The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 2

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD SATURDAY, JANUARY 3, 1998 Travellers become another casualty of the Asian currency crisis antes drops all flights to Korea OF WEEK By DIANE STOTT Qantas will suspend its four weekly flights to South Korea because travel bookings have plummeted 65 per cent in the fallout from Asia's economic crisis. Qantas announced yesterday that it would not fly to South Korea after February 1 and was unlikely to resume services for at least a year. Ansett Australia has also admitted it is constantly monitoring its twice-weekly flights after passenger numbers had but refused to give details, saying they were commercially confidential. Economic uncertainty in South Korea and a massive drop in the value of the country's currency, the won, had forced many Koreans to suspend their travel plans. Qantas's executive general manager commercial, Mr Geoff Dixon, said that "we are receiving widespread cancellations from tour groups and He added: "In the past month, Qantas has experienced a drop of nearly 65 per cent in demand for seats on the route, compared with the same period last year.

The drop in passenger numbers was no longer sustainable." Air New Zealand announced on Christmas Eve that it would suspend flights to South Korea from the beginning of this year. Qantas carried 55,000 passengers from Korea in 1997 but more than 80 per cent were Koreans coming to Australia. "Australia is a major holiday destination for Koreans but Korea is not a big holiday market for Australians," Mr Dixon said. This reliance on Korean travellers for passenger num bers had made the travel route more difficult to sustain even before the economic problems, he said. From next month, travellers booking through Qantas will be put on South Korea's Asiana Airlines.

Passenger numbers were unlikely to bounce back in the short to medium terms, Mr Dixon said, and Qantas would probably review its decision in nine months. The tourism industry is pinning its hopes on. a resurgence in other travel markets to overcome problems created by the Asian currency crisis. Only 6 per cent of tourists came from Korea in 1997. Travellers from the other crisis-gripped countries of Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, who made up 9 per cent of visitors, are also expected to fall off dramatically.

The managing director of Tourism Council Australia, Mr Bruce Baird, said Qantas's move was of concern for the industry, although it was too early to tell if jobs would be lost "Asia was such a huge growth market, but now short-term growth is worrying, although there are still good long-term growth prospects." He said the European and North American markets had picked up more quickly than expected. "Although Asia is a big market, we don't have all our eggs in one basket because we are a popular destination to diverse markets." Ansett's public affairs manager, Mr Peter Young, said the drop in Qantas passengers was "not surprising, given the shape of the Ansett would have another look at numbers on its twice-weekly service after this weekend. 2 THE TRUTH ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN WATERFRONT A NEWS SERIES it I i Jl iL it A -4u tw: -J v-ji -i-j-te -u, t- li ar) tj a. iBff-vrja iMMt'iifi 'f Eilii ti -nii; I 3 fei fryHS ijjaw tj'tkvi i tf Hili ill iiiifiWlW Trekkers make it to the South Pole By ANDREW DARBY in Hobart Three NSW men have filled a gap in Australia's Antarctic history, adding its name for the first time to the list of countries whose citizens have walked to the South Pole. The arduous 60-day journey over the ice, 1,400 kilometres from Berkner Island on the shore of the Weddell Sea near the Antarctic Peninsula, was completed on New Year's Day.

The three are Peter Treseder, a bank credit manager from Wahroonga; Keith Williams, a teacher from Orange; and Blue Mountains National Parks and Wildlife Service manager Ian Brown. They were yesterday reported to be recovering from the journey, which left all with some frostbite. Their expedition is believed to be at least the fifth to complete the journey unsupported and on foot. Roald Amundsen's group was first to reach the pole, in 1911. The Australians' arrival at the pole comes less than a month after three men died in an attempted group parachute jump there, almost certainly because of their own error, according to the United States Parachute Association.

The association's communications director, Mr Danny Brooks, confirmed yesterday that none of the dead was wearing automatic parachute activation devices, while the fourth member of the group jump, and sole survivor, did wear his. Meanwhile, at Commonwealth Bay, a private foundation is going ahead with work to save Sir Douglas Mawson's 84-year-old pine huts from destruction by the elements. The AAP Mawson's Huts Foundation's 11 -person expedition has tunnelled into a ice-free central living space of the main hut. The expeditioners have been hampered by freezing blizzards as they race against time in their effort to stabilise the buildings before they must leave early next month. I YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE HSC RESULTS HP Delicious dilemma Nikolai Lugansky tries one of the two pianos offered for his Opera House performance tonight, opening the Sydney Festival.

Photograph by nick moir Steinway or Steinway a pianist's tough choice By KELLY BURKE Choosing a piano is like choosing a Model Ford. Select any instrument you like as long as it's a any colour, so long as it's black. The two pianos proffered by the Sydney Opera House yesterday were standard concert hall fare. Russian pianist Nikolai Lugansky nevertheless took his time choosing between the two, moving back and forth between the highly polished instruments, trying a passage of Scriabin's Piano Concerto first on hall, the sound must be very strong." The 25-year-old Moscow Con-servatorium graduate left behind Russia's sub-zero winter temperatures on December 31. Somewhere between London and Singapore he lost new year's day.

Early yesterday he arrived in Sydney, and, choosing to ignore the heat and jet lag, was hard at work in an Opera House rehearsal room by early afternoon. Tonight, Lugansky along with Russian conductor Mikhail Pletnev and the Russian National Orchestra makes his Australian debut with Scriabin's Piano Concerto. Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty ballet suite and Liapunov-'s Solemn Overture on Russian Themes are also on the program. On Tuesday Pletnev passes the baton to guest conductor Eri Klas, who will conduct Weber's Oheron overture, Sibelius's Symphony No 1 and Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 3 the one David Helfgott is so fond of. Lugansky confesses he has not heard the controversial Helfgott version.

one, then on the other. It's a risky business, judging the acoustics of a hall without orchestra and audience. Almost 30 minutes later he made his choice, opting for the brighter-toned of the two; Lugansky wants to make sure he is heard clearly above the Russian National Orchestra at tonight's concert, which marks the opening of the 1998 Sydney Festival. "Every piano has good and bad sounds," he explains. "It was not easy to choose but I think if I play with such a big orchestra in such a big "I have heard some opinions on his playing, that is all," the Russian says.

"I heard he played Flight of the Bumble Bee at the Oscars a difficult piece," he adds with diplomacy. It is possible for every pianist to put their individual stamp on "Rach Lugansky believes such is the magnificent quality of the piece. "If you're in love with this music, it will be yours. I have always been in love with this music. It is my favourite concerto." Where the Herald's List missed Entertainer Lionel Long dies at 60 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE FESTIVAL IV' i 72 road deaths during holidays The national Christmas-New Year holiday road toll stands at 72 following the death of a man in Tasmania on Thursday.

Police said the man was killed when the car he was driving hit a tree at Beacons-field, in northern Tasmania. It was a bad start to the new year with a double fatality in southern Queensland on Thursday and other deaths in NSW and Western Australia. Eighteen people have died on NSW roads over the period, 17 in Queensland, 16 in Victoria, nine in South Australia, four in Western Australia, three each in the ACT and Tasmania, and two in the Northern Territorv. weekdays, 9.30 am to 6 pm weekends, 500 Harris Street, Ultimo. Prices: Children under five and seniors free, free for all on first Saturday of the month.

Phone 9217 0100. The Sydney Jewish Museum: the story of Jews in Australia. On display is Thomas Keneally's copy of the list used by Oskar Schindler and the original manuscript of Schindler's Ark. The museum is open Monday to Thursday, 10 am-4 pm, Friday, 10am-2 pm, Sunday, llam-5pm. 148 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst Prices: S6S4S15.

Phone 9360 7999. Opera Australia's summer season, which began on New Year's Eve with Cosi fan tutte, continues at the Sydney Opera House with Manon Lescaut (from January 8), Macbeth (from January 20), Tannhauser (from February 2) and Tosca (from February 9). Phone 9319 1088 or 9250 7777. The Great China Circus which opened in Sydney on Boxing Day will extend its season to January 18. It features clowns, acrobats, aerialists and contortionists.

It has no performing animals as stated in The List published with yesterday's Herald. Its tour will support China's Save The Panda Fund. Prices S34S25S19S94. Powerhouse Museum highlights in January include Murgatroid in Space (until January 8, no show today, 10.45 am and 12.45 pm); Theatresports about space (until January 8, 11.30 am and 1.30 pm); 50,000 Days: The Heralds Sydney since 1831 Design Tech: projects by HSC students; The Lions of Retreat Street: A Chinese Temple in Sydney; Chinese dress 1700s to now; Cyberzone: new media and Star Trek: objects from the TV series (S6S36 additional admission). Open daily, 9.30 am to 5 pm Folksinger, guitarist, actor, director, television entertainer and painter Lionel Long, OAM, died in the Sacred Heart Hospice at Darlinghurst on New Year's Day.

Long, who was 60, grew up in Burwood. His interest in folk music began when as a young man he worked as a jackaroo, singing to the shearers. His singing career proper began when he returned to Sydney and sang at a Chinese restaurant in King Street. This in turn led to a record company contract. Although his first" single flopped, Long soon released an album of bush songs and was launched on a television career.

What he described as his lucky TV appearances. Back in Australia in 1968 he was signed up with Channel 7's top-rating cop show Homicide to play Detective Alberto Costello, which he did for 60 episodes. Long surprised many when following on from his folk-singing and acting career he took up painting, and even entered a portrait for the Archibald Prize. In 1981, he was appointed creative arts consultant to the NSW Drug and Alcohol Authority, helping to develop creative programs to assist addicts. He is survived by his children Amberwren and Roman Long's funeral will be held at the Eastern Suburbs Crematorium at 10.30 am on Monday.

PLUS A WEEK OF READING FROM AUSTRALIA'S BEST WRITERS Lionel Long career surprise. break came in 1962 when he was made a compere of Sing, Sing, Sing when Johnny O'Keefe became ill. He spent time in London in the mid-60s where he released more records and made many EXTRA SHOWS! Global TELECOMMUNICATIONS Global One is one of the world's leading and most innovative International Telecommunications companies. Their presence in 'Sprint Australia has grown significantly in the last few years and as a result of this growth, the following additional positions have become available: France Telecom 11 111! kZ33TC 0323335 (ZEMB51 jit. ate OFFICE C0-0RDINAT0R SALES ENGINEER Supporting the Sales force with the more complex Voice data solutions you will have the following backgroundexperience: Technical Qualifications Customer Negotiations Excellent Presentation Skills ATM, Frame Relay, YPN, X25 This requires someone with a "can do" attitude who enjoys making it happen in a team environment.

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