welcome – dedicated to those who love selling travel –
INDUSTRY COMMENT “Last year, for the second year running, Japan registered a record high of
welcome W
visitors and 2015 has got off to an even stronger start with an increase of 43.7% for Q1. In March, the first month of the peak cherry blossom season, British visitors were up 25.8% compared to 2014. The value of the yen has dropped around 40% against the pound since 2012, making Japan excellent value for UK travellers. But Japan’s outdated image as an expensive destination lingers and for this reason we have a guide on our website to what things actually cost." Kylie Clark, Head of PR and Marketing, Japan National Tourism Organization See feature, page 33
“Orlando’s convenient central location means clients are never more than a couple of
hours from a range of other major Florida centres. They can head west to Naples, Fort Myers or Sarasota’s calm waters on the Gulf of Mexico coastline, east to St Augustine, Cocoa Beach and Fort Lauderdale or south to Miami’s Atlantic coastline." Colin Brodie, Director UK Ireland, Visit Florida See feature, page 55
WITH THIS ISSUE... Thailand Travel Guide 2015
Thailand TRA VEL GUIDE
This essential guide covers new product as well as top selling tips for every target market and region
Thailand
Cover_FINAL.indd 1 12/05/2015 11:43
Steve Hartridge Editor
e welcomed the opportunity to meet up with agents at several training events last month, not just in our home city of London, but across the country.
Regular readers will know that our very own Destination Dialogue (DD) evenings bring together agents, tourism boards and their destination partners, in an informal setting where both the merits and challenges of selling a particular destination are given a comprehensive airing. Our roving reporter Laura Gelder headed to Glasgow and then hopped on a train to Manchester the next day, to cover two DDs that we staged in association with the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Thailand is a well- known holiday spot but that doesn't mean it's any less challenging to sell. Find out how the way you order a Thai itinerary can have a big effect on your clients' enjoyment of their trip, plus lots more on pages 28-29. It was a busy week, because also showcasing in Manchester, as well as
London, was Switzerland Tourism. The country best known for its lakes and mountains staged the two workshops to help agents get to grips with its various cities, mountain resorts and touring products and two members of our editorial team were on hand to hear the news and join the agents in discovering the pleasures of Swiss cheese and chocolate. Read our report, including news on a new self-drive product, on pages 26-27. Our team was also out in force at the 2015 Selling Cruise Conference, held by CLIA in Southampton. Agents at the show got to tour two of the world's newest ships: P&O's Britannia and Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas. They were also the first to hear that CLIA has revamped its agent website for the increasingly mobile digital world, as well as adding some useful new features. See our news section on page 45 for more details. Elsewhere, our team have been travelling the world to bring you all the news from the regional trade shows – inside this issue you’ll find updates on the state of tourism, and latest products, in South Africa (p50) , Cuba (p52) and the Arab countries (p47). In fact, I write this a day before publication from 38,000 feet, en route to Atlanta and then Orlando for the USA’s own international tourism showcase – IPW. You can read my round-up in the next issue of Selling Travel, along with Alan Orbell’s review of TRENZ New Zealand and Richard Williams’ update on all-things Australia. At both those trade shows Down Under, we were delighted and privileged to be the only UK travel trade publication in attendance. Whether at ‘home’ or ‘away’, we travel further to bring you more.
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Publisher: Sally Parker Editor: Steve Hartridge Group Editor: Jo Austin Journalists: Andy Hoskins, Julie Baxter & Laura Gelder Junior Journalists: Ben Coren & Cameron Roberts Contributing Editor: Alan Orbell Associate Publisher: Steve Thompson Advertisement Manager: Lisa Merrigan Business Development Manager: Craig McQuinn Creative Director: Matt Bonner Art Directors: Dan Franklin, Tina-Lee McDougall Designer: Louisa Horton Production Manager: Clare Hunter Circulation Manager: Cheryl Staniforth Managing Director: Martin Steady Members of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation, Visit USA Association, LATA, PATA, MENATA, SATOA, the Foreign Airlines Association and the Institute of Travel & Tourism. Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy, BMI Publishing cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. © 2014. ISSN: 2056-9319. Front cover image: An Andean Indian in Cueneca, Ecuador.
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