INDUSTRY COMMENT
GREGG ANDERSON General manager – Western long-haul markets, Tourism New Zealand
“When 2011 closes, I predict we will be just a little behind last year in terms of UK visitors, which is a good result considering the obvious setbacks this year. Based on discussions with our partners, it seems that the youth/gap market for New Zealand is coming back, but it is still relatively tough in the mid-upper market and in series coach touring. We're confident that the positive exposure of the Rugby World Cup will put us in a good position to consolidate in 2012.”
JOANNE MAPPERLEY Travel Counsellors Leigh-on-Sea “The popular destinations for
next year seem to be West Coast of the US and Hawaii, especially for honeymooners. This area seems to be good value for money. Plus, Las Vegas is always a firm favourite because of the entertainment and the quality of hotels. The other destinations with interest are Mexico and Cuba, due to new properties offering amazing deals for five-star quality."
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welcome I
TO SELLING LONG HAUL
n the inimitable words of Meatloaf, ‘two out of three ain’t bad’ but three out of three would have been a whole lot more appropriate as the travel industry was hit by a triple whammy of negatives in the
last few days of November. First came Thomas Cook’s much-publicised financial woes but these
STEVE HARTRIDGE EDITOR
were quickly resolved and the 170 year-old company is fully secure - and currently offering some handsome discounts - until at least 2013. Then came American Airlines’ filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with debts of $29.6billion but, again, the airline says that this will have no impact on its services out of the UK or its partnership with British Airways. The third whammy, APD, is a wholly different story. The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement offered no withdrawal of the previously announced 10 per cent increase to come in April 2012. This means that from next April, a family of four will be paying £330 or £374 in APD to travel economy to the Caribbean or Australia respectively. This compares with £300 and £340 now. Premium passengers will be looking at rates of £660 and £748. On a brighter note, and as our December features show, there are plenty of destinations doing everything in their power to attract your clients - not least through the new expanded range of Travel Uni training programmes. Travel Uni now hosts all the training opportunities that previously belonged to Travel Weekly's Academy - so there's now twice as many options to go for! Next year will undoubtedly be a challenging one but that’s all the more
reason for us to wish all Selling Long Haul readers a joyful Christmas and a very happy New Year.
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www.sellinglonghaul.com • Date 2011 03
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