p2 June5 3/6/09 22:39 Page 2
It’s time to grab
hold of an MP – if
news
you can find one
WHAT A SHAME no current government minister will
be at next week’s ITT conference in Dubai; the closest
we will get is the former PM’s wife, Cherie Blair.
There would never have been a better time to
buttonhole a politician to get across the hurt being
felt today because of the mess surrounding
financial protection.
MPs, reeling from the revelations of their lavish
this week
expense accounts, must be eager to be seen to be
doing something positive for once.
It might not be top of the political agenda, but for
many travel firms and consumers, a solution at long
last to a problem that is starting to have real impact
would be a good start.
Maybe someone should ask a few probing
questions to find out what it is exactly about BA’s
opposition to an all-flights levy that is so compelling.
I think we’d all like to know why the flag-carrier is
Order of the day
so successful at oiling the wheels of democracy. Tui Travel chief executive Peter Long was awarded the Medal of the Order of
The question is, can the industry agree on an Isabella the Catholic by the Spanish government last week. He won the medal
answer – just this week I’ve been talked through for his “contributions to services to Spain in his 25-year career.” Long said: “Spain
three possible solutions. is hugely important to Tui Travel and remains ever-popular with our customers.”
And the desire of our two biggest players, Thomas
Cook and Tui Travel, to find a solution to a problem XL refunds. Round-table debate.
that potentially drives customers to them has been Agents hit by credit cards p5 Indies ‘missing’ UK boom p10
questioned. But what we can all agree on is that Agents whose customers made Domestic operators praise efforts
recent collapses have only served to expose the XL Leisure Group refund claims to by the multiples to cash in on the
nonsense of what we call consumer protection. their credit card companies are UK bonanza, and say perceptions
As one leading industry source said to me, said to be facing a backlash from of this big sector must change
“everyone’s talking about protecting the consumer the credit industry
but no one’s actually doing it”. Travel Gives Back.
Maybe the industry will have better luck with Foreign exchange. Tui staff get green p12
its APD campaign, although the government MyTravelCash card launch p6 Agents working in First Choice and
has proved pretty immune to logical A new pre-paid cash card is tipped Thomson shops could win a trip
argument on this one, too. to give online agents easy entry to one of the eco projects that Tui
But seeing the industry get together into a £2.5 billion market and Travel supports around the world
and work towards a common goal at provide an alternative to the
last week’s summit at Abta’s office was foreign exchange “rip-off culture” City & finance.
hugely encouraging. Middle East investment p14
Even BA was singing from the The Travel Convention. Globally, hoteliers are cutting costs
same hymn sheet, we were Expense scandal insight p7 and rates yet the Middle East is
told. The Travel Convention will be well placed to beat the downturn
TTG, with our Fair Fares given an insight into the MP
campaign, is fully behind expenses furore from a Daily Comment.
this fight. The main prob- Telegraph journalist heavily Regulatory impediments p18
lem might be finding involved in exposing the scandal Rules and finances are hindering
an MP likely to stick firms’ ability to champion travel
around long enough to Abta protests.
champion our cause. APD branded ‘racist’ tax p9 SECTORS.
Travel industry bosses have vowed Cruise p20
to use every opportunity to protest Operators p22
Lee Hayhurst News Editor against next year’s planned Air p24
increases in Air Passenger Duty Letters p28
02 05.06.2009
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