p2 Contents mar27 25/3/09 20:19 Page 2
CAA’s failures mean
APC hikes could ‘kill
news
the golden goose’
ABTA’S Mike Monk said this week he fully expected
the £1 per person charge that backs Atol to rise
“well north” of £2 – and imminently.
He added that if the industry had known the levy
would be hiked so far within just 18 months of its
introduction, it would never have welcomed it with
such open arms.
You don’t say.
this week
The major operators are so angry, we should
not put it past them to pull all their flight-only out of
the scheme.
If they did that, the levy on package holidays
would have to rise further, making them even less
competitive and so reducing the CAA’s income
further as fewer are sold.
Cheers! It’s British Tourism Week
This could force the big guys to think seriously Barbara Follett MP, minister for culture, creative industries and tourism,
about de-packaging everything they sell, putting launched British Tourism Week in London on Monday. The promotional
hundreds of thousands of people at risk; I know for week, organised in conjunction with UK tourist boards, Abta and The Tourism
a fact these are options being seriously considered. Society, culminated in a two-day Best of Britain and Ireland exhibition at
So the CAA needs to be careful its attempt to Dockland’s ExCeL centre. Next year the event will move to Olympia in west
replenish the ailing fund that backs Atol doesn’t “kill London. Follett is pictured with Viscount Ullswater (left), former Conservative
the golden goose”, as one senior executive put it. employment minister, and Ken Robinson, vice-chairman of Tourism Alliance.
As the authority prepares to distribute its
consultation document on raising APC to the trade Fraud. following the death of actress
next month, it must be worried the industry will Return money, court says p4 Natasha Richardson
simply not stomach any increase. A fraudster, whose gang conned
Let’s face it, the reason the Air Travel Trust Fund millions from would-be holiday- Business travel.
is in deficit at all is because of the failure of the makers, and who is believed to Agents told: Don’t panic! p10
regulatory system over many years. have raked in £31 million, will Business travel consultants who
Its debt is now set to double, due to the total soon hear how much he must pay face pay cuts or redundancy are
miscalculation of the impact of a major failure back – or face “10 years” in jail being urged not to panic by
during a recession after APC came in. recruitment experts
Yes, it was unlucky XL collapsed at the start Abta.
of an economic downturn – but the APC’s Unpackaged inquiry p5 Cruise.
architects said it could cope. It couldn’t. Abta board members were due RCCL ties up with easyJet p11
We know airlines aren’t prepared to today to demand Steven Freudmann Celebrity Cruises and sister brand
get involved and help sweep up the mess, explain his role in the collapse of Royal Caribbean International
but increasingly neither are the major Unpackaged Holidays amid calls have explained their decision to
operators who are already footing much for his resignation start offering flights with easyJet
of the bill.
It’s been reported Gordon Brown Touring. Hotels.
has concluded it was regulators’ Shrinking sector claim p6 Sandals gives back p12
failure to keep up with Kaleidoscope has provoked an Jamaica’s prime minister has
technology-driven advances angry response from escorted tour called on travel companies to
that led to the meltdown in the specialists after claiming the sector follow Sandals’ lead in helping
banking sector. will shrink by a quarter this year local community projects
A little more of that blinding
insight wouldn’t go amiss among Safety. SECTORS.
those who regulate the travel Ski helmets petition p7 Business travel p20
industry. A ski specialist agent who has been Cruise p22
campaigning for several years for Operators p24
Lucy Huxley Editor ski helmets to be made compulsory Hotels & resorts p26
is now petitioning Downing Street, Air p28
02 27.03.2009
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