EDITOR’S COMMENTS
NEWS Hot Stories
04 – Agents honour their favourite suppliers at the Travel Weekly Globe Travel Awards; trade reacts to Kuoni UK being put up for sale; Swiss franc soars but operators hold prices; January sales for summer ‘mixed’
News Digest
08 – Tipto holds network tea time; Olympic and Monarch trade again; Leger buys Holts tour business; Shaun the Sheep is VisitEngland star
Special Report
10 – Derek Jones expects Kuoni UK to thrive once it has been sold
ALL ABOUT YOU
Letters 30 – Kuoni; Cook; Gatwick; Globes
Comment 34 – Nikki White: Ease accessibility
All For You 40 – Holidays, cash and Take That!
Readers’ Lives 42 – Helen Johnson, Polka Dot Travel
Mystery Shopper 48 – Homeworkers set Bali test
DESTINATIONS The US 5-page SPECIAL page 12 NEWS YOU CAN USE
Product News 19 – Cosmos Tours focuses on cruise
Operator News 21 – Travel 2 to grow Simply Luxury
Cruise News 24 – Fred champions Pullmantur
Destination News 28 – Jessie J to perform at Universal
51 – Spy another day: your guide to espionage sights in Capital Region 59 – Get taste of Washington State
Croatia & The Balkans
65 – Learn where’s best in Croatia for beaches, culture and parties 68 – 48 hours in Zagreb
JOBS AND CLASSIFIED
69 – Vacancies and business services TRAVELWEEKLY BUSINESS
News
78 – Proposal for PTD reform raises fears about protection – three-page report from Travlaw Big Tent event
Cover photo: Sarah Lawrence (left), Virgin Holidays Cruises and Michelle Spender, Bath Travel, pose with Globes and presenter Jack Whitehall at the Globe Travel Awards
LUCY Editor-in-chief HUXLEY
Globes victors merit their agent plaudits
T
his week Travel Weekly hosted the prestigious Globe Travel Awards and the event was another great success. It was fantastic to be on stage and able to see the reaction of the winners as they rushed up to collect their trophies and meet our amazing host Jack Whitehall (page 4). One of the winners on the night was Kuoni, demonstrating the high regard in which it is held by many in the trade. Of course, the win will have been particularly satisfying given the shock announcement just a day earlier that its Swiss-based owner was planning to sell all its tour operations (page 5). Agent support will be more crucial now than ever in what will undoubtedly be a period of uncertainty while a buyer is sought. The shock news about Kuoni wasn’t the only big story emanating from Switzerland this week, with the Swiss franc spiking following the government’s decision to stop pegging its value against the euro (page 5). While the two stories aren’t related, both will have an impact on the UK travel industry and both go to prove there’s never a dull moment in this sector. Constant change is obviously unsettling, but the travel industry has demonstrated time and again that it is capable of coping with even the most unpredictable events. The start to the year appears to have been mixed for many companies, with anecdotal evidence of record sales days tempered by broader statistics suggesting the peaks have yet to really catch fire (page 6). Kuoni won’t be the only company hoping that agent support – and consumer confidence – will hold firm in the weeks ahead.
lucy.huxley@
travelweekly.co.uk WHAT LUCY DID THISWEEK 1
2 3
Was honoured to co-present my fifth Globe Travel Awards – this year alongside comedian Jack Whitehall.
Was served scones with jam & cream in the office by a Uniworld Cruises butler. Thanks, Kathryn Beadle!
Was really moved witnessing how shocked and ecstatic Barrhead Travel’s Leanne Kane was at winning this year’s Penny Akam Unsung Hero award.
22 January 2015 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 3
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