uk&irelandnews  Isle of Wight ferry company, Red


the travel news that's turning heads theround-up


Funnel, which operates from Southampton, is pioneering a new approach to destination marketing with the unveiling of a new newspaper-style website designed to capture the spirit of the island through the eyes of those who live and work there. www.myisleofwight.com


Haven's Welsh fl agship resort has


become the fi rst holiday park in Wales to receive a highly-prestigious gold award for green tourism. Hafan y Mor Holiday Park, near Pwllheli, has received the honour from the Green Tourism Business Scheme which scrutinised the caravan park according to 150 rigorous criteria. www.haven.com


 A new app from tourism specialists


the London Sightseeing Pass provides visitors with special offers, insider information about attractions, city maps and can even point a user in the direction of the closest loo. Developed in conjunction with VisitBritain, the new app is designed to complement the London Sightseeing Pass – a smartcard giving tourists entry to over 55 of London’s top attractions. The app is available to download via itunes. www.londonpass.com


 Chessington World of Adventures


Resort in Surrey has been crowned Theme Park of the Year in the Theme Park and Visitor Attractions Awards 2010. This achievement recognises record-breaking visitor growth, industry leading guest feedback scores, and the huge development within the park to add Wild Asia and the Wanyama Village & Reserve. In addition the park has been rebranded as “Britain’s Wildest Adventure”. www.merlinentertainments.biz


W Hotels Worldwide has opened its newest fl agship hotel, W London – Leicester


Square, the W brand’s 40th hotel globally. Set in London’s entertainment area, the hotel features 192 guest rooms, including 17 suites, three WOW suites and one Extreme WOW suite as well as the UK’s fi rst Spice Market, a signature restaurant by three Michelin-starred chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. www.whotels.starwoodhotels.com


Superbreak's fl yer


Superbreak is supporting agents with a new monthly ‘Break Out’ fl yer to promote short breaks. The operator wants agents to rack it,


mail it and hand it out to customers to help generate sales in their local area. The fl yer is being emailed to agencies for them to print off and Superbreak’s sales team will be giving out supplies when they visit agents. Flyers are personalised with offers for


Warner wins with Which?


Warner Leisure Hotels has been named the UK's favourite short-break chain hotel according to a poll of Which? magazine readers.


The group has been named Which? Recommended Provider of UK Hotels. It topped the table, which included


Hilton, MacDonald and Premier Inn, scoring 76% for customer satisfaction and likelihood to recommend. Newest in the collection is the


Jersey celebrates


Jersey will host its fi rst ever week-long food festival from May 14 to 22. Designed to celebrate the island’s unrivalled local produce and encourage more visitors to the island, the event will put the emphasis on the famous Jersey Royal Potatoes, dairy produce and shell fi sh.


The aim is to showcase the best that


the island has to offer with a range of special events being held to give visitors the chance to enjoy culinary linked activities including: low water fi shing and walks to oyster and mussel beds; foraging with local chefs for wild garlic and samphire; meeting the producers and Michelin-starred chefs; joining a cider evening, or tutored tastings, jam and chutney-making demonstrations, and masterclasses. The festival will culminate in an alfresco food fair. www.jersey.com


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World Spa at Thoresby Hall Hotel in Nottinghamshire. Designed to help relax and re-invigorate the mind and body, the World Spa offers treatments from fi ve continents. Agents can take advantage of the new spa by up-selling and booking their guests onto one of the Spa Experiences when they make their holiday reservation. All Experiences are fully-commissionable. www.warnerleisurehotels.co.uk


each region ensuring that the product is relevant. The fl yer features great deals such as two nights with free dinner on the fi rst night and rail inclusive deals. Graham Balmforth, national sales


manager at Superbreak commented: “We’ve designed the fl yer to look like a red top newspaper so it is eye catching for customers. We’ve geared it towards the economic climate by showing the great value short breaks on offer. We intend to roll these special offers out every month and we hope agents will use the fl yer to get the message out to their clients.” www.superbreak.com/agents


Butlins expands commissionable add-ons


Butlins has expanded its on-resort product range in an ongoing effort to improve the customer experience this summer. New for 2011 is the Sky Bar at Skegness, character lunches and big savings on activities with the new Butlins Leisure Pass. Character lunches are available for


£15 pp, or £50 for a family of four, and are bookable in advance and fully- commissionable to agents.


Leisure Passes allow customers to pre-book a package of ‘pay as you go’ activities at all three UK seaside resorts at reduced prices, generating savings of at least 10 per cent. The Leisure Pass is priced at £10 pp


and is available through agents for a wide range of activities from cinema and bowling to adventure golf and bungee trampolining.


www.bourneleisuresales.co.uk


www.shortbreaksholidays.com • May/June 2011 07


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