Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Top domestic destinations


Destinations across the UK saw up to a four-fold increase in bookings over the summer against last year, according to a new study.

Data from online accommodation website LateRooms.com shows a return to traditional favourites despite weather predictions shifting from a 'barbecue summer' to a washout.

The Isle of Wight saw the biggest increase (up 407% on the same period in 2008), East Anglia (up 297%) and the Scottish Highlands (up 219%).

The biggest increases in UK accommodation bookings from summer 2008 to summer 2009:

• Isle of Wight (407%)
• East Anglia (297%)
• Scottish Highlands (219%)
• Yorkshire Dales (102%)
• Bournemouth & Poole (90%)
• Bath (90%)
• Chilterns (62%)
• Northern Ireland (52%)
• Welsh Coast (50%)
• Oxfordshire (47%)
• Cornwall (44%)
• Edinburgh (40%)
• Lake District (40%)
• Cotswolds (40%)
• London (38%)

The company’sAndrew Pumphrey said:“Despite the recession people have remained determined to get away and have a break whether at home in the UK or abroad.

“Either way, we’ve found that people are really making their trips away count and enjoying the benefits of discovering or rediscovering wonderful destinations across the country.”

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Friday, September 04, 2009

The majority to holiday next year despite the recession.


The majority of people asked in a Thomson and First Choice poll plan to take a holiday next year despite the recession.

The independent online survey completed by almost 1,000 people found that 80% expect to take a 2010 break despite the current economic climate.

Similar numbers said the recession will not lead them to change their holiday plans.
About half of respondents plan to spend the same as this year and almost a quarter (24%) aim to spend more.

Of those people who said the recession had changed their holiday plans this year, around six per cent said they had considered package holidays as offering extra security in the case of an airline collapse – a figure that more than doubles to 13% for 2010.

The proportion of people saying they would consider booking all-inclusive holidays rises from 10% to 16% for next year.

This is a trend predicted by Thomson and First Choice in 2008 which is set to continue.

The operators’ report that many hotels have changed their board basis to satisfy consumer demand for 2010.

Bookings for cruises are also strong with Thomson Cruises now the UK’s second largest cruise company.
Travellers may be going further afield next year as well – more than 23% said they will look to buy a longer flight for the same price as one nearer to home.

A further 18% said they would take up offers on flight upgrades from airlines keen to fill premium seats.
The annual trends report also reveals that the environment and sustainability are now mainstream concerns despite recessionary pressures.

Six out of ten people say they would be more likely to book with a company which showed greener business practices such as employing local people, sourcing local produce and using hotels that don’t waste energy.

Travellers now seem used to the issue of swine flu with six out of ten expecting their holiday plans to be unchanged next year in the event of a pandemic, and only one in ten saying they may change their plans.

One major cloud on the horizon for travellers in 2010 is rises in Air Passenger Duty which come into force in two stages from November this year. These will increase the tax on long haul flights – typically 12 hours or more - from £40 to £80.

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Monday, August 17, 2009


The number of British people travelling abroad slumped by ten per cent in the 12 months to June, new figures show.

The reduction from 70.9 million to 63.5 million included a ten per cent drop to Europe (down to 50.4 million), a 15% decline to North America (down to four million) and a nine per cent decrease to the rest of the world (down to 9.1 million).

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that for the three months to the end of June the number of visits abroad remained broadly the same as the previous three months at 15.2 million. But spending fell by eight per cent to £7.6 billion.

The number of visitors to the UK was also down in the 12 months to June, with figures showing an eight per cent drop from 33.1 million to 30.5 million.

Arrivals from Europe were down by five per cent to 22.9 million, from North America by 22% to 3.4 million and from the rest of the world by ten per cent o 4.2 million.

Visits to the UK in the April-June quarter rose by four per cent to 7.7 million over the previous three months but spending was pegged at £4.2 billion, the Overseas Travel and Torusim Statistical Bulletin shows.

*Commenting on the British Chamber of Commerce report which said that tourism is ‘poorly regarded’ in government and the UK is slipping behind its competitors as a result, Conservative shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “This is more damning evidence that shows how the government is simply not taking tourism seriously enough.

“The current structures that promote UK tourism are not working well enough. That's why we're looking at creating a tourism minister to give the sector the leadership it so desperately needs.”

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Monday, August 10, 2009

Thomas Cook faces legal action over 'hell hole' hotel


More than 15 British holidaymakers are taking legal action against four travel companies after a ‘hellish’ holiday in Egypt earlier this year. Legal proceedings have already been started against Thomas Cook, Directline Holidays, Lowcostbeds.com and Ramsey Travel. Investigations are also underway with regard to claims against three other companies.

According to law firm Irwin Mitchell, the holidaymakers described the five-star Egyptian hotel they travelled to as an “insect-infested hell hole”. Travel litigation experts are now investigating the holidaymakers’ claims that the under-cooked food provided at the all-inclusive Hauza Beach Hotel has left them with serious gastric problems. David Harle, from the north east, says his £2,000 all-inclusive trip in June this year was ruined when he and his wife Judith fell ill with severe stomach problems. He is now taking legal action against tour operator Thomas Cook.

Suki Chhokar, a partner at Irwin Mitchell, said: “We have received enquiries from more than a dozen other holidaymakers who travelled with several different travel companies and whose stories are similar to Mr Harle’s. It is simply unacceptable. Why is it that the health and welfare of British tourists is put at risk time and again?

“We can’t stress enough how important it is for travel companies and hotels to take the health and safety of their guests seriously. People look forward to their holidays and it is time they can never get back. “We have now started legal action against three different travel companies on behalf of a number our clients and we would urge these companies to accept liability quickly so that our clients can put this ordeal behind them.”

A Thomas Cook UK & Ireland spokesperson said: “We take all reports of illness very seriously so we were very concerned to hear that Mr and Mrs Harle became unwell whilst they were on holiday.
“As a priority we are undertaking a full investigation with the hotel and our resort team and are liaising with the solicitor representing the couple.”

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Monday, July 13, 2009

Cheap packages the main priority for UK holidaymakers


Cheap package holidays with free on-site activities are the new priorities for people decided which resort they choose this summer.

This compares with good hotel reviews, star rating and being close to the beach which were top of the list last year, according to online travel agent sunshine.co.uk.

A study commissioned by the company found that 71% of British holidaymakers have either booked a holiday abroad or plan to book a holiday overseas this year.

The research reveals that consumers’ priorities are changing when it comes to booking their 2009 break.

Last year thay claimed that the most important element when booking a holiday was good reviews from previous visitors, the hotel’s star rating and being close to the beach.

But they now admit that value for money and free on-site activities are the deciding factors for this year’s holiday.

The Top 5 priorities when searching for a holiday destination last year were:

1. Good hotel reviews
2. Its star rating
3. Located on/near the beach
4. Value for money
5. Location

When the 1,445 British respondents were asked how they decided which resort to choose for their holiday this year, or what their priorities will be for their holiday choice, the results were:

Value for money
Free on-site activities
Quiet resort
Near the beach
Location
Good reviews from previous visitors and the hotels star rating came in at 6th and 7th position respectively.

The Top 10 holiday destinations so far this year are:

1. Benidorm – Spain
2. Sharm el Sheikh – Egypt
3. Albufeira – Algarve
4. Marmaris – Turkey
5. Palma Nova – Spain
6. Salou – Spain
7. Lloret de Mar – Spain
8. Olu Deniz – Turkey
9. Playa de las Americas – Tenerife
10. Alcudia – Majorca

Company co-founder and managing director Chris Brown said: “We keep hearing that Brits are choosing to stay put this summer, yet our sales figures are getting better month on month and this study proves that people are still eager to get away but their priority is now value for money and not incurring many extra costs whilst away.

“As a travel agent, we feel it is important to highlight that we offer our customers exactly what they want this year; an affordable holiday that doesn’t mean sacrificing their priorities from previous years.”

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Monday, June 29, 2009

TripAdvisor defends reliability of reviews


Yesterday’s Sunday Times said one hotelier in Spain claimed her ratings tumbled because of a critical review from a rival, while a former West Country hotelier claimed to write their own reviews.But a spokeswoman for Expedia-owned TripAdvisor said: ‘The vast majority of hotels understand the tremendous risk to their reputation and their business if they attempt to post fraudulent information on review sites like TripAdvisor. ‘As such, attempts of this nature are rare on TripAdvisor, but we take serious steps to penalise anyone caught attempting to trick the system.

‘In the event that a review is suspected to be fraudulent, it is immediately taken down, thereby affecting the business’s ranking in the TripAdvisor Popularity Index. 'Further measures to penalise those attempting to trick the system are handled on a case-by-case basis, but can include sending a warning letter to the property owners and posting a notice on TripAdvisor to warn travellers that a particular property is being investigated for potentially fraudulent activity.’

She also said the sheer volume of reviews for any individual property allows travellers to base their decisions on the opinions of many and provides an additional safeguard. TripAdvisor research shows the average traveller reads three pages of reviews when researching a hotel.

Every review is screened before posting and a team of quality assurance specialists investigates suspicious ones.Automated tools help identify attempts to subvert the system and its large community also help to police content.In total, the site features some 25m reviews and opinions.




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Thursday, June 25, 2009

Twitter fastest growing website in UK


Micro-blogging phenomenon Twitter has emerged as the fastest growing major website in the UK in the past year.

Data from online research firm Hitwise shows that traffic to the site has increased 22-fold in the last 12 months.

During May 2009 www.twitter.com ranked as the 38th most visited website in the UK and the fifth most visited social network.

A year ago, in May 2008, it was the 969th most visited website and 84th most visited social network, according to Hitwise.

Research director Robin Goad said: "Twitter has been the fastest growing major website in the UK over the last 12 months, and certainly the most talked about.

"The noticeable thing about Twitter's growth is that the vast majority of it - 93% in fact - has occurred during 2009.

“Media coverage of the site has escalated significantly this year and high profile celebrity endorsements, by everyone from Stephen Fry to Ashton Kutcher, have come rolling in.

“If anything, the service is even more popular than our numbers imply, as we are only measuring traffic to the main Twitter website.

“If people accessing their Twitter accounts via mobile phones and third party applications (such as Twitterific, Twitterfeed and Tweetdeck) were included, the numbers could be even higher."

One consequence of the high level of growth is that Twitter has become a key source of traffic to other websites, Hitwise said.

Twitter was the 30th biggest source of traffic for other sites in the UK last month, accounting for one in every 350 visits to a typical website.

More than half of this traffic (55.9%) is sent to other content-driven online media sites, such as social networks, blogs, and news and entertainment websites.

But only less than ten per cent of Twitter's downstream traffic is sent to transactional websites (i.e. travel, business and finance sites, plus online retailers).

By contrast, Google sends 30.7% of its traffic to transactional sites, while for Facebook the figure is 14.7%.

"Twitter has proven to be a fantastic source of traffic for content driven sites, and the media companies with a strong presence on the service are using it to great effect," said Goad.

"However, with one or two exceptions (most notably Dell, which claims to have generated $3m via Twitter), very few transactional websites have yet used Twitter to drive sales.

“During May, Google UK sent 365 times more traffic to transactional websites than Twitter.

“Given that Twitter has yet to settle on a business model that will take advantage of its huge, loyal user base, this is an issue that needs to be addressed by those running the company if they are to make the service a financial as well as a popular success."

Twitter was the 27th biggest source of traffic to News and Media - Print websites in the UK during May, and all of the main newspaper websites now have multiple Twitter feeds.

Goad said: "The key to having a successful Twitter presence is to engage the community.
“Twitter is a great viral marketing channel, and for many users the aim is to have their story 'retweeted' - i.e. passed on by other users - as many times as possible.

“Although all of the newspapers have multiple 'official' feeds, these tend to be bland and have very low 'retweet' rates.

“Journalists 'tweeting' themselves and engaging with the Twitter community typically have more success in creating viral stories."





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Monday, June 08, 2009

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Hotels in Spain 30% full for July and August


Falling hotel rates and cheap air fares to Spain and Greece will boost late bookings to these destinations, while others are effectively full or over-priced.
Hugh Morgan, Monarch operations and overseas purchasing director, told a Spanish tourism conference last week: ‘I know hoteliers now in Spain who still only have 30% occupancy for July and August. They are actually coming to us saying, ‘what price do you need to fill this?' ‘I have never seen that in the eons that I have been working in this industry. Normally, July and August are 70-80% sold by now.'

Speaking at 'The Year Ahead – A Year Of Change In The Travel Industry' seminar, part of the 'A Taste of Spain Travel 2009' trade show in London, Morgan said it was hard to predict if the lates market would rescue Spain’s summer – it is about 16% down year-on-year, while the UK market is generally about 11% down.‘It is so price-sensitive. If you get the prices wrong, you will not sell the holiday,’ he explained.

Fellow speaker Paul Evans, chief executive of Lowcost Group, said: ‘There has been a lot of PR spin about Turkey and Egypt. But do not anybody kid themselves – the vast majority of business will end up going to Spain.’He said fares to Turkey are around £300 while Spain is £80-£150 so any savings on hotel accommodation in Turkey are lost on the airline seat.

Evans added that 55% of his firm’s sales on 1 June were for June, reflecting the ‘incredibly late booking window’.He predicted bigger operators will hold their margins but said for online operators, the bed bank market has been ‘particularly brutal and competitive’.

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Thursday, May 14, 2009

Regional airline makes Liverpool debut


Aberdeen and Southampton are to be served from Liverpool by regional carrier Eastern Airways.Three flights a day on weekdays to each destination will run from on July 6.The carrier will also increase the number of flights from Aberdeen to Southampton from two to five services each weekday starting on the same date.

The Liverpool connection means Eastern will be running 13 routes from the Scottish hub.Eastern’s chief operating officer Chris Holliday said: “Launching our first scheduled flights from Liverpool is a major milestone.“We’re providing the fastest links from Liverpool to Aberdeen and Southampton, which are significantly quicker than alternative road and rail journeys.

“By offering three flights each weekday, business travellers will be able to spend a day in Aberdeenshire or in the south of England without the need for overnight accommodation.“We’re also enhancing our services from Southampton to Aberdeen with five flights a day, providing greater flexibility and even more choice for business and leisure travellers.”


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Friday, April 24, 2009

A room a second' sold in Travelodge sale


Travelodge claims to have recorded the highest ever number of UK hotel rooms sold in one day.The budget chain sold more than 87,000 hotel rooms in its £9 sale in the last 24 hours.
One of the chain’s double or family rooms for four was selling every second for the first nine hours with the rest coming throughout the remainder the day.

At just before midnight Travelodge had sold 36,190 £9 rooms, 23,085 £19 rooms and 27,804 non-sale rooms.

UK managing director, Guy Parsons said: “Our £9 and £19 sales are usually very popular but yesterday was a massive day for us and the UK consumer.

“It is clear that many people are seeking a bargain in these more difficult economic times and we are able to provide it.

“Whilst trade is still challenging for everyone, it is very encouraging to see the UK traveller’s faith in our product and the wider Great British holiday offer.”

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Monday, March 30, 2009


Avro expands Turkey flying programme.

An additional Gatwick charter to Antalya is being laid on by seat-only firm Avro this summer. The Wednesday departure will run between May 27 and October 18 following increased dynamic packaging demand for holidays to Turkey. The flight will complement a Sunday service and twice weekly flights from Manchester as well as Birmingham departures, where capacity has been increased.Avro will run charters to Dalaman from Gatwick six days a week - up to three times daily - and from Manchester five days a week. Flights to Bodrum will also operate from Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham.

Prices to Turkey start at £139 per person inclusive of 20 kilos of baggage.Avro managing director Michael Vinales said: “Turkey continues to thrive in the DP market as we are able to offer agents the good day time slots that families demand over the summer period.“It’s also a destination which agents feel increasingly confident about booking as many repeat visitors know exactly which properties they want to book, making it easier for the agent to component package.“We have needed to increase our frequency as some families are looking for more flexible durations possibly to fit in more with their reduced budget. They may not be able to take that traditional 14 night break but they still want to travel.”

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Saturday, March 21, 2009

Google Street View


Virtual walking tours of key UK cities are to be made available on the internet through a tie-up between VisitBritain and Google.The new Google Street View technology will feature 25 cities and towns in Britain and Northern Ireland. Users of Google maps can use the Street View mapping to get an idea of the sights they can see when visiting Britain.
They will be able to take a virtual walking tour of destinations such as London, Cardiff, Belfast and Edinburgh, and from Southampton to Aberdeen, Bristol to Norwich.VisitBritain has worked with Google to create a visual guide - called a maplet - directly in Street View which features sights in London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds and Oxford.
This maplet then links to VisitBritain’s global website, visitbritain.com, where users can access some of its 1,000 destination guides. Each guide further helps them plan their trip with information about where to stay, shop and eat out, as well as the attractions, events and experiences.
This year an extra five million people may consider a holiday in their own country, according to VisitBritain ahead of British Tourism Week next week.
Meanwhile, international visitors can taken advantage of improved exchange rates on their trips.VisitBritain head of online marketing Justin Reid said: "We're very excited to be working with Google on the launch of Street View in the UK.
The internet is an incredibly rich resource for raising awareness of destinations, driving travel to and around Britain. Street View is a real opportunity for us to showcase our destinations to millions worldwide.“Seeing some of our globally-renowned attractions – a mix of old and new – up close, could inspire many more people to visit our shores.
“Our partnership with Google will also mean Street View explorers can find information about the different destinations and attractions, as well as value for money experiences, on www.visitbritain.com."Google’s geospatial technologist Ed Parsons said: “Street View has been hugely popular with our users in Europe and worldwide and we're thrilled it's now available in UK for so many great cities, enabling users to see street-level panoramas of major city roads and look up and print out useful driving directions.”

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Monday, March 16, 2009

Majority of agents failing to offer best value for money


Experience and knowledge are things that people appreciate most about travel agents, according to a new study.But only 19% of British travellers believe agents offer the “best value for money”. Although this rises to 29% in Scotland, it drops to only eight per cent in London.
An online poll of 2,220 consumers by YouGov for Stena Line found that 57% thought that agents’ knowledge is a real bonus, while just eight per cent did not find agents knowledgeabl

Almost half of those questioned (43%) valued agents as “someone to talk to”.
With the ongoing credit crunch, agents in Britain will increasingly need to be seen to offer value but people in the capital are more critical about travel agents than the rest of the country.

More than half (51%) of Londoners – over six times the national average - complained of agents’ lack of knowledge, with 43% of those from the capital - over 2.5 times the national average - complaining of pressure from agents to book what suited them best.
Only 37% of respondents in London valued agents for their knowledge and experience.

Nationally, the biggest concern about agents is that they could be too commission-based, a factor which bothers 34% of travellers and an even larger 46% of Londoners.
Stena Line general manager for travel on the Irish Sea Dermot Cairns said: ”We are delighted to learn of the British public’s appreciation of the knowledge and experience agents offer.

“It’s a definite incentive for us to continue the trade training and familiarisation trips that we organise as they are clearly paying dividends.
“We are also acting on the importance that British travellers are attaching to value for money by continuing to ensure that we are offering the best value fares for all our crossings, and great value hotel breaks.”

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Thursday, March 05, 2009

Co-op Sales on the up.


Sales of half-board holidays are up by over 50%, according to research by The Co-operative Travel. The group says research of over 110,000 bookings shows that half-board holidays are up by 53.6%, while all-inclusive holidays have risen by 22.4%, compared to the same period last year.

The independent agency chains believe this shows Brits are returning to the high street to book traditional package holidays. It believes customers are attracted by the ability to fix costs ahead of travel, rather than organising DIY bookings online. Director of retail distribution Trevor Davis said: “People are making a return to booking their holidays on the high street after the travel chaos of last year.”

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Monday, March 02, 2009

Premier Inn sales slow


Like for like sales at budget chain Premier Inn owner Whitbread have slowed in recent weeks, the company said today.
Announcing trading performance for the 50 weeks to February 12, the company’s chief executive Alan Parker said: “The sales trends we reported in December continued and in recent weeks group like-for-like sales have been predominantly negative, particularly due to lower occupancy in Premier Inn.

“Since the start of 2009, it has been difficult to establish any clear trends.”However, he added that full year profits are anticipated to be in line with market expectations.
The UK’s largest hotel and restaurant group said that in the first year of a combined hotels and restaurants business, it has delivered an increase in total sales of 9.1% and like-for-like sales growth of 5.4%.

Parker said: “By the year end we will have 54 new hotels and just over 40,000 rooms in the UK. Eleven of these new hotels are on joint sites with a Whitbread branded restaurant taking the total restaurant estate to 372.

“Premier Inn's Business Account is attracting larger business clients with total accounts up 48% year on year and total sales via this channel up 26% year to date.
“Revpar growth for the 50 weeks to 12 February was 2.9% on a like-for-like basis.
“Within restaurants like for like covers growth increased by 7.7% with spend per head falling 1.5%.”

He signalled a slowing in expansion in 2009-10 with capital expenditure to be halved to around £170 million.
“In these recessionary times operating well maintained, value for money hotel and restaurant brands offers significant opportunities for Whitbread to outperform in our market,” Parker added

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Friday, February 20, 2009

In Flight Mobile Calls


An in-flight mobile phone service has become available on board 20 Ryanair aircraft. The move is the first step in fitting the budget carrier’s fleet of more than 170 aircraft over the next 18 months to allow passengers to make and receive mobile calls and texts on all flights. Passengers on Ryanair’s 20 OnAir enabled aircraft, mainly operatng from Dublin, can now make and receive voice calls at (non–EU) international roaming rates (£1.50-£3 per minute) text messages (40p+) and email (£1-£2) using mobile phones, BlackBerrys and other smartphones.

The service is only available to O2 customers and to users of more than 50 other mobile phone operators across Europe. Provider OnAir is working with other UK mobile operators Vodafone, Orange and 3 to have those networks connected. The price tariffs are set by each mobile service provider and are subject to each customer’s individual price plan, according to the airline Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said: “Today’s launch by Ryanair and OnAir is the first step to offering in-flight mobile phone services onboard our entire fleet of over 170 aircraft over the next 18 months.

“This service will allow passengers to keep in touch with the office, family or friends. “We expect customer demand for this service to grow rapidly and hope that customers of all UK mobile operators will soon be able to call or text home from 30,000 feet.”

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Thursday, February 05, 2009

New flights from Liverpool & Gatwick


Ryanair adds new route from Liverpool

Ryanair will introduce a new route from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to Ibiza on March 30. The new service will operate three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with fares starting from £32, including taxes and charges. Ryanair already operates 45 routes from Liverpool, including Paris Beauvais, Cork and Turin.

Gatwick gains Nordic flights

New routes to Scandinavia are to be operated from Gatwick this summer.
The airline Norwegian is to serve Oslo three times a day, Copenhagen and Tromso twice daily and run daily flights to Bergen, Stavanger and Aalborg. The new services will run from the end of March

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Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Pontins


Six Pontin’s holiday centres are to be re-developed and refurbished as part of an investment of over £50 million. Pontin’s parent company, Ocean Parcs, said the improvements will create over 2,000 jobs. Initially, the group will refurbish entertainment, catering and bar facilities in its holiday centres, launching a re-styled entertainment programme and an enhanced food and beverage offer. Holiday Centres at Brean Sands and Prestatyn Sands will be completely refurbished with the ‘next generation’ of guest accommodation Subject to planning approval, accommodation will be completely renewed and the retail, entertainment, restaurant and bar facilities re-furbished.

Camber Sands and Southport will be completely re-designed and re-built and The Pakefield Holiday Centre near Lowestoft will be doubled in size and capacity. Pontin’s property director Clarke Osborne said: ‘’We have been working on our next generation of Holiday Centres for over nine months and I think that the results of this careful design strategy will be very well received by both our extensive and loyal customer base and new customers that are joining us each year. “We have commenced dialogue with some of our local councils, business leaders and planners and received encouraging responses.

This dialogue will be extended to all our holiday centres as it our intention to submit proposals for planning permission during the year.” Ocean Parcs and Pontins chief executive Ian Smith added: “It is particularly pleasing to note that due to a significant increase in bookings for this year, a number of our holiday centres are already showing only limited availability for the key half term, Easter and Summer holiday periods.”

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Thursday, January 29, 2009

BMI Baby


Bmibaby is dropping three city routes and replacing them with resort destinations.

Cardiff flights to Amsterdam and Glasgow are being axed along with Birmingham to Cork.

They are being replaced with a service from South Wales to Almeria in Spain between May 22 and October 22 and a Birmingham to Newquay route between May 22 and September 20.

The Almeria flights will run twice a week from Cardiff and the Cornwall connection from Birmingham will operate four times a week.

Passengers booked from Cardiff to Amsterdam and to Glasgow, and from Birmingham to Cork for travel after March 29 will be contacted by the airline and offered an alternative flight or a full refund.

Prices from Cardiff to Almeria start at £41.99 one way, and from Birmingham to Newquay at £13.99 one way, including taxes and charges.
The airline expects to carry more than 13,500 passengers on the Almeria service, and 20,000 on the Newquay route during the summer.

Managing director Crawford Rix said: “The airline industry is currently seeing a weakening in demand from consumers for impulsive city breaks and an increase for typical sun destinations; this is a direct result of the current economic climate.

“In order to meet the demand for more beach routes, we will be replacing two of our city routes from Cardiff - Amsterdam and Glasgow - with the new route to Almeria, and replacing the route from Birmingham to Cork with the new service to Newquay.

“This will enable us to meet the high consumer demand for services to beach destinations.”

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Jet 2 Holidays


Jet2holidays.com has distributed its first brochure to 1,300 agents as part of a move to attract more trade sales.
The northern-based operator’s programme covers 20 destinations with flights from six UK airports. A £50 deposit offer is available and holidays in the Balearics and Algarve lead in at £99.

The brochure forms part of a larger 2009 campaign incorporating a greater emphasis on trade sales, according to the operator.

Other destinations featured include the Canary Islands, Turkey, Greek Islands, Croatia, Cyprus and Sharm el Sheikh.

Group trade sales manager Alan Cross said: “This is the first time we have produced a traditional holiday brochure having previously just been an online tour operator for both agents and our customers.

“It has been designed to portray the look and feel for what Jet2holidays.com has to offer – which is a wide selection of holiday options at great value for money.

“Support from the trade has been fantastic so far and having produced this dedicated brochure to complement our online element, we are sure this success will be increased further."

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Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Lowcostbeds & Resorthoppa


Lowcostbeds.com is offering Resorthoppa through its trade web site lowcostbedsagents.com following the completion of a takeover of the transfer company.

Bundled prices for lowcostbeds.com transfers and beds is being made available via the trade web site, enabling lower prices to be offered to agents to increase their margins.

Lowcostbeds.com CEO Paul Evans said the company’s ability to bundle transfers with bed stock meant it was in a “very exciting position to consolidate its position as one of the leading suppliers of independent holiday components to the travel trade”.

“Customers and agents are demanding access to holiday components from a single source and those operators that offer single product will become vulnerable,” he added.

Michael East, who will continue as chairman of Resorthoppa, said: “Despite the difficult trading conditions being experienced by the travel industry, we are seeing a significant increase in activity at Resort Hoppa and the completion of this merger will enable us to build a strong, integrated group offering a one stop shop to enable the trade to create their own, great value, dynamic packages.”

He added: “We anticipate signing a number of new agreements over the coming weeks”.

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Thursday, January 08, 2009

Thomas Cook swoops for Medhotels


Thomas Cook is strengthening its position in the bed bank sector with the purchase of Medhotels from lastminute.com.
The deal, for an undisclosed sum, will make Thomas Cook the UK leader in accommodation-only following its purchase of Hotels4u.com almost a year ago.

The sale of Medhotels follows industry predictions of further consolidation in the bed bank sector (see previous TravelMole stories).
The Medhotels acquisition, due to be completed next month, includes Hoteltransfers, Holiday Hotels and its German business.
Lastminute bought Medhotels in a deal worth £16.1 million in 2003.

Paul Riches, sales and marketing director at rival youtravel.com, said:“The long-awaited completion of the Medhotels acquisition by Thomas Cook represents a step-change in the accommodation-only sector as another player is taken over by one of the big conglomerates.
“There is now a very clear divide in the industry between those bed banks which are owned by a large corporate parent and those who retain their independence.

“For us, as the UK's largest independent accommodation supplier, Cook’s acquisition of Medhotels represents a great opportunity to work even more closely with independent agents.
“Independent agents are the backbone of the bed bank sector and I don’t believe that they will be happy to push a large proportion of their accommodation-only sales into the hands of one group.
“They will be looking more than ever towards established independent accommodation suppliers to redress the balance of their sales split which will shift as a result of this acquisition.

Posted by RHR.COM at 9:43 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

2009 is the year of the cruise deal


Online cruise review website CruiseCritic has unveiled its predictions for the cruise market in 2009. It believes the current “dizzy” rate of growth will not be sustained this year, but the market should be “robust and resilient, benefiting from a huge boost in capacity and choice”. In 2008, UK cruise passengers grew 14% to an estimated 1.55 million. CruiseCritic believes 2009 will be the year of the 'deal', as cruise lines struggle to fill cabins. “Prices, already pretty low, will be incredibly competitive,” it said.

It said with the weak sterling against the euro, customers will take advantage of cruises, which do not involve currency surcharges that many travel companies have had to add to the cost of a land-based holiday. Other trends identified include: - There will be a rise in sailings from the UK, such as Glasgow, Liverpool and Belfast, as well as the principal ports of Dover and Southampton. - Passengers will pay fewer fuel surcharges but will pay more for extras, like spa treatments, classes, speciality dining and service charges. - Passengers will take more short cruises, particularly those who are new to cruising.

Luxury will be one of the fastest growing sectors, with Seabourn, Oceania and Silversea all getting new vessels. In addition, a handful of big ship cruise lines are creating boutique hotels within large ships, with dedicated restaurants, lounges and pool areas.

Posted by RHR.COM at 1:43 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Flyglobespan


Flyglobespan adds Turkey capacity

A second weekly flight from Edinburgh to Dalaman in Turkey is being laid on by Flyglobespan for next summer. A Sunday flight will run in addition to a Saturday departure between May and early November. The company had already planned weekly flights from Glasgow and Aberdeen to the Turkish destination. Prices start at £99.99 one way including tax and £195 per person for a seven night holiday in a self catering apartment in Icmeler, including flights, based on two sharing.

CEO Rick Green said: "We are delighted with our sales for Dalaman and are confident that this second weekend flight will prove a great success. "It further reinforces our view that, while consumers may cut back on spending in other areas, the main holiday remains a necessity."

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Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Travel Companies Going Bust This Winter


Up to 15 companies will go bust this winter, warns TC boss.

Thomas Cook chief executive Manny Fontenla-Novoa has predicted that up to 15 more UK travel companies could go bust in the next three months. Speaking at a media briefing in London, he said companies which do not have back up banking facilities in place will struggle to survive in the current climate. “If they can survive the next three months they will be okay, but these next three months are crucial,” he said. He said airlines were among those at risk of failure in the current climate. "There is no question it is a tough market," he said. "But we at Thomas Cook are in pretty good shape going forward."

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Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Resorthoppa acquired by Lowcostbeds.com


Holiday transfers company Resorthoppa is being taken over by Lowcostbeds.com. Management of the two businesses will be brought together to create a single, integrated group. No purchase price was disclosed. The deal is expected to be completed before Christmas. Lowcostbeds.com will offer Resorthoppa transfers through its trade web site.

Bundled pricing for lowcostbeds.com transfers and beds will enable lower prices to be offered to the trade, enabling agents to increase their margins, the company claimed. Lowcostbeds.com CEO Paul Evans said: “We are very excited about adding Resorthoppa’s range of great value transfer services to our huge range of directly contracted accommodation product. “Together, we will be able to offer agents a simpler way to package holidays and reduce their cost of sale.”

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Friday, December 05, 2008

Reviews to appear on Thomas Cook website


Thomas Cook UK & Ireland holidaymakers are being given the option of writing independent online reviews of their holidays. More than 300,000 people who have travelled in the last 12 months have added their holiday and hotel ratings to thomas cook. The facility is part of a new e-commerce platform upon which the Thomas Cook .com website now operates. The holiday search section has been revamped with more content, imagery and videos. New maps, customer ratings, reviews and advanced search filters have been introduced.

The company can also personalise and tailor content based on user preferences or behaviour. E-commerce director Russell Gould said: “Travellers will continue to use on and offline channels through their holiday research and booking journey. “This new e-commerce platform is not only a website, but will quickly evolve into a multi-channel sales platform that delivers a unique and best-in-class customer experience for all travel related purchases. “Over the coming year, we will enhance it further and plan to roll it across all our sales channels. “Our ability to tailor and personalise content to individual visitor preferences is an incredibly powerful marketing tool.

This is a huge leap that provides thomas cook. com with the capability to present relevant tailored offers and promotions to our online customers.” He added: “Our aim is to ensure we present a realistic and impartial view of each holiday and hotel, which is why we have created the functionality for our customers to complete reviews. “We are also introducing new processes that will allow visitors to filter to relevant reviews from similar travellers, for instance, only reviews from people who have travelled as a family with young children can be selected.” “ ‘Accommodation Only’ conversion from search to purchase has doubled and tailor-made ‘Flight & Hotel’ searches have already increased by 70%, leading to an increase in bookings by over 100% in October alone. “We still have a lot of other processes to implement, but results so far indicate we are definitely heading in the right direction with the new site.”

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Tuesday, December 02, 2008

P&O Cruises


P&O Cruises provides dynamic packaging options

Dynamic packaging options are being made available to agents in a new P&O Cruises 2010 Worldwide Adventures programme. A total of 38 holidays ranging from 14 to 53 night cruises feature in the brochure with sailings on Arcadia and Aurora from Southampton. The vessels will visit 73 destinations in 33 countries with sections of each voyage available on a cruise-only basis Prices for all featured holidays are cruise-only, and ‘build your own’ holiday package add-on prices will be available for flights, coach transfers and hotel accommodation.

Early booking discounts of up to 45% are available as well as on board credit of up to £125 per person for bookings made before the end of February 2009.P&O Cruises’ managing director Nigel Esdale said: “As well as having an enticing choice of far-flung destinations for passengers to explore, this brochure also gives today’s savvy traveller more flexibility by offering cruise only and holiday package options.”

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Thursday, November 27, 2008

Bmibaby cuts regional routes


Five routes are being suspended by Bmibaby from Birmingham next summer. Services being dropped between March 29 and October 24 are to Rome, Milan, Lisbon, Madrid and Bordeaux. This will leave the budget carrier with 16 routes from the airport in summer 2009. Bmibaby is also suspending routes from Manchester to Madrid and East Midlands to Prague for next summer. The cuts will lead to the loss of 65 jobs at Birmingham and five at East Midlands.

The budget airline said it was commencing a 30 day consultation period with unions and staff representatives “in order to minimise the impact of potential compulsory job losses”. A spokesman said: "These seasonal summer 2009 routes are being suspended in response to a weakening of consumer demand, which is being impacted upon by the current economic climate and its unpredictability. "Travellers are now booking to fly to typical sun destinations for their annual holiday, rather than flying to the more impulsive short-break city destinations. "In sharp contrast, the key Mediterranean routes from Birmingham are performing extremely well and bmibaby will continue to operate flights to the following destinations: Malaga, Alicante, Faro, Palma Mallorca, Nice, Barcelona, Murcia, Amsterdam, Prague, Edinburgh, Belfast International, Glasgow International, Ireland West Knock, Cork, Aberdeen and Geneva."

Passengers holding bookings for the suspended routes will be contacted by the airline be offered a full refund. Alternatively they can transfer free of charge to another bmibaby.

Posted by RHR.COM at 1:53 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Ryanair to withdraw from Blackpool


Ryanair has announced its intention to cancel services from Blackpool after the airport announced plans to introduce an Airport Development Fee from January 5. The airline will stop its daily flights to and from Dublin and its three services a week to Girona from January 4, unless the airport scraps the fee. "This fee will be levied on all passengers without exception after that date and will substantially increase the cost of travel through this small regional airport which is totally dependent on low fares for its passenger traffic," it said in a statement. "Ryanair had engaged in discussions with the management of the airport in attempts to underline the negative effect this fee would have and urge them not to introduce the fee.

"However, now that the airport has decided to go ahead with the introduction of the fee, Ryanair will withdraw all its services from the airport." Ryanair deputy chief executive Michael Cawley added: “This is a black day for Blackpool International Airport. The management’s decision, against Ryanair’s advice, to introduce an Airport Development Fee is an extremely regressive step which inevitably involves a massive increase in the cost of travel for passengers through the airport. "With this step, the management at Blackpool Airport have severely dented the economic prospects for the region which this airport serves and we call on them to reverse this decision immediately while there is still time to save the airport.”

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Sunday, November 23, 2008

Ryanair threatens to shut Canary island’s routes


Nine Ryanair routes to Fuerteventura have been threatened with closure in a dispute over funding. The budget airline warned that it will close all of its routes from the Canary island from January 31 unless local tourism group AIE honours a "commercial agreement" to promote Fuerteventura as a tourist destination. The airline blamed a breach of the agreement for the cancellation of a flight from Dublin earlier this month.

Ryanair now says it will withdraw services to Fuerteventura from Birmingham, Bremen, Dublin, Dusseldorf (Weeze), East Midlands, Frankfurt, Liverpool, London and Shannon if agreement is not reached on the alleged contract breaches before December 6. The airline has started legal action against AIE and its individual members for breach of agreement. It claims that annual passenger numbers to the island have risen from 2,000 in 2006 when it started flying to Fuerteventura to more than 250,000.

The carrier’s deputy chief executive Michael Cawley said: “At a time when Spanish tourism numbers are falling, Ryanair’s numbers continue to grow. “However, the AIE continues to threaten the livelihoods of the local tourism industry by blatantly reneging on its contractual commitments. “Ryanair has served 30 days’ notice to the AIE to comply with its contractual agreements. “If it refuses to do so then we will have no choice sadly but to end all Ryanair flights to Fuerteventura from 31 January

Posted by RHR.COM at 10:57 AM 1 comments

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Thomson Cut Holiday Capacity

For Cheap Thomson Holidays. Call FREE on 0800 458 08 08

TUI Travel has revealed further “significant” UK capacity cuts for the coming winter. A nine per cent extra reduction in charter flying means that total winter capacity has been reduced by 28% against last winter. Summer 2009 capacity has been reduced by 16% as the company predicted a “weaker earlier booking environment”.

For winter, average charter holiday selling prices are up by 10% due to stronger pricing the past two months. The winter charter programme is half sold with nine per cent fewer holidays to sell. But the company is seeing weaker demand for ski holidays, while adventure and expedition cruising are seeing positive like-for-like sales growth. Volumes for next summer are 17% down on the same period last year but average selling prices are up 11%.

The total programme load factor is flat at 18% but there is 14% less to sell due to capacity reductions. In a trading statement, TUI Travel said summer 2008 to the end of October had ended “in line” with its last update, with UK average charter selling prices up by 11%, sales up by seven per cent, passengers down four per cent and capacity down by six per cent.

“Despite a more challenging trading environment, we are satisfied with our current position across all our source markets and businesses,” a statement said. “Within our mainstream source markets, through a combination of reducing fixed capacity. third party flying (which is 30% of all tour operator capacity) and uncommitted bed stock (which accounts for 80% of bed stock), we believe we can manage the current market conditions and continue to improve the profitability of the business.”

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Thursday, November 06, 2008

Brits don't trust brochures


Six out of 10 Brits no longer traditional holiday brochures, according to a poll of 1,250 adults. The survey, by webTV travel site, Holiday ’09, found over half the people polled would be looking for advice on how to save money and get the best deal on their holiday next year, with 90% doing their research online.

Holiday ’09 editor Ceriann Mullins said: “It’s clear that following recent events in the industry and the global economy that customers want reassurance from travel companies placing openness, transparency and interactivity higher up their decision making process.” While the majority of respondents said they would be going on a beach holiday next year, over a quarter revealed that UK city breaks are in their plans for 2009 and while a fifth of respondents are planning something more long haul.

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Friday, October 03, 2008

Jet 2


Flights to Croatia and Cornwall are to run next summer from Northern Ireland. Jet2.com is to serve Dubrovnik and Newquay from Belfast International Airport from May 2009. The airline estimates that the expansion will create about 50 new aviation-related jobs. But the carrier is dropping a Belfast-Barcelona service due to over-capacity on the route. Passengers with bookings to Barcelona in 2009 will be able to change flights free-of-charge change to another of the airline's 14 destinations from Belfast, including Ibiza, Majorca, Menorca and Murcia (Alicante), within seven days of their original dates of travel, or a obtain a full refund, Jet2.com said. Flights to Dubrovnik start on May 2 with one-way fares starting at £56.99 one way including taxes while Newquay flights start on May 24 costing from £24.99 one way.

The airline’s chief executive Philip Meeson said: “Unlike other airlines which are grounding planes due to hard times, we are expanding our range of destinations and are planning to increase our overall capacity from Northern Ireland. “With Barcelona, the route is simply over-serviced and we want our customers to be able to explore new, beautiful, and exciting destinations.” He added: “But this isn’t the end of our plans for Belfast next summer, there’s still more to come and we’re committed to offering the people of Northern Ireland fun, exciting and diverse leisure destinations.”

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Friday, September 26, 2008

Tui and First Choice.


A TV advert, designed to reassure public concerns over going on holiday, will be launched tonight by TUI.
The commercial is the first joint advertisement campaign between TUI’s First Choice and Thomson brands, and has been produced to allay concerns following the demise of XL Leisure Group.Set in a retail shop, the advert features representatives of both First Choice and Thomson and delivers the message that they can offer free and impartial advice to all travellers, no matter who they have booked with.

The advert carries the tagline: ‘Here to help’ and will be on air for one week on both terrestrial and satellite channels during popular television shows like The Bill, X Factor and CelebAir. Andrew Laurillard, head of brand strategy, said: ‘It is vital that consumers hear from industry leaders at times such as these.

With this new ad campaign, we are leading by example.‘We are using the opportunity to talk to customers at the right time about the right things, with a view to adding value in these challenging times. ‘It is essential that we are there to help, and part of that is reassuring people with practical advice as regards their holiday plans during this period of uncertainty.’
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Friday, September 05, 2008

Premmier Inn




Business travellers boost Premier Inn


Budget chain Premier Inn has been boosted by cost conscious business travellers, according to latest figures. Parent company Whitbread said total sales at Premier Inn rose by almost 18% in the six months to August 14. Like for like sales were up by 10.2%.
The chain outperformed the hotal market in the period, according to Whitbread, with growth driven by 7.6% more rooms and REVPAR increasing by 5.8%. “Strong demand has been maintained in the commercial market as corporate buyers are increasingly attracted to Premier Inn’s value for money price and facilities," the company said.

The company opened 14 new hotels in the six months, adding 1,157 rooms, and said it remained on course to add more than 4,000 new rooms this year. Whitbread, which also runs pub restaurants and the Costa coffee shop chain, said it continued to be resilient in a period of consumer uncertainty.
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Monday, September 01, 2008

Pure Flights


Pure Flights fails with 300 abroad

ABTA member operator Pure Flights has folded with 300 holidaymakers abroad and 1,000 forward bookings. The Crawley-based charter flights company, which also used the trading name Pure Holidays, ceased trading on Friday. Pure Flights operated charter flights from UK airports to destinations in the eastern Mediterranean including Turkey and Crete. It sold flights mainly through travel agents.

The CAA, under its ATOL scheme, is making arrangements for an estimated 300 holidaymakers currently abroad to fly back to the UK as planned. “Customers with advance bookings will not be able to travel with Pure Flights but should make a claim for a refund of their lost flights,” the CAA said. The CAA estimated that 1,000 customers held advance bookings. ABTA said that any retail claims arising from the failure will be handled by CEGA, the assoication's claims handling partner.

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Monday, August 18, 2008

Airports Strike


Bank holiday airports strike threat

Bank holiday airports strike threat Strike action by baggage handlers is threatening to cripple Gatwick and other airports over the bank holiday weekend. Handlers and check-in staff employed by Swissport at Gatwick have voted to take action in a dispute over pay. The dispute is likely to spread to other UK airports in the coming days and weeks, the Unite union warned. Two 24-hour strikes have been scheduled for Bank Holiday Monday August 25 and 29. It will halt all baggage handling and check-in at airlines including Virgin Atlantic, Monarch, Thomson Fly, First Choice, North West, Air Malta, Air Transat, Oman Air, as well as some smaller airlines. Swissport has offered a 3% increase backdated to July rather than the anniversary date of April 1 and in a two-year offer, RPI capped at 4% in year two, according to the union. The company offer also removes sick pay for the first three days of any absence due to illness, including industrial injury.

The union is calling for an increase in excess of 5% in a one-year deal without concessions. A ballot result for Swissport workers at Stansted is to be followed by Manchester's result today. Unite members at Swissport will also be balloted at Birmingham and Newcastle airports which could see an escalation of industrial action across the UK airports. Unite national officer Steve Turner said: "Our members are already struggling to keep up with rising food and energy costs. This pay offer is an insult to professional, hard working men and women who have to operate in extremely difficult conditions.

"This result is just the first to be declared with positive ballot results expected over the next few days at Stansted and Manchester airports. "Swissport workers will also shortly be balloted at Birmingham and Newcastle airports which could see an escalation of industrial action across the UK's airports. "Our members have had enough. The liberalisation of ground handling services across UK airports has resulted in a 'race to the bottom' which must and will stop.

Posted by RHR.COM at 6:06 PM 0 comments

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Thomson Cuts Capcity for 09


TUI Travel to cut summer '09 capacity by 15%

TUI Travel is to cut summer 2009 capacity in the UK by 15% and by 21% this winter. The operator is to take 11 aircraft out of the flying programme for next summer and reduce winter flying by six aircraft. This includes a Boeing 767 been removed from next summer's long haul flying programme following a "slight switch" in demand for medium haul destinations. The moves are being made despite the merged TUI/First Choice company describing early sales for next summer as "starting positively" with selling prices up by 12%.

Chief executive Peter Long said: "While the evidence to date suggests that consumers view holiday spending as a high priority, we continue to prepare the business to deal with any consequences of the current economic climate. "Accordingly, we are taking out capacity for the coming seasons where it makes sense to do so and retain significant flexibility to adjust supply further if demand trends change." He added that the company was seeing no evidence to suggest that demand is slowing for any seasons on sale. This reflected a similar message from Thomas Cook yesterday (see separate story).

Trading for all seasons, particularly in the UK, continues to be buoyant despite the "challenging" economic conditions, a TUI Travel statement said. "Our trading metrics are showing no evidence that consumers are trading down or curtailing their holiday plans." Current trading for this summer shows sales in the UK up by five per cent with Egypt, Turkey and Greece all seeing growth "significantly higher" than last year. Reduced levels of discounts in the lates market due to capacity down by 13% has seen average selling prices rise by 15%, and 20% in the last six weeks. The average selling price for winter 2008-09 is up by 13%, with sales up by two per cent based on capacity reduced by 21%.

The UK summer 2009 programme is seven per cent sold, in line with the previous year, with average selling prices of charter-based holidays up by 12%. TUI Travel recorded an underlying operating profit of £65.4 million in the three months ending June 30, up from £47 million in the same period last year. The operating loss for the nine months to the end of June was reduced from £274.3 million to £185.1 million. The ongoing integration process will see the consolidation of mainstream UK call centres and customer service operations by October. The group has made synergy savings of £11 million so far in the current financial year and is on course to hit a full year target of £25 million. The company says it is on target to achieve savings of £150 million by 2010.
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Wednesday, August 13, 2008

UK suffers tourism decline


Foreign travellers into the UK dropped by 6.4% in June and a “grim” economic outlook means there is little sign of a pick-up. Figures from trade organisation UKinbound show that overall visitors were down by 1.3% for the half year against the same period in 2007. April was the only month which saw a year-on-year rise in visitor numbers. “The economic outlook is particularly grim with the prospect of imminent recession driving consumer confidence in both Europe and the USA to record lows,” the organisation warned. More lucrative long haul arrivals have been poor, especially from the US and Canada, although business travel has shown resilience.

“However, there are worrying signs that companies are now looking to ways to reduce business trips,” said UKinbound. The only glimmer of hope, although unlikely to have any impact on this year, is the recent resurgence of the US dollar, which has gained in strength against the pound. “Market sentiment has shifted to expect further improvement as it is believed that European central banks, unlike the federal Reserve, have been slow to respond to a potential slowdown by refusing to cut interest rates as they focus on flight inflation. If this proves correct, 2009 could be a much better year for inbound tourism,”

Posted by RHR.COM at 10:03 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, August 06, 2008



Agents selling more last minute UK holidays - Hoseasons

Travel agents are selling more last minute domestic holidays this summer and at higher prices, a leading operator claims. Hoseasons has seen 45% growth in like-for-like sales of UK breaks through agents in the past seven days. The average booking value is reported to be up 10% on the same time last year, resulting in improved commission payments to the trade.

The self-catering operator’s business development director Pali Badwal said: “It’s a tough market for overseas breaks at the moment but agents have responded to the change in customer demand and are really pushing UK holidays. “Nobody is quite sure how long the uncertainty in the economy, the credit crunch and high exchange rates will last, but British holidays are at the forefront of the customers’ mind.”

Posted by RHR.COM at 3:37 PM 0 comments

Monday, August 04, 2008

Med Hotels


Medhotels launches 2009 programme early

Medhotels is claiming to be the first player in the accommodation-only sector to launch its 2009 summer programme. The company is offering 50 European, North African and long-haul destinations with the promise of more to come in the next few months. Prices start from £15 per person, per night on self catering basis at the four-star Sand Beach Resort in Lanzarote.

All inclusive prices start from £20 per person, per night at the five-star Green Nature Club and Hotel in west Turkey. medhotels.com head of planning and trading James Eustace said: “ We recognise the support we need to provide our travel agency customers in trying to maximise the opportunity to make a sale whether that be late bookings, winter or into next summer

Posted by RHR.COM at 10:58 AM 1 comments

Friday, August 01, 2008

Butlins


Butlins booms as the credit crunch takes effect

Butlins has emerged as one of the main beneficiaries of the credit crunch with an increase in bookings at its three resorts of 15 per cent compared with the same period last year. The operator said it expected 150,000 people to go through its doors at Skegness, Bognor Regis and Minehead over the past six weeks and puts the success down to people demanding more value-for-money during the difficult economic period. Butlins managing director Richard Bates said people were also tired of delays and queues at airports, and the company’s policy of offering over 50 activities included in the overall price had attracted holidaymakers. “We are experiencing an increase in bookings as people are choosing to boycott the continent for many reasons, such as the strong Euro and the fuel surcharges that are significantly affecting air and sea travel," said Bates.

“Why would a family subject themselves to what is typically an awful experience at our airports with long queues, delays and excess luggage charges, when they can simply fill up the car with everything they need for a family break and arrive feeling relaxed and ready for a fun holiday. “Holidaying in the UK can offer an irresistible combination of convenience, value for money and flexibility.” A peak season week at Butlins for a family of four costs from around £600, but off-peak three night breaks are available from £94 for a family of four. Last week, Pontins said its bookings were up 10 per cent and earlier this year, the Camping and Caravanning Club said it had enjoyed a similar increase in sales.

Posted by RHR.COM at 10:19 AM 0 comments

Monday, July 14, 2008

UK Holidays For Over 50s


More over-55s opting for UK holidays

People are making last minute UK holiday bookings instead of heading abroad this summer, an operator claims. Over-55s specialist Grand UK Holidays has seen a rise in bookings for UK self-drive holidays as more Britons seek breaks in the UK. Sales director Harold Burke said: "We are well known for our coach tours but we have recently seen spikes in bookings for our self-drive holidays. "This suggests we are attracting holidaymakers who are new to our brand. They may have previously flown or driven overseas on holiday and are now deciding to take domestic breaks by car instead. "This may be because they're not keen on facing long queues at airports, or the cost of the euro, or they have environmental concerns about flying.

"Recent surveys by the AA and Norwich Union echo what we are seeing, with people choosing to take holidays on our shores and rediscovering the delights of the British coastal and mountain scenery.” The operator has some availability left between now and October, with rates starting at around £26 a night. “We're finding people are making spur-of-the-minute decisions to head off for a holiday," added Burke.

Posted by RHR.COM at 3:03 PM 0 comments

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Online becoming greater threat to high street agents


High street travel agents are becoming no more than brochure pick-up points as people increasing look online to research and book their holidays, a new study claims. The research shows that the internet as the most popular place for people to research and book holidays and short breaks. The study by user experience specialist Foolproof found that 87% intended to use the internet to research their next holiday or short break, with only 24% saying that they would go to high street travel agents or call operators.

The Online Shopping Survey also found that two-thirds (67%) planned to book their next holiday or short break online whereas only nine per cent would book by telephone and just eight per cent face-to-face. The main purpose of going to the high street outlets was to pick up brochures. Only 13% said they would go to a high street outlet to talk to an adviser, according to the study. Forty per cent of online travel shoppers visit and agent or operator to get the information they need before returning to their PCs to do the booking because not all their questions can be answered online. “The picture is likely to get worse for high street brands as more and more of the UK population get online and follow this buying behaviour,” the report said. “Currently, 60% of the UK’s adults are online and this is set to grow over the next five years meaning that the market for traditional holiday purchase will shrink.

” Well-known high street travel brands have been overtaken by online specialists such as Expedia and lastminute.com in terms of capturing the share of shoppers’ intentions to visit websites. Twenty eight per cent said they would go to Expedia and 20% to lastminute.com for information compared to just 11% for Thomson and eight per cent for Thomas Cook. But while the findings suggest that the high street travel brands are dying, they are not dead yet. Foolproof founding partner Tom Wood said: “People have really embraced the web as a place to find out about their travel plans. The main reasons for this are the perceived convenience and ability to minimise the risk of making a poor choice.

However, our in-depth research showed that the shopping journey isn’t as easy and hassle-free as it should be. “Sites are often difficult to use: forms are confusing and lists of results are often long, making it difficult for shoppers to compare options. “It seems that no one brand has yet provided shoppers with the experience they are looking for. “Whilst the online specialists like Lastminute and Expedia are good at attracting visitors through their online marketing activities they are not delivering the key things that shoppers want. That means that there is still an opportunity for high street brands to reclaim their share of voice in the online world. “To do that they need to invest more effort in improving their natural and sponsored search listings and make sure that their web content provides shoppers with a much more rewarding experience. Thomson is one of the few companies that have recognised this opportunity and it is now working with Foolproof to develop a travel site that meets customers’ needs more effectively.”

Posted by RHR.COM at 10:51 PM 0 comments

Friday, July 04, 2008

UK Holidays


UK holidays to be 'sold out' this summer

UK holiday accommodation in July and August will sell out completely over the next few weeks, a leading domestic operator forecasts. Self-catering company Hoseasons says areas such as Dorset, Somerset, the Isle of Wight and parts of Wales are selling out fast in addition to summer favourites Devon and Cornwall. The rise in UK holiday bookings is put down to the strength of the euro, wider economic uncertainties and a reluctance to fly after increased fares and problems at airports with delays and baggage handling. Last summer was also a wash-out is many parts of the UK due to flooding. Hoseasons chief executive Richard Carrick said: “We have found that more customers than ever before want to jump in a car with the family and avoid the hassle and increased costs of an overseas break. Our message is that if you still want to just pack up and go, book now to avoid disappointment. “This isn't solely an economic issue however, a growing number of holidaymakers are also rediscovering the joys of a UK break.

“There is a real ‘feel good factor’ amongst holidaymakers with the success of truly British events like Wimbledon and Glastonbury, combined with the great weather, all helping to demonstrate what the UK has to offer.” VisitBritain chief executive Tom Wright said: "The findings from Hoseasons that the UK is set to have a great year as many operators see strong late demand for British holidays is great news for the British tourism industry. “In the current economic climate, we are finding that Brits are taking another look at holidaying at home and are surprised by the range of experiences on offer. “There are still some fantastic breaks out there, but we would suggest that if people are considering a domestic break they don't leave it until the last minute.”

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Thursday, July 03, 2008

Brits save for their Holidays


Utility bills may be through the roof, shopping receipts sky high and mortgages repayments climbing steadily but Brits still refuse to give up their annual holiday. That’s the finding of the latest survey on how we’re coping with the credit crunch, this time by travel website ebookers.com. Research showed that more than half of the 1003 surveyed consider taking a holiday either important or absolutely necessary. Just 12% said breaks were a luxury. Respondants said they were prepared to make sacrifices to safeguard their two weeks away including limiting luxuries bought in the supermarket, going on less nights out and buying fewer clothes and food. The survey found people will even make sandwiches for work, take the bus and train more, buy fewer magazines and DVDs and give up gym memberships Ebookers managing director Ciaran Lally said: “Just a generation ago holidays were an extravagance, especially trips abroad.

Now though, even as many people said they are already tightening the purse strings, people treat holidays as an almost necessary part of their existence.“We’ve also found out that people are making changes in other aspects of their lives - saving money where they can - in part to protect their holidays. Plus where they go still matters.” Those feeling the pinch most were young families with one in ten saying they would consider taking out a loan to pay for a holiday and one in five likely to go into overdraft to pay for it. Overall, 51% of young families say the economic slowdown will influence their holiday plans, compared with 38% of single households and 39% of older families. But more than half of the survey’s respondents said they will not be changing their travel plans in the near future, “credit crunch or otherwise”. They also won’t be altering destination choice, with 56% being totally inflexible on where they go.
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Monday, June 30, 2008

Last Minute Holidays


Summer holidays sales surge prompted by ‘sod it’ factor

Summer holiday sales are surging as people say ‘sod it’ to the credit crunch, according to a leading travel agency group. Global Travel Group reports a 10% increase in sales and a 15% rise in the average selling price of holidays for this summer, compared with the same period last year. People are buying more holidays and paying more for their trips – particularly for luxury breaks - despite a slowdown in the economy and a rise in household bills and mortgage rates. Dave Clayton, commercial director for the group, which has 700 high street members, said: “Holidaymakers are having to accept that their bills will rise but, as research shows, the one thing they are not prepared to go without is a holiday.

“People are saying ‘sod it’, I’m going away. At the other end of the scale, the people who are buying luxury trips are not really affected by the credit crunch.” But he agreed with other industry commentators who have warned there are tougher times ahead. “Next year, more capacity will be taken out of the market, which will naturally push up prices and affect demand,” he said. “Also, tour operators will put up their prices because of the rising cost of fuel and people will have less money in their pockets. “It’s a boom time at the moment but we have to plan for more challenging times ahead because it would be careless to think this will continue in the longer term.”
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Thursday, June 26, 2008

The Credit Crunch


Credit crunch forces people to scale down travel plans

The downturn in the economy may not be affecting the volume of holiday sales but there are clear signs that the credit crunch is forcing the public to scale down their travel plans, according to those at the sharp end of the travel industry. Holidaymakers are tightening their belts and sticking to budgets that until recently were a moveable feast, said Fleetways Travel sales director Ben Braude. “People are refusing to spend even an extra £10 now,” he said. “When they come to us with a budget of £300 and we ask if they can squeeze it to £350 the answer is a definite ‘no’.” Speaking at a YouTravel quarterly industry debate in conjuction with TravelMole, Hays Travel homeworking consultant Audrey Singh said: “Things have changed over the past 10 months or so. You used to be able to squeeze an extra £10 to £15 a head out of clients, but not now.” There’s little sign that people are foregoing their annual holiday – Travel Republic managing director Kane Pirie said his sales were still growing – but there are strong indications that they are economising, especially at the lower end of the market.

“The majority of our bookings are for all-inclusive accommodation because people want to know exactly how much they are spending,” added Braude. “And they want to know down to the last penny, including even the credit card booking fee.” A2Btransfers.com chief executive Renaldo Scheepers said that while people might take their traditional seven or 14-night holiday they were likely to take fewer short breaks, leaving the low-cost airlines in a vulnerable position. “People will stop going to places they’ve never heard of,” he said. “I think October, November, December will be the time to tell what the affect the credit crunch is having on people’s travel patterns.”

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Friday, June 20, 2008


Ryanair in UK regional expansion

Ryanair is adding new flights from Liverpool and East Midlands this winter. Four new routes will be served from Liverpool from October, to Gdansk, Scezecin, Knock and Faro, bringing the airline’s network up to 45 from the Merseyside airport. Three new routes from East Midlands, to Faro, Fuerteventura and Prague, will bring the number of destinations served by the airline up to 38. Tickets on the four new Liverpool services have been put on sale for a lead-in £31 while the new East Midlands flights start at £26.

Ryanair's Bridget Dowling said the four new routes from Liverpool will mean an extra 210,000 passengers a year travelling to and from Liverpool, sustaining an additional 210 jobs. Moving onto East Midlands, she said: “With services to Faro and Fuerteventura running three times a week and the Prague route operating four times a week, passengers in the East Midlands area can now enjoy an even greater choice of low fare destinations. “These three new routes which go on sale today will mean an extra 140,000 passengers travelling to and from East Midlands every year, sustaining an additional 140 jobs.”

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Monday, June 16, 2008

Thomson & First Choice


Thomson Airways revealed as amalgamated airline brand

The Thomsonfly and First Choice Airways brands are to be dropped in favour of Thomson Airways. The combined carrier is to operate from May 1, 2009 following the amalgamation of TUI UK and First Choice last September. The merger will create the UK’s third largest airline with 65 aircraft, the company claims. Although the airline will fly under one brand, the company plans to continue to operate both the Thomson and First Choice brands on the high street and overseas. Changes will be phased in, with the re-branding work on the fleet expected to be completed over the next two years. Thomsonfly and First Choice Airways have been operating under one Civil Aviation Authority Air Operator’s Certificate since May 1.

Pilots from both airlines are now flying together and more integration work will continue over the coming months. Managing director Chris Browne, current boss of First Choice Airways, said: “Our aim is to build on the very best from these two award-winning airlines that share a very strong drive to provide a truly exceptional customer experience. “By incorporating both airlines under one name, we will now operate 65 planes to over 80 destinations from 21 airports in the UK.” Thomson Airways expects to become the first European airline to operate the Boeing 787 Dreamliner when it takes delivery of the first to 23 state-of-the–art aircraft in 2010. The new aircraft will enable the airline to operate more flights to long haul destinations from regional airports.

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Friday, May 30, 2008

BA Fuel surcharge. Ryanair new destinations


Ryanair adds five new UK winter routes

Ryanair is adding new routes from the UK as part of an expanded winter European flying programme. Flights from Bournemouth to Milan and Paris, and from Glasgow to Faro, Malaga and Tenerife are featured. A total of 14 new routes are introduced including services to four new destinations; Lille in France plus three airports in Morocco, Agadir,Nador and Tangier. Ryanair will be operating more than 660 routes in winter 2008-09 on a schedule that starts on October 27.

BA ups fuel surcharge on all flights

British Airways has blamed continuing high oil prices for a further hike in its fuel surcharge to a maximum of £218 return for long haul.The rise will come into force on all tickets bought from Tuesday and will hit holidaying families this summer.The surcharge for short haul flights will go up by £3 per flight (£6 return) from £13 per flight (£26 return) to £16 per flight (£32 return).The fee for long haul flights of less than nine hours will increase by £15 per flight from £63 per flight (£126 return) to £78 per flight (£156 return)The surcharge for long haul flights of more than nine hours will rise by £30 per flight from £79 per flight (£158 return) to £109 per flight (£218)BA said it will also increase its fuel surcharges by similar levels in markets outside the UK.These are the latest in a round of fuel surcharge increases imposed by the airline - the last hike was in April.
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Friday, May 16, 2008

You Travel


Big shift in way holidays are bought and sold - Youtravel.com

Popular package holiday destinations have seen the highest growth in accommodation-only sales in the past year, according to supplier Youtravel.com While Sharm El Shiekh maintained its position as the company’s top destination for the second year, Costa del Sol, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura all saw significant growth. The company, which has seen its portfolio of contracted hotels grow by 1,000 to 3,500 since its launch in October 2006, believes the popularity of mainstream sun destinations means that dynamic packaging, while making a slower start than some had expected, was a trend that is here to stay. Sales and marketing director Paul Riches said: “To see the growth that’s coming through from the staple package holiday destinations is indicative that there has been a shift in the way that holidays are being bought and sold in the UK.

“Dynamic packaging is not a blip, it’s a real trend and is here to stay.” He revealed that the company, which directly contracts all the properties it features, was to expand the number of properties it offers on an exclusive basis, up from a level of 25%. “We are undergoing a major product review at the moment and we will be taking off some properties as well as adding new ones,” said Riches. “We’ve been doing this over the past 18 months but now want to have a total overhaul of the products we offer to our trade partners.” He revealed that more than three quarters of the company’s business is now generated online. “Agents are moving away from traditional advertising on TV and then booking through a call centre; these days it has moved to a web and call centre presence,” he said. Riches added: “We are going to be looking at securing global distribution deals in the coming months and really focussing on maintaining our current sales and margin levels.” Turnover is forecast to almost double to 170 million euros this year, with international sales to make up a quarter of business by the end of the company’s second year.
ROME HOTEL REVIEWS

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Wednesday, May 07, 2008


First Choice merger boosts TUI's first quarter turnover

TUI is pressing ahead with its plans to offload its shipping division, Hapag-Lloyd. The company, which wants to focus on its travel and tourism business, said it expects the divestment to happen “swiftly” but refused to be drawn on speculation about potential buyers. The update was given as TUI AG announced its key financials for the first quarter of 2008 in advance at its 49th Annual General Meeting. Turnover by the Group’s divisions rose by around 24% to around €5.1 billion while underlying earnings by divisions account was minus €196 million, for seasonal reasons, compared with minus €248 million last year.

This represents a year-on-year increase of 21%. In the first quarter of 2008, turnover by the tourism division grew by around 38% to around €3.6 billion. TUI said this growth was essentially attributable to the consolidation of the former First Choice activities. Operating earnings by tourism (underlying EBITA) rose slightly by 1.3% year-on-year to a seasonally induced minus of €227 million. Adjusted for the profit contributions of First Choice, to be included in consolidation for the first time in the first quarter of 2008, operating earnings climbed by more than 37% to minus €144 million year-on-year.




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Thursday, May 01, 2008

Easy Jet and Monarch flights


New easyJet flights from Gatwick and Manchester
EasyJet introduces four new routes from London Gatwick and two from Manchester this week. Services to Mykonos will operate twice weekly (Sun & Thu) from today, while daily flights to Montpellier start tomorrow. From Sunday, easyJet will also start a weekly service to Ajaccio and to Bastia. Meanwhile, from Manchester easyJet begins a daily service to Malaga today, and a twice weekly service to Crete (Tue & Fri) tomorrow.

Monarch
Monarch has unveiled its entire winter 2008/2009 schedule from London Luton, London Gatwick, Birmingham International and Manchester Airports.It will operate its first winter services to Larnaca from London Gatwick and Manchester, with up to three flights per week from both UK airports. In addition, Monarch's Manchester-Gibraltar service returns with three flights per week and flying to Tenerife and Lanzarote has doubled from London Gatwick, with additional services to the Canary Islands from London Luton, Birmingham and Manchester also available compared to the previous Winter.


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Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Which Survey


EasyJet, Expedia and Thomson among Which? website winners

EasyJet is the number one website for booking flights online, according a poll by consumer champion Which? Holiday magazine. Expedia was the clear winner for booking hotels online, while Thomson.co.uk was people’s top choice for booking package holidays due to its ease of use and the belief that it offers good value for money. Tripadvisor.co.uk was the favourite for researching holidays and as a source of holiday inspiration. The survey of almost 3,000 Which? members found that flights are the most popular online travel purchase, with one in five people (21%) naming Easyjet as their favourite site for booking flights; many commented on how easy it was to use. British Airways’ website was rated highly by Which? members, coming a close second with 18% of the votes.

Holiday Autos was the best site for booking car hire online while Direct Travel was considered the best for travel insurance. Ease of use was the top priority when choosing a website to book online or buy travel, followed by value for money. People preferred websites where they could filter search results and compare different hotels or destinations. The biggest frustrations when booking online were the need to register before searching (63%), websites that take a long time to load (49%) and a lack of flexibility with search dates (45%). The research found that flights are the most popular online travel purchase, while more than half of those polled have booked hotels via the internet. Only a quarter had booked a package holiday online. Almost a fifth said they did not book any holiday elements online, with 31% of those questioned preferring to deal with people face-to-face. Which? Holiday editor Lorna Cowan said: “With 80% of our members using the internet to book or research their holiday, it’s really important that businesses in the travel industry listen to what people want and get their websites right. “While value for money is clearly important, ease of use is even more important to people. A website that is easy to use and quick to use could well turn a browser into a buyer.”

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Monday, April 28, 2008

Cheap Holidays To Britain


Euro strength brings holiday 'bargain hunters' to Britain


Bargain hunting late bookers from the Continent are making use of the strength of the euro to plan trips to the UK. Latest figures for February from trade organisation UKinbound show a 1.4% increase in arrivals over the same month last year. The majority of the rise was attributed to European bookings on the back of the “seemingly inexorable strengthening of the euro”. But at the same time, high value long haul business “remains in the doldrums”. “It is also clear that much of the demand is coming from last minute bargain hunters and this is readily confirmed by the fall in forward bookings for the seventh month in a row,” UKinbound said.


The organisation continues to be concerned about the lack of US tourists to Britain. “Some economists are claiming that the worst of the so called credit crunch is now behind us and that the US economy is set for a strong second half of 2008; whilst fervently hoping this is so, we fear that many consumers, particularly in the USA, may remain cautious in their holiday plans for some time yet.”




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Friday, April 25, 2008


New Spanish routes from Norwich

Three low-fare services to Spain are to be established from Norwich this summer by Spanish carrier LTE. Weekly flights Alicante, Barcelona and Palma are to start on July 5 with one-way fares starting at £69 (including taxes and charges). Tickets go on sale today. Norwich airport has a high-profile marketing campaign planned to advertise the new services across its East Anglian catchment area. Michael Harrington, managing director of the Palma-based airline, said: “These will be our first scheduled flights from a regional airport in the UK and we have chosen Norwich because of its strong local catchment area and the support we have had from the airport. “We want to establish ourselves as the reference airline for Spanish destinations from Norwich and we are looking forward to extending the range of destinations served and frequency of flights.”

Airport managing director Richard Jenner said: “They are an established charter airline, having worked with UK tour operators such as Thomas Cook and Thomson – indeed, many passengers from Norwich have already flown with LTE to Lanzarote on First Choice holidays.” “This is a great fit for us – LTE has a three - to five-year plan to develop its route network here. “They want to fly throughout the winter and then if demand is there over a period of time, they want to increase services to three times a week, which will open up the short breaks and second homeowner markets.”


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Thursday, April 24, 2008

Clickair and Ryanair


Spanish low-cost airline, clickair, is launching flights from London Gatwick to Vigo in South Galicia. The three times weekly service starts on June 21, departing on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The flights will be operated using Airbus A320 aircraft and fares are from £30 each way, including all taxes.

Ryanair launches new summer routes from Stansted
Ryanair will start two new summer routes from London Stansted to Beziers, France, and Rimini, Italy. Flights go on sale today and will operate in June, July and August. Fares start from £15 and £26 respectively.


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Tuesday, April 22, 2008


Only one in five book with an agent

Only 20% of people use a travel agent to book their holidays, according to the findings of a new survey. The largest majority prefer to book online (58%), with just 20.7% going through a travel agency. The study, based on 1,005 adults across the UK, found that almost a quarter (24.7%) dedicate more than 12 hours doing research and finding out more about the places they are going to visit, while 21% usually spend between 2 and 4 hours, and just 5.9% less than an hour. About one third of Britons book their holidays from three to six months in advance, while 20% prefer to book with even further in advance as opposed to 2.4% who opt for last minute offers, or book just a couple of weeks before leaving (3.5%). When asked about how much planning goes into their holidays, 58.6% of those surveyed replied they normally do research in advance to get an idea of what they are going to do and to see but, while only 11.5% create a detailed travel itinerary, 17.2% just prefer to show up and "go with the flow".

A small percentage prefer group tours, where no planning is needed (5%). The poll, conducted by online survey company Ciao Surveys into Britons’ holiday habits, also found that the large majority of UK residents take from one to two leisure trips abroad a year (58.5%). The main reasons preventing them from travelling abroad more often are money (55.8%), lack of time (12.3%) and work commitments (11.3%). Relaxation and sun came out on top as the top priorities followed by sightseeing, comfort and cuisine (56%, 44.8% and 33.2%). Adventure and nightlife are the priorities of only 21.3% and 16.8%. More than 14% go on holiday looking for life changing experiences. Seaside resorts proved to be the most sought after destinations as, if they had the opportunity, 23% of respondents would like to lie on a beach in Bermuda and 15.6% would love to sail in the Greek Islands.


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Wednesday, April 16, 2008


Brits delaying family holidays due to credit crunch, says Mintel

British consumers are starting to curb their spending and family holidays are the first thing to go, according to the latest Mintel research. Its British Lifestyles report found Brits are now really starting to feel the pinch, with 57% saying they have recently had to cancel their spending plans because they were uncertain about their personal financial situation.

Of these, 20% said they delayed a family holiday, 16% did not carry out their planned home improvements, and 11% chose not to increase their savings. "People are clearly starting to get a sense that things are not as easy financially as they once were," said Mintel chief statistician Peter Ayton. "In light of the credit crunch, borrowing has now become harder and we are likely to see even more people having to make sacrifices when it comes to their spending in the future." The consumer research is based on a sample of 2,000 adults aged 16 and above.


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Monday, April 14, 2008

Center Parcs & Lastminute.Com


Center Parcs to be bookable via lastminute.com

Lastminute.com claims to have become the first online travel company to offer Center Parcs holidays on its website. The online retailer will offer breaks at the four UK villages in Cumbria, Nottinghamshire, Suffolk and Wiltshire. Center Parcs sales and marketing director Colin Whaley said: "Our partnership with lastminute.com obviously reflects the growing importance of the internet as way for our guests to book their short breaks. “We have lots of new and exciting developments across all of our UK villages and we are delighted to be able to showcase them through lastminute.com."

Rates start at £219 per double room for two people for a three-night weekend break and £229 per double room for two people for a four night mid-week break at Elveden Village Lakeview Hotel. Villa/Lodge accommodation starts at £349 for a weekend break for four to six people at Sherwood Forest. Lastminute.com managing director John Bevan said: “We are thrilled to be the first and only online agent to offer Center Parks in the UK.”


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Friday, April 11, 2008

The Glastonbury Festival


£73m economic impact of Glastonbury Festival

The economic impact of the Glastonbury festival in Somerset has been estimated at more than £73 million. A report gives the first detailed insight into the world-renowned music festival - the largest of its kind in the UK - including the multi-million pound gross impact it has on the UK and international economies. The study for Mendip District Council found that the crowd of 177,500 people who attended last year’s festival each spent an average of £293.24. Total spending at the festival site in Pilton by concert goers and traders was about £25.6 million, and off-site spend was about £26.5 million, giving a total spend of about £52 million directly linked to the festival. Estimated spending associated with staging the 2007 festival was £21.2 million (over the period November 2006 to October 2007). This gives a gross spend linked to the 2007 Glastonbury Festivals (including the Glastonbury Extravaganza and the Equinox ‘Pilton’ Party) of more than £73 million, according to the study, the first of its kind on the event, which was carried out by Bristol-based Baker Associates. The aim was to fully understand the economic effects of the festival, and help to support the planning of future years.

Mendip District Council leader Harvey Siggs said: “Glastonbury Festival is such a huge event for Mendip. “This study has revealed valuable information that, until now, has not been identified before. We’ve always recognised that Glastonbury Festival is an important event for our district and the country, but have never been able to judge just how important it is. “The study has provided some important data which will not only help those involved to plan future festivals but also to look at how the festival affects Mendip. “This information will enable us to better understand how it affects our local economy, which is so important to many aspects of our lives and business, and has shown us in detail how large scale events impact on our local area. “I hope this study can be used by other festivals and organisations as a key educational tool to demonstrate the value and difficulties of large scale events.”


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Thursday, April 10, 2008

Thomas Cook


Thomas Cook ‘in good stead’ for lates market

Thomas Cook has described trading for this summer as being strong across its main markets. A statement to coincide with the group’s agm today said: “In the UK, capacity is currently 10% lower. We currently have 19% fewer holidays to sell than at this time last year, which should stand us in good stead in the lates market. “We are particularly encouraged by our much lower level of stock left to sell in short haul and long haul. Average selling prices are currently 2% ahead.”For winter 2007-08, UK capacity is now 5% below last year and bookings are in line with capacity, down 5%.

Average selling prices and margins continue to be ahead of the prior year, the company said.Overall, as the group enters its close period, the board said it was confident that the business will meet its expectations for the current financial year.Group chief executive Manny Fontenla-Novoa said: “We have successfully and swiftly integrated our predecessor businesses, reported increased profits for 2006/07, entered the FTSE 100 index and made a number of key strategic acquisitions. “Over the past twelve months we have laid strong foundations for future growth. I am satisfied with our current trading and am confident in our strategy to grow the business.”

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Monday, April 07, 2008

Thomas Cook acquires Elegant Resorts


Luxury operator Elegant Resorts has been bought by Thomas Cook as the group further cements its position in the independent travel sector. The purchase price was not disclosed, although Elegant Resorts has assets worth more than £22 million and carried over 20,000 passeners last year. Thomas Cook said the deal was funded from existing cash resources. Elegant Resorts will be run as a standalone business retaining its current management team. The operator was established 20 years ago by Geoff Moss and Barbara Catchpole and specialises in up market holidays to the Caribbean, Indian Ocean, Middle East and luxury European resorts.

Thomas Cook Group chief executive Manny Fontenla-Novoa said: “Weare delighted to have secured this acquisition, which allows Thomas Cook to further enhance its position in this lucrative and growing segment of the leisure travel market.
“Elegant Resorts has a very strong brand name, associated with luxury, style and bespoke holidays and fully supports our strategic aim to become a leading independent travel provider.”


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Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Commercial blogging becomes an offence in Europe


Commercial blogging - 'flogging' - becomes an offence in Europe

The end, it seems, could be nigh for those cheeky hoteliers who pretend to be customers on TripAdvisor and write themselves glowing reviews. As of April 6, Brussels will be banning such underhand activities as the EU’s Unfair Commercial Practices Directive comes into force, making commercial blogging, or flogging as it’s known, an offence. The new law includes two categories of unfair commercial practise - misleading practices and aggressive practices. Whether a practise is deemed unfair will be judged in light of the effect it has on the average consumer’s consequent decision to purchase.

The law means companies, no matter how small (and that includes sole traders), will not be able to post online themselves or pay anyone else to post reviews or blogs about their own companies that are misleading. The law comes into force at a time when the public are beginning to make their disapproval about flogging heard.In the US, the recent Travel 2.0 Consumer Technology Survey which was commissioned by Phocuswright revealed that when travel purchasing decisions are being made, most Americans said they would rather make their own minds up than follow the views of people they didn’t know (and therefore, buy implication, could not trust).


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Monday, March 31, 2008

Stansted to gain Athens link


Stansted to gain Athens link

Twice daily flights from Stansted to Athens are to be introduced this summer. Aegean Airlines will operate a 195-seat Airbus A321 in a two-class configuration on the route from May 15. One way tickets start at £59, inclusive of all taxes. Flights depart from Stansted at 10:20 and 20:00 and from Athens at 07:30 and 17:10. The leading domestic carrier in Greece is adding the London route as part of international expansion, bringing its overseas destinations up to 12. It serves 17 points in Greece - Athens, Thessaloniki, Heraklion, Chania, Rhodes, Kos, Samos, Mytilene, Chios, Alexandroupolis, Mykonos, Santorini, Kavala, Limnos, Corfu, Ioannina and Kefalonia.

The airline’s commercial director Stavros Dalikas said: "London to Athens is one of the most important routes for Aegean Airlines and we are really pleased that we can now offer our clients this service. “Greece has always been a very popular, year round holiday destination for the British and there has been a steady increase in the business sector in recent years.” The airline carried 5.2 million passengers last year, an increase of 18% over 2006. Aegean Airlines is also a regional partner of Lufthansa providing passengers with access to Lufthansa’s global network.

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Sunday, March 30, 2008

Thomas Cook My Travel Flights


Combined TC/MyTravel airline set for take off

The new Thomas Cook Airlines, formed following the merger with MyTravel, is to offer an improved in-flight service. Passengers on short haul flights will be shown one of two films chosen by cabin crew. This enables in-flight staff to “tailor the film option to the customers travelling,” according to the airline. There will be a greater selection of films on long haul flights. Passengers in premium cabins will have duvet quilts instead of blankets and u-shaped pillows for extra comfort. The combined carrier takes off on Sunday with a flight from Gatwick to Reus at 05.05. It will operate a fleet of 42 aircraft from 11 UK airports. The fleet is capable of handling almost three million passengers this summer to 78 destinations.

Thomas Cook Airlines will be the second largest leisure airline in the UK. It comprises of seven Airbus A330-200s, 11 Airbus A320s, four Airbus 321s, two Boeing 767-300s, two Boeing 757-300s and 16 Boeing 757-200s. Managing director Frank Pullman said: “We’re very pleased to have our all-new airline ready for take-off, enabling us to serve our customers even more effectively during the all-important summer season this year. “The improvements don’t stop there though, over the coming months, we have a number of changes scheduled, all of which will add to the customer’s enjoyment and comfort, such as increased seat pitches and new cabin crew uniforms.”


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Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Celebrity Cruise Ships


Celebrity to base five ships in Europe


Sailings from Southampton and Harwich feature as part of an expanded 2009 European cruise programme by Celebrity Cruises. Five ships, including the yet to be delivered Celebrity Equinox and Solstice, will be deployed from six homeports next summer. Departures from Harwich and Southampton, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Rome and Venice are scheduled. Ships will visit 76 ports in 29 countries, including overnight stays in eight cities. Celebrity will run Constellation from Harwich to Northern Europe, Equinox on limited sailings from Southampton, Century and Summit from Barcelona, Equinox and Solstice from Rome and Summit from Venice. New ports of call include a trip up the River Scheldt to Antwerp, Ashdod and Haifa in Israel, La Spezia and Portofino in Italy.

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Friday, March 21, 2008

OAP's on the pop

Saga louts warned over holiday excesses

Over-55s holidaymakers who overdo it when abroad by eating and drinking too much as putting themselves in danger, it has been claimed. The Foreign Office has reportedly warned that excessive alcohol can cause problems when older holidaymakers participate in dangerous sports such as bungee jumping. Eating and drinking too much has also led to people being drowned. The BBC reported that older British holidaymakers are causing the sort of trouble normally associated with the younger generation. The FO said recent polls showed that almost a quarter of 55-plus travellers try activities thye would not consider at home. And nearly two in three admitted not taking out travel insurance on their last foreign trip. More than half drink more alcohol abroad than they would do in the UK.

FO minister Meg Munn was quoted as saying: “the Foreign Office is all for over-55s having fun on holiday, but it is crucial they make some simple preparations to help avoid encountering difficulties when abroad. “Acquiring adequate travel insurance is a must, and health scares abroad can be avoided by visiting a GP and having a health check before embarking on a holiday.” The British vice-consul in Rhodes Rania Kossiori said: “most problems we see with the older generation of Brits arise from over-consumption of alcohol and food. “Drinking and staying too long in the sun can make you ill, and undertaking strenuous activity like going swimming or snorkelling after a large meal can put you in unnecessary danger. People have drowned this way.”

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Tuesday, March 04, 2008

UK Tourisim


UK scores highly in global tourism study, despite being expensive

The UK is the sixth most competitive country when it comes to tourism, according to an international study. It moved up from 10th position in last year’s ranking in the Global Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report, put together by the World Economic Forum in conjunction with the international strategy and technology consultants Booz Allen Hamilton and other partners. “Although the UK’s improvement reflects a good performance in areas such as environmental sustainability (10th) and air transport infrastructure (4th) there are still causes for concern,” said Adrian Foster, vice-president Booz Allen Hamilton. “The comparatively low score for safety and security (65th place) is unlikely to reassure travellers. And the country’s comparative lack of openness to foreign visitors (75th place) is particularly worrying with the Olympics taking place in London in 2012.

"The UK also needs to improve on price competitiveness as at 127th it is one of the most expensive countries to visit.” Switzerland, Austria and Germany hold the three top places, followed by Australia and Spain. The study included an environmental sustainability category for the first time. The top 10 for environmental sustainability are all in western Europe, with Sweden leading the way. "Customers increasingly demand ‘green' tourism services and global private travel and tourism players have a growing need to pick up this opportunity and promote destinations that follow a long-term environmentally sustainable strategy," added Foster.
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Monday, March 03, 2008

Silverjet Profit


Silverjet on course for profit this month

All business class carrier Silverjet has claimed “strong” forward bookings on the back of an improved passenger load factor for February. The Luton-based airline achieved a load factor of 65% - up 10% on the previous month. It sold 8,829 out of an available 13,800 seats on routes to New York and Dubai. Silverjet achieved an 87% on-time departure record during the month, claimed as the most punctual on both routes. Chief executive Lawrence Hunt said the load factor improvement was particularly encouraging given the shorter month and February half-term.

“The board is making every effort to ensure that Silverjet will achieve its first month of operating profit and be cash generative in March 2008,” he said. Hunt added: “Forward bookings remain strong for both our New York and Dubai service which is further testament to the market endorsement of our product. “We continue to see a very high number of repeat customers. On our New York service, over 25% of customers are now repeat bookers. Our Dubai service continues to go from strength to strength and is ahead of expectations."

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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

New Manchester Flights


Bmibaby adds Manchester routes

Barcelona, Lisbon and Madrid have been added as routes by bmibaby from Manchester. The airline is also raising frequency to Knock in Ireland. Madrid will be served four times a week from Jun 16 with fares starting at £24.99 includes taxes and charges. Flights to Lisbon will run twice a week on Tuesdays and Sundays from June 17 with fares starting at £24.99 one way including taxes and charges.

Barcelona will be served four times a week from September 8 with fares leading in at £24.99. A daily service to Knock will be expanded with an additional Sunday flight. The airline’s managing director Crawford Rix said: “Bmibaby is continually looking to offer even more attractive destinations from Manchester airport to add to the existing 14 places currently fly to. Plus we are committed to offering low fares.”

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Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Thomson Closures


TUI announces shop closures

TUI Travel has announced plans to close 100 of its 1,100 UK shops. The shop closures, due to the merger of TUI with First Choice, will focus on branches which are unprofitable or in locations where there is more than one shop. The group has also begun redundancy consultations with staff at its offices in Crawley and Manchester, which are due to close and relocate to Luton. TUI said it hoped most of the losses would be through staff turnover. The announcement of shop closures has heightened the concerns of staff at Thomsonfly, whose union, Unite, has already been in discussions with TUI.

Unite has asked 1,700 cabin crew at Thomsonfly if they will support a full strike ballot after TUI failed to guarantee there would be no compulsory redundancies. The vote is due to take place tomorrow (Wednesday). A spokesman for Unite said: "With the redundancies announced by TUI today, cabin crew are even more concerned. "It is complicated because Thomsonfly staff are not yet employed by TUI Travel." If there is a majority vote in favour, the union will have 28 days in which to take strike action and is required to give seven days notice of what action will be taken.

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Friday, January 25, 2008

Libra Holidays


Libra expands hotel range in 2008-09 brochure

Libra Holidays has added more properties in Greece and Egypt in a first edition 2008-09 brochure.The programme features holidays this summer for Cyprus, Greece and Egypt plus winter 2008-09 for Cyprus and Egypt. Sales and marketing senior manager Riccardo Benzo said: "We have continued to offer our entire programme within one comprehensive brochure allowing agents to pick and choose the ideal holiday for their customers. "The brochure features a selection of new properties, particularly in Greece and Egypt where several hotels have been added." Seven newly added hotels in Egypt are featured including the five-star Sonesta Beach Resort & Casino in Sharm el Sheikh and the four-star Sheraton Luxor.

As Crete and Rhodes continue to be top sellers, the operator has introduced more properties on these islands. Early bookings also showed an increase in demand for the island of Zante resulting in an additional five hotels being included as well as introducing the resort of Ayios Sostis for the first time. To meet demand for dynamic packaging, Libra is offering accommodation-only deals starting at £5 a night in Rhodes, flights from 17 UK airports, private taxi transfers and ground handling services available as separate components.
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Friday, January 18, 2008

Our Hotel Reviews


One of the many hotel reviews we receive every day.

Stella Maria, Malia

I went to this hotel with three mates. When we arrived we were told that we would have to share two double beds.
We complained so I had to sleep on a rusty travel bed for two weeks.

The sheets in the hotel were changed once I think.No toiletries.

We were woken up every morning by tables and chairs being moved around the pool.

The shower was disgusting. Finally there was no air conditioning as promised.

This hotel seriously dampened the holiday, four days into it one of my friends travelled home. I would certainly go to Malia again but not stay at this hotel.

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Thursday, January 17, 2008

Bumper year forecast for UK holidays


Bumper year forecast for UK holidays

A "bumper" 2008 for the UK travel industry has been predicted by a leading operator as more people show a desire to take a domestic holiday this year. Online trade booking figures have surged ahead to more than double 2007's figures over the last two weeks, Hoseasons claims. The increased interest in UK holidays is attributed to factors including continued concerns by holidaymakers over their carbon footprint, the negative economic effects of the global credit squeeze and more recent publicity regarding the weakness of the pound against the euro making travel to the continent more expensive for British travellers.

Chief executive Richard Carrick said: "We are certainly seeing an unprecedented demand for UK holidays and experiencing fantastic year on year growth in our booking figures, specifically for short breaks in our upmarket lodges and cottages, coupled with continued popularity for great value holiday parks. "We also know that self catering is the number one option for a great number of families taking a break in Great Britain, which is why we have sought to buck industry trends and offer unique discounts, such as those for single parent families, aimed to make it easier and more appealing for Brits to take a holiday at home." He added that the company has focused on offering an enhanced product portfolio that includes a hand picked 'Ultimate' collection of cottages and holiday parks and newly introduced range of Autograph Lodge Holidays - designed to offer a more consistently luxurious five star lodge holiday experience.

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Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Bmi extends seat sale


Bmi extends seat sale

Bmi has extended the booking period of its seat sale with a range of discounted fares. The sale is now for flights booked until January 22 2008. It is offering departures from Manchester to Chicago from £259 and to Las Vegas, Denver and Orlando from £299. Flights to Barbados and Antigua start from £339 return from Heathrow or Manchester.

Long haul travellers can upgrade to premium economy from an additional £180, with premium economy return fares to Chicago from Manchester from just £439, or Las Vegas from just £479. European offers from Heathrow include Dublin from £58 return, Amsterdam and Brussels from £64 return and Naples and Venice from £76 return. Domestic offers include Edinburgh and Jersey from £64 return. New routes to be launched by bmi in March 2008 are also included in the sale with flights to Tel Aviv from £239 return.

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Thursday, January 10, 2008

Vote For A Extra Bank Holiday


Thomas Cook gets support from 100,000 Brits for extra bank holiday

Thomas Cook's campaign for an extra bank holiday in the UK has won the support of 100,000 people in just one week. The operator expects that by the end of this week the figure will reach 250,000 in support of the campaign, which was discussed by the Prime Minister on GMTV earlier this week. CEO Manny Fontenla-Novoa said: "The Thomas Cook Campaign for an extra bank holiday has really captured the public's imagination. "We're really pleased to see the Prime Minister taking note of the growing public demand for a new bank holiday and hope that our campaign will create the momentum to make this happen."


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Monday, January 07, 2008

Monarch expands Cyprus flights


Monarch expands Cyprus flights


Monarch.co.uk is expanding its network from Gatwick and Manchester with three new scheduled routes for the summer. Flights from Gatwick to Larnaca and Menorca and Manchester to Larnaca launch in March with fares starting at £49 one-way including all taxes and web booking discount. The new services to Cyprus will operate in addition to recently launched flights from Luton, which are being increased for the summer. The airline will operate up to 14 scheduled flights a week from the UK to Larnaca. Monarch will also now offer more than 140,000 seats to Mahon this summer, with the service from Gatwick complimenting existing flights from Manchester, Birmingham and Luton.


Managing director Liz Savage said: "Monarch.co.uk's flights to Larnaca from Luton launched in March 2007 and we have already carried over 50,000 passengers on them. "There has been huge demand from passengers for additional scheduled services to Cyprus however and the launch of flights from Manchester and Gatwick are in response to this."

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Friday, December 21, 2007

Christmas Getaway


Record numbers to travel abroad for Christmas/New Year

A record 3.5 million people will be travelling abroad over Christmas and New Year, starting today (Friday), ABTA estimates. Saturday will be the busiest day for travel but December 30 will come a close second as people head off for New Year's Eve, according to ABTA. The Canary Islands, Egypt and Goa top the winter sun list while Dubai is attracting people with its good shopping facilities. Strong early snow conditions in Europe have helped France, Austria and Italy sell well while more adventurous snow sports enthusiasts are heading to the US and Canada to make the most of the weak dollar.

Many are taking city breaks, especially over the New Year, with Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin and New York topping the list. BAA estimate that 2.7 million people will be leaving through its seven airports, which include Heathrow 1.2 million, Gatwick 600,000, Stansted 360,000, Southampton 25,000 and the main Scottish airports, Glasgow 110,000, Edinburgh 110,000 and Aberdeen 42,000. An additional 270,000 will fly from Manchester, 170,000 from Luton and 130,000 from Birmingham. More than 200,000 will travel over or under the English Channel with over 150,000 on Eurostar.

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Thursday, December 06, 2007

Cruise Discounts


Early bookers enticed with 45% off and £125 on board credit

P&O Cruises' ship Arcadia makes its debut in the line's 2009 Worldwide Exotic Holidays brochure and accompanying DVD.Thirty seven individual sectors of three world voyages, to a choice of 34 countries are featured on three ships – Arcada, Aurora and Oriana. This is the first time that child-free Arcadia has featured, with sectors of its maiden world voyage, departing in January 2009. P&O Cruises managing director Nigel Esdale said: "Agents should recommend a cruise holiday out of this brochure to any customer wanting an exotic, worldwide holiday. "The DVD and brochure combined make a comprehensive sales tool, enabling agents to inspire and inform their customers about the destinations and experiences available with these P&O Cruises holidays.

"Holidays in the brochure range from 15 to 45 nights and can be enhanced with pre or post cruise city stays in Auckland, Brisbane, Cape Town, Dubai, Fremantle, Hong Kong, Mumbai, San Francisco, Singapore and Sydney.Early booking discounts of up to 45% are available, along with on board credit of up to £125 per person for bookings made before the end of February 2008.Esdale said the itineraries on offer provided an "exciting and eclectic" mix of holidays. "Seventy one exotic and colourful ports such as Tauranga in New Zealand and Sihanoukville in Cambodia, combined with the luxury of three P&O Cruises superliners; Arcadia, Aurora and Oriana, make this one of our most exciting holiday programmes yet," he said. "These are not traditional cruises, these are holidays for modern travellers, creative cruisers and adventure seekers, who want to see more and experience more," added Esdale. "We offer a greater selection of worldwide voyages than any other cruise line."
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Monday, December 03, 2007

Teeletext


Teletext to impose restrictions on the number of advertisers

Teletext Holidays is to reduce the number of advertisers it allows on key sections of its TV pages. It will restrict the number to 15 on Teletext's Majorca, Spain, Canaries and all-inclusive sections - down from around 30. It claims the changes will offer "more effective advertising for clients and reduce the number of holiday offer duplications across the service". Sales director Victoria Sanders explained: "We have been working to the same business model for some time now and feel that it's time to change the way key holiday pages are serviced. "By selecting just 15 top advertisers it will drive huge numbers of calls to each of the clients and at the same time provide customers with a comprehensive product offering."

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Thursday, November 29, 2007

BMI Babys New Routes


Bmibaby launches phase two of summer 08 schedules

Bmibaby has unveiled new routes from Birmingham International, Cardiff International, East Midlands and Manchester Airports. From Birmingham, it will start flying six times a week to Madrid from December 7, three times a week to Krakow from February 12 and three times a week to Milan Bergamo from April 1. For summer 2008 it will bring back services to Bordeaux, Marseille Provence and Barcelona and will ramp up frequencies to 12 flights per week to Malaga, eight flights a week to Alicante, six flights a week to Murcia and five flights a week to Faro.

From Cardiff, bmibaby will start a twice-weekly service to Gdansk on February 9 and six times a week to Warsaw on February 10. On the same dates, it will also launch flights to Gdansk and Warsaw from East Midlands, but both services will be three times a week. The no-frills airline will also launch flights to Nice from East Midlands, three times a week, from April 1. At Manchester, for summer 2008 bmibaby will bring back services to Bordeaux and Perpignan. Flights will operate daily to Bordeaux and six times a week to Perpignan

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Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Heathrow Airport looses Business


More business travellers avoiding Heathrow

A leading travel management company has confirmed that more travellers are seeking to fly direct from regional airports to avoid the hassle of transferring at Heathrow. Hogg Robinson Group said last week's report from the Civil Aviation Authority highlighting increased use of regional departure points confirmed trends it has seen amongst corporate travellers. Frustration at delays and other congestion issues at the London hub is leading business travellers to seek alternatives. Peter Kite, HRG's managing director Europe West, said: "In the last year we have observed changing travel patterns among our clients, with an increase in the numbers of corporate travellers now opting to leave from a closer regional airport when travelling for business.

"The addition of daily flights to the US and Middle East, and other business destinations, from regional airports such as Glasgow, Bristol, Belfast, Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle, means that more flights are available. "The greater choice of departure airport, whether direct flights or via an international hub, the increase in routes and the flexibility of schedules makes life for corporate travellers much easier and has the added benefits of reducing total travel times and potentially reducing costs." He added: "The increased awareness of environmental issues has impacted the way business travellers consider and manage their travel requirements. "Over the course of one trip, many of our clients now choose to stop over in several countries and undertaking multiple meetings, in order to maximise their time abroad. This not only reduces travel time and cost, but also helps to offset client's carbon footprint in turn making them more responsible travellers," said Peter Kite.

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Saturday, November 24, 2007

Passanger Ship Sinks


Passengers rescued as cruise ship hits ice in Antarctic

A cruise ship has evacuated all passengers after hitting ice in the remote Antarctic Ocean. About 100 passengers on the MS Explorer have been taken off the vessel in lifeboats and transferred to another ship with no reported casualties. The ship is owned by Canadian adventure travel operator GAP Adventures which caters for clients from Canada, the US and UK. More than 20 British passengers are reported to have been on board. A spokeswoman for the Toronto-based operator denied reports that Explorer was sinking. However, Explorer was later photographed listing at 30 degrees. She confirmed that the ship hit ice and started taking on water through a "small hole the size of a fist" but pumps were being used to stop it from going under.

"Passengers were taken onto lifeboats and were transferred to another ship. everyone has been accounted for," she said. The vessel hit trouble off King George Island near the Antarctic Peninsula. The company spokeswoman was unable to confirm the nationality of passengers on the ship which started its journey from Ushuaia in Argentina on November 11. The US coastguard is reported to be co-ordinating a rescue operation with authorities in Ushuaia. MS Explorer is known to date back to the early 1970s as the first custom-built expedition ship carrying a maximum of 100 passengers. The ship is also chartered to a number of operators running Antarctic voyages.

Posted by RHR.COM at 10:20 PM 0 comments

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Easy Jet Flights to Jersey


EasyJet to launch Jersey flights


EasyJet will launch two routes to Jersey from London Luton and Liverpool next spring. Daily flights start on April 21 and March 31 respectively. The airline said it recognises "great potential" for further expansion in Jersey and is currently assessing further opportunities for growth in the future. Seats for the new Liverpool service will be available for sale in next seven days and seats for the Luton service will be available in the first week of December.

Posted by RHR.COM at 2:14 PM 0 comments

Friday, November 16, 2007

Winter Breaks in the Sun


Winter sun breaks up 11%


The lure of winter sun after the dismal UK summer is attracting more UK holidaymakers abroad, with 11% more expecting to travel overseas this Christmas. Bookings to Cyprus, Egypt and India are up on the same time last year by as much as 40% for some destinations, according to figures from the UK's largest independent travel agent Co-operative Travel. Spain remains the most popular destination but longer range destinations are on the rise, with the US and Egypt ranking as the second and third most popular locations this year. Overall, 11% more people will be travelling abroad for the festive season this year, the company says.


Co-operative Travel managing director Mike Greenacre said: "The feedback from our customers is that, having missed out on a hot summer, they are desperate to get some sun over the winter. "Our customers often express an interest in what they can expect from Christmas abroad, especially if they have children. "Christmas in the US is huge, even more commercial than at home and for kids, this can be very exciting. "In Spain, everything's much more traditional and the feast of the epiphany on January 6 is actually a much bigger celebration, with the three kings bringing presents for all the children. "It's useful to get advice on Christmas customs before you travel, as most countries have their own traditions and some don't celebrate Christmas at all," he advised.

Fastest growing Christmas sun holiday destinations:*


1. Cyprus – 40%

2. Egypt – 31%

3. India – 23%

4. Portugal – 21%

5. Spain – 19%


Most Popular destinations for Christmas 2007/08:


1. Spain

2. USA

3. Egypt

4. France

5. India

6. Portugal

Posted by RHR.COM at 11:54 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Hotel Review Sites


Agents consult social network sites for advice

TripAdviser, IgoUgo and YouTube are the sites most used by business travel agents and leisure travel agents to review hotel ratings before passing on advice to travellers, according to an Amadeus poll. The study, which looks at the increasing popularity of user-generated content, found 100% of business agents compared to 87% of leisure agents turning to the resources for help. Findings also revealed that although most agents agreed Web 2.0 and user-generated content has effected how people book travel, more than half of the respondents said they did not use the sites in the course of their everyday work.

Of the UK leisure agents questioned 59.7% said they did not use the review sites when making bookings compared with 63.8% of business agents. In addition, 90% of business agents said they could see a time when self-booking tools would include user-generated content such as reviews.
Posted by RHR.COM at 11:19 PM 0 comments

Friday, November 09, 2007

XL Airways & Easyjet


XL expands from Luton next summer

XL Airways is to start serving Egypt and run additional flights to Cyprus from Luton airport next summer. A total of 10 weekly flights to Larnaca, Paphos and Sharm-El-Sheikh will operate from May 23. The airline expects to carry more than 30,000 passengers on its Luton services during summer 2008. Larnaca will be served five times a week, Paphos three times a week and Sharm-El-Sheikh twice a week. The airline's managing director Martin Lock said: "We took the decision to introduce services from London Luton to Larnaca, Paphos and Sharm El Sheikh in response to huge customer demand from the North London area."

easyJet summer '08 timetable on sale from three airports

EasyJet has put flights from summer 2008 on sale from Belfast, Liverpool and Newcastle. These include new routes from Belfast to Barcelona, Gdansk, Prague and Venice and Liverpool-Lisbon, as well as increased frequencies on others. Seats go on sale today at www.easyJet.com . The airline's remaining summer schedule, including flights from Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and its European bases will be released for sale within the next few weeks.
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Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Eurostar London


Queen to open new Eurostar London base


The Queen is to officially open St Pancras International Station, the new home for Eurostar trains to the Continent, tonight (Tuesday). St Pancras will become Eurostar's new London home from November 14, while High Speed 1 will provide a dedicated, 68-mile high-speed line between central London and the Channel Tunnel. The new line will enable Eurostar trains to travel at their full speed of 186mph, cutting journey times between London and the Continent by at least 20 minutes. The formal opening of St Pancras,restored at a cost of £800 million, this evening will herald one week to go until the launch of Eurostar services from the station.


The royal ceremony will mark the opening of the station building and launch of High Speed 1, and will signal the final seven days of preparations to move Eurostar's entire London operations overnight, to begin commercial services from St Pancras on November 14. The last train will arrive at Waterloo International before 20.00 on November 13 and the first train will leave St Pancras at just after 11.00 the next day. The royal event celebrates the culmination of a £5.8 billion engineering project, built by London & Continental Railways on time and within budget

Posted by RHR.COM at 4:11 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Thomas Cook Flights

Thomas Cook Airlines increases leg-room

The economy seat pitch on Thomas Cook Airlines' long-haul flights is to be increased to 33 inches from next May. The current standard seat pitch on a long-haul Thomas Cook Airlines or MyTravel Airways flight is 30 inches. The airline claims the move will mean it will offer holidaymakers an economy seat pitch greater that British Airways or Virgin Atlantic (currently 31 inches). The increase in leg room will be introduced across the company's long-haul fleet of seven Airbus A330s. The change will be created when MyTravel and Thomas Cook's existing airlines merge and begin operating as Thomas Cook Airlines under a single Air Operating Certificate in March 2008. Thomas Cook will continue to offer TC Premium on all long-haul flights, which includes a dedicated cabin, priority boarding, complimentary refreshments and wide leather seats.


Tony Hopkins, director of product at Thomas Cook UK & Ireland, said: "With the introduction of Boeing's 757 Dreamliners reportedly delayed until spring 2009, Thomas Cook is pleased to be able to offer the trade an enhanced in-cabin experience in time for the next summer season. "What this innovation means is agents now have access to an enhanced long-haul offering from the most famous name in travel which they can sell to their customers with confidence." When fully merged, Thomas Cook Airlines will operate a fleet of 45 aircraft from the UK.

Posted by RHR.COM at 11:23 PM 0 comments

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Visit Britain


Government to slash VisitBritain funding by 18%


Tourism officials have hit out at the Government after it announced 18% cuts to VisitBritain funding. The funding will be reduced over three years from the current £49.6 million to £47.6 million in 2008/09, £45.1 million in 2009/10 and £40.6 million in 2010/11. VisitBritain chairman Christopher Rodrigues said the cuts were disappointing. "We will need to become even more efficient in the marketing partnerships we have with the travel industry and the regions and nations to plug the gap this settlement has created," he said.

Tourism Alliance chairman Ros Prichard OBE said the cuts "highlight the Government's lamentable understanding of tourism and a lack of joined-up thinking". "This cut in funding means that, in real terms, the Government will have reduced VisitBritain's funding by around 50% between 1997 and 2011," said Prichard. "To do this to a successful organisation that has generated around £10bn for the UK economy and £2bn for the Exchequer over the past 10 years and supports over 23,000 jobs across the country makes no sense whatsoever. "To do it in the lead-up to the Olympics when the Government's own research shows that there is the potential to generate an additional £2.1bn in tourism expenditure for the UK economy borders on sheer madness."

Posted by RHR.COM at 11:35 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

BMIbaby


Bmibaby launches new flights from Cardiff and East Midlands


Bmibaby is launching new flights from Cardiff International Airport and East Midlands Airport to Warsaw and Gdansk. Starting on February 10, the new route to Warsaw will start with a four times a week service operating from East Midlands on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. From the same date, flights from Cardiff will operate three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Sunday. Starting on February 9, flights to Gdansk will be three times a week from East Midlands operating on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, while flights from Cardiff will be two times a week operating on Tuesday and Thursday. Flights go on sale today with fares starting from just £21.99 one way, including all taxes and charges.
Posted by RHR.COM at 11:27 AM 1 comments

Monday, October 08, 2007

Heathrow Airport


Half of locals support third Heathrow runway


Half of people living around Heathrow support the building of a third runway at the congested airport, according to a new poll. Thirty per cent of the 1,200 residents polled by campaign group Heathrow First were opposed to a new runway. Fifty three per cent agreed that the benefits of Heathrow outweigh the disadvantages while aircraft noise came fourth in a list of issues concerning local people after crime, road traffic congestion and council tax levels. Fifty six per cent of those asked said they would support 'mixed mode' use of the airport's two existing runways to allow them to handle both arriving and departing aircraft at the same time.


There were 23% who opposed this idea. The poll found that one in 20 work at the airport while 11% have a member of their family employed there. The survey results come as the government prepares to issue consultation on the proposed expansion of Heathrow. Future Heathrow campaign director Lord Soley said: "This poll shows that people understand the importance of Heathrow to London and the UK. "By more than two to one they say that for their family, their community and the country, the advantages of Heathrow outweigh the disadvantages. There is clear support for the growth of Heathrow, including a third runway." Future Heathrow members include the airport's owner BAA, airlines and unions.


Posted by RHR.COM at 12:57 PM 0 comments

Saturday, October 06, 2007

London


Cross-London rail link gains thumbs up


Work on a £16 billion high-speed rail line through the centre of London is to start in 2010 after winning the approval of Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The long-awaited Crossrail project will link Maidenhead and Heathrow to Essex through the capital when trains are expected to use the connection by 2015. The government is to fund a third of the project with the remainder coming from borrowing against future fares and a levy on London business rates, the BBC reported. The link will add capacity to the stretched Underground network as well as improving connections to Heathrow and other airports.


Brown said: "Crossrail will add £20 billion to the UK gross domestic product. Today's go-ahead proves that London works best when London works together." London Mayor Ken Livingstone said the approval was an "internationally recognisable vote of confidence" in the capital's economy. "Crossrail is not just a transport scheme, it is the key to the next 20 years of economic development of London," he said.

Posted by RHR.COM at 12:04 PM 0 comments

Thursday, October 04, 2007

YouTravel.Com


Youtravel.com aims for more families

Accommodation-only specialist youtravel.com is hoping to capture more families in its second year of trading. The initiative came as the company takes 10 of its top agent partners on a VIP break to Sharm el Sheikh today (October 3). Sales and marketing director Paul Riches said: "These [families] are the parties that book early, especially for the school holidays, and we didn't get our full slice of this market as we were still establishing ourselves in January of this year. "Couples book later and as such around 70% of our bookings in our first year of trading are from this sector, we're hoping to get a 50-50 balance between couples and families in 2008."


Youtravel.com was launched last October by John Kent, with backing from Barclays Ventures which purchased a significant minority stake in the business in a deal worth more than £15 million. The business claims to be on target to hit its year one target of £40 million turnover, growing to £120 million in three years.

Posted by RHR.COM at 11:48 AM 3 comments

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

BBC buys Lonely Planet


BBC buys Lonely Planet


BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, is to buy Lonely Planet for an undisclosed sum and plans to take the franchise worldwide. The privately-owned business is being sold by Tony and Maureen Wheeler, who founded the company in 1972, and John Singleton, who became a shareholder in 1999. BBC Worldwide CEO John Smith said: "This deal fits well with our strategy to create one of the world's leading content businesses, to grow our portfolio of content brands online and to increase our operations in Australia and America." Lonely Planet, which has operations in the UK, California and Australia, is led by Judy Slatyer (CEO) and her management team, who will be staying with the business.


Lonely Planet's global headquarters will remain in Melbourne and the joint founders will retain a 25% shareholding in the company. BBC Worldwide non-executive chairman Etienne de Villiers said: "It is testimony to BBC Worldwide's reputation that the Wheelers believe we are the right partner to take the business forward, given the many organisations that have approached them over the years. "We are all convinced that the association will strengthen Lonely Planet's visibility and growth potential, particularly in the digital arena, as well as providing their users access to the wide range of BBC content which connects with their interests - from Michael Palin's New Europe to Planet Earth."


Lonely Planet publishes around 500 titles including activity guides, shoestring guides and phrasebooks. The company also produces and develops factual programming for international broadcasters under Lonely Planet Television. Lonely Planet's website receives 4.3 million unique visitors a month and it is quickly developing its travel video site, lonelyplanet.tv.

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