NEWS ROUND-UP
COMMENT: “Remember to build your brand and its values around your target clients” Miles Morgan, page 34
Agents rush to win place at Royal’s launch of Harmony
Hollie-Rae Meerick
hollie@travelweekly.co.uk
More than 2,700 agents have entered a competition to attend the launch of Royal Caribbean International’s Harmony of the Seas.
The line announced its Virtual
Queue initiative just five weeks ago, giving agents the chance to win one of 500 places at the launch of the Oasis-class ship on a two-night sailing out of Southampton on May 20. Agents have until March 1 to
enter and claim a place by earning points for Royal Caribbean-related social media posts and bookings. Nicki Lewis, head of trade support and planning at the line, said: “It’s captured the imagination of agents because they can get competitive with their peers.” To join the queue, agents need
to be members of the line’s Club Royal incentive scheme; since the Harmony competition launched, 900 have signed up. So far, there have been 50,000
tweets featuring the hashtag #GetMeOnHarmony and 113,000 retweets. Agents have posted
Avis Budget Group promotes Kemp to fuel international push
Avis Budget Group has promoted Julia Kemp to an expanded role as it looks to develop its international markets. Kemp, previously director of
leisure and partnerships for the EMEA region, takes up the role of director of global travel and partnerships for international markets. Her promotion follows a
JULIA KEMP: Global travel director
change in management structure that involved Mark Servodidio becoming international president. Kemp will manage a team in the UK and also have responsibility for
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travelweekly.co.uk 5 November 2015 OASIS CLASS: Harmony of the Seas will be sister ship to Oasis of the Seas 500
The number of places the line is giving away via its Virtual Queue
9,000 times about the ship on Facebook, and those posts have attracted 53,000 ‘likes’. Agents earn 25 points for
posting on Twitter or Facebook, 20 points for a Harmony of the Seas sale and 10 points for booking any other Royal Caribbean ship. The leading agent has more than 385,000 points. Lewis said agents who hadn’t
joined the queue still had a chance of finishing in the top 500. “It’s easy to stack up points
quickly, so agents should still join in
– there’s a long way to go,” she said.
myclubroyal.co.uk
China, India and Asia-Pacific. “In the UK, we will restructure
my director reports to make sure we are working as effectively as we can,” she said. “Connie Georgiou takes responsibility for the UK leisure market and reports to me.” The group encompasses Avis,
Budget, Zipcar, Italian business Maggiore and Australasian brand Apex. Currently, Budget can be booked through intermediaries in the UK, but the group is looking at ways to make Budget more available to the UK trade.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Tipto to back Reuben’s Retreat throughout 2016
Rueben’s Retreat, which supports families who have lost a child or have one suffering from a life-limiting illness, will be Tipto’s nominated charity for 2016. Founder Nicola Graham said: “Sharing our cause at Tipto events will raise much-needed funds.”
Long-haul arrivals to Europe rise 5.1% on 2014
Long-haul arrivals to Europe rose 5.1% between January and September, compared with last year. But the ForwardKeys figures showed Europe’s annual growth for all visitors was 3.6%, compared with 5.7% worldwide.
MP urges action on cruise ship death from 2011
Labour MP Chris Matheson has called on UK authorities to investigate the disappearance of British cruise ship worker Rebecca Coriam, who is believed to have fallen overboard from Disney Wonder four years ago. Her body has never been found.
Emirates celebrates 25 years at Manchester
Emirates started operations at Manchester airport 25 years ago this week. The carrier’s service to Dubai has expanded from twice-weekly in 1990 to three times a day.
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