“I grew up in the eighties so my iPod is full of cheesy pop music and the odd theme tune” ON THE ROAD WITH CELEBRITY CRUISES’ MICHAEL GRAHAM, P34
Trade defiant in wake of Thai shrine attack
Edward Robertson
THE BANGKOK bomb blast which killed at least 20 people is expected to have little impact on the UK market,
despite fears from the Thai prime minister that the bomb was a deliberate attempt to “destroy” the country’s tourism industry. As TTGwent to press, one British
national was understood to have died. At least 120 people were injured. The bomb exploded on Monday
close to the Erawan Shrine. It was followed by a second grenade attack on Tuesday, although no one was harmed. The UK Foreign Office warned
British nationals to “take extra care” in the wake of the attack, but did not alter its advice about travelling to Thailand. Aito Agents chair and Haslemere
Travel managing director Gemma Antrobus insisted the attack would likely have little impact on the UK trade, in part because household
brands had not been involved. “When it directly hits the travelling
British public, where travellers and travel companies are affected directly, then it tends to hit the headlines – the consumer press are very good at making things more dramatic,” she said. John Sullivan, head of commercial
NEW PLANET DISCOVERED: Star Warsfans are likely to be rejoicing after Disney announced it would be constructing two new Star Wars-themed lands at its Hollywood Studios in Orlando and Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. The chair and chief executive of The Walt Disney Company, Bob Iger, said the two 14-acre projects represented the company’s “largest single- themed land expansion ever”. He added that they would “transport guests to a whole new Star Warsplanet”.
A Kuoni spokesperson said that
of the 39 customers the company had in Bangkok, all were safe and had been accounted for, and the company was “monitoring the situation closely”. She added: “We’ll be keeping in
regular contact with customers who are in Bangkok now or due to travel imminently to make sure they are kept fully informed.” A Thomas Cook spokesperson said
the operator had 14 Signature customers in Bangkok who would all be continuing with their trips as planned. Meanwhile, G Adventures also said
its staff and 23 customers in Bangkok were “safe and accounted for”. A Tourism Authority of Thailand
spokesperson said security had been stepped up. She added: “The Erawan Shrine is
The bomb exploded close to the Erawan Shrine
and marketing at the Advantage Travel Partnership, also said that the consortium’s members, like those at sister consortium Elite Travel Group, had not experienced any problems following the attack. “For the moment it doesn’t seem
to have caused any major repercussions,” he added.
30 UNDER 30
Tui’s MD to speak at next Tomorrow’s Travel Leaders event
NICK LONGMAN, Tui’s UK and Ireland managing director, has been announced as the first speaker of the second Tomorrow’s Travel Leaders conference. The all-day event will take place
at 30 Euston Square, London, on November 25, and will feature a host of industry names, as well as past and present members of TTG’s 30 Under 30, who will offer inspiration, career development tips and
Longman follows in the footsteps of Bruce Poon Tip, who spoke in 2014
leadership advice to delegates. Young achievers from across travel
are invited to attend. Take advantage of our early-bird ticket offer of £129+VAT.
■For more details see
ttgdigital.com/travelleaders
20.08.2015 05
not promoted as a tourist attraction to UK and Irish tourists. It is a sacred Hindu place that many Buddhists spend time at praying, and one of the most well-known shrines in the city, but not of cultural tourism interest to visiting Europeans.”
Email the
news team You can get involved in the travel trade discussions at:
news@ttgdigital.com
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