p9 news Oct30 28/10/09 18:20 Page 9
ttglive.com
news
TTG star finally
Cruise.co.uk award
gets a passport
TRAVEL agent Charmaine Richens (pictured
prompts expansion
right) is to go on her first trip abroad after
winning a place on an educational to Florida at
last week’s TTG roadshow in Exeter.
Lee Hayhurst.
The 25-year-old, who works for Bath Travel in UK CRUISE website Cruise.co.uk is planning to
Honiton, Devon, does not even have a passport expand into Europe after being named the best
yet, despite having worked as a travel consultant cruise travel agent on the continent.
for the past 18 months. It was the second successive year the firm has
Richens won the prize of a five-day trip to the won the European Travel Awards accolade. And
Worlds of Discovery theme parks in Florida during for the first time it attracted enough votes to
a draw at last week’s TTG On the Road event. make it eligible for the full World Travel Awards.
“I’m mega-excited about going to Florida as This year is the 25th anniversary of the
I’ve always loved roller-coasters when I’ve been company, which was originally known as Victoria
to Alton Towers,” she said. “I also love dolphins Cruises, and managing director Seamus Conlon
so going to Discovery Cove will be great.” said scooping the world award at a ceremony in
Richens said she had never travelled abroad London next week would be the icing on the cake.
before because she could He believes Cruise.co.uk’s strategy of building
not afford to pay the fees a community of cruisers, most of whom are
for a passport. But since actually customers of other agents, means it can
winning the trip, her expect to get plenty of votes.
mum has paid for her Cruise.co.uk claims it has 58,000 customer
passport. cruise reviews and its users have answered more
“I’ve never flown or than 104,000 questions and uploaded 7,000 Kevin Taylor (left), group vice-president of World Travel
been to an airport – I’m photographs. Awards, presents Alex Farquharson, project manager of
worried about getting lost “Even though we are up against the Americans, Cruise.co.uk, with the award at the ceremony in Lisbon
at Gatwick,” she added. our website is already bigger than many of the
Richens is pictured US sites,” Conlon added. It plans to have German and Spanish language
with Worlds of Discovery’s “At the moment the vast majority of people websites in operation next year offering cruisers
Claire Hardinges. using our site do not book with us but in time we in those countries the chance to book in sterling.
are hoping they will.” Conlon said he predicted big growth in cruise
A bespoke booking engine which Cruise.co.uk passenger bookings from mainland Europe, as an
Golfing specialist
has developed itself is seeing 10% of bookings increasing number of ships are based in ports
online, up to a top value of £24,000, Conlon said. such as Barcelona, Venice and Malaga.
Inta collapses
Winning the best European cruise agent award
has prompted Cruise.co.uk to expand overseas. ■ Cruise news, p18
ABTA member and golf specialist The Inta Group
ceased trading on Friday last week.
The Gateshead-based firm operated under
Rising rents force agent to close shop
brands including 3D Golf and Longshot Golf Hol-
idays, which it bought from First Choice in 2004. A LONDON travel agent has closed his shop to rates went up by more than 40% in the last two
It employed 20 people at its headquarters, had become a homeworker blaming declining sales years. Business had generally been going down
an annual turnover of £25 million and around and the rising cost of operating on the high street. since 2000 because of the evolution of how
28,000 golf clients annually. Mike Carter, 69, has been in the industry half people are buying holidays.”
The Inta Group and Ayr-based 3D Golf merged a century including a spell in tour operating at Carter, whose business continues to be a
in May combining the latter’s strength in Thomson. member of Abta and Worldchoice, said it was too
Portugal with the Scottish firm’s leading He has run the Travel Plans agency in Surbiton, early to say how he would adapt to working from
position in France and Spain. south-west London, for the past 15 years. his home in Kingston-upon-Thames.
The firm also owned the Bill Goff Golf Tours, But he decided to close his shop at the end of “A lot of people seemed to use the agency as
Jack High Bowling Holidays and Sunshine September when the lease on the building ran out. a library and there were a lot of time-wasters.
Challenge trade names. “It was a difficult decision at my age to commit “Travel is always interesting and evolving –
In recent years it had developed 4golf.com, to another lease for five or 10 years,” he said. you can’t turn the wheels back,” he added.
a no-frills internet venture, and Teetimesany- “It’s difficult to compete nowadays with the
where.com, a golf course booking system. enormous overheads on the high street – the ■ Hays Travel Homeworking report, p10
30.10.2009 09
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