Travel Weekly (UK) articles from June 2009

Travel Weekly (UK) archives from June 2009

Destinations.
June 5, 2009... Following the recent political turmoil in Thailand, the chances are that some of your clients will be wary of taking a trip to the country this year. Or maybe they have been many times before and fancy somewhere different. Either way, the...

Destinations.
June 5, 2009... With many airlines cutting back on their schedules, Israel is in the enviable position of having had its airlift increased in recent months. BMI, buoyed by the success of its Heathrow-Tel Aviv service in 2008, launched a second daily...

Destinations.
June 5, 2009... This year marks the centenary of the foundation of the city of Tel Aviv, which was established in 1909 on the sand dunes of the Mediterranean by a small group of Jews who had migrated a couple of miles down the coast from the ancient, and...

Destinations.
June 5, 2009... An end may be in sight for the restrictions on taking liquids onto flights at UK airports, following a successful three-month trial of new X-ray scanning equipment at Manchester airport. The tomography scanners used in the trial, which...

News.
June 5, 2009... Why vote for me? ITT election candidates have their say. "Under my chairmanship the ITT has become profitable, influential and enjoyable. The conference is the "blue ribbon" event of the year. I'd like to build on this progress." [if too...

News.
June 5, 2009... Business meetings that went wrong... "At a meeting with our rival Thomas Cook, we were directed to a room where they their key targets and financials were written on a board. Five minutes later a lady walked in and tried to wipe the board...

Skillzone.
June 5, 2009... Chris Oakes from Holiday Taxis has joined the travelhub as its first industry blogger, with his new blog - Oakesy's Little Acorns. Chris, who is major account manager for Holiday Taxis, will be blogging about industry issues. Chris...

Skillzone.
June 5, 2009... Kevin Toby (above) has joined The Holiday Team as regional and specialist sales manager for London and the south of England. Toby joins from Gold Medal where he has been regional and new business development manager for the last two years. ...

Skillzone.
June 5, 2009... I'm busy with folk who aren't booking. 'I'm just passing. Oh, I didn't know I had to pay full amount to go away in July.' The general public, eh? inernet-netter in a discussion about business that day (May 29)

Skillzone.
June 5, 2009... Adventure travel is one of the fastest growing sectors of the travel industry. Increasingly, customers are no longer content just to relax on the beach; they want to explore. An increase in the popularity of travelogues and programmes such...

Letters.(Letter to the editor)
June 5, 2009... x yxyx yx yxyier xy x yxy xy xyx With the impending election for the new ABTA chairman I would very much like to offer my public support for John McEwan. John is without doubt one of the most respected figures in the travel industry....

Letters.(Letter to the editor)
June 5, 2009... x yxyx yx yxyier xy x yxy xy xyx Noel Josephides puts it in perspective (Travel Weekly, May 29), Daniele Broccoli is a person who speaks his mind and is not afraid to be controversial. This is no bad thing on a board dominated by big...

Letters.(Letter to the editor)
June 5, 2009... Buying business is not productive Thank you, Virgin Holidays, for your considered and informed response to our comments (Travel Weekly, May 22), but you have missed the point we were trying to make. In common with the Travel Weekly...

Letters.(Letter to the editor)
June 5, 2009... Good service in gloomy times In this time of doom and gloom, I wish to praise Wings Abroad Turkey for its simple booking system and efficiency. A client came in searching for a last-minute deal. After messing around on Thomas Cook...

Maureen.
June 5, 2009... Browned off with fake tan Our Natalie's back from her first educational; she was one of eight lucky agents selected by Prestige Holidays to visit top resorts in Cyprus. Taking care of the group were Louise and Karen from Prestige, and...

Mystery Shopper.
June 5, 2009... Points were immediately knocked off this branch for dust on the office equipment and shelving. The consultant invited me to take a seat and asked about my request. She consulted brochures from two operators - Exodus and The Adventure Company...

News.
June 5, 2009... Travel agents will remain important to the future of ABTA, the two candidates for the chairmanship have told Travel Weekly. Britaly Travel boss Daniele Broccoli and Advantage chief executive John McEwan have answered questions on the future...

News.
June 5, 2009... ABTA to fight APD increase in 2010 ABTA will co-ordinate an industry campaign against a sharp rise in Air Passenger Duty (APD) on long-haul flights from November 2010. But industry leaders accept that the change in APD this November,...

News.
June 5, 2009... Endacott calls for ABTA [pounds sterling]1 ATOL review On Holiday Group chief executive Steve Endacott has called on ABTA's new chairman to commit to approaching government to review the [pounds sterling]1 levy scheme to protect the...

News.
June 5, 2009... Administrators have revealed that*120 staff of Lancashire-based travel company, Fraser Eagle Group,*are unlikely to receive any back pay owed after the company collapsed in March. Accountants Baker Tilly reported that the company, which...

News.
June 5, 2009... Gullivers Travel Associates (GTA) has defended its introduction of pay reductions, redundancies and unpaid leave after travel trade union the TSSA claimed companies were using the economic climate as an excuse for cuts. Travelport-owned...

News.
June 5, 2009... The Institute of Travel and Tourism is to run question time debates regionally across the UK for the first time. The programme aims to extend the reach of the ITT beyond London and follows renewed calls by members for events further afield....

News.(Conference notes)
June 5, 2009... This year's Institute of Travel and Tourism conference includes top-level speakers such as Thomas Cook boss Manny Fontenla-Novoa and Cherie Booth QC. * On day one, Oxford Economics chairman John Walker will discuss the future of the global...

News.
June 5, 2009... Opposition to the government's planned hefty, two-stage increase in Air Passenger Duty (APD) is growing - and not just here. In recent weeks, leaders of the UN World Tourism Organization, World Travel and Tourism Council, International Monetary...

News.
June 5, 2009... Passenger Shipping Association chairman Lars Olsson remains confident about the fate of ferry and cruise operators in the current climate because they offer sought-after 'value' propositions to consumers. He said: "Ferry and cruise are big...

News.
June 5, 2009... The Passenger Shipping Association (PSA) is aiming to establish itself as a more effective lobbying body for the ferry and cruise industry, according to chairman Lars Olsson. Olsson, who started his two-year term in July 2008, said lobbying...

News.
June 5, 2009... Thomson and First Choice have launched a recruitment drive for more than 250 staff at their Coventry and Luton offices. The positions are mainly in parent company TUI Travel's distribution and customer support divisions, but the company is...

News.
June 5, 2009... ABTA will coordinate an industry campaign against a sharp rise in Air Passenger Duty (APD) on long-haul flights from November 2010. But industry leaders accept the change in APD this November, when the tax on flights will be applied in four...

News.
June 5, 2009... An Air France aircraft carrying more than 200 people from Brazil to France has lost contact with air traffic control over the Atlantic. The Airbus A330 was flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on May 31. The Brazilian air force has...

News.
June 5, 2009... Q. What do you see as ABTA's function in five years' time? A. I see ABTA being a strong and powerful voice in the travel industry, leading the way with regulations, protection, lobbying and making sure its members - large and small - are...

News.
June 5, 2009... Cheapflights aims to be best in world Cheapflights aims to be one of the world's top travel media companies after a restructure that includes Hugo Burge's appointment as executive chairman. The price comparison service expects to...

News.
June 5, 2009... ABTA to offer guidance to travel agents ABTA will send out guidance to agents after receiving more than 30 calls following moves by credit card companies to withdraw merchant service agreements, leaving them unable to trade. The...

News.
June 5, 2009... Until Costa Cruises pioneered Arabian Gulf cruises from Dubai in winter 2006/07, the emirate was just another port of call in the area. Four years on, the emirate's cruise industry is growing rapidly. Costa is basing two new ships there for...

News.
June 5, 2009... Ocean Village Informal Caribbean and Med Holidays June 2009 - October 2010 What's new? New destinations of Sicily, Turkey, Italy, Sardinia and France and seven new itineraries. Also news sailings between Crete and Majorca. ...

News.
June 5, 2009... Finance bosses focus on new clients Finance bosses from the travel industry favour increasing spend on obtaining new customers, while cutting investment on retaining existing clients, according to a survey by data analysis provider Lloyd...

Tough times bring tough measures.(News)
June 5, 2009... Banks put agencies' livelihoods at riskby removing card payment facilities It's tough out there for everyone - suppliers, retailers and consumers. Meanwhile, the banks continue to hit the headlines with the worst results in modern...

News.
June 5, 2009... Q. What do you see as ABTA's function in five years' time? A. I am hopeful that ABTA will be in a stronger position and will have regained some of its former relevance among consumers. To do that, the association really has to stand for...

News.
June 5, 2009... JOANNA BOOTH, DEPUTY FEATURES AND SUPPLEMENTS EDITOR, TRAVEL WEEKLY Joanna started her career in journalism at Construction News, climbing to the top of St Paul's Cathedral, going under the Thames in a tunnelling machine and visiting a...

News.
June 5, 2009... Juliet Dennisjuliet.dennis@rbi.co.uk A new pre-paid holiday card that claims to substantially undercut rivals sold on the high street is to launch to the trade. MyTravelCash functions as a debit and credit card in euros and dollars. It...

News.
June 5, 2009... Golf specialist falls victim to recession e_SFlbGolf specialist Longmere International in Croydon, Surrey has ceased trading, ABTA has confirmed. The company, which acted as an agency and tour operator, had branches in Croydon and Worthing. It...

News.
June 5, 2009... Agents are moaning because they think operators don't care any more, and because they're not loved in the way they used to be. More travel agents are changing the levels of service they're giving to their clients, but it is not reciprocated by...

News.
June 5, 2009... [pounds sterling]Millions dedicated to promoting Spain Spanish tourism organisations are set to plunge huge sums into promoting late deals for this summer in conjunction with operators. The Spanish Tourism Organisation has pledged...

News.
June 5, 2009... Spanish tourism organisations are to invest huge sums into promoting late deals for this summer in conjunction with operators. The Spanish Tourism Organisation has pledged [pounds sterling]4 million, the first half of which will be released...

News.
June 5, 2009... St Vincent and the Gren-adines is investing [euro]5 million into 20 sustainable projects with the support of the European Commission. St Vincent and the Grenadines minister of tourism, youth and sports Hon Glen Beache said the group of 32...

News.
June 5, 2009... St Vincent and the Grenadines is investing five million euros into 20 sustainable projects with the support of the European Commission. The group of 32 Caribbean islands will ensure the projects, including upgrading waterfalls, hiking...

News.
June 5, 2009... Brits are reluctant to use their full holiday allowance because they are concerned about job security, according to new research. A poll of 3,000 people, commissioned by Teletext Holidays, found 28% are worried that taking too much time off...

News.
June 5, 2009... Michelle Perrettmichelle.perrett@rbi.co.uk Wendy Wu Tours is to focus on the Indochina market with the launch of its first stand-alone brochure for the region. The escorted tours specialist has launched Indochina September 2009 to...

News.
June 5, 2009... For the younger market the popular resorts of Kavos & Malia for summer 09 Kavos 1) Morfeas check out the 5 agent reviews 2) Kavos Plaza check out the 6 agent reviews 3) Olympion Village check out the 6 agent reviews 4)...

News.
June 5, 2009... Look out for Travel Weekly's daily publication and web updates at the Institute of Travel and Tourism's conference in Dubai, on June 8-10. As official media partner, Travel Weekly will produce a daily magazine on Tuesday and Wednesday for...

News.
June 5, 2009... Juliet Dennisjuliet.dennis@rbi.co.uk Focusing on price at the expense of brand is a dangerous knee-jerk reaction in the current recession, The Co-operative Group head of brand Terry Hudghton will warn at this year's Institute of Travel and...

News.
June 5, 2009... Bath Travel boss and former ABTA president Stephen Bath has come out in favour of John McEwan for the ABTA chairmanship role. He is the latest to come out in support of one of the chairman candidates, which include Advantage boss John...

News.
June 5, 2009... by Edward Robertson Cosmos Holidays Distant Dreams Summer 2010 What's new: The operator is offering savings of up to [pounds sterling]200 per couple for bookings made before July 31 while deposits of [pounds sterling]100 per...

News.
June 5, 2009... Travel Weekly's Hotel Girl blog has been relaunched with a fresh look and two new contributors. Journalists Gemma Sharkey and Emily Mason, who work on Travel Weekly's sister title Caterer and Hotelkeeper, will now join reporter Chloe...

News.
June 5, 2009... by Edward Robertson Virgin Atlantic service delivery manager Steven Pollard has come up trumps having been another winner of the Touchdown Plus draw. He won a five night holiday for two in the Maldives complete with return flights in the...

News.
June 5, 2009... Southall Travel will sponsor Sky Sport's exclusive live coverage of the International Cricket Council's Twenty20 World Cup in June. Sales director Jaymin Borkhatria hopes the travel agency will benefit from extensive coverage due to the...

News.
June 5, 2009... British Airways is to launch services from Gatwick to Sharm el-Sheik in Egypt and the Maldives from October 25 this year. The services will run three times a week on Boeing 777 aircraft. This will be the first time the airline has flown to...

News.
June 5, 2009... Operators are warning organisers of next year's Oberammergau Passion Play they may have to rethink their business model as the event suffers from the trend for increasingly late sales. The play, depicting the life and death of Jesus Christ,...

News.
June 5, 2009... Three crew members on an Australian cruise ship have been given the all-clear after being diagnosed with swine flu. The three staff on P&O Cruises Australia's Pacific Dawn were given a clean bill of health on May 28, after going into...

News.
June 5, 2009... TTA reports rising agent enquiries The number of agents having problems with merchant acquirers who have approached the Travel Trust Association (TTA) has doubled in the past three months. Operations director Gary Lewis said the TTA...

News.
June 5, 2009... Academics 'lack support from industry' Travel companies were criticised for not supporting tourism academics and students at a conference organised by ABTA, the Institute of Travel and Tourism (ITT) and the Tourism Society on June 1. ...

News.
June 5, 2009... A British man has been killed in a hot-air balloon accident in Turkey. A second Briton has been left critically injured in the incident, while eight others suffered injuries when the balloon plummeted up to 200 metres to the ground in the...

News.
June 5, 2009... 'Confusion led to loss of confidence' Banks' loss of confidence in the travel industry stems from confusion over financial protection, the ABTA chair-man candidates have said. The problem of agents having their merchant services...

News.
June 5, 2009... Senior staff at The Co-operative Travel are hoping to raise thousands of pounds for charity by cycling 120 miles from their headquarters to London on June 24. The team, who will cycle 120 miles from Stoke on Trent in two days, includes...

News.
June 5, 2009... The Co-operative Travel has launched a new recruitment process for its head office, travel agencies and Future Travel homeworkers. The group now has a dedicated team at its head office in Stoke-on-Trent, who will deal with recruitment. ...

News.
June 5, 2009... Domestic operators are confident Domestic operators are confident the pound's recent rally against the dollar and the euro will not damage their markets. The pound is worth $1.65, up from a low of $1.34 earlier this year, while it has...

News.
June 5, 2009... Forty years ago, Dubai was nothing more than a small fishing village where people came to dive for pearls. The fortunes of the city were completely transformed when oil was discovered in 1966. However, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum,...

News.
June 5, 2009... Grand UK Holidays has introduced UK Christmas markets to its 2009/10 winter programme for the first time. The operator, which specialises in the over-55s market, is now offering a total of 10 domestic markets in cities including Manchester,...

News.
June 5, 2009... Golf specialist Longmere International in Croydon has ceased trading, ABTA has confirmed today. The company, which acted as an agency and tour operator, had branch offices in Croydon and Worthing. It also operated under the names The...

News.
June 5, 2009... An increasing number of independent agencies are facing the threat of banks withdrawing or changing the terms of their merchant services, leaving them unable to trade. Following the collapse of XL Leisure and Freedom Travel groups, banks...

News.
June 5, 2009... Customers are still happy to fly despite the tragic disappearance of an Air France aircraft in an Atlantic storm this week, say agents. The aircraft had taken off from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil on Sunday evening, carrying 228 people,...

News.
June 5, 2009... Norwegian Epic to call at SouthamptonNorwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Epic will be making a visit to Southampton so the UK trade and past passengers can see the ship. Epic will be sailing alternating eastern and western Caribbean cruises from...

News.
June 5, 2009... Agents fare better than direct sellers Travel agencies are weathering the downturn four times better than their direct-sell competitors. GfK Ascent-MI chief executive Sarah Smalley said its Leisure Travel Monitor has revealed the...

News.
June 5, 2009... Thomas Cook is kicking off a week of celebrations today in the run up to World Environment Day on June 5. The United Nations event aims to focus the world's attention on the need to look after the planet. Employees in the UK and overseas...

News.
June 5, 2009... Thomson is set to spend a seven-figure sum on its summer advertising campaign, more than ever before, and as much as is spent during the January peaks market. A spokesman for the vertically integrated operator said the campaign uses the...

News.
June 5, 2009... Agents and operators are ignoring the potential of selling train travel as an alternative to flying, according to rail travel guru Mark Smith. Smith set up a website giving comprehensive advice and information about travelling anywhere...

News.
June 5, 2009... VisitBritain is launching a public relations initiative to push the UK as a good-value destination for overseas holidaymakers. The association is bringing 67 international travel writers together for a trip around the UK this month,...

News.
June 5, 2009... More cruise companies are considering joining ABTA, after news MSC Cruises has become a member. Senior membership marketing manager Stephen Barnes said negotiations with other operators had begun following MSC Cruises' announcement last...

News.
June 5, 2009... Skiers face price hikes of more than 20% in the 2009/10 season as the weak pound and reduced capacities begin to bite. Ski tour operator Erna Low chief executive Joanna Yellowlees-Bound said the biggest increases would be over Christmas and...

News.
June 5, 2009... Operators need to offer travel agents better service to improve relationships, according to Inspired Luxury Escapes sales and marketing director Theo Demetriou. He said agents were continuing to differentiate themselves in the market by...