Felicity Goldsmith May 30th, 2008
Following the success of the Canada department at the BACTAs last month, it was with high hopes that Rachel and I set off for the annual Tourism New Zealand Awards in London in early May. The awards this year were comprised of eight categories, of which we were eligible to enter five, and so with the help of the whole team we prepared our submissions and handed them over to TNZ during their recent visit to the Mill.
The awards themselves were presented by Gregg Anderson, the Regional Manager for Tourism New Zealand UK, with the assistance of Simon Calder – travel editor for the Independent, broadcaster and industry expert. Simon was also part of the judging panel.
The first award was for Best Brochure, and we were disappointed to hear that we had lost out to Tailor Made. However, it was onwards and upwards from that point as we took awards for Best Online Content and Best Responsible Tour Operator to New Zealand.
The moment of glory came when they announced the shortlist for the Supreme Award – Travel Specialist of the Year. The list included several of our major competitors, but we came out on top. Gregg Anderson said the following in presenting the award: “Audley Travel have a remarkable and growing range of New Zealand product. They provide a great example of tailoring holidays specifically to the traveller. Rigorous staff training and on-going educational opportunities are reflected in the detailed knowledge of each country specialist. The dedication this company has shown to developing their New Zealand Programme since 2004 is outstanding and evident in their great results.”
The champagne went down well after that! Huge congratulations go to the whole team, whose hard work and commitment are ultimately what have won us these awards.
Tags: award, New Zealand
Kate Dicks May 23rd, 2008
Yesterday our series of fundraising events got underway with a lunchtime of fun activities including a Hog Roast and BBQ as well as a cake sale. I never realised you could get into a bidding war over a cake! Just as well both parties did, as it helped to make lots of money.
I was also really pleased to see so many of the staff donning costumes from their specialist or favourite countries and we had some amazing outfits on show. We still have a little bit more money to come in as we sell the remaining few cakes but in total we raised over £1,900. What a fantastic effort!
Thanks to everyone who took part and to the directors for putting themselves in the stocks, whilst we all took turns to throw wet sponges at them. The money is already en-route to Burma and to our local agent to buy additional supplies for the project in and around Syriam.
The villages still need roofing and building materials, food and medical supplies as well as clothing and blankets. This money equates to well over 5 million Kyat (the local Burmese currency) which will go a very long way. Thanks again to everyone for taking part in yesterday’s fundraiser, it is encouraging to know that we can help make a difference to so many people.
Audley fancy dress fundraising day for Burma Cyclone Appeal
Tags: Burma Cyclone, fundraising, Southeast Asia
Kate Dicks May 16th, 2008
You may have read about the fantastic fundraising efforts that the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company are carrying out in the Delta in cooperation with Merlin, a UK based aid agency (update on our blog). Two of the Pandaw fleet are now navigating the Delta taking supplies to those in need, as well as acting as floating hospitals. We have donated $2,000 to the fund, knowing that this money will bring immediate relief to the Burmese people affected by this terrible catastrophe. More »
Tags: burma, cyclone nargis, fundraising
Loic Robertson May 14th, 2008
Today, we received the following pictures which have been taken by Mr Khin Zaw Nichols, Managing Director of our ground agent in Burma, Tour Mandalay. He and a team from the Yangon office have been in the Syriam area handing over water filters as well as food, medical and building supplies to the local monastery and orphanage.
Monasteries are for many villages in Burma the focal point of a community and from here aid has been distributed to many families and individuals in need. The children of the orphanage have been provided with wholesome meals whilst the villagers have been educated on how to use the water filters donated by an American company. More »
Tags: Burma Cyclone, photos
Thomas Stapleton May 14th, 2008
I greatly enjoyed tuning into the first episode of a new five part series on Russia, presented by Jonathan Dimbleby, in which the journalist and broadcaster will be travelling the length and breath of the country to, he says, get to know Russia through the eyes of ‘ordinary people’, away from all the politics.
I always think it’s a difficult to write about Russia without lapsing into lazy clichés. While there were elements of this, the personal stories that Jonathan Dimbleby uncovered added an extra poignency and depth to the comments about the vastness of Russia, and the suffering of it’s people.
More »
Tags: bbc, russia, tv
Loic Robertson May 13th, 2008
As you will no doubt have heard, an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale hit China on Monday 12 May. Centred around Chengdu in Sichuan province, the earthquake has had a devastating effect on many millions of people in the area.
Fortunately, no Audley clients, staff or partners in the area have been immediately affected. By all accounts the Chinese authorities have responded well to the disaster, mobilising the army and emergency services to cope with the fall out from the earthquake, though they have been hampered by bad weather.
Visit the BBC News website for full coverage and more information about the rescue effort.
If you want to help with the relief effort, we suggest a donation to the Red Cross, who have been supporting the Chinese Red Cross.
Audley is looking at ways we might be able to assist once the area has recovered from the immediate effects of the quake.
Tags: china, earthquake, red cross
Loic Robertson May 12th, 2008
As you will have seen from news reports, the chief problem is overseas aid getting through to people on the ground rather than the aid being available.
Our local agent in Burma (who sent us the photos below) has been working in the Syriam area near Yangon getting food, medical supplies, water filters and building materials through to an orphanage and monastery there. From here, aid has also been distributed to the wider community. More »
Tags: Burma Cyclone, fund raising
Loic Robertson May 7th, 2008
We are relieved to hear that all our contacts in Burma are safe following the cyclone that struck over the weekend. As you will no doubt have seen there has been considerable loss of life and devastation.
Many clients have contacted us to ask what they can do to help the Burmese people. In the immediate aftermath we would recommend a donation to one of the following charities:
For more information about the challenge facing aid agencies read this article on the BBC website.
We will also be looking at ways that we can help with more long term recovery projects in the country. Given the current regime we want to be sure that any support is directed to the people who need it most. We will keep you informed of developments.
Tags: burma, cyclone, red cross
Laura Morris March 25th, 2008
Over the Easter weekend I went down to London to catch up with some friends. Since I love all things Japanese I had persuaded them to come with me to watch a performance by the Yamato drummers of Japan, who are currently touring the UK.
The 10 performers take the ancient art of taiko drumming and turn it into a vibrant and exuberant show, compromising of drumming, flute & shamisen (a Japanese stringed instrument) playing and some comedic interludes. The drums themselves vary in size from hand held drums to the barrel like Odaikos which are up to 6 feet across. The performance takes an enormous amount of strength and stamina and the sheer agility, co-ordination and chorography of the drummers are what make the show so powerful, along with the resounding reverberations of the drumbeats. In fact, the latest production is called Shin-on, which translates as heartbeat in English and it is said that the sound of the drums is like the sound of a mother’s heartbeat to her unborn child.
More »
Natalie Lewis February 29th, 2008
I have just returned from a trip to the Philippines. It is four years since I was last there, and I had forgotten just what an enchanting country it is. I got out of Manila as quickly as possible (the traffic and pollution were just too much); and went on to explore some of the other islands of this diverse country. Firstly to Boracay where the white sand beaches have enticed a number of new hotels to open up along its shores. My favourite was the Discovery Shores - a new five star option, and the best on the island until the Shangri-La opens at the end of the year. More »
Following the success of the Canada department at the BACTAs last month, it was with high hopes that Rachel and I set off for the annual Tourism New Zealand Awards in London in early May. The awards this year were comprised of eight categories, of which we were eligible to enter five, and so with the help of the whole team we prepared our submissions and handed them over to TNZ during their recent visit to the Mill.
