NEWS CONFERENCE REPORT
Global Travel Group Conference: More than 350 delegates attended the group’s first overseas forum since the break-up of Triton. Lee Hayhurst reports from Dubai
Global award winners at the gala dinner
Chocolate guru urges trade to offer more ethical trips
The travel industry could do more to exploit demand for Fairtrade products, according to the founder of Green & Black’s.
Jo Fairley told delegates at the Global Travel Group Conference that she was surprised the travel industry didn’t offer more ethically sourced holidays. She said in Green & Black’s
early days, the company worked with Bristol-based agent Trips to offer customers the chance to visit Belize, from where it sources the cocoa for its chocolate. “Today, more people want to do that. We live in a more caring
“We live in a more caring world. People are more conscious of their impact”
world. People are more conscious of the impact they are having. “I’m frankly surprised there
are not more companies offering holidays like that because I would be the first to sign up.” Fairley said “doing good”
is great for business because consumers are choosing to use
brands that operate ethically. She added that having good
product was paramount. “That total commitment in your
product is really important. When you believe in it really strongly, it makes it so much easier to sell it.” Fairley, a former journalist,
advised firms to engage with the trade and consumer press. “They are always hungry for stories and photographs,” she said. “You have a fantastic opportunity
to get involved. That coverage is so powerful for a business, especially in the early days. “If you advertise but there’s no
JO FAIRLEY: ‘I’m frankly surprised there are not more companies offering [ethical] holidays’
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travelweekly.co.uk 2 June 2016
recognition of your brand, it just doesn’t register. If you don’t have the contacts, ask around or use a PR agency that does. Grasp any opportunity.” Fairley said firms should invest in good design to market their product and embrace customer feedback and review sites. “Every time you have a happy
customer, take the time to collect a testimonial,” she said. “Find out why they liked it, write it down and share it relentlessly.”
New technology from dnata ‘will benefit agents’
New technology being put in place by dnata will give Global Travel Group agents better access to exclusive availability and prices negotiated globally by the travel giant. Andrew Botterill, managing
director of the Emirates Group- owned firm’s European B2B division, said it would enable members to benefit more easily from dnata’s buying clout. Dnata has created a single global air and ground product buying team and moved all of its contract uploading to an administrative centre in the Philippines. Botterill said: “The reason we
are doing central purchasing is to make sure that we get those exclusive deals. We have buying power but that means nothing unless we do something with it. “We have to make sure we
buy well, and load it speedily and accurately. There will be times when it works for us to put that through the Global network.” Botterill said he hoped the
new technology would be ready within six months.
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