NEWS — HOT STORIES 4
Disneyland Paris resort to undergo revamp as part of Walt Disney’s €1bn rescue plan The deal will improve the cash position of Euro
Disney by about €250 million and reduce its debt from €1.75 billion to €998 million. Euro Disney president Tom Wolber said: “Disneyland
Juliet Dennis
Disneyland Paris is to be revamped to give the 22-year-old resort a new look and feel as part of a €1 billion rescue plan. Parent company Euro Disney has promised
to continue to improve its ‘guest experience’ by investing in attractions, hotels, entertainment and other experiences following the rescue package, which includes a €420 million cash injection from majority shareholder The Walt Disney Company. The changes are understood to include new Disney
characters and ride technology from its US parks. The refinancing follows a drop in visitor numbers to 14.1 million in the past 12 months compared with 14.9 million in the previous year.
HOT SHOTS: REASONS FOR READING THIS WEEK
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Win two economy tickets to AUCKLAND with Air New Zealand, page 17
Win a week in JAMAICA with Sandals, page 23
Win a Luxuria coach holiday for two to PARIS with Leger Holidays, page 33
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Paris is Europe’s number-one tourist destination but the ongoing economic challenges in Europe and our debt burden have significantly decreased revenues and liquidity. This proposal to recapitalise Euro Disney is essential to improve our financial health and enable us to continue making investments in the resort.” Tom Dunkley, managing director of World Travellers UK, which trades as Magic Breaks and is the largest online repackager of Disneyland Paris breaks in the UK, said sales continued to grow by 20% a year. He added: “We have not seen sales impacted. If it’s sold correctly customers will not be disappointed.”
“New investment can only be good news for customers and agents”
SuperBreak national sales manager Graham
Balmforth said package sales of Disneyland Paris were in single-digit growth this year. “New investment can only be good news for customers and agents,” he said. The news comes as Max Mason, former general manager of commercial relations at Tui UK & Ireland, joins Disney Destination International as head of UK commercial for Disneyland Paris.
Public ‘tiring of buying on cost over value’ Samantha Mayling in Split, Croatia
Price comparison sites are ‘dying’ as the public tires of prioritising cost over value, agents at the The Travel Network Group conference in Split, Croatia, were told this week. “The public are tired of doing things
on price,” said retail expert Clare Rayner, one of the keynote speakers. She advised agents to use their expertise and knowledge to sell holidays, rather than competing on price, saying: “That’s the way the market is going.” She advised agents to have a ‘price ladder’, saying: “You can help customers climb the ladder, with your knowledge and expertise, to get them to trade up to a balcony cabin, for example. “Once you have them climbing the ladder, they don’t ever drop back down to the bottom rung.”
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travelweekly.co.uk — 9 October 2014
Her message was echoed by Andy Owen-Jones, chief executive of bd4travel, who said data can be analysed to predict what consumers want to buy. “If you feed relevant holiday options to customers, the average booking price goes up,” he said. “This can help agents to move away from a reliance on the cheapest price.” Adrian Johnson, founder of Leeds- based social media agency Umpf, said agents can use information from sites such as Facebook and Twitter to turn “lookers into bookers”. He urged delegates to “turn customer research into customer service”, and said there are no fixed prices for a holiday –
prices are relative to expectation. A panel debate agreed that agents have a bright
future thanks to the service they offer customers who can spend many hours searching fruitlessly online. ❯ TTNG 2014, pages 13-14; Comment, page 38
MORE HOT STORIES
will include new Disney characters
Revamp
“Once
you have them climbing the
ladder they don’t drop back”
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