Travel Weekly (UK) articles from April 2006

Travel Weekly (UK) archives from April 2006

5of the best luxury hotels in Bali.
April 7, 2006... Bali is back on the map for UK visitors, but where should you send them? Whether it's spa treatments, golf, fine dining or pure relaxation on the agenda, the island has something to suit. 1. Best for beach Where: Nusa Dua Beach Hotel and...

news in brief.
April 7, 2006... Emirates widens accommodation options Emirates Tours has added three properties to its Thailand and Malaysia programmes, and now offers 20 hotels in the two countries. Seven nights at the Mandarin Oriental Chiang Mai leads in at [pounds...

Malaysia on the move.
April 7, 2006... T ourism Malaysia took tour operators from the UK and Ireland on a mega fam trip to Malaysia last month to promote flydrive holidays. More than 120 international participants met in Kuala Lumpur, and then split into groups to drive through...

'Emerging Vietnam' opens up.
April 7, 2006... SOMAK Holidays has added an escorted tour of Vietnam to its 2006 programme. Vietnam Discovery is being sold as an introduction to the country and will operate for up to 16 English-speaking passengers. Marketing manager Louise Newton...

Eos gunning for rivals.
April 7, 2006... ONE-CLASS premium airline Eos has launched a money-back offer to corporate customers of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. In a bid to woo passengers from its two transatlantic rivals, Eos is offering anyone who has booked at least two...

Rock and a hard place.
April 7, 2006... First Choice made the news when it decided to drop the Costa Brava from its brochures for summer 2005, and last week it made page 2 of Travel Weekly with news that 2007 could see the demise of its Malta programme. However, I do sense a change...

departures.
April 7, 2006... There was a time when nobody would touch them. They'd wreck your hotel, drink all your beer, eat your children and burn down your town. I'm talking about stags and hens of course. A lot of companies still won't take their business for fear...

Up your street.
April 7, 2006... jason wescott, marketing executive, bristol international airport What have you been up to this week? Cresta had a trade launch for a dedicated brochure featuring flights from Bristol, so we went to that. We got about 250 agents along to a...

News.
April 7, 2006... Chris Lee is head of travel business at Barclays so he knows everything about travel-related money issues. Chris is your man if you have any financial queries. Peter Stewart is head of aviation and travel at City law firm Field Fisher...

Agents stick with BMI.
April 7, 2006... BMI'S travel trade sales have held up despite its decision to scrap agent commission last October. The UK airline carried 10.5 million passengers last year, the same as in 2004, and travel agents retained their 54% share of seats sold. ...

News.
April 7, 2006... ICELANDAIR is sponsoring the Pure Iceland' exhibition at the London Science Museum but its reception for 200 agents at the official opening last week was far from frosty. Pictured sampling the airline's warm hospitality are Flight Centre's...

[pounds sterling]1 to take away your worries.
April 7, 2006... PACKAGE holiday travellers may soon be paying a [pounds sterling]1 consumer protection charge to pay off the Air Travel Trust Fund's [pounds sterling]15.5 million deficit. The Civil Aviation Authority's proposed levy charge at the point of sale...

ATOL still favoured option.
April 7, 2006... ATOL renewal figures have increased by almost 7% this year, contradicting the view that the consumer protection scheme is losing its appeal. Latest Civil Aviation Authority figures show that by the March 31 deadline, 994 ATOL holders had...

Bath staff remember brave pal.
April 7, 2006... STAFF from a Bath Travel shop are taking part in a charity run in memory of a young colleague who lost her battle with cancer in February. Travel agent Sarah Froud, who worked for the Broadstone branch in Dorset, died after fighting ovarian...

news in brief.
April 7, 2006... peru ad push Peru is to start an advertising campaign to drive visitors to the Iquitos and Northern Amazon region of Peru. The campaign will feature print and online advertising. Peru will spend $7.5 million on tourism advertising this year,...

High plains drifting.
April 7, 2006... IF your customers come back from Venezuela raving about the beauty, don't assume they are referring to the idyllic reef-surrounded Los Roques islands off Venezuela's Caribbean coast. Or the stunning views from the top of the world's highest...

there's no escape from the mystery shopper In association with.
April 7, 2006... A family holiday to Greece This week, we compare agencies in Penrith, Cumbria, with one homeworker and online giant Expedia. The scoring criteria has been altered to account for the lack of shop or brochure for two of those being judged....

Midlands Co-op on the up.
April 7, 2006... MIDLANDS Co-op travel division has said aggressive cost cutting and investment in its online presence has helped to bolster sales. End-of-year results to January 28 have shown a [pounds sterling]184 million turnover, up from [pounds...

News.
April 7, 2006... Lights, camera, action for East Midlands Tourism East Midlands Tourism has been awarded [pounds sterling]2.5 million to support marketing campaigns targeting leisure and business visitors. Projects include themed film breaks, capitalising on...

News.
April 7, 2006... AGENTS from across the UK took part in sales events to raise the profile of the Orlando Tourism Bureau. Throughout March, more than 50 tour operators visited Glasgow, Manchester, Dublin and St Albans to talk to 100 agents about what the...

News.
April 7, 2006... A cracking time at Park Resorts PARK Resorts is offering some eggcellent' Easter entertainment as well as special deals on breaks during the holiday period. Along with traditional Easter fun provided by bunny mascot Sparky, the...

What makes a good agent?
April 7, 2006... AGENTS from across the country have completed a painstaking month-long study to try to find out why some sell more holidays than others. The results will be presented at Triton's conference in Tenerife next month. A total of 16 agencies...

How maggots can give you the edge...
April 7, 2006... AN independent retail entrepreneur who gave Britain its first automatic dog washing machine is to tell agents at the Triton conference how being an integral part of your community is just as important as being a consortium member. ...

Buoyant cruise boosts Amadeus.
April 7, 2006... Amadeus says bookings of cruise holidays through its reservation system have increased 75% year on year. This rise in bookings has been helped by the number of agents signing up for its Internet-based service cruise reservation system. A...

Pushing the right buttons.
April 7, 2006... Web technology stands still for no one. Today's leading travel portals bear little resemblance to those of even four years ago, when static sites inspiring little interactivity were the norm. But what will websites look like in another four...

Technology tunes in.
April 7, 2006... Holidaymakers' fears over bird flu are fading, according to new research by travel research firm Tripvision. The company, which uses powerful software to question its consumer database, has been able to chart how worries about the virus...

Age is no barrier for savvy silver surfers.
April 7, 2006... The 50-plus age group is embracing technology in increasing numbers, according to several pieces of new research. Rather than shying away from new media, an independent survey commissioned by Saga Holidays found that over a quarter (27%) of...

news in brief.
April 7, 2006... air france goes diy Air France passengers departing from Heathrow, London City and Manchester can now check-in from home using the airline's new online facility at Airfrance.co.uk. The service is available from 24 hours to 30 minutes before a...

Showing a bit of class.
April 7, 2006... AGENTS on the mega fam trip sampled Air New Zealand's newly refurbished Pacific Economy class. Since November, flights between London and Auckland have featured fully refitted aircraft with Business Premier, Premium Economy and Pacific...

Agents fall in love with New Zealand.
April 7, 2006... TOURISM New Zealand has hailed its first mega fam trip a massive success and says it could become a regular event. Two groups of 60 agents attended the trip over two weeks, meeting in the middle for a two-day training session in Auckland...

How to get into the silver screen scenea.
April 7, 2006... FILM tourism is a huge untapped global tourism market, according to the man who wrote the Lord of the Rings location guide books. Ian Brodie believes New Zealand's experience following the popular movie trilogy proves how big film tourism...

Paul Little.
April 7, 2006... I got six GCSEs and left school at the age of 15. Growing up I wanted to be a golf pro. I had no aspiration to work in travel. From the age of 17, I worked at Smithfield Market in Manchester, selling fruit and vegetables wholesale to...

'Play it safe and stay overnight,' warns GTMC.
April 7, 2006... SKIMPING on overnight accommodation to save money could land companies in court, business travel leaders have warned. With the authorities taking a sympathetic view of employee work pressure, the Guild of Travel Management Companies is...

Virgin mix-up for Paris.
April 7, 2006... PITY poor little millionairess Paris Hilton. When she's not blowing the family fortune, dressing her dog in the latest fashions, starring in X-rated online broadcasts or filming ground-breaking documentaries, she's just a normal girl. Which...

Tanzer's to do list.
April 7, 2006... ABTA chief executive Mark Tanzer wants British travel firms to use their expertise to break into foreign outbound markets with the association's support. Six months into his tenure, and with a number of domestic battles still to be fought...

Answer lies in 'Search'.
April 7, 2006... UP TO half of all Triton members have registered to Triton Search before it has been rolled out nationwide. Billed as a technological breakthrough to help agents act as operators, Triton Search has undergone a two-month trial and will be...

Franchise booming.
April 7, 2006... THE GLOBAL Travel Group is taking on around 10 new franchisees a month, of which 70% are new to the travel industry. Chairman George Begg said the group's franchising package was attractive to those looking to get into franchising but put...

News.
April 7, 2006... LATE NEWS Sales up at Club 18-30 Club 18-30's bookings are up 20% on last year as a result of the operator's online interactive community, which includes chatrooms. Since launch a year ago, more than 36,000 people have signed up to...

movers and shakers.
April 7, 2006... Air Malta has promoted former agency sales co-ordinator MATTHEW PARNELL (below) to business development executive. Parnell will develop client relationships and communications. GARY REAVELEY has become Travelscope's first dedicated key account...

News.
April 7, 2006... Superbreak offers free child places over Easter Superbreak is promoting its ekids go free' policy as it predicts up to 60,000 bookings will be made through agents this Easter. The deal allows up to two children under 16 to stay for free in...

Triton keeping pressure on.
April 7, 2006... TRITON bosses claim the new group is helping to ensure commission levels are maintained by the major operators. Triton director and founder of the Global Travel Group George Begg said: "We've heard about commission going down to zero, but...

Miles more competition.
April 7, 2006... One of my sons tried to put some business my way recently when booking a family holiday to Barbados costing around [pounds sterling]20,000. While we compared the offers of four major upmarket operators, he found an Air Miles leaflet offering...

We're still crazy about Billy.
April 7, 2006... ATTENTION campers! Have we got a treat in store for you... No matter what the decade, it seems us Brits have a special place in our hearts for Butlins, the original [degrees]and undisputed king [degrees] of the all-inclusive holiday world....

hotel check HOTEL ISTANA, KUALA LUMPUR.
April 7, 2006... Where is it? In a prime location in Kuala Lumpur, within walking distance of the main shopping and entertainment districts, the Petronas Twin Towers and the KL tower. ????? What's it like? A five-star glistening skyscraper with glitzy...

News.
April 7, 2006... COMMERCIAL TIES The way Butlins is advertised has kept pace with the times. Original brochures even carried adverts for other brands popular at the time [degrees] cigarettes and soap powders were regularly featured! "Sir Billy was the...

what a turn off.
April 7, 2006... London TV, the television channel developed by Visit London to promote the Capital to tourists, has stopped broadcasting on Sky. However, viewers can still tune in to London TV online, on airlines and in hotel rooms, black cabs, trains and...

Captain fantastic.
April 7, 2006... AGENTS can turn themselves into captains of the cruise industry with a new Royal Caribbean online training programme. Designed specifically for the UK trade, the E-learning programme is an extension of the cruiseline's Cruise for...

RED COATS.
April 7, 2006... The Red Coats are Butlins to many people. Today, they won't force you in to take part in organised games or keep-fit sessions, but they are still the driving force behind much of the on-site activity. Nowadays their role centres around keeping...

ACTIVITIES.
April 7, 2006... "Miss Butlins... I don't think we could get away with that now," said Butlins managing director John Dunford. Instead the fun's a bit more family-orientated. More than [pounds sterling]40 million has been invested in the last three years, with...

ACCOMMODATION.
April 7, 2006... The simple 1936 chalet had wooden cot beds and no toilet [degrees] no real hardship since inside loos were uncommon in most houses of the time. Today, Butlins accommodation has scaled new heights. Guests can opt for either self-catering...

Package 'horrors' far from dynamic.
April 7, 2006... LOWCOSTBEDS.COM founder Paul Evans has criticised tour operators for continually highlighting the issue of financial protection as a selling point and dubbed the package-holiday experience "horrendous". Evans, whose company supplies...

Future's bright, say agents.
April 7, 2006... AGENTS are optimistic about the second quarter of 2006 with 70% expecting bookings to rise by at least 5%. A poll of 175 agents by Amadeus revealed 44% of leisure agents expecting increased activity thought sales will rise by 10%, some 23%...

Club 18-30 reps 'can't stand pace'.
April 7, 2006... UP TO 30% of Club 18-30's holiday reps intake leave within four months of starting. The company gets up to 5,000 applicants every winter even though it does not actively promote vacancies other than putting details online. Overseas...

Aspire 'here to stay' despite lack of support from major players.
April 7, 2006... THE Institute of Travel and Tourism's Aspire conference will remain an industry fixture despite falling support from major travel companies. Delegate numbers were up from 380 last year to 460 at the third annual Aspire conference, held at...

News.
April 7, 2006... What they said What did you think to Aspire 2006? "It needed separate break-out sessions for university and college students. Our degree is sneered at." Naomi Kirkup, 26, travel and tourism management degree, Northumbria University "I have...

News.
April 7, 2006... Among the hundreds of students at this year's Aspire were these first year travel and tourism students from St Helens College in Merseyside. Pictured are, from left, Joanne Marsh; Emma Seddon; Liz Taylor; Charlotte Flinn; and Sarah...

Aspiring agents can be a great success.
April 7, 2006... THERE are plenty of opportunities for students to become travel agents or run travel companies by the time they are in their late 20s and 30s, industry leaders have claimed. Industry bosses speaking at this year's Aspire conference at...

Unicorn trots out new destinations.
April 7, 2006... HORSE-riding holiday specialist Unicorn Trails has added three destinations to its Dream Holidays 2006 brochure. Marketing manager Liz Molyneux said the addition of Jordan, Iceland and Kyrgyzstan brings the total number of countries...

Fresh sets targets for 2006.
April 7, 2006... ON Holiday Group's online tour operation Fresh Holidays is on target to carry 30,000 passengers this year [degrees] but is still struggling to achieve substantial brand awareness in the trade. The brand's low profile in the trade contrasts...

Virgin takes next step in space race.
April 7, 2006... space tour operator Virgin Galactic is hoping to build a second space station in the Middle East as a report predicts space tourism will take off over the next 50 years. Churchill Insurance report World Travel 2050 stated space travel is...

Libra the winner in payment wrangles.
April 7, 2006... THOMSON Holidays' decison to slash commission has brought soaring levels of business to eastern Mediterranean specialist Libra Holidays. Sales and marketing director Paul Riches said sales in its core Greece and Cyprus markets have leapt...

Some seats really are at a Premium.
April 7, 2006... SOME people would do anything to guarantee an upgrade on a flight. Returning from lunch at the Tourism New Zealand mega fam trip in Auckland last week, Air New Zealand staff were left scratching their heads when they discovered their...

Upgraded site puts BCP on training path.
April 7, 2006... BCP is touring the country to train agents on its new bookable website. The airport car-parking firm overhauled its website earlier this year and it now automatically brings up quotes for three types of service; basic airport parking,...

Show support for technology.
April 7, 2006... The travel sector is beginning to question the old adage that a company's biggest asset is its staff. The role of technology is becoming increasingly critical in determining which travel businesses are going to be the big winners in the years...

News.
April 7, 2006... WHAT THE AGENTS HAVE TO SAY What do you hope to get out of the evening? "I'd like to meet new suppliers to find out who's here and who's offering the dynamic packaging deals, especially on the web. We are a call centre now and have moved...

'Offer clients added value'.
April 7, 2006... There have been some memorable nights at Old Trafford, and on a typical rainy Manchester midweek last month, the stadium played host to a team of tour operators talking dynamic packaging to a packed room of local agents. They weren't...

News.
April 7, 2006... WHAT THE OPERATOR HAVE TO SAY Dynamic Packaging roadshow, Manchester "Evenings such as this allow us to see as many agents as possible and get the message across about who we are and what we do. We are launching our new website so we can...

First Choice rethinks 'I'm a Celebrity'.
April 7, 2006... FIRST Choice is weighing up whether to ditch its sponsorship with ITV's I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! Marketing director Tim Williamson revealed the company's whole marketing strategy is under review. He questioned whether previous...

Net rates 'the only way'.
April 7, 2006... THE trade has been told to forget about commission and move to a net rate structure that allows agents to set their own margin. Speaking at the Spanish Tourism Exchange for Professionals exhibition in London, Thomas Cook director of...

TSSA backs 'Fair Deal' bid.
April 7, 2006... THE Transport Salaried Staff's Association has given its support to Travel Weekly's Are you Getting a Fair Deal?' campaign. The initiative aims to kick-start a debate on pay for travel staff as well as terms and conditions, benefits and...

High-street agencies to emulate Internet.
April 7, 2006... THOMSON wants its high-street agency network to mirror the way its website works by offering the same facilities. Planning and trading director David Burling said the operator believes a successful travel agency should learn from the...

Spain told: 'Don't raise rates'.
April 7, 2006... THE UK travel industry has warned Spanish hoteliers not to raise their rates following a resurgence this year. Package-holiday bookings to Spain fell 30% in four years from 10 million in 2001 to seven million in 2005. However, that...

Cosmos hurt by Brava brush-off.
April 7, 2006... COSMOS has warned it may never return to the Costa Brava as tourism officials have ignored the operator since it pulled out. Cosmos overseas purchasing and operations director Hugh Morgan told delegates the operator has had minimal contact...

X marks the spot.
April 7, 2006... Maps, video and blogs [degrees] the key to stickability Stickability' is an elusive goal for companies with websites but one they all seek to achieve. The term refers to a website that keeps visitors clicking through its pages long...

Fiji gears up for influx of visitors.
April 14, 2006... FIJI is poised to attract more UK visitors this year as airlines increase capacity and new hotels open, releasing more than 1,000 rooms to the trade. The Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa, Denarau, opened in January with 296 rooms and suites,...

Retailers to get on board The Bula Bus.
April 14, 2006... THE Fiji Visitors Bureau will be running a series of workshops next month to launch its online training programme to educate agents on the earning potential of the country. Similar to the Aussie Specialist Programme, the programme, called...

Group expansion gathering pace.
April 14, 2006... THIS year's one-day conference marked the Independence Group's 10th anniversary. Hays Travel managing director John Hays said the group is continuing to expand. "We are still taking on new members, we hope to have about 50 by the end...

Travel is their stocking trade.
April 14, 2006... ONLINE agency Holidaysplease.com plans to double the number of its homeworkers by the end of this year. The Internet-based company was set up by Charles Duncombe and Yenton Travel managing director Richard Dixon in 2003 and it joined the...

Cash for selling on web.
April 14, 2006... CONFERENCE sponsor Superbreak is to encourage Independence Group members to increase the number of bookings they make online with cash incentives. Speaking at the group's conference last week, Superbreak key account manager Colin Fanning...

Agents told to aim for the skies.
April 14, 2006... REGIONAL agents have been urged to link up with charter jet operators to fly on routes overlooked by major airlines. Mike Farge, chief executive of Southampton-based aviation company Club 328, said opportunities exist for partnerships with...

Monarch hopes to pull in the legroom profits.
April 14, 2006... MONARCH Scheduled expects to make [pounds sterling]10 million this year from the 30% of its passengers who either buy more legroom or pre-select a seat. Managing director Tim Jeans would not reveal exact figures but said most of this...

News.
April 14, 2006... Air Berlin springs into action with gourmet plan Air Berlin is introducing gourmet meals including tapas and English breakfasts on all flights from May 1. The meals cost between [euro]7 and [euro]15. The new menus will complement standard...

Flythomascook.com signs affiliate deal.
April 14, 2006... THOMAS Cook Airlines has entered its first online affiliate advertising deal. Flythomascook.com has appointed Affilinet to manage its online affiliate programme. Director Tony Milsom hopes it will direct 20% more business to...

'Stick to your guns'.
April 14, 2006... AGENTS are being urged to stick to their switch-selling guns and resist short-term financial inducements offered by operators. With the lates market about to start, retailers have told Travel Weekly both Thomson and First Choice are trying...