THE RUGBY LEAGUE WORLD CUP - AUSTRALIA 2008
At Peter Banner Travel we are very open and very proud of our 17 year record of successfully organising Rugby League Supporters Tours to and from Australia.  Our achievements are, we believe second to none, and the number of supporters who re-book with us tour after tour are constantly on the rise.

We also know that your tour/holiday is very important to you.  It is also extremely important to us since we want you to enjoy it and continue to entrust your tour arrangements with us for years to come.  We also care about our reputation and want to be sure that you understand your commitment when signing the booking form.  For Rugby League World Cup 2008 we have once again linked up with Barton-Knott Travel, with whom as ABTA & ATOL holders you will book your tour.   Peter Banner Travel will, as usual, be responsible for the entire organisation of the tour but so as to ensure complete compliance with all aspects of UK Travel law, your tour will be booked with Barton-Knott Travel Ltd., (ABTA78429) & ATOL 5262. 

CHOICE OF LOCATIONS
When you travel half way around the world to Australia for either the first or fifth time, it is important that you have the opportunity to see and enjoy as much of this fascinating country as possible.  It is equally as important that your time spent in your choice of location is quality time; time spent in top 4 & 5 star hotels which are located in excellent geographical locations.  With over 400 supporters having travelled to Australia with us on at least 3 occasions, it is essential that we offer a variety of choice.  We have again really put together several great packages that offer you a total of 9 different destinations to choose from – plus stop overs.   New destinations on our itineraries are Townsville and the Sunshine Coast.  For many supporters Melbourne will also be a first but who will ever forget the last time we were there in 1992 when we hammered the Aussies 33-10 at Carlton’s Optus Oval.  

To tour Australia and not stay in such brilliant destinations as Cairns on the Great Barrier Reef; The Sunshine Coast or Gold Coast would in our opinion be a total catastrophe!  We have also located quality time in both Brisbane and Sydney.  On most tours you have the option of choosing two destinations from the Sunshine Coast, the Gold Coast and Cairns; on Tour 1, you stay in all three.  It’s your choice!  Obviously all of the relevant flights within Australia, all transfers to and from the games and of course 4 & 5 star accommodation are already included in the packages.  

Cairns and The Great Barrier Reef continues to be a firm favourite with our groups and our own chartered day tours in these locations are absolutely brilliant!  We really could not put a genuine tour together without offering you the opportunity to visit or re-visit Cairns.  

With stop-overs to and from Australia, you have the choice of Dubai on either the outward journey or inward journey and once again by popular demand The 5 Star Dusit Resort in Pattaya (Thailand) is the ideal way to round off your holiday.  Also on the return journey Peter will escort the supporters who choose a 3 day stop over in Bangkok with accommodation at the 5 star Windsor Suites Hotel.

HOTELS
There is still the possibility that we upgrade even further with our choice of hotels, but all are 4 or 5 star and can easily be looked up on the internet.  In particular: The Amora Hotel in Sydney is just 5 mins from Circular Quay.  The Tradewinds Esplanade Hotel, now known as the Rydges Esplanade Hotel in Cairns has been a firm favourite for 17 years and has recently undergone several million dollars worth of alterations and upgrading.  On the Gold Coast it’s the 5 star Mecure Hotel (formerly the Pan Pacific) which is just a monorail ride from Conrad/Jupiter’s and opposite the beach.  This is a property that offers just about everything including a three story shopping centre and a great mall hosting an abundance of pavement cafes and restaurants.

AIRLINES
The main Airline that we have selected this year for our International flights is Emirates Airline.  Emirates are regarded by many as the best in the world and offer economy class travellers that little bit extra.  In a survey that was returned to us by last year’s tourist, the airline rated 9/10.  Also they provide a great service to Australia.  They fly from Manchester to Dubai and then directly from Dubai to Melbourne and Sydney.   Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Blue proved a huge success in Australia.  If anyone requires Business Class Quotes, just give us a call or complete the booking form and return it to us.

AIRPORT TAXES & FUEL CHARGES
We have included all airport and departure taxes as they are at the time of writing but these cannot be guaranteed.  By flying on Emirates – obviously oil rich – we are hopeful that the prices quoted will remain but this is not assured. Also as we are booking far in advance, all airlines have the right to amend their prices until they are able to actually issue the tickets, which is usually 6 – 9 months prior to departure.  Full details are laid out explicitly in the attached booking terms and conditions.   To ensure we take advantage of airfares offered and a safeguard against increased fares we will need to pay this component as soon as we possibly can and we will notify you immediately once that date is to hand.

FINANCIAL SECURITY
Your financial security and peace of mind is also a very important component of your tour.  We want you to be happy and carefree in the lead up to your ‘holiday of a lifetime’.  To ensure the financial security, all payments for your tour will be made directly to BARTON-KNOTT TRAVEL  LTD (ABTA78429) & ATOL 5262.  It is against the law to purchase airline tickets from any company that is not an official agent for, or does not hold an IATA or ATOL License.  Consequently your contract will be with Barton-Knott Travel Ltd. 
At Peter Banner Travel we are very open and VERY proud of our 17 year record of successfully organising Rugby League Supporters Tours supporters tours to and from Australia.  Please therefore, spend a few minutes reading the booking conditions below, since they also detail our obligation to you once you have sign the booking form.

In 1996 when the Great Britain Tour to Australia was cancelled due to the advent of Super League and Summer Rugby, over 900 people cancelled and every one received every single penny back – by return post!  
RUGBY LEAGUE CONTENT

We cover EVERY GAME, all qualifying legs, both semi finals and of course the final.  All top of the range match tickets are obviously included.  All of our tours stay in Brisbane prior to the first semi final.  Let’s face it “Who knows which one England will play in?”  You never know with results – look at GB walloping Australia at Aussie Stadium last year – who would have thought it.  So there is a real chance that they could be playing in Semi Final Two in Sydney on Sunday 16th November and we have it covered!   If Australia do win all of their qualifying games they will be in semi final 2 which will probably be held at Aussie Stadium. 

Two or three days in Brisbane will allow you plenty of time to explore Queensland’s Capital City.  As mentioned before, the hotels have doubled and even tripled their price for this weekend of the final, so why pay more when the hotels and the city are crammed!  Both food and service suffer and what’s more the price of beer goes up!! 

At the present time we are still building on our rugby league content but rest assured we will be calling on the likes of Brian Smith, Brett Kenny, Steve Edge, Wally Lewis, Mal Meninga and many more to join us for various planned events including a gala dinner which will be possibly held in Sydney.  On last year’s Tri Nations Tour we also organised the dinner for the British Lions Association. We will have visits to Cronulla Leagues Club and St George organised and we will release our list of day tours for each destination in the very near future. 

BREAKFASTS
Since our first tour in 1992 - we do not include breakfasts in the tour for several very good reasons.  Firstly, because of the high standard of hotels, you have to pay ‘top dollar’ in advance. So if you have jet lag, oversleep a couple of times, hung-over (it can happen) or just fed up with the same hotel breakfasts day.  So realistically you could well miss 5 or 6 breakfasts on tour.  , so why pay in advance for something that you will more than likely not get full value from? Further more, it is great in Sydney just to walk down to the harbour (5 minutes away) and enjoy a great breakfast of virtually what ever you want for a fiver in superb surroundings.  You may fancy a late breakfast/brunch on The Boardwalk in Cairns, on the shores of the Pacific Ocean on the Sunshine Coast or Cannes style in the Broadbeach Mall on the Gold Coast.  Enjoy the variety!

TOUR HOSTS
All of our tour hosts ask or receive no pay or expenses and do contribute to their own tour costs. THIS OBVIOUSLY REFLECTS IN THE PRICE THAT YOU PAY. They just love the great atmosphere and obviously enjoy sharing with our supporters their great memories of a life time ‘at the top’ in rugby league.  Wonder what Hynes & Murphy have to say????  The following rugby league legends need no introduction and our supporters have had the great pleasure of their company on many a tour!

Neil Fox MBE – Neil & Molly have hosted 7 tours with us and are back for their 8th
Billy Boston MBE – Billy & Joan have hosted 5 tours and are back for their 6th
Alex Murphy OBE – Alex and Alice are joining us again on their 3rd Tour
Syd Hynes – Will be joining us in Australia – Hynes & Murphy together – Wow!!

TOUR GUIDES
You will notice from the itineraries that apart from a ‘travel day’ all of our tours are rarely in more than two locations at one time.  Consequently this ensures that you will not only enjoy the great atmosphere that our supporters always generate, but will have expert and experienced tour guides with you at all times.  Eric and Barbara Banner have also completed well over a dozen tours and they will again be our tour guides.  Each day we operate a tour desk in every location and in most instances have information sheets ready for you on your arrival which will help you find restaurants, pubs, tourist attractions and give out our day tour information.  We always conduct our own day tours, usually building two or three of the ‘normal’ day tours into one!   The value and content is unsurpassed!
SUMMARY

When our first group takes off for Australia via Dubai on Sunday 19th October 2008 it will have been sixteen & a half years since our 732 supporters left on the 1992 Great Britain Tour of Australia. Almost 75% of those came back and rebooked the ill fated 1996 Tour that was cancelled due to the advent of Super League and Summer Rugby.  Over 540 supporters still travelled for the holiday in June and a further 350 joined us for the 3 match tour of New Zealand in October that year.  Since then we have had some really fantastic smaller tours with brilliant supporters to State of Origin and The Aussie Grand Final.  However on a personal note I think that last year’s Tri Nations Tour was ‘simply the best’.  So it is really great to be back once again offering some great packages for the 2008 World Cup. 

We know that we will be welcoming back with us many friends from previous tours and many first time supporters who we know will feel the friendship and camaraderie that will set their tour alight from the minute they set foot into their first Presentation Evening! We are really excited and raring to go! Our Presentation evenings will be held at regular intervals right up until departure.