EDITOR’S COMMENTS
NEWS Hot Stories
04 – Dnata gets go-ahead to take over Stella Travel; Tui launches in-house add-ons supplier Thomson Tickets; Abta LifeLine awards first Colin Heal bursary; agent seeks £50k for flood damage; unjustified claims ‘should not be paid’
News Digest
08 – Thorne Travel ad goes viral; Bookable Holidays ceases trading; Virgin axes routes to add new ones; Feefo targets £4k for Just a Drop
Special Report
10 – Thomson Airways unveils new aircraft, routes and technology
ALL ABOUT YOU
Letters 28 – Monarch; Cook; Collette; Ebola
Comment 30 – Nikki White, Abta
All For You 32 – Celebrity, iPad mini, flights
Readers’ Lives
38 – Hollie Brown, Affinion International Travel, Kettering
Mystery Shopper 46 – Northampton agents tested
DESTINATIONS Winter Sun
Leeds London
Manchester PHOTO SPECIAL page 13
49 – Relax in the winter sun or keep active with winter fun 55 – Winter warmers on a budget
Active & Adventure Holidays NEWS YOU CAN USE
Product News 19 – Flybe starts London City routes
Operator News
20 – The Gambia is ‘safe to travel to’ 22 – Prestige spots bears in Croatia
Cruise News 24 – Regent unveils Grand Voyages 26 – City Cruises introduces incentive
61 – Walking tours for all abilities 67 – Family fun at Hoseasons JOBS AND CLASSIFIED
71 – Vacancies and business services TRAVELWEEKLY BUSINESS
News
76 – Dnata/Stella; Disneyland Paris 77 – Elman Wall Directors’ Summit 78 – Ebola screening starts in UK
Cover Star Hollie Brown from Affinion International Travel, Northamptonshire. Clothes courtesy of Kenneth Cole at Desert Hills Premium Outlets. Photo: Steve Hockstein
LUCY Editor-in-chief HUXLEY
Spread facts not fear about Ebola
T
he Ebola crisis is a real concern and the authorities must act to contain any risk, even if screening passengers arriving
from West Africa at Heathrow, Gatwick and the Eurostar terminals causes as much alarm to some as it reassures others. Yet it’s important not to get carried away. Certainly, no one should take the more sensational media headlines or stories at face value – such as the TV report of a suspected case of Ebola in Australia, which was accompanied by a map suggesting the entire continent was infected. Ebola appears likely to appear in Britain as it has in the US, Spain and Germany, and we must hope the health workers caught up in dealing with it do not succumb. But there is little real threat to most of us. The virus is horrifying, but the manner in which it spreads is understood – as we explain (back page). The virus has been contained before and, as Travel Weekly
went to press, it appeared close to being contained in Nigeria, a country lacking the kind of health care we have here. Travel is susceptible to every kind of scare and always likely to
be affected by a disease that crosses borders to such appalling effect. But the industry is remarkable for its resilience and its commitment to travellers’ safety, and these factors have seen it through any number of crises in the past. Agents and operators need to be aware of the facts and keep abreast of the latest information through the likes of Abta, which is in regular contact with the World Health Organization and the Home Office.
What no one needs is an epidemic of fear.
lucy.huxley@
travelweekly.co.uk
WHAT LUCY DID THISWEEK 1
2 3
Learned about the huge opportunity for operators and agents in the spa and wellness sector at our Aspire Business Breakfast.
Had a great catch-up with the team from Insight Vacations about their plans for 2015.
Hosted a Travel Weekly Business Breakfast on investment, mergers and acquisitions in the travel sector – there’s so much activity going on!
16 October 2014 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 3
CONTENTS Inside your number-one industry mag!
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