NEWS ROUND-UP
COVER STAR: “I was very nervous, especially when I was told I was having make-up, but it was alright in the end” Daniel Neise, page 52
Briton’s death highlights elephant welfare concern
Juliet Dennis
juliet.dennis@
travelweekly.co.uk
Agents are being urged to help raise awareness of animal cruelty following the death of a British holidaymaker on an elephant trek in Thailand.
Tourist Gareth Crowe, from Scotland, was trampled by an elephant on Monday. The animal threw him off its back and gored him with its tusk during an organised trek in Koh Samui. Reports said the elephant was unsettled and not responding to its handler’s commands. More than 63 travel companies
worldwide have stopped selling elephant rides because of issues over animal welfare. Adventure operator Intrepid,
which dropped elephant rides from its tours two years ago, said agents have a crucial role to play in making clients aware of their choices on holiday. Michael Edwards, UK managing
director of Intrepid, said agents had the opportunity to talk about the issue when discussing activities available on holiday. He said: “Awareness in the trade
Switzerland drops out of top 20 in Kuoni Trends report 2016
The United Arab Emirates has slipped from eighth to 15th position in Kuoni’s list of its best-selling destinations, while Switzerland has dropped out of the top 20 altogether. The Maldives and Thailand
retained the top two spots, based on bookings to date for 2016, according to The Kuoni Worldwide
SOUTH AFRICA: A new entrant
Trends report 2016, which is now in its 36th year. The operator blamed the “slight dip” in UAE bookings, which
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travelweekly.co.uk 4 February 2016
NEWS IN BRIEF
Advantage reveals ‘Blink’ as theme of conference at sea
The Advantage Travel Partnership has revealed the theme of its 2016 conference will be ‘Blink’. The conference will take place on board MSC Fantasia on April 16-20, departing from Genoa, Italy.
Sandals to branch out into Mexico with two properties
Sandals is in talks to open its first resorts in Mexico. Sandals Resorts International chairman Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart said the company was in “advanced talks” to open two resort hotels on the east coast, according to the Jamaica Observer. › Face to Face, page 16
ELEPHANT TREK: Many operators have stopped selling animal rides
has got better but there is a long way to go. We hope agents will get savvier about what [operators] they offer.” He hoped “some good” would come of the tragedy to decrease the market for elephant rides. “We are not surprised this has happened, having researched the lives these animals lead, but it should not take a death to highlight it,” Edwards added. “If more agents are aware of
the facts and more customers are made aware, the number of people offering this experience in
Thailand will diminish over time.” Paul Melinis, director of sales at
Insight Vacations, which stopped selling elephant rides last October, said: “This is the stance every operator should take. Agents are sometimes not aware and it’s something we’re trying to promote.” G Adventures managing
director Brian Young said awareness would increase as a result of Crowe’s death. “Hopefully it will make agents and consumers think twice. The issue of animal cruelty is included in our agent training,” he said.
includes Dubai and Abu Dhabi, on increased instability in the Middle East, and said high costs in Switzerland following a currency crisis had led to a 25% drop in bookings. Cuba slipped a place, with demand said to have outstripped supply, putting pressure on beds. Destinations on the up included South Africa, the Seychelles and Tanzania, all in this year’s list after failing to make it last year. Sri Lanka, the US, Antigua, Saint Lucia
and Vietnam were also all up. › Kuoni Group, page 86
Barrhead Travel opens two shops in Edinburgh
Scottish agency Barrhead Travel has opened two stores in Edinburgh. One new branch is in Edinburgh airport, the other in Hanover Street. They bring the total number of Barrhead Travel stores in the Scottish capital to six.
Police arrest gunman at Disneyland Paris hotel
French police arrested a man who attempted to check in to Disney’s Hotel New York at Disneyland Paris with two guns in his suitcase. The incident took place on January 28.
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