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Tourism Update SATOA
With so many social and networking events offered by the UK travel industry how does SATOA distinguish itself and what can it bring to the table that's new and different? Thirty years old in 2012, SATOA has
vast experience of providing a unique and rewarding experience for agents, tour operators, hoteliers and airlines. And in 2012 SATOA has planned a
Bermuda extends compliments
BY STEVE HARTRIDGE Agents have another month to sell
the ‘Compliments of Bermuda’ deal that sees clients receive a $500 credit for every five nights they spend at selected hotels. The offer has been extended to bookings made up to May 31. Hotels participating in the deal, which
can be booked through UK operators or direct with the hotel, include Rosewood Tucker’s Point, Elbow Beach and Cambridge Beaches Resort and Spa (which is to become 'adult-only'). “It’s a great opportunity to make
some commission out of Bermuda, by wrapping this offer around some of the many events we have planned over the
IN BRIEF
Swissôtel adds Phuket property Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts has
added its first property in Phuket to its portfolio (its third in Thailand) after being appointed to manage the Courtyard by Marriott at Kamala Beach. It has been re-branded as Swissôtel Resort Phuket. Overlooking the Andaman Sea, it has 180 one- to three-bedroom suites.
www.swissotel.com
Cape Town Radisson gets refurb The Radisson Blu Hotel in Cape
Town will start refurbishing all 108 of its standard rooms in May. The rooms will get newly-designed bathrooms and bedroom furnishings when the upgrades end on August 15. Until then, standard room bookings will be upgraded to sea-facing Business Class rooms.
www.radissonblu.com
Amari opens in Hua Hin Amari Hua Hin will open next
month (June). Located next to Khao Takiab, a popular beach, the 223-room resort is close to the city’s shopping and entertainment venues. Features include a fitness centre, kids club and pool, plus a Breeze Spa and Salon. Hua Hin is two and a half hours from Bangkok.
www.amari.com
coming months as part of our free ‘Sizzling Summer’ calendar of events,” said William Griffith, Director of the Bermuda Department of Tourism. “Activities include everything from a
taste of Bermuda’s pepper jams and rum cakes through to live musical performance under the stars and Bermuda Restaurant week in September,” he added. A statue dedicated to John Lennon
will be unveiled on June 30, on the 30th anniversary of his death in New York. Lennon wrote most of the tunes to Double Fantasy, his last album, while staying in Bermuda. Griffith said Bermuda has made
inroads in carving a distinctive identity for itself but admitted there is still work to be done in cementing the island’s unique selling points in the eyes of travel agents. “We’re definitely not the Caribbean,
in fact our seasons are the reverse and we enjoy mainly a temperate climate; we are much closer than people think, at just six-and-a-half hours’ flying time away, and we are also not as expensive as many imagine. Properties like Grotto Bay, for example, now cater for those looking for something less than five- star or luxury,” he added. See our Bermuda feature on page 50.
www.gotobermuda.co.uk
myriad of events aimed at promoting Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean across the UK. We have four travel agent events scheduled: for Birmingham (June 12), Buckinghamshire (June 13), Berkshire (July 19) and Manchester (October 10). SATOA provides a platform for agents
to gain targeted knowledge of hotels, airlines and destinations. Importantly, SATOA's travel agent events teach ‘How to Sell’ the respective properties, destinations and airlines. A little knowledge makes a big
difference and we understand that agents will first sell properties, destinations and airlines they know. SATOA will again host its popular
tour operator dinners in 2012. Keep an eye out for dinners near you planned for Surrey (June 21), Devon (July 24), Yorkshire (September 19), Cheshire (October 11) and Glasgow (November 28). These events are both informative
and great fun, with many working relationships bolstered over dinner, a glass of wine and some shared laughter. To commemorate our 30th
anniversary, we will host the first SATOA Travel Awards, on September 12. This is an event not to be missed – so calendars and red markers at the ready! For more information email info@
satoa.com or call 0844 880 2421.
www.sellinglonghaul.com • May 2012 7
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