Travel Weekly (UK) articles from May 2005

Travel Weekly (UK) archives from May 2005

BA encourages Switch selling.
May 6, 2005... British Airways sincerely apologies to the reader who experienced problems with their payment for flights to Palma (Travel Weekly April 29). The airline does accept Maestro/Switch cards as well as other debit cards for payment for all...

Trentino gets personal.
May 6, 2005... THE Italian region of Trentino has adopted a 'one-to-one' trade campaign for its first concerted marketing effort in the UK. The region, on the border with Austria and Switzerland, has taken a 'personal approach' to operators in recognition...

Tools of the trade.
May 6, 2005... There has been a lot of discussion recently about the changing face of hotel distribution. Hotel chains, most notably the global ones, have been wrestling control of their inventory back from third-party distributors and promising single-image...

Jersey takes agents in-depth.
May 6, 2005... JERSEY Tourism has launched its first-ever fully integrated training programme designed to give agents hands-on experience of the island as a holiday destination. Called Working Together, the on-island and off-island training schedule is...

Can you kick it?
May 6, 2005... COME on son, give me a decent pass.""Shut up dad, it's not my fault.""Speak to me like that again and we're going home." Welcome to father and son football, Bavarian-style - where expert coaches put British guests through their paces and...

Operator reduces paperwork.
May 6, 2005... FIRST Choice shop staff have started printing their own invoices at the time of booking for certain holidays to cut down on in-store paperwork. The move follows a back-to-the-floor exercise by retail trading director Cheryl Powell (Travel...

Agents to shine on Island Star.
May 6, 2005... ranean for the UK market in March 2006. Two 14-night cruises, a first for Island, are offered in the summer 2006 brochure as well as four new seven-night cruises. The Venetian Adventure takes in Rome, Venice, Pompeii, Monte Carlo and...

Rhine renaissance.
May 6, 2005... OPERATORS have expanded their Rhine cruise product on the back of last year's recovery from a 13% slump in 2003, blamed on low water levels on the river. Peter Deilmann Cruises has two five-star ships operating on the Rhine this year - the...

reasons to visit Berlin.
May 6, 2005... It's more than 15 years since the wall came down and Berlin is still on the up. The German capital blends an intriguing past with a multi-cultural influence unseen in any other German city, creating a truly vibrant short-break destination. ...

A touch of lakeside class.
May 6, 2005... The locals had plenty to chew on during last September's Stresa music festival. Never mind the three-hour Cossi Fan Tutti opera conducted by one of the world's most sought-after conductors, or the 22-year-old solo violinist flown in from New...

Rimini undergoes revamp.
May 6, 2005... THE resort of Rimini, on Italy's east coast in the region of Emilia Romagna, is undergoing a major facelift to help it shed its old-fashioned image overseas. A new boutique hotel, the Duomo - designed by Ron Arad, the man behind the...

Cresta is dedicated to Tuscany.
May 6, 2005... CRESTA is launching a dedicated website featuring Tuscany villas to help agents select the right property for clients. The launch, expected later this month, will be backed by trade advertising, sales calls from the Cresta team and an...

Time for Timor.
May 6, 2005... THE world could safely adopt a new slogan: where there is tourism, there is always hope. I started thinking that while looking forward to the introduction of Timor-Leste to membership of the World Tourism Organisation. You will remember it...

Operator branches out.
May 6, 2005... DISCOVER Egypt has launched a programme to Oman as the first part of its Middle East expansion. The operator, part of the All Leisure Group, plans to take up to 600 passengers away in the first year, with its Discover Oman programme...

Like mother,like daughter.
May 6, 2005... MOTHER and daughter team Rosemary and Jessica Lovsey-Barton helped Monarch Scheduled make history twice this week when they formed part of the crew for the airline's first flight from Birmingham. A spokeswoman said not only was it the...

It's a family affair for Imaginative Traveller.
May 6, 2005... THE Imaginative Traveller is hoping to increase sales through the trade by 50% with the launch of a stand-alone family brochure. The specialist adventure operator has introduced its first dedicated Imaginative Family brochure. The product...

Are youidol enough?
May 6, 2005... THE search is on for the UK's hottest undiscovered hotel managers in a Pop Idol-style talent contest run by Travelodge. Staff with experience in hospitality, retail or catering are being sought for 100 positions at Travelodge. Human...

Madeira gets a facelift.
May 6, 2005... CLASSIC Collection Holidays has launched its biggest-ever year-round Madeira brochure to help agents sell the destination to younger customers. The 2005/06 brochure has 14 extra pages of information on Madeira. It includes a detailed...

ASA ruling hits lead-in adverts.
May 6, 2005... TRAVEL companies may have to overhaul their advertising practices following a landmark ruling involving the availability of advertised special offers. The Committee of Advertising Practice has demanded all travel firms give a written...

Starwood buys Le Meridien.
May 6, 2005... LE MERIDIEN has welcomed the announcement that Starwood Hotels and Resorts has agreed to buy the luxury hotel brand and take over management of its 36 owned and leased hotels. Chief executive Robert Riley claimed the acquisition would speed...

Round about to move.
May 6, 2005... MANDY Round is in discussions with three travel firms over job opportunities after quitting her role as northern Europe director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Round, who leaves HKTB next month, refused to reveal who she is in discussions...

Big screen first for Princess.
May 6, 2005... PRINCESS Cruises will be offering a touch of Hollywood glamour on its newest ship in a bid to increase its UKbusiness by 45% this year. The 1,950-berth Sea Princess, formerly sister company P&O's Adonia, underwent final preparations in...

Protection plan 'just confusing'.
May 6, 2005... ABTA's new Financial Protection Plan has been slammed for failing to deliver the protection expected. Members hoping for an all-inclusive insurance system are disappointed the scheme only covers the failure of an airline, accommodation...

Even more regions to fly.
May 6, 2005... Gone are the days when jetting off to sunnier climes meant a marathon trek to Heathrow or Gatwick before getting anywhere near an aircraft. Regional airports are expanding as more Brits than ...

First Choice beats half-year targets.
May 6, 2005... FIRST Choice has revealed its half-year margins are ahead of last year's figure. The announcement that net margins for the first six months are higher than 2004's 4.2% comes just before the company entered its closed period. In a...

Know the US market?
May 6, 2005... 1) Which famous American volcano, that erupted 25 years ago this year, shares a name with a traditional northern rugby league town? a) St Helens b) Huddersfield c) Workington 2) The US state of Florida is also known by a name...

Cruisers opt fortaste of high life.
May 6, 2005... 40% in the last year, particularly at the luxury end of the market. He said falling standards among established mainstream cruiselines is encouraging people to look to the more prestigious brands. "A lot of people we have who are very...

It's a Highlife overseas.
May 6, 2005... HIGHLIFE Breaks is featuring 50 hotels in overseas cities for the first time in a joint UK and worldwide brochure targeting the premium market. The operator, which has traditionally only offered UK breaks, features accommodation-only at...

Butlins tots up potential.
May 6, 2005... BUTLINS is targeting the under-fives family market with its first-ever toddlers' brochure. The Lots for Tots booklet has information specifically for parents of young children considering a UK short break to increase shoulder season sales....

GNTO hopes to score with Brits.
May 6, 2005... THE German National Tourist Office is hoping the 2006 World Cup will attract more UKtravellers as the country looks to beat last year's visitor figures and raise awareness of the country with the trade. In 2004 there were 3.8 million...

Thomas Cook must play fair on reviews.
May 6, 2005... I read with interest that Thomas Cook UK recently achieved the best result in its 163-year history, posting a [pounds sterling]51 million profit and yet, after 20 years working on the frontline, the last performance review of my career gave me...

Give wellbeing a chance.
May 6, 2005... The findings of Travel Weekly's stress survey confirm a worrying trend. Wellbeing needs to be championed from the top of the organisation. This means company directors must ensure staff wellbeing becomes part of company culture. It seems...

First or second class?
May 6, 2005... When I wrote on the subject of your online general election poll last week, drawing attention to the high Conservative vote, I noted the editor red-penned me with a question mark about whether I work for Pilgrim Tours at Conservative Central...

Where's the Advantage?
May 6, 2005... Ever felt you were missing out on something? That everyone was invited to a party and you were the only kid staying at home? Well I must be the only tour operator not attending the Advantage conference in Sorrento at the weekend, but...

Why has FSA left travellers unprotected?
May 6, 2005... News of the collapse of Whiteley Insurance Consultants, leaving many travellers with invalid policies and little chance of a refund, has highlighted a significant issue - consumers buying travel insurance from agents are not properly protected....

Poll finds PAs need more time.
May 6, 2005... UK bosses generally do not give their travel bookers enough notice of their travel plans, a new survey has revealed. Hotel and conference booking agent First Option polled more than 1,300 secretaries and personal assistants on their booking...

GB Airways lures travel students.
May 6, 2005... GB Airways will pay travel and tourism undergraduates [pounds sterling]14,000 a year to work as cabin crew to attract graduates to the carrier, writes Paul Nelson. The airline wants to take advantage of the rising number of sandwich...

ITT plans lecturers' conference.
May 6, 2005... THE Institute of Travel and Tourism is to launch a conference for industry course lecturers following the success of the Aspire conference for students and young professionals. ITT education and training committee chairwoman Claire Steiner...

'Occupancy as low as 25%'.
May 6, 2005... SRI Lanka's hotel occupancy level is still significantly down following the tsunami. Hotels are currently seeing as few as 25% of their rooms occupied, despite claims by the tourism minster Anura Bandaranaike that sales are gradually...

Transfers can break the law.
May 6, 2005... In order for travel agents to compete with the Internet, we have to provide extra customer care and, like us, many agencies are providing customers with a transfer service. There appears to be a lack of knowledge of the law. In most cases,...

United Co-op rocks for charity.
May 6, 2005... UNITED Co-op has raised a staggering [pounds sterling]85,000 for the two leading cancer hospitals with its homage to 1970s rock. The fundraising event at Bolton Football Club's Reebok Stadium saw United Co-op's chief executive Peter Marks'...

WHAT THEY SAID.
May 6, 2005... "From what we've seen, you can have a good holiday out here, but it would be sensible toplan it carefully according to your needs." Richard Parks, UK chairman, PATA "It is a great destination with seven World Heritage sites. As far as...

PIA defends scheduling.
May 6, 2005... AN Eastcotetravel agent is concerned the UK trade may be being "kept in the dark" by Pakistan International Airlines over its flight scheduling. But the Asian airline, which flies from Heathrow and Manchester, saidits schedule changes are...

Flight Centre signs up to consortium.
May 6, 2005... FLIGHT Centre has joined Advantage to improve sales of package holidays and charter flights. Product director Julia Morris said the agency plans to use the consortium's new dynamic packaging system Advantage4holidays to promote short-haul...

Clients should avoid area south of capital.
May 6, 2005... AGENTS sending customers to Sri Lanka who want to stay clear of the tsunami-affected areas should advise them not to venture anywhere on the coast south of Colombo. While the worst of the devastation has been cleared away, piles of...

Advantage tradeson loyalty.
May 6, 2005... ADVANTAGE is to launch a loyalty points scheme for members when booking holidays with preferred operators. The scheme - being unveiled at this weekend's Advantage conference in Sorrento by consortium managing director John McEwan - is at...

Looking to the future.
May 6, 2005... CHILDREN in two communities devastated by the tsunami are being given a fresh start thanks to money raised through Travel Aid 50 and the Pacific Asia Travel Association. A pre-school being built in the grounds of a Buddhist monastery in...

Charity role for operators.
May 6, 2005... TWO inbound tour operators preparing to launch their business just before the tsunami hit are now being cast in the role of charity workers. Based in Colombo, Sam Clark and Tom Armstrong were planning to sell Experience Sri Lanka through...

Egypt still on track.
May 6, 2005... EGYPTbookings have shown little sign of stalling after last weekend's suicide bombings rocked Cairo, injuring seven people including four foreigners. The first attack occurred near the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The second was aimed at a...

Majority are satisfied with policies.
May 6, 2005... In response to the article 'Which? hits out at trade' (Travel Weekly April 29), I would like to clarify that the vast majority of consumers who buy their travel policies from an agent are satisfied with the service they receive and the number...

Read all about it in the Weekly.
May 6, 2005... TRAVEL Weekly wants to know travel agents' news and views from all over the UK - which is why our reporters will now be reporting in more detail on news from your local area. Each reporter has been assigned to cover agents in specific...

Cruiselines to seek out 'explorers'.
May 6, 2005... also got to recognise 20% of potential customers will not use an agent. We have to find a new way to reach these people." Hooper was amazed when she joined Royal Caribbean as an industry newcomer just under 12 months ago to discover so few...

Cruising prices to firm up.
May 6, 2005... CRUISE prices will start to firm up next year as demand begins to overtake supply, Carnival UK managing director David Dingle told the Cruise and Ferry conference. He said Carnival and Royal Caribbean prices were already up 5%-7% this...

Airline highlights new Star service.
May 6, 2005... HOLIDAYMAKERS flying from Gatwick to Sanford on First Choice Airways on Saturday to join Disney's 50th birthday celebrations were the first to sample the airline's enhanced long-haul service. First Choice claims its new Star Class on its...

Disney starts to celebrate.
May 6, 2005... TWENTY months of celebrations kicked off at Walt Disney World Resort this week to mark the opening of Disney's first theme park in California 50 years ago, writes Lee Hayhurst in Florida. It is hoped new attractions in the resort's four...

Hoseasons backs the bid.
May 6, 2005... HOSEASONS Holidays is going for gold by backing the London 2012 Olympic bid. The tour operator, which operates in the UK and Europe, has become an official business ambassador and will be trying to encourage other tourism businesses and...

Get away - with murder.
May 6, 2005... IT was the butler what did it. Or was it? In fact, where was the butler? Come to think of it, was there a butler at all? Two nights of murder mystery - one with a Sherlock Holmes theme and the other featuring Chicago gangsters - left...

Let common sense prevail.
May 6, 2005... MANY agents working for a multiple retailer will sympathise with the plight of Beth Cornish, who was awarded a D in her performance review after failing to hit in-house sales targets. As she explains opposite, Beth's problem is that she...

Land of confusion.
May 6, 2005... ABTA's Financial Protection Plan has come in for flak after it emerged the scheme will not cover non-ABTA tour operators, car-hire brokers and accommodation-only providers. Agents are already complaining it's confusing and demands a level...

Operator in review rumpus.
May 6, 2005... THOMAS Cook has dropped in-house sales targets from individual agents' annual performance reviews following rumours of a staff backlash. The company set in-house targets alongside overall sales targets in its November 2003-October 2004...

Jet Airways to launch Mumbai service.
May 6, 2005... Indian carrier Jet Airways is set to compete with British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and BMI on the London-Mumbai route from May 23. It carries more than eight million passengers annually within India, but is new to the UK market so is...

'Read the small print'.
May 6, 2005... ABTA has been told it needs to face up to its total travel insurance regulatory responsibility following the provisionalliquidation of broker Whiteley Insurance. The Financial Services Authority forced Whiteley Insurance into provisional...

Election surge.
May 6, 2005... THOMAS Cook Signature is predicting a post-election sales surge with the launch of its summer savers campaign. The operator launched a post-election eight-page booklet today with offers of up to [pounds sterling]450 off per person to the...

Charge a few dollars more.
May 6, 2005... vent aggressive sales tactics. Advantage director of business travel Norman Gage raised the issue ahead of the consortium's annual conference in Sorrento this weekend. He claimed some agencies are lowering the tone of the sector. Gage...

Savings of [pounds sterling]23k give agent more Options.
May 6, 2005... AN agent claims he is [pounds sterling]23,000 a year better off after leaving Worldchoice to join Global Travel Group's Independent Options. Falmouth-based Newell's Travel managing partner Roger Hawke said the extra money came from...

Rap it up.
May 13, 2005... Remember commission? Like Wham! it was big in the 1980s. Also like Wham!, half of it has disappeared without trace - the handsome 9% on overseas airline tickets has done a vanishing act to rival Andrew Ridgely's. Whose fault is all this?...

Agent hotline after collapse.
May 13, 2005... The 200-plus agents who sold Whiteley Insurance should know Travel and General Insurance Company has taken over Whiteley's book of travel insurance business. If readers believe their customers have purchased an invalid policy, they should...

Don't missout the south.
May 13, 2005... I have to take issue with the story about Sri Lanka 'Clients should avoid area south of capital' (Travel Weekly May 6). The view of the experienced group was that, while there is evidence of damage, many areas on the southwest coast have been...

All change at Gatwick.
May 13, 2005... GATWICK managing director Paul Griffiths says he has a number of pioneering innovations in the pipeline to aid the airport's quest for more capacity. Bigger departure lounges, twilight check-ins and car park baggage collection are some...

'Low-costs not to blame for slump'.
May 13, 2005... LOW-COST airlines have become a convenient excuse for ferry operators looking for something to blame for a fall in business, SeaFrance managing director Robin Wilkins told last week's Cruise and Ferry 2005 conference in London. He said...

It's not all plain sailing.
May 13, 2005... EASYCRUISE boss Stelios Haji-Ioannou is pinning his hopes on a late-booking market for his new cruiseline. Haji-Ioannou told delegates at the Cruise and Ferry Conference bookings were encouraging but admitted he expected people to arrange...

'Profit from the VIPtreatment'.
May 13, 2005... Business agents shouldn't rule out suggesting VIP aircraft charter services to corporate or high-end leisure clients if they want to develop a profitable specialisation, according Hunt and Palmer co-founder Jamie Martin. The charter air...

Bound for the Bahamas.
May 13, 2005... FIRST Choice Airways captain Stewart Pamment (pictured right) and senior first officer David Jones didn't wait until they reached the Bahamas to get into the Caribbean mood. Landing the opportunity to fly to First Choice Holidays' newest...

'Get into business travel'.
May 13, 2005... they are looking for." He added: "You hear about this need for agents to specialise - some focus on Australia, others become cruise specialists. "If agents think there are opportunities in business travel then they should start...

Virgin puts brand loyalty at forefront.
May 13, 2005... VIRGIN Holidays is targeting increased brand loyalty after research showed customers expected the operator to adopt a more radical approach. The move comes as the operator sets ambitious growth targets that involve expansion into new...

'No guarantee you'll succeed'.
May 13, 2005... SWITCHING to a member-owned organisation will not guarantee Advantage's prosperity, delegates at the consortium's conference were told. Paul Burden, director of communications of staff-owned retail giant John Lewis Partnership, said: "It...

Searching; questions.
May 13, 2005... A small test for the office. Ask colleagues what the speed of sound is? Nobody knows. If you'd asked five years ago nobody would have known it then, either. The difference is that now, within a couple of seconds, Google will have supplied the...

Working from home 'an option'.
May 13, 2005... ADVANTAGE members will have the tools to become homeworkers by the end of the year. Managing director John McEwan said the move follows the creation of the advantage4holidays.com website which allows agents to dynamically package trips....

'Consolidation on the cards'.
May 13, 2005... CONSOLIDATION among consortia is likely if the increasing competition from online ret-ailers continues to put pressure on high-street agents, warned Advantage managing director John McEwan. He refused to rule out taking over a rival...

Praise for UK Legend.
May 13, 2005... ROYAL Caribbean will carry 125,000 British passengers this year as it commences its first dedicated summer season out of Southampton on Legend of the Seas. UK and Ireland managing director Robin Shaw said sales for its first ex-UK season...

Wanted: 'our type' only.
May 13, 2005... ROYAL Caribbean is currently researching a new marketing strategy to focus on a more targeted customer base. Senior vice-president Europe, Middle East and Africa Susan Hooper said it expected to launch a more targeted approach to certain...

Retailers told 'door is open'.
May 13, 2005... AGENTS remain "critical" to Royal Caribbean's distribution, according to UK and Ireland sales and marketing director Jo Rzymowska. She said it hoped to target around 1,000 agents this year on various training roadshows across independent...

Additions for Keith Prowse.
May 13, 2005... KEITH Prowse Attraction Tickets is contracting new product in the UK and worldwide to fill gaps in its portfolio. The ticketing specialist has created two senior level posts with responsibility for UK and worldwide new product. Head of...

NCL to add new ships.
May 13, 2005... NORWEGIANCruise Line will boost its fleet by two ships in 2007, after confirming an order for a second vessel worth [pounds sterling]266 million. The latest order, a 2,384-berth ship to be launched in October 2007, will follow a vessel due...