories and footwear, under the creative direction of Anthony Vaccarello.

    With a monochrome and minimalist facade, the Art Deco-inspired store mirrors the French fashion house’s universal aesthetic.

    Key design features include white statuarietto, black silk marble floors and walls, and nickel-plated brass furniture.

    Known as Australia’s fashion capital, Melbourne is fast becoming the go-to hub for luxury brands looking to set up shop in Australia.

    In recent years, Chadstone has attracted big names Givenchy, The Kooples, RED Valentino and Loewe to its retail junction.

    Earlier in the month, Saint Laurent also announced it is stepping up its e-commerce efforts in China to sell products on a new online platform launched jointly by British luxury e-tailer Farfetch with e-commerce giant JD.com.

    In the second quarter, Kering-owned Yves Saint Laurent posted comparable sales growth of 23.7%, against average expectations of 25% growth.

  • Melbourne Airport to get luxury retail hub

    Melbourne Airport to get luxury retail hub

    Melbourne Airport will spread its retail wings later this year with the addition of several international luxury brands, confirmed to open inside the Australian airport’s Terminal 2.

    Located next to the airport’s current duty free store, jeweller Tiffany & Co, and fashion brands Burberry, Salvatore Ferragamo, Max Mara and Emporio Armani are all slated to open stores later this year, as part of the airport’s new high-end fashion precinct.

    According to the airport’s chief of retail, Andrew Gardiner, the upgrade hopes to enhance the traveller experience, creating an airport that Melbourne can be proud of.

    “The luxury precinct is really taking Melbourne Airport to the next level, with 11 of the world’s most prestigious brands set to enhance our international passenger experience,” says Andrew Gardiner, chief of retail at Melbourne Airport.

    “We’re absolutely thrilled to bring these brands to Melbourne Airport. Our domestic and international passengers have informed us of the stores they want to see, and we’re delivering on that with high end brands that we know our travelers love.”

    Other big name retailers including Australian official watch specialty store Watches of Switzerland are scheduled to open, joining Bally, Michael Kors, Hugo Boss Furla and Tumi.

    All stores are set to open at varying times between the end of July and end of November 2017.

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  • Singapore Airlines locks in daily Airbus A350 for Melbourne

    Singapore Airlines locks in daily Airbus A350 for Melbourne

    Singapore Airlines is locking in its advanced Airbus A350 jet for a year-round schedule between Melbourne and Singapore starting May 11, 2017.

    The sleek jetliner has made a number of short-term appearances on the route, but later this year it’ll be running daily as Melbourne-Singapore flight SQ208 and the SQ207 return leg.

    Travellers at the pointy end can relax in the Star Alliance member’s latest business class seat, evolved from that of the  Boeing 777-300ER flagship.

    It’s an “evolutionary, not revolutionary” approach, reported AusBT’s Suzanne Wu from one of the first SQ A350 flights – “and that’s not a bad thing. Not a whole lot was broke, so not a whole lot needed fixing.”

    Melbourne’s SQ218/SQ217 is also running on an A350 until June 30, after which it will revert to the Airbus A380 superjumbo.

    Asian rival Cathay Pacific already has one Airbus A350 on the Melbourne-Hong Kong route as CX104/105, with a second slotting into CX134/135 from October 29, while Thai Airways says its own on-again off-again Melbourne A350 flights should launch before the year’s end.

    April sees Singapore Airlines celebrate 50 years of flying to Australia, and is tipped to debut its newest Airbus A380 – fitted with next-generation first class suites and business class seats – on the Singapore-Sydney route in October 2017.

    The redesigned first class suites will be fewer in number – down the current superjumbo’s 12 to between six and eight – but much larger in footprint, and have been relocated to the upper deck.

    Next year will see Singapore Airlines restart direct flights between Singapore and the USA, with both New York and Los Angeles in line for an ultra-long range version of the A350 dubbed the A350ULR.

    This long-legged jet will carry all-new business class seats compared to the Melbourne A350, but only around 170 seats – some 80 less than the airline’s regular A350-900s – in order to minimise fuel burn and maximise range for the 18-19 hour journey.

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  • Qantas To Launch 787 with Melbourne – LA Route

    Qantas To Launch 787 with Melbourne – LA Route

    Qantas will inaugurate long-haul flights with its new Boeing 787-9s by flying them between Melbourne and Los Angeles from December 15, 2017.

    The flight will be operated six times a week, replacing the current twice-weekly flight operated by a 747-400.

    Qantas also operates a daily Airbus A380 flight between Melbourne and Los Angeles.

    The carrier recently announced that it would fly its 787s non-stop between Perth and London from March 2018.

    Qantas has eight 787-9s on firm order.

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  • Cebu Pacific looking into Hawaii, Melbourne flights

    Cebu Pacific looking into Hawaii, Melbourne flights

    Cebu Pacific may offer additional flights to Australia and the United States as part of efforts to expand its international network, its chief executive officer said.

    The Gokongwei-led carrier earlier said it expects its long-haul business to post a profit, driven by new flight services and increased frequencies in its existing international routes.

    “We are still considering… looking at Hawaii and Melbourne,” Cebu Air, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer Lance Y. Gokongwei told reporters at the sidelines of a recent event when asked for the low-cost airline’s next planned long-haul route after its maiden Guam flight last March.

    Mr. Gokongwei, however, noted that there are “no firm dates” yet for the said flights.

    Cebu Air currently operates across 36 local and 30 international destinations with a fleet of 58 aircraft. It operates from six hubs: Manila, Cebu, Clark, Kalibo, Iloilo, and Davao.

    Asked whether Cebu Pacific would also consider mounting flights to Europe, Mr. Gokongwei: “I think we would consider it, but right now, we don’t have any immediate plans at this point but it’s something we should be considering as we get additional long-haul aircraft into the system.”

    “Frankly, I don’t see it happening from a Cebu Pacific perspective for 2 or 3 years,” he added.

    Mr. Gokongwei said Cebu Pacific expects to ferry 19 million passengers this year, a record passenger volume, driven by the airline’s low-cost long-haul services and increased frequencies in key domestic markets from 18.4 million passengers in 2015 and also up from the 16.9 million passengers flown in 2014.

    As of the nine months ended September, Cebu Pacific said passenger traffic was up 6% to 14.48 million, as capacity inched up by 0.4%.

    Cebu Air, operator of budget airline Cebu Pacific Air, saw its profit double in the first nine months of the year to P7.1 billion from P3.56 billion a year ago, led by strong passenger volume, higher ticket prices and lower fuel costs during the period, it told the stock exchange in its quarterly report.

    Demand remained strong during the nine-month period as Cebu Air reported its total revenue hit P46.69 billion, up 10.5%. Passenger revenue rose 10.1% to P35.36 billion while ancillary revenue — from non-ticket revenues such as baggage fees and onboard meals — was up 14.9% to P8.79 billion.

    Shares in Cebu Air closed at P97.80 apiece on Friday down P3.90 or 3.83% from its previous finish of P101.70.

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  • Singapore Airlines: year-round Airbus A380 flights for Melbourne

    Singapore Airlines: year-round Airbus A380 flights for Melbourne

    Singapore Airlines is bringing its flagship Airbus A380 back to Melbourne on a year-round basis, extending the airline’s temporary superjumbo service to the Victorian capital: previously due to end in March 2017 before reverting to a Boeing 777.

    Instead, SQ’s A380s will continue gracing Melbourne’s skies, a Singapore Airlines spokesperson confirmed with the jet now appearing daily on flight SQ217 from Singapore and SQ218 from Melbourne.

    The world’s largest passenger aircraft offers travellers a choice between Suites Class, business class, premium economy and economy.

    ‘Suites Class’ is Singapore parlance for ‘A380 first class’, with these passengers gaining access to a dedicated Singapore Airlines first class lounge in Melbourne or The Private Room in Singapore before their flight, after which, they’ll fly in style and privacy with all suites featuring closing doors:

    Business class too provides fully-flat beds with direct aisle access courtesy of the 1-2-1 cabin layout, with plenty of space to work and relax during the day as well.

    Premium economy instead comes in a 2-4-2 arrangement, with reclining seats offering 38 inches of total space – known as ‘pitch’ – plus a padded leg rest and swing-down foot rest:

    Melbournians can catch the A380 on flight SQ218 – departing the Coffee Capital at 1:05am daily to reach Singapore at 5:45am – and aboard SQ217 on the return: wheels-up at 10:45am for a 9:10pm touchdown later that evening.

    In recent times, Singapore Airlines has also upgraded selected Brisbane-Singapore flights from Airbus A330s to the Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, complete with A380-style fully-flat beds in place of the less-appealing ‘sloping sleepers’ found on the A330s.

  • Bentley ‘Be Extraordinary’ tour kicks off in Melbourne

    Bentley ‘Be Extraordinary’ tour kicks off in Melbourne

    Bentley has kicked off its Be Extraordinary tour in Melbourne, with the brand showcasing four models and a new, more affordable way of entering the Bentley brand.

    With plans to expand the tour to include Brisbane, Bathurst, Sydney and Perth, the tour kicked off this week on the banks of the Yarra in Melbourne.

    Located just outside Crown Casino, the Bentley marquee includes material samples and showcases iconic parts of Bentley’s history.

    bentley-be-extraordinary-melbourne-7

    The Be Extraordinary tour has also been designed to launch Bentley’s new financial services, which make the ContinentalGT V8 and Flying Spur V8 more accessible to prospective buyers.

    Both models now feature an attractive $399,000 drive away price, which can be packaged as part of a financial services product over 60 months, that comes out to $3999 per month.

    “We had a look at the content and options that would be fitted to a standard GT V8 as an entry-level model to the brand. There has always been a misconception that Bentleys have been a million-dollar car and inaccessible to people. That’s a problem we’ve been looking to overcome in Australia,” said David Jackson, Bentley’s regional manager for the Asia Pacific region.

    bentley-be-extraordinary-melbourne-4

    “We’ve introduced the ‘399 GT V8’, which has the options a customer would want — like the 21-inch alloys and sports exhaust – but you still come in with all taxes paid. That’s 399 on road. What we’re looking to do beyond this is expand the financial services to make the whole range accessible.”

    Bentley has four vehicles on display at the Melbourne roadshow, including the Bentayga and Continental GT V8 Convertible, along with two examples of the $399,000 product in the Continental GT V8 and Flying Spur.

    “There are a lot of people in different industries in Australia that are booming right now. Australia is a developing market and something like Bentley Financial Services then becomes an option for them. The point of this roadshow is to bring the Bentley brand to life for people,” Jackson said.

    bentley-be-extraordinary-melbourne-3

    “People often don’t know about the Bentley brand and as part of this roadshow we have 21 extraordinary stories here. The point is to explain 21 things you may have never known about Bentley. Such as…James Bond in the Ian Fleming novels never drove an Aston Martin, he drove a Bentley.”

    The Melbourne marquee and display will be around until Sunday 27 November, and operates from 11AM to 8PM each day. Residents of Sydney, Brisbane, Bathurst and Perth will also get to experience the roadshow later this year and next year.

    “We are going to move this on to Sydney before the end of this year. It will stay there until Bathurst, and after Bathurst we will head to Brisbane, and the Grand Prix next year. Perth will then get it around April next year [2017],” Jackson said.

    bentley-be-extraordinary-melbourne-9

    If you do get down to the display in Melbourne, ask to see the Linley Hamper by Mulliner in the rear of the Bentayga. This incredible picnic package includes a chilled champagne cooler with four crystal flutes.

    There’s also storage room for a rug and a full cutlery set. And, at a reasonable $57,808, it seems like a no brainer option for your new Bentley Bentayga SUV.

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