p6 ABTA Oct9 7/10/09 21:43 Page 6
news conference report
ttglive.com
The Travel Convention 2009
Trade Media Partner
October 6-8 ■ Barcelona
This week’s convention concluded one of the trade’s
AGENCY DEAL.
toughest seasons. TTG’s team reports from Spain
Teletext to open travel
outlets in Tesco stores
‘New breed of buyers’
TELETEXT Holidays has
agreed a new retail partner-
ship with Tesco to help
CUSTOMER buying habits have was no longer possible to pigeon- compensate for losing its
fundamentally shifted during hole consumers according to age analogue television service.
the recession and will not return or social demographic. The deal was announced at
to pre-credit crunch ways, the Hudson showed video the Travel Convention.
Travel Convention was told. interviews with senior figures, It will operate branded
PricewaterhouseCoopers including Tui managing director travel agencies at Tesco
partner Malcolm Preston Dermot Blastland and British Extra stores, and plans to employ more than 100
(pictured) said a poll of 1,000 Airways chief executive Willie agents at 20 outlets over the next two years.
consumers for PwC showed four Walsh, about consumer habits The first 250sq ft shop will open in December
different types of behaviour: over the past 12 months. in Pitsea, Essex, with up to six staff.
switching location, downgrading, buying less Blastland highlighted cruise and all-inclusive The second shop to open will be almost four
and buying clever. as two recession-successful products due to times the size with dedicated cruise, Mediter-
He singled out buying clever as having the the consumer’s desire to pre-budget. ranean and worldwide sales departments.
most impact on the holiday market and said Walsh focused on the need to “unbundle” the Teletext Holidays managing director Victoria
after the recession customers would continue to core product to see what customers actually Sanders said: “I am conscious of losing a certain
look for promotional offers, use the internet value and what could be removed to save costs audience when analogue goes and I think this will
more and spend more time checking prices. while not affecting customer experience. go some way to holding on to them.
“Travel companies must reduce the selling Hudson also warned that the midmarket was “The retail agent is not a dying breed; people
cost by pricing each element of the package becoming “deserted”. still want to go to an agency and book a holiday.”
according to how the buyer values it,” he added. “The bland mass market is in trouble. The only Shop customers will also be able to access the
Another PwC partner, Mark Hudson, said it way for the price to go is down,” he said. teletextholidays.co.uk site on self-service pods.
CRUISE. POLICY GUIDE.
Carnival has ‘no plans Abta to offer free child
to build bigger ships’ protection training
CARNIVAL Corporation chairman Micky Arison ABTA is launching free online training for the
has ruled out his company building ships as large travel industry on child protection issues.
as rival Royal Caribbean International’s. The Every Child Everywhere training,
Speaking at the Travel Convention, Arison said unveiled at the Travel Convention, will educate
Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 was “probably” the Carnival chairman Micky Arison staff on how to deal with child protection
biggest ship Carnival will ever build. problems in resorts when travelling.
Royal Caribbean will launch the 5,400- He said: “We try to build ships that have the The training is launched in partnership with
passenger Oasis of the Seas in November, a ship flexibility to visit ports such as Venice. When you children’s rights organisation Ecpat UK.
that is 40% bigger than those in its fleet that get to a certain size you start to limit flexibility.” It has three modules: following, implement-
now hold the title of the world’s largest liners. Arison admitted he was worried about the ing and developing child protection policies and
Arison said he had no intention of building state of the global economy last year but said the procedures.
anything larger for the Carnival Cruises brand trading environment had dramatically improved. Ecpat UK director Christine Beddoe said:
than its newest ship the Dream, nor anything Carnival was now able to access banking “This tool will give travel professionals an
larger for UK market leader P&O Cruises than the facilities that were closed to it at the start of the understanding of child protection issues and
3,000-passenger Ventura. credit crunch, he added. of the importance of child protection policies.”
06 09.10.2009
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