p4 jan16 14/1/09 21:32 Page 4
news
16.01.2009
TTG winner set
Neilson boss joins
for the big day
complaint forum
TTG Big Idea winner
Perfect Weddings
Abroad is just a month
Rupert Murray.
but we have our own forums and I believe they
away from its official A NEILSON boss had to intervene in an internet are a valuable tool,” he said.
Valentine’s Day launch. debate to counter criticism after a complaint “There were people viewing the discussion
The company, which scooped the £100,000 caused the discussion to rise to near the top of who wanted to hear from us and we have nothing
prize and expertise of four investors last Septem- Google search rankings. to hide; we naturally want to solve any problems.”
ber, hopes to become the trade’s top independ- In just a few days the single complaint from a “If our potential customers are gathering
ent supplier of wedding and honeymoon product. customer about an overbooking on the Snow- somewhere we want to be there too.”
Managing director Helen Doyle said last year’s heads forum was viewed by 9,000 people and Snowheads moderator Graham MacMahon
big-four mergers had created opportunities. generated 14 pages of comments. said: “Once upon a time this complainant would
“As departments become amalgamated, gaps The forum said the complaint had generated have just told all his friends of his bad experi-
are appearing,” she said. an unusually high response rate and that it was ence and the company would have lost
“We’ve had a number of calls already from the first time such a large company had engaged customers. Instead, the company can sort out
agents who’ve asked if we’re going to be offering in one of its forums. the issue, and turn it into a good PR exercise.”
weddings in Italy now Cresta has become part Pip Tyler, overseas director of the Thomas Snowheads claims to have about 100,000
of Thomas Cook. So we’ve put together an Cook-owned activity specialist, said the power of unique users.
extensive Italian portfolio which will sit alongside customer forums was growing all the time.
our Austria offering.” “Some may argue we should not get involved, ■ Cruise boss starts ski venture, p28
Doyle urged agents to consider taking book-
ings for weddings in 2010 and 2011.
“We can book weddings many months in ad-
vance of some of the larger operators,” she said. Strewth! Queensland job
‘US online waiver
vacancy is a web wonder
must be filled in’
TOURISM Queensland has declared the success
of its latest campaign went “way beyond its
expectations”.
ABTA has urged members to be clear with clients On Monday, the tourist board unveiled its
that they must fill in the new online “Esta” form “island caretaker vacancy” campaign to recruit
if they are travelling to the US. one person to live on Hamilton Island for six
Airlines are continuing to give UK passengers months – and receive a salary of £70,000.
visa waiver forms to fill in on flights, but Abta The job description included feeding turtles,
said members should be clear that was not an collecting the mail and cleaning the pool.
alternative to the online form. The vacancy attracted massive media atten-
New regulations officially replaced the I-94W tion, causing the islandreefjob.com website to
cards from Monday, but the US government will crash. Jane Nicholson, the board’s UK regional
allow paper forms to continue “for a few months”. director, said the site was being upgraded.
A US embassy spokesman said the forms would By Wednesday, the website had received
be continued while airlines integrated the online 500,000 hits and 350 applicants – including one
forms and customers became used to them. from the Vatican City.
But he said to be sure of being allowed to
board, passengers had to fill in an Esta form, and T
ourism Queensland
■ More details in Jobs, p60; plus, watch videos
suggested they do so 72 hours before departure. Tourism Queensland campaign promotes Hamilton Island on Matt Parsons’ blog at ttglive.com/news
04 16.01.2009
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