REVIEW ABTA 2013
ABTA connects
The Travel Convention 2013 in Dubrovnik, Croatia, (October 21-22) faced head-on the challenges of ‘Travel in a Connected World’. Julie Baxter reports
Slovenia named as 2014 host
THE Travel Convention 2014 will take place in the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana (September 22-24). Slovenia is a compact but diverse destination keen to showcase its unspoilt countryside and a spectacular coastline. The capital, Ljubljana is described as ‘picture box pretty’, while one of Slovenia’s most beautiful areas, Lake Bled, is a short 55km drive from the city.
Tine Murn of the Slovenian Tourist Board said: “Slovenia is beautiful and we see The Travel Convention as an ideal opportunity
to increase the
number of UK visitors to our country and to develop closer ties with the UK travel industry.”
slovenia.info
“THERE IS NO NORMAL ANYMORE. THE KEY WORD IS UNCERTAINTY; WE JUST DON’T KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT”
GRAEME CODDINGTON FUTURIST
IN BRIEF
ABTA President: Noel Josephides praised trade resilience:
Dubrovnik upgrades: Adriatic Luxury “I’ve survived in this
industry since the 1970s. Every year seems to have been difficult but despite the crisis in the Middle East, high oil prices,
tight
margins, political and financial turbulence.. it is striking how robust our industry is. Collectively members' turnover last year was £31.5bn – the highest level ever.”
Hotels and Riviera Adria Hotels, the two largest groups in Dubrovnik, will invest €60m in their southern hotels this winter to up capacity. The island, Koločep, will open a couples-only hotel and the Hotel Dubrovnik President will add 113 new rooms, pool and wellness centre in a €20m revamp.
tzdubrovnik.hr/eng
ABTA Lifeline: The Travel Convention raised £4000 through fun activities and raffles and called on all UK travel businesses to pledge £1 per employee to help raise funds. ABTA’s charitable trust supports industry personnel when they need it most and runs events throughout the year. For full details see:
abtalifeline.org.uk
Lead on: Travel leaders need to break
free of email and data management, clarify their vision and lead by example, insists Andrew McMillan, leader at John Lewis. motivate
formerly your staff, are a
“Look after and they
customer experience and your business culture. They drive loyalty. Empower them and remember consistency is the key.”
your
THE Travel Convention 2013 raised a vision of extinction for UK agents and operators who do not keep up with the mobile digital revolution. “More people have mobile devices than
have access to drinking water,” said Tim Williamson, Monarch Airlines.
“Your
business needs to get mobile. Get an app and get cracking; get on the curve.” If your business is not changing internally as fast as current external changes it is “becoming extinct and irrelevant,” warned futurist Graeme Coddington. Global desktop sales have fallen for the first time ever this year while smartphone and tablet usage soared, explained Adam Levene, Senior VP Monetize Create. But, he added:
“It’s not just about selling something. Context and convenience are
king. We have to use tablet technology to re-imagine the purchasing journey and make the clients’ life easier.” TUI Travel launched its MyThomson app in the summer and within four months registered 170,000 downloads. Studies show that it has been made popular thanks to fun interactive features. Thomas Cook turned 'near bankruptcy to rude health' by focusing on digital. Its web conversion rate has increased by 147%, with the value of sales up 9%. ABTA’s new Consumer Trends Survey
showed 49% of consumers booked online last year – still primarily on a PC or laptop. The advice from digital experts was that mobile technology now plays a hugely significant role in the process towards booking.
abta.com
Digital scares in Croatia Trends revealed
THE British love-affair with the package holiday continues, according to ABTA’s 2012 Consumer Trends Survey. It shows 46% booked a package, up from 37% in 2010, a trend marked among families and the over 65s. Beach holidays were slightly down but city breaks were up. Two thirds of 16-24 year olds holidayed with family. The top essentials for booking were
safe and secure accommodation, value, financial protection, ABTA membership and ATOL protection. Six out of 10 booked with the trade; oe in five on the high street, a quarter with an online agent and one in five direct.
abta.com/holidaytrends2013
Dubrovnik shines
CROATIA has called on the industry to support its ambitions for 500,000 UK tourists in 2014 through new initiatives. 400,000 Brits visited Croatia this year, up 25% and close to the 1990s peak. Davor Ixakovic, Deputy Minister of Tourism, said: “Our goals are increased competitiveness and awareness and improved quality management. We want to work players in the UK industry to execute our strategy.” Dubrovnik is Croatia’s star performer:
UK bookings to the walled city were up 15% to September.
tzdubrovnik.hr/eng
66 November 2013
www.sellinglonghaul.com
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