p9 News Oct23 21/10/09 21:00 Page 9
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In brief
■ Terrorism and recession hit Trailfinders profit
Trailfinders has reported a £7.4 million profit for
P&O Cruises bids
the year to the end of February 2009, down from
£18.6 million the previous year. The independent,
tailor-made specialist blamed the decline on
recession and fears of terrorism. Turnover was
marginally up, to £634.4 million, and the firm
to boost loyalty
made £9.4 million from interest on customer
deposits held to safeguard against airline or
operator failure.
Lee Hayhurst.
that higher levels of onboard bookings were
P&O CRUISES is expected to continue with a new educating customers to book direct and it was
■ Ebookers offers operators’ package holidays policy trialled this month which is designed to something Bath Travel actively encouraged.
Ebookers has added a tour operator booking en- discourage customers from shopping around Mark Pilkington, Complete Cruise Solution’s
gine to its site that will enable it to offer package after booking a cruise while onboard. head of sales, said: “We are committed to using
holidays for the fist time. The new service, at The line implemented the policy across its onboard sales to encourage people to book with
packageholidays.ebookers.com, uses technology fleet in October hoping to increase the rebook the agents with whom they booked their existing
provided by TravelTainment and aims to widen rate and encourage loyalty to the agent who cruise. It’s about building loyalty.
the options available to customers by giving them made the original booking. “We were aware that there was a trap door
direct access to tour operator booking systems. Previously, the line had allowed customers through which some customers were escaping;
who had booked onboard seven days during having accepted the onboard booking they were
■ Neil Herbert leaves Travel Buddy which they could switch their booking to another shopping that around at a later date.”
Travel Buddy marketing and sales director Neil agent if they found a better deal, without Pilkington said he could not yet comment on
Herbert is leaving the company after two years incurring an administration fee. the trial’s results, but said feedback had been
to become director of UK and global partnerships However, this month the line removed this positive and he was confident it would continue.
at Affordable Travel Group. He starts his new role option to encourage customers, who are allowed The change is part of a “re-engineering” of
next month. “I have enjoyed my time helping to only to nominate their existing agent, to stick agent remuneration designed to reward the
launch the Travel Buddy concept into the UK with the onboard deal. trade for generating business that is “harder to
travel trade,” Herbert said. Dawn Jordan, Bath Travel cruise director, find”, Pilkington added.
welcomed the move. “Anything that encourages This, more controversially, saw the commis-
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customer loyalty is a good thing,” she said. sion paid on cancelled holidays halved to 5% two
from the travel industry, visit ttglive.com
Jordan added that she was not concerned months ago.
NOVEMBER 11 EVENT. ENCORE TICKETS PARTY.
TTG Intelligence
Report at WTM
THE TTG Travel Intelligence Report 2009 will be
showcased at WTM.
The session will give those who were not at
the report’s launch, at the Travel Convention in
Barcelona, a chance to hear the views of TTG
editor Lucy Huxley and those of the report’s
research partners: GfK Ascent-MI’s Sarah Smalley,
The Network’s Jane Dyson and OAG’s Nick Salter.
The session will include a pres-
entation of the report’s top find-
ings, an update on market trends,
a panel discussion and an oppor-
tunity for questions from the floor.
To register for this session,
which takes place from 12.30 to PRISCILLA AT WTM: Encore Tickets’ WTM party at Planet Hollywood will feature the
13.30 in North Gallery Room 13 on cast of West End show Priscilla Queen of the Desert, who will take party-goers through
Wednesday, November 11, go to: a session of its classic disco hits. Encore managing director John Wales, pictured with
ttgtravelintelligencereport.com members of the cast, said his goal for 2010 was to break the two-million tickets barrier.
23.10.2009 09
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