NEWS ROUND-UP
COMMENT: “Your customers need to be clear on what you offer that is unique” Giles Hawke, page 30
Tui braves Turkey slump to open first two Blue hotels
Jennifer Morris in Turkey
Tui is hopeful of a bounce-back in bookings to Turkey following the opening in the country of its first two Tui Blue exclusive hotels.
The 363-room Tui Blue Palm
Garden, on the Turkish Riviera, and its sister property, the 375-room Tui Blue Sarigerme Park, on the Aegean coast, opened last month with a focus on technology, fitness and health. Tui Blue managing director Artur Gerber admitted the decision to launch in Turkey was made before bookings to the country took a dramatic hit following terrorist attacks. “Otherwise maybe the decision
would have been different,” he said. Latest Euromonitor figures
show travel globally to Turkey is down 9.9% for the year to date. Additional security measures
were in place for flights to the UK from Antalya airport last week, with some passengers required to have their bags checked at the gate. But Gerber said Tui’s Turkey bookings had already risen slightly
Rowdon rolls out wedding gift list service for agents
A travel agent who created a holiday-themed wedding gift list for couples is offering the service to other agents. Andrew Rowdon, director of
Andrew Rowdon Travel, based in Suffolk, started working on The Perfect Gift List five years ago. The bespoke service enables
NEWS IN BRIEF
Royal Caribbean adds three Oasis and Celebrity ships
Royal Caribbean Cruises has confirmed plans to build a fifth Oasis-class ship and two more ships for Celebrity Cruises. The Oasis-class ship will be delivered in spring 2021, following the launch of the as-yet unnamed ‘Oasis 4’ in 2018. Celebrity Cruises will get two Edge-class ships, in 2021 and 2022, joining two on order for 2018 and 2020.
Tipto’s Hill to step down as chairman in August
TURKEY: Tui Blue’s decision to launch the brand predated bookings fall 9.9%
Downturn in global arrivals to Turkey for the year to date
in the past three weeks and was optimistic “this will continue for the next nine months”. “Our priority is to satisfy the
customers who are here, so they will tell their friends about it and come back next year,” he said. Tui Blue hopes to open 30-40
clients to ask their wedding guests for contributions towards their honeymoon. The Perfect Gift List service
gives couples’ guests access to a website via a QR code to choose what aspect of the trip – from excursions to dinner, or toward the cost of the holiday itself – they would like to pay for. The couple can
even send a thank you e-card with a photo of them on the
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travelweekly.co.uk 2 June 2016
hotels in the next five years and is looking at Thailand, Vietnam, the Maldives, Mauritius, the Balearics, the Canary Islands and Mexico. Lucy Cook, general manager
at Visions Holiday Group, which took on most of Turkey specialist Exclusive Escapes’ hotel and villa capacity when it failed last August, reported a “steady increase” in Turkey bookings since Easter and has even taken bookings for next year. Helen Johnson, a director of
Polka Dot Travel, said its bookings to
Turkey were up in the past month. › Talk Back, page 17
honeymoon or excursion that the recipient paid for. Rowdon is in the process of setting up the system for one agent and said five other agents had expressed an interest. He is charging members of
The Travel Network Group £39 per gift list, with the first one free. Non-members would be charged £49. For details, email info@andrewrowdon.
ROWDON: Developed the bespoke service
Zena Hill will step down as Tipto chairman at the end of August, after four years at the helm. Under Hill’s tenure, Tipto has increased its membership from 12 to 20 supplier members, and added four Supershows and four training days to its events, which include roadshows for independent agents. Tipto has yet to appoint Hill’s successor.
Saga recruits Whiteman as Holidays managing director
Saga Travel has appointed Maria Whiteman to the new role of managing director of Saga Holidays. Whiteman will join on September 7, reporting to Jeannette Linfoot, managing director of Saga’s tour operating division, which includes Saga, Titan and Destinology. Whiteman has formerly worked for Hayes & Jarvis, Amadeus and Travel 2.
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