INSIDE THIS
WEEK Contents
NEWS Hot Stories
Peak sales up; Turkey bookings slump; Hays Travel targets independents; Zika update;
Cruise.co.uk’s £20k pay pledge
Round-up
Wendy Veal, Kuoni, Steven Seddon,
Cruise.co.uk annual sales conference
WIN! Face to Face
One of 10 places on an expedition sailing with Hurtigruten page 48
Richard Jackson, Civil Aviation Authority Talk Back
Abta, holiday costs, salaries, new runway
NEWS YOU CAN USE Product ITC Luxury, Away Resorts
14 21 08 04 25
Operators Grand American, Jet2holidays 27 Cruise SeaDream, TCS, Azamara
30
Aviation BA, Emirates, Stopover Buddies 34 Destination Kenya Tourism Board
39
FRONTLINE Comment Amanda Matthews
Readers’ Lives Barbara Cray Mystery Shopper Homeworkers
DESTINATIONS
Family Holidays Water parks ‘3 ways’: best for all budgets 58 Switch-selling: Suggest new destinations 63 Shrek: Thrill the kids at this new attraction 67
Latin America
AAAs 2016 Entries are now open for this year’s event at the Park Plaza Westminster hotel
page 16 Seasons: Find out when to go where 70 Costa Rica ‘3 ways’: Fun, family and love 75
BUSINESS NEWS Round-up Lufthansa, BA, Policy-UK
Back page ECJ ‘breached remit’ WHAT
LUCY DID THISWEEK
FEB 11
84 86
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A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
UK. For 21 years, we have been honouring the very best agents across Britain, and this year will be no exception as more than 850 guests gather in London to see which agents are crowned (pages 16-19). Running the AAAs is one of the best things Travel Weekly does as it recognises the absolute heart of our readership, and presenting the trophies to the winners is certainly one of the most rewarding parts of my job. And as I stand on stage each year, it seems the landscape in which the winning agents are excelling is getting even tougher, making their achievements even more remarkable. In the past 12 months alone, terrorist attacks on tourists, the migrant crisis and now the Zika virus (page 6) have each brought fresh challenges for those on the frontline, dealing with customers. Yes, customers can still make a simple booking online, but agents have become more important than ever for those seeking more than just a deal. Agents now need the very best product knowledge, the
‘secret’ inside track on destinations, resorts and properties, and also the ability to advise and reassure the public that not only are they spending their money wisely but also that they will be safe on holiday. It’s the agents who can do all this, plus be
creative and innovative to increase their sales, grow their business, and nurture and develop their teams, who will be the ones who’ll walk off with our coveted trophies on July 13. Good luck to you all.
44 52 54
Lucy Huxley Editor-in-chief @Lucy_Huxley
Had a great meeting with Travelzoo’s Richard Singer and his Germany country manager Christian Smart about European expansion.
Enjoyed a fantastic few days in the Alps with bosses of all the major cruise lines as a guest of
Cruise.co.uk on its annual sales conference.
Was treated to a sumptuous Sichuan lunch by Laurence Hicks and John Warr of Wendy Wu Tours to celebrate Chinese New Year.
11 February 2016
travelweekly.co.uk 3
AAAs winners will deserve it T
oday we launch the Agent Achievement Awards 2016, the biggest and best celebration of travel agents in the
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