theround-up EAer Lingus Regional, operated by Aer
Taking Advantage in Malta
Arann, has started a new daily route between London Southend and dublin offering access to Ireland’s capital plus transatlantic connectivity to the uSA. Flights start from £24.99 one way including taxes.
www.aerlingus.com
EAir Malta has added charter fl ights from Birmingham Airport. Starting from May
1 the weekly summer charter charter fl ights will operate to and from Birmingham until the end of october.
www.airmalta.com
ERed Sea Holidays has launched its new
2012/2013 brochure featuring new hotels and resorts and a number of added-value options including savings on summer packages, pre- bookable family suites and connecting rooms as well as fl eixible cruise and stay packages. new resorts include dahab, Taba and Taba Heights with new hotels in Sharm el Sheikh, el Gouna and Makadi Bay, and new multi- centre tours, such as the 10-night Cairo & The nile tour from £999. An agent education programme will continue into 2012.
www.redseaholidays.co.uk.
EFlybe is developing its Manchester
hub, adding 86 additional weekday choices connecting through Manchester on routes which include Aberdeen, Belfast City, edinburgh, exeter, Glasgow, Inverness and the Isle of Man. www.fl
ybe.com
EEurostar has extended its booking
horizon by an extra four weeks this summer to cater for heightened demand. Tickets can now be bookeds from London St Pancras, ebbsfl eet International and Ashford International to Paris, Brussels and Lille for travel until August 15 rather than July 15, which is the typical eurostar four-month booking horizon.
www.eurostar.com
EDFDS is appealing to beer lovers with a short break to Brussels offering them the
chance to sample beers from 40 brewers. Based on an overnight cruise from newcastle the two day trip is priced from £239pp departing August 30.
www.dfds.co.uk
by Laura Gelder The Advantage Conference 2012 was held in Malta this April, with 420 delegates in attendance. Keynote speakers such as Iron Maiden singer, commercial pilot and entrepreneur Bruce Dickinson; Olympic champion, record breaker and TV pundit Michael Johnson; and trendspotter and futurologist Magnus Lindkvist ensured the atmosphere was inspirational as well as refl ective. Advantage Chief Executive John
McEwan kicked off his ‘Fact of the Matter’ session with some fi gures showing Advantage sales down just 6% compared to the wider travel market average, which is down 8%. Revenue was up 5% from last year with a group turnover of £3.5 billion. There were 96 new member locations added and McEwan said: “Advantage is the only growing consortium.” ATOL bonding was a hot topic, with workshops taking place throughout the conference for agents not sure on the reform, which became law on April 30. Advantage’s Financial Operations Manager, Paul Nunn, revealed that over half of Advantage’s members currently hold an ATOL license but even many of
A&K ups Sardinia
these members need clarifi cation which is being made available through a hub on the Advantage Intranet. Head of Advantage Commercial, John Sullivan, highlighted the key areas of growth for Advantage members – specialist cruise holidays which are up 25% and luxury bookings, up 2%. Other speakers included Kate Hardcastle, Partner at Insight with Passion, who gave a damning report from a mystery shopping exercise, showing some agencies gave out brochures with no attempt at all at a sale or customer engagement.
The taste of Costa Brava to woo visitors
Abercrombie & Kent Villas has added nine new villas in Sardinia to its existing Italian portfolio.
The new properties range from simple little boltholes to the more luxurious villas with rolling gardens down to a private beach. All come with the option of a chef. The portfolio includes villas in Tuscany,
the Amalfi Coast, Umbria and city apartments in Florence.
www.akvillas.com
Two of Costa Brava's Michelin-star chefs are leading the charge to boost tourism to the region by promoting its gastronomy. Ferran Adria and Joan Roca are working with the Costa Brava Tourism Board as ambassadors for the region, highlighting the unique, cutting-edge cuisine available in the wider Pirineu de Girona area. Adria, described as the Salvador
Dali of cuisine, will open a Centre for Creativity in Costa Brava, in 2014, with a culinary exhibition centre following in 2016. Tour operators are being encouraged to package gastronomic tours and wise up tothis key asset when promoting this region.
http://en.costabrava.org
During one discussion, panelist
Paul Simmons, Director UK Market of easyJet, revealed that the budget airline is testing allocated seating this year, and hoping to introduce it at the end of the summer. Finally, the Advantage awards, fashioned as gold Olympic medals, were presented by Michael Johnson. Winners included Aspen Travel which walked away with the Advantage leisure agent of the year award. Next year’s Advantage Conference is to be held in Malaga from May 9-12.
www.advantagetravelcentres.com
Sunvil offers summer deals to the Faroes
Sunvil Discovery is offering savings of up to £232pp on Faroe Islands holidays during August and September. Minimum savings on three-, four- and
seven-night breaks departing between August 16 and September 17 start at £103pp. Package prices start at £529 pp for a three-night break, £591 for a four- night break, and £779 for a seven-night break. Bookings must be made by May 31 to secure these special prices. The packages are based on Atlantic
Airways services which started from Gatwick this month.
www.sunvil.co.uk
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www.sellinglonghaul.com • May/June 2012 7
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