Carry On: Niue’s resort weddings, South America connections, capital airport growth and more

McCully breaks ground at Matavai Resort expansion
Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully has broken the ground on the site of new accommodation wing and a 140-people capacity, oceanfront conference centre at the Scenic Matavai Resort on Niue Island.  Scenic Hotel Group managing director Brendan Taylor says construction will take place over the next 12 months with completion due at the end of 2016.

The expansion will coincide with the development of the resort's Amaia Luxury Spa. “Niue is gaining popularity as a wedding venue with a spectacular difference,” Mr Taylor says, as well as hosting major Pacific Island forums, meetings and conferences.

LATAM adds to international network
South America’s LATAM Airlines Group is adding six new international routes through the end of 2016. These will give New Zealanders flying on LAN Chile to Santiago access to a larger network in Latin America, North America, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa.

Brazil-based TAM is awaiting approval from authorities to operate from Sao Paulo to Johannesburg, making LATAM the only Latin American airline with regularly scheduled flights to the African continent. LAN Peru is planning the first non-stop flight between Lima and Washington DC and Lima, as well as non-stop flights between Lima and Montevideo and Lima and Antofagasta.

LAN Colombia will start flying next month from Bogota to Punta Cana and TAM will fly from Brasilia, also to Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic.

Capital passes 200,000 international visitors
Three new international routes out of Wellington in the past year, all by non-New Zealand airlines, have pushed overseas arrivals direct into Wellington Airport past the 200,000 mark for the first time. Figures for the year to September of 201,600 were up 17,312, or 9.4%, from the previous year. The extra capacity was added by Jetstar to two Australian ports and Fiji Airways to Nadi. Qantas is planning a Wellington-Brisbane service from December 3.

By way of comparison, Auckland Airport had 300,000 visitors from China in the year to September for the first time. Departures from Auckland for the UK in September jumped 40% as Kiwis headed to the Rugby World Cup. 

Carnival partners in Chinese cruise venture
Cruise ship line Carnival Corporation is forming a joint venture in China to launch a new domestic brand. The other partners are China State Shipbuilding Corporation and China Investment Corporation. UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Chinese President Xi Jinping attending the signing ceremony in London this week. The overall cruise industry in China is expected to become the largest in the world.

Faull's empire spreads to Bulgaria
NBR Rich Lister Gavin Faull’s Swiss-Belhotel International has continued its expansion in Europe with Swiss-Belresort Mount Orpheus in Bulgaria, which is set to open by 2017. Situated in the scenic Rhodope Mountains, it covers a site of four acres in the “Sacred Land” development.

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