NEWS — DIGEST
“Fathom will appeal to people who see a holiday as a chance to ‘sight do’ rather than ‘sightsee’” Andy Harmer, page 30
GAZETTEERS.COM POLL
DO YOU THINK SITES SUCH AS AIRBNB POSE A THREAT TO THE TRAVEL TRADE? 26% Yes 74% No
Sandals’ Karl
Thompson (left) and Barrhead
Travel’s Bill Munro
Tui axes commission on room-only sales for indies Tui has abolished commission on accommodation-only bookings for independent agents. Previously, agents would earn £10 per person per accommodation-only booking. The operator said other terms remained the same.
Virgin Cruises vows to shake up sector as it orders three new ships
Virgin Cruises has placed an order for three new ships and claims it will “redefine” the cruise experience. The 2,800-passenger vessels are to be built at the Fincantieri
shipyard in Italy and will be delivered between 2020 and 2022. The first vessel will offer Caribbean sailings from Miami. Potential customers are being invited to visit the Virgin Cruises
website to share their ideas on what the new cruise line could do to deliver an “incredible experience at sea”. Sir Richard Branson said: “We now have the right partners in place to build a world-class cruise line that will redefine the cruising experience for good.” The line’s chief executive, Tom McAlpine, said: “We are committed to making waves in the cruise industry, and partnering with Fincantieri and PortMiami sets Virgin Cruises up to do that.”
MSC Cruises puts back likely return to full year of ex-UK sailings to 2018
MSC Cruises is unlikely to return to offering a full season of ex-UK sailings until 2018, a year later than previously indicated. Speaking at the steel cutting of new ship MSC Seaside, chief
executive Gianni Onorato said: “As soon as we have growth in the fleet we will look to have a competitive ship in the UK market. I think we will have a one-year delay in coming back to the UK because of other developments internally.” “In the UK we want to be the reference cruise line for sailings in the Mediterranean.”
Operators reintroduce holidays to Kenyan coast Operators are reintroducing Mombasa and the coastal region north of the Kenyan city following a revision of travel advice by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The FCO no longer advises against visiting any part of the Kenyan coast south of Watamu.
Tourism Australia extends marketing deal with Etihad Tourism Australia has signed a five-year marketing deal worth $30 million with Etihad Airways, extending a three-year tie-up that expires this year. Pictured celebrating the deal are Etihad’s Lindsay White (left) and Tourism Australia’s John O’Sullivan.
Barrhead and Sandals co-brand 10 Scottish stores
Barrhead Travel has teamed up with Sandals Resorts to launch 10 co-branded stores across Scotland.
As part of the 18-month initiative, a member of staff in each agency will be trained as a Sandals specialist. They will wear branded
uniforms and have co-branded business cards. The stores will feature
Sandals-branded desks, TV screens, window display cards and wall arches. Barrhead Travel’s superstore in Glasgow features a mock- up of one of the Caribbean operator’s Love Nest suites. Visitors to any co-branded outlet will receive a £100 discount when booking a butler-level suite at a Luxury Included resort by July 31. Gary Atwell, Sandals business development manager for the Scottish region, said: “This new co-branded partnership is the perfect way to boost our mutual growth in Scotland.” Last year, a Royal Caribbean
Caption
International ‘cruise pod’ was opened in the agency’s new store in Braehead. The store also features a dedicated Kuoni area.
25 June 2015 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 9
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