Travel Weekly (UK) articles from October 2006

Travel Weekly (UK) archives from October 2006

Brush up your act... Betty?s way.
October 6, 2006... BUSINESS travel agents need to have the ?Betty factor? ? personal service for clients that is second to none. That? the message from former US Burger King boss Barry Gibbons, who drew on the personal service he received during his stay at a...

Care is as good as commission.
October 6, 2006... I?m writing regarding a recent article about an accommodation- only supplier offering 8% commission rates on cancelled holidays (Travel Weekly, September 29). Whilest agents do respond well to incentive isation schemes, in my experience...

Get more staff and stop these delays.
October 6, 2006... Brian Wick from Wickers World Travel is absolutely correct to criticise the disgraceful delays with sSecurity at BAA airports (Travel Weekly , September 29). I myself have experienced horrendous delays at Glasgow because insufficient staff are...

Sailing into sunset.
October 6, 2006... Having just retired from the travel industry, I would like to thank the companies and many friends that I have worked with over the years. During whatIt has virtually been a 50- year holiday, I have met some great people and travelled to some...

It?s good to see all hands on deck.
October 6, 2006... I attended the last of the Travel Weekly cCruising rRoadshows in Newcastle last week. and our brands have been represented at each of them. It is really great to find yourself in a room full of travel agents looking to learn more about...

Dynamic doesn?t have to mean deficient.
October 6, 2006... I felt compelled to correct the rather sweeping statements in the letter ?Dynamic or panic?? (Travel Weekly , September, 22) which that claimed dynamic packaging causes confusion, long queues and the demise of overseas representatives. At...

?Stay fit, keep listening?
October 6, 2006... AGENTS need to give themselves ?health checks? to make sure their businesses are fit for the future. Director of business travel Norman Gage said he took the advice of British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh, who said he would...

Independence begins to make its mark.
October 6, 2006... ADVANTAGE business travel members need to make their mark on corporate buyers, according to consortium managing director John McEwan. McEwan said he believed Advantage had already ?strengthened its brand? in the business travel market. ...

?E-travel? trial with Amadeus.
October 6, 2006... A GROUP of Advantage business agents are piloting a new online booking tool for clients that will then be rolled out to other members. Ten members of the Focus Partnership ? a group of 90 key business agents ? are set to start training with...

News.
October 6, 2006... Is your business fit for the future? ?Yes we are fit for the future ? and if we all look towards working with Advantage as a group we grow and achieve greatness in the future.? Nick Marks, business development director, Baldwins Travel, Kent...

News.
October 6, 2006... We found the roadshows extremely productive. They were well organised with excellent attendance from agents with a genuine interest in the product. The highlight was the open debate session after dinner when agents were given the opportunity to...

News.
October 6, 2006... Norwegian Cruise Line does its bit for charity Norwegian Cruise Line will support two travel industry charities this year, the Family Holiday Association, which helps families in poverty take holidays, and water aid charity Just a Drop. ...

Eco project offset plan.
October 6, 2006... TRAVELCARE customers are to be encouraged to offset carbon emissions created by flights they take. The Co-operative Group, which already offsets carbon emissions on its mortgages, is using its Travelcare branch network to allow travellers...

News.
October 6, 2006... Worldhotels? vow Worldhotels? leadership forum in Monaco heard from Prince Albert II about the foundation he set up in June to focus on climate change, biodiversity and access to drinking water. The forum gathered 100 of Worldhotels? managers...

Travelscope defends safety after deaths.
October 6, 2006... TRAVELSCOPE has defended its health and safety procedures following the deaths of passengers on both its ships. The cruise operator? Athena was due in Falmouth on Wednesday following an ill-fated transatlantic cruise during which a...

News.
October 6, 2006... LUXURY resort operator Virgin Limited Edition is considering offering guests the opportunity to spend part of their holiday working on projects in local communities as part of its commitment to sustainable tourism. Director of sales and...

News.
October 6, 2006... DESTINATION Care is expanding its representation service across cities, long-haul and ski resorts. Moves are already underway to launch into cities such as Barcelona and Madrid from November and long-haul resorts will follow shortly after....

News.
October 6, 2006... Irish Ferries has added a new schedule on its Dublin-Holyhead route to offer more daylight crossings. From October 9 departures of both the Ulysses car ferry and Dublin Swift fast ferry have been brought forward. Return sailings from Holyhead...

Big boys will snub ABTA Convention.
October 6, 2006... BOSSES from Thomas Cook and First Choice Retail are to snub the 2006 ABTA Travel Convention because they are too busy to attend. Thomas Cook has two employee conferences and a trip for top performing agents in November and December, making...

News.
October 6, 2006... HOLIDAY Extras treated 50 of its top-selling agents to a West End theatre night. The holiday add-on company took agents to see the musical Wicked last week. Pictured are, from left, Advantage commercial manager Jenny Bullock, Advantage...

News.
October 6, 2006... New reservation system for TUI UK TUI UK has signed a ?4.8 million deal with Anite to use its @comRes reservations and contract management system. The technology is being rolled out across 11 brands including Thomson Worldwide. The first brands...

News.
October 6, 2006... p6 dp START UP Trans-Atlantic business-class airline SilverJet could be flying by the end of the year following a ?5.5 million joint purchase of airline FlyJet and airline leasing company Skylease. The purchase of FlyJet gives the company...

Green is the colour for corporate travellers.
October 6, 2006... CORPORATE buyers are going ?green? by cutting carbon emissions and focusing on corporate social responsibility, according to a survey conducted by the Institute of Travel Management. ITM executive director Paul Tilstone said companies are...

News.
October 6, 2006... AGENTS looking to break into the cruise market should forget about trying to compete with the large cruise clubs. Many of the agents who attended the Travel Weekly cruise roadshows over the last two weeks were looking for ways to expand...

News.
October 6, 2006... Paul Ellerby director of sales and marketing EasyCruise Jo Rzymowska Sales and Marketing Director UK and Ireland Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises Clive Howard, sales director for MSC Cruises Leslie Peden director...

News.
October 6, 2006... It? been really informative. I?ve never attended one of these things before so it has been very helpful as a selling tool, just to get more information. It? been nice to meet other travel agents. Our cruise business is growing all the time....

News.
October 6, 2006... THE Association of Independent Tour Operators is hoping to use its annual conference to forge closer links with ABTA and the Federation of Tour Operators. AITO chairman Derek Moore said both ABTA chairman Justin Fleming and FTO director-...

News.
October 6, 2006... BCD spreads wings Travel management company BCD Travel has announced new partners in ?key travel markets? Singapore and United Arab Emirates. BCD Travel will partner with Diners Travel World in Singapore and a Dubai-based agency, which...

News.
October 6, 2006... COSMOS is to run its accommodation-only website Somewhere2stay.com as a separate ancillaries business to allow for rapid growth following a management shake-up. Cosmos commercial director Stuart Jackson has been made managing director of...

More Disneyland festivals.
October 6, 2006... DISNEYLAND Resort Paris plans to launch more country festivals in its theme park following its first successful Welsh Festival earlier this year. Next year the park is planning to host an Irish Festival over St Patrick? Day in the...

News.
October 6, 2006... Franchise falters First Choice was this week poised to announce its second franchisee. It scrapped a deal with Travelplan because the agency wanted to expand where First Choice already has shops. Existing franchisee Just Go is in the process of...

Small businesses take toll on ATOL.
October 6, 2006... ALMOST one in 10 firms due to renew Air Travel Organisers? Licences in September have failed to do so, more than double the rate of a year ago. The Civil Aviation Authority views the renewal rate as a measure of the strength of the air...

News.
October 6, 2006... KUONI has purchased Journeys of Distinction for an eight-figure sum as part of a strategy to buy more small to medium-sized specialist operators over the next two years. Kuoni was one of several trade bidders for the direct-sell operator...

News.
October 6, 2006... LINCOLNSHIRE Tourism hosted 20 coach operators on a fam trip to showcase its Pride and Prejudice tours. Chatsworth House and Haddon Hall were two of the sites visited by the group on a two-day trip that highlighted the area? connection with...

Riches takes on role at Youtravel.com.
October 6, 2006... YOUTRAVEL.COM has launched a recruitment drive after confirming Paul Riches as sales and marketing director. Riches, currently Libra Holidays sales and marketing director, said contractual obligations meant he could not confirm his move to...

News.
October 6, 2006... SIR Richard Branson defended his space programme against criticism it will damage the environment after he suggested the aviation industry cut damaging greenhouse gas emissions by 25% in two years (Travel Weekly September 29). He said:...

News.
October 6, 2006... ? Packages will cost $200,000 for four days. Clients will train for three days, staying at a luxury hotel ? A carrier will fly them to 60,000 feet, then launch SpaceShipTwo ? At 70-80 miles above Earth, the rocket motor will switch off...

News.
October 6, 2006... TRAVEL Counsellors? expansion into the US is already proving ?very encouraging?, according to managing director Steve Byrne. The homeworking company made the move across the Atlantic last month, setting up a head office in Orlando with six...

News.
October 6, 2006... p3 by Edward Robertson TRITON is preparing to renegotiate around 30% of its preferred supplier contracts in time for next year. Chairman Colin Heal said most of the super-consortium? contracts are not up for renewal until the end of 2007....

Short queues beat shopping.
October 6, 2006... We have NOWnow have a state of emergency at Heathrow, thanks to: BAA is doing a woefully inadequate job ofat keeping the travellers moving through security. To deal with the volume, wWe now need three or four times theas much as security...

Winter boost for Aspro.
October 6, 2006... ASPRO has added four new destinations to its winter 2006/07 programme with a focus on the Caribbean. The Dominican Republic, Mexico, Jamaica and Morocco have all been added to the brochure, which now covers 13 destinations including...

Balkan Holidays? ?500 giveaway.
October 6, 2006... BALKAN Holidays is celebrating its 40th birthday by giving one lucky Travel Weekly reader the chance to enjoy a ?500 shopping spree. The operator was founded as a Bulgaria specialist and now also offers holidays in Croatia, Slovenia,...

Cabbies bringing home the bacon.
October 6, 2006... LONDON cabbies will be flying the flag for the capital? tourism after enjoying a free breakfast. Around 400 of the capital? black-cab drivers visited the Britain and London Visitor Centre in Regent Street last week and received a free...

What?s afoot at Sandals?
October 6, 2006... NEW Sandals boss Tony Cowles says the operator? first agents conference is vital to keep the company? name front of mind in the trade. Sandals is due to unveil its latest plans at the conference, the Ultra Convention, which is being held...

Turkish hotels to slash prices.
October 6, 2006... TURKISH hoteliers are offering price reductions of up to 25% in a bid to tempt tourists back next year. Jewel in the Crown Holidays managing director Platon Loizou said following this year? disasters, which included bird flu and terrorist...

Targetting Tapestry business.
October 6, 2006... JEWEL in the Crown is doubling its villa programme in a bid to target former Tapestry customers. Managing director Platon Loizou said he will launch the 2007 programme in the next two weeks with 12 properties featured initially, although...

News.
October 6, 2006... p26 nibs Sunsail Clubs and Sunsail Flotillas are offering 10% discounts on brochure prices on all 2007 Mediterranean Club holidays as well as on the Club Colonna in Antigua. To qualify bookings must be made before November 4.

On Holiday Group set for growth.
October 6, 2006... ON Holiday Group expects to double its business this year, thanks to the growth of direct-to-consumer online dynamic packaging. Chief executive Steve Endacott said the group ? which includes dynamic packaging company Holiday Brokers, Fresh...

Peltours hits new Heights.
October 6, 2006... PELTOURS is slashing capacity to Taba next summer and instead reintroducing Egypt? Mediterranean coast and launching stays in Jordan for the first time. The specialist operator said the changes are to differentiate itself from mass-market...

Bedswithease in Caribbean.
October 6, 2006... ACCOMMODATION-ONLY company Bedswithease.com has revamped its website for the trade as it expands into the Caribbean and targets an extra 20,000 customers. The new-look site went live this week featuring Barbados, its first new Caribbean...

Thomson gets bigger in US.
October 6, 2006... THOMSON has dramatically extended its tailor-made America and Canada 2007 programme with the addition of Texas and Fort Lauderdale. The operator? Texas programme includes the Hilton Fort Worth Hotel, where President John F Kennedy stayed...

Insight into the futureNews service will keep exhibitors and visitors up to date with latest information.
October 6, 2006... World Travel Market has launched Industry Insights, a new market intelligence service to help exhibitors and visitors keep up with the latest expert information. China, technology and airlines are among the first subjects to come under...

?15,000 worth of diamonds up for grabs.
October 6, 2006... Three Gassan 121 Diamonds worth a total of ?15,000 will be given away by the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions at this year? World Travel Market. The competition is in aid of Just a Drop, the international water charity. ...

Have you got a story to tell?
October 6, 2006... If you have a story for Travel Weekly? World Travel Market papers, the deadline for interview requests for the first daily is Friday October 13. To find details and forms, go to: www.travelweekly.co.uk/wtmcoverage or e-mail us at...

News.
October 6, 2006... Air traffic between the EU and US continued as normal this week, despite a breakdown in talks on the supply of passenger data to the US. Direct flights from the UK were unaffected following a Government legal move (Travel Weekly, 29 October)....

FTO rating makes mark on industry.
October 6, 2006... THE Federation of Tour Operators is developing an industry-wide system to rate how hotels and suppliers treat the environment and staff. It has produced a set of guidelines in a sustainable tourism handbook, drawn up with tour operators,...

Bag rules change again.
October 6, 2006... HAND luggage restrictions at UK airports will change again next month, for the fourth time since August 10, as security measures are standardised across Europe. But in most respects the rest of Europe will be brought into line with current...

News.
October 6, 2006... VIRGIN plans to send tourists into space in three years using a Virgin Galactic spaceship it will unveil late next year and begin test flying in 2008. SpaceShipTwo will carry six passengers and two crew and launch from 60,000 feet, after...

Funway adds flight options.
October 6, 2006... FUNWAY Holidays has expanded both its flight and accommodation programme in its Caribbean and Mexico 2007 brochure. The operator has added Virgin Atlantic flights from Manchester and London to its programme, which also includes British...

News.
October 6, 2006... Cottages to Castles has launched its 2007 programme to Italy and Croatia. The brochure includes increased accommodation in Apulia and Sardinia. The operator has also extended its three-night villa booking option to all year round, previously it...

Dynamic moves pay off at Cosmos Shareholders hold the key to Ireland?s airlinesBe responsible.
October 13, 2006... The reorganisation at the Cosmos group seems sensible, at last getting the air broking, beds, coach business and tour ops onto one single board. The focus on Somewhere2stay.com as a stand-alone unit reflects the trend away from traditional tour...

Will we see a reign in Spain?
October 13, 2006... Columnist - Danny Rogers When the British travel industry decamps to Marbella next month - for the ABTA convention - we will be reminded again of Spain? unrivalled ability to innovate in tourism marketing terms. A few weeks ago I saw this...

Old tricks, new money.
October 13, 2006... FEAROn the face of it, predictions of mass high- street agency closures and reportsproposals thatby a majoronesome of our biggest retailers isto considering selling theand leasese onback some of itstheir retail retail estate to get itstheir...

Calling all bloggers.
October 13, 2006... Are you a frustrated writer, full of opinions but can? get them off your chest? Well the new Travel Weekly blog could be the answer. IWe are in the coming weeks we are looking to set up an industry blog where anyone in the travel industry can...

Dynamic and package can work together.
October 13, 2006... Over the past few weeks I havehave read patiently read tover the past few weeks all the letters in regardings to dynamic packaging and the battle against traditional package holidays and the whole issue of in resort services. I think that...

A dynamic test for you.
October 13, 2006... One of the most important letters published recently was ?Dynamic or a pPanic?? (Travel Weekly, September 22). I sincerely trust that ABTA and the CAA have read this letter, notwithstanding the High Court jJudge, who must be close to making...

A lighter shade of green isn?t green enough.
October 13, 2006... Isn? it aAmazing how green tour operators are suddenly becoming. However, until the green issue puts prices up, I doubt it will be readily accepted by so many. ??Rubbish, rubbish rubbish,?? the slick marketing departments will cry. ...

Diversifying is the key.
October 13, 2006... I need to highlight an inaccuracy in your article ??Travelscope praises new pals?? (Travel Weekly, September 29), which stated that we ?switched [our] distribution from reader offers last October?. We did not switch distribution, we simply...

Airport codes would be useful.
October 13, 2006... I think that it would be extra helpful forto your readers if you could try to included the three- letter airport codes for any new destinations from tour operators, particularly when these ?new? airports are not necessarily shown in the lists...

Listen up? we care about the environment.
October 13, 2006... I read with interest your report on the GGreen DDebate (Travel Weekly 29September 29/09/06) in which Dick Sisman is quoted as says:ing, ?SThe ski operators don? do a great deal. City breaks and sporting activities operators don? see the...

Cheapflights axes seven advertisers.
October 13, 2006... CHEAPFLIGHTS.CO.UK has ditched up to seven advertisers because of the poor quality of information they publish. The online travel deals publisher has completed a three-month audit of the information on its site to improve consumer...

20.
October 13, 2006... WITH many low-cost carriers flying into Italy, visitors often bypass agents in favour of booking online. Once they?ve ticked off the staples of Venice, Florence and Rome, however, they may be stuck for ideas. This is where you come in, by...

Grab a slice of the action.
October 13, 2006... WHAT distinguishes Naples from a plethora of other city-break destinations? The historic city centre is certainly impressive, stuffed full of cathedrals, churches, museums, good shopping and vibrant street life. What sets it apart, however, is...

Sardinia adds Options.
October 13, 2006... HOLIDAY OPTIONS has piled capacity into Sardinia for 2007 following increased demand for the destination brought on by low-cost carriers. Commercial director Alan Brown said Ryanair flights into Alghero and EasyJet routes to Olbia have...

Join the Morocco Academy.
October 13, 2006... MORE than 100 agents have qualified as Morocco experts in the three months since the tourist board? Travel Weekly Academy training programme went live. Moroccan National Tourist Board director Ali el Kasmi said the first 20 candidates to sign...

Classic?s making it work in Morocco.
October 13, 2006... CLASSIC Collection has almost doubled the size of its Morocco programme just one year after introducing the destination. For winter 2006/07, the operator has added six properties ? the Hivernage Hotel and Spa, the Kasbah Agafay, Jardins de...

Single man WLTM attractive mummies...
October 13, 2006... With my Panama hat at a rakish angle and my cream linen suit dazzling all and sundry, I boarded Viking III. Our seven-night cruise would take us from Luxor to Aswan and back again, taking in the highlights of Pharonic Egypt. Death on the Nile...

Operator to boost bookings.
October 13, 2006... TUNISIA specialist Wigmore Holidays is expecting an increase in city-break bookings to Tunis after adding the boutique Dar El Medina Hotel to its 2007 programme. The hotel has 12 rooms and is just a few steps from the heart of the medina....

Ocean Village?s gift of the gab.
October 13, 2006... OCEAN Village has made its biggest commitment to agent training to date by producing 3,000 packs that will be sent to the trade from next week. The Carnival-owned cruiseline, which markets itself as ?the cruise for people who don? do...

Opera singer to open WTM.
October 13, 2006... Katherine Jenkins, the fastest-selling female opera singer, will assist World Travel Market to launch a major global responsible tourism initiative for 2007, described by the organiser as ?inspirational and ambitious?. The initiative...

Move away from the herd.
October 13, 2006... The problem with following guidebooks is that you tend to become part of a herd and end up in places that are crowded with like-minded herd members, looking at the same sights and struggling to get reservations in the same restaurants and...

Bowled over in West Indies.
October 13, 2006... The football World Cup may be over but another sporting extravaganza looms large as the West Indies prepares to host its first cricket World Cup, which starts on March 11 2007. England? travelling support is expected to be the biggest ever to...

departures.
October 13, 2006... Like most thirtysomething men stuck in a prolonged state of adolescence, I?m a great believer in the healing powers of technology. If you can plug it in, I?ll take it. These days, however, it? getting harder to keep up. MySpace, YouTube,...

Italian Riviera is just the job.
October 13, 2006... On first appearance it looks like a tiny untouched harbour, with Neapolitan ice-cream coloured houses stacked up the cliffs and winding cobbled streets sheltering the shops and caf? from the sun. But as our boat pulled into Portofino, it was...