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30 June 2009
Dear Paul Yeo,
TAANZ trading as
[You are the Primary Contact for
this member - please distribute this email to other staff at your
location.]
H1N1 Influenza outbreak ....
 On
11 June 2009, the World Health Organisation (WHO) raised its Influenza
Pandemic Alert from Phase 5 to Phase 6 (pandemic phase). See the WHO website for more information.
As of 26 June 2009, 101 countries have officially reported 59,814 cases of
Influenza A (H1N1) or ‘swine flu’, including 263 deaths.
Those countries with significant numbers of confirmed
Influenza A (H1N1) cases and more information can be found on the www.safetravel.govt.nz
website.
New Zealanders in these countries are advised to conform to
any restrictions and instructions issued by the local authorities to
contain the spread of Influenza A (H1N1). We recommend health precautions
like regularly washing your hands, avoiding large gatherings of people and
avoiding close contact with anyone who is sick. For more information on
health precautions you should follow, see the New Zealand Ministry of Health website Any New
Zealanders who develop flu-like symptoms are advised to seek immediate
medical attention.
Some countries may implement quarantine measures for travellers who have
recently visited countries with confirmed Influenza A (H1N1) cases. For
more information on such measures, contact the Embassy / High Commission of the country your
customers plan to visit / transit.
TAANZ continues to work with the Tourism Industry Association, Tourism NZ,
the Ministry of Tourism and other government agencies on this issue.
Membership update....
As mentioned in our earlier E-Newsletters, TAANZ now
provides its members with a regular update of changes to membership.
Our latest update includes all changes from 2 May to 22 June
2009 - click to download the Directory
Update 2009/3 - June 2009. There is continuing consolidation amongst
members, mainly due to the current economic climate. One year ago
there were 453 TAANZ locations (head offices and branches) whereas today
there are 426. Approved Salespersons (Travel Brokers) remain almost
unchanged at 325 compared to 324 one year ago.
Previous Updates:
Directory
Update 2009/2 - May 2009 - all changes from 11 March to 1 May
2009.
Directory
Update 2009/1 - March 2009 - all changes since the annual TAANZ
Directory was published in December 2008 until 10 March 2009.
Immigration NZ changes ...
For several years Immigration New Zealand has included the
occupation of Travel Consultant (Senior) on their Immediate Skill Shortage
List which allowed overseas consultants to gain work permits to enter New
Zealand and potentially gain permanent residency due to a shortage in this
category amongst New Zealand residents. Immigration New Zealand consults
with TAANZ twice a year in reviewing this list.
In the latest review 44 occupations, including Travel Consultant (Senior),
were removed from the list, mainly due to the fact that the current
economic situation has seen a number of New Zealand senior consultants made
redundant and hence available for re-employment.
We will monitor this situation and if necessary make a case for the
position to be reinstated on the list when it is next reviewed in six
months time however unless the current climate improves our chances may not
be great. We appreciate that there are some people currently employed by
our members that have gained entry through this provision and that their
ability to stay in New Zealand may now be under threat and we are keen to
hear about individual circumstances to see if we can assist.
Find out more information from the Immigration New Zealand website.
Outbound numbers continue to fall ...
The May international visitor departure numbers came out
last week and showed a 6% decrease in outbound trips for the month compared
to the same month last year. Short-term departures of New Zealand residents
in the May 2009 year numbered 1.930 million, down 70,100 (4 percent) from
the May 2008 year.
Latest figures released last Friday for the 4 weeks ended 14 June show
overseas departures down 7.0% over the same period last year.
Ups:
US 2%, Cook Islands 4%, Thailand 18%
Downs: Australia -9%, Fiji -12%, UK -5%, China -7%,
Samoa -11%, India -2%, Canada -19%
Travel across the Tasman is all one way with a 12% increase
in Aussies visiting New Zealand but a big drop off in Kiwi's heading in the
other direction. All eyes are on the July and September school holiday
traditional outbound peaks to see if Kiwi's hands remain in their pockets!
Member default ...
On 27 May International Youth Holidays Ltd of Auckland was
lapsed as a TAANZ member following reports that the office had closed down
and the owner had left the country, leaving several customers without
tickets.
As of today approximately $20,000 in claims have been refunded to customers
under the TAANZ Bonding Scheme, once again demonstrating the importance of
our 'safety net'. This is the first default of the year resulting in claims
and has resulted in no consumer out of pocket and no resulting
negative publicity in the media.
Despite the current tough economic
conditions the TAANZ Bonding Scheme continues to work in a
self-regulated environment that ensures our industry is perceived
in a positive light by the public.
TAANZ AGM...
The TAANZ AGM will be held on
Wednesday 2 September in Auckland at 4pm. More details including venue will
be announced shortly.
Best wishes from Paul, Charlie and Madeleine
- your TAANZ Team
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