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New hotel check service on way
HEALTH AND safety firm Check Safety First is offering a new free service to tour operators to help them to assess standards at hotels. Its TourCheck service will enable operators to download reports on hotels from its internet- based hotel auditing system E-Cristal. Reports from 1,600 hotels including updated information on health and safety will be available. Jason Burnett, Check Safety First’s technical
director, said: “We have a large amount of data on the hygiene levels of hotels we work with. “The food module alone has 250 checkpoints. It seemed obvious to use this data for the benefit the entire travel industry.” Burnett said that hotels had to agree to have their information sent to operators, but many were seeing it as a “marketing tool” which would increase operators’ confidence in their property. “Hotels’ reactions have been positive as it will
save them and tour operators time,” he said. Check Safety First has been working with the
FTO on TourCheck to ensure it is relevant to operators. The service will be available from January 2011.
Seasons name goes out of style
LUXURY OPERATOR Seasons in Style has changed its name to Seasons. The company said it had
shortened its name to refresh its brand. It has also started using the slogan: “We live the places you’ll love.” Managing director Paul
Seasons’ new-look website
Beacall said: “We decided now was the right time to refresh our brand and highlight our distinctive travel knowledge.” Beacall added that Seasons staff had visited
every destination in its programme and that knowledge would give them an edge over competitors in the sector. Seasons has launched three brochures for 2011 and redesigned its website, at
seasons.co.uk
22 22.10.2010
Explore plots path to agent bookings
Rob Gill. ADVENTURE OPERATOR Explore is vowing to work more closely with agents as it looks to boost trade bookings. The specialist, which is part of Holidaybreak,
will offer 30 places on a series of fam trips in 2011 to help increase its profile with agents. Destinations will be revealed in the next few weeks. Explore is also due to launch a new training
course with TTG Knowledge College. Commercial development manager Michelle
Laverick said the fam trips were part of a wider strategy to offer agents more support in selling Explore’s holidays. “Our key objective is to offer more support to
the trade,” she said. “Bookings have not gone down through the
trade in the past couple of years, but we would like to increase them. We have been discussing what we can do to help agents with individual consortia.” Other trade initiatives will include increased
agency visits by sales staff and the introduction of a dedicated trade team in Explore’s call centre. “The adventure market is growing as people
are looking for more than just fly-and-flop holidays,” said Laverick. “We also do not offer online discounts.” Explore has launched its brochures for
2011, splitting the programme into Active and Discovery brochures as it celebrates its 30th
New tours of Lebanon feature in Explore’s 2011 brochures
anniversary next year. Laverick said the Active brochure focused on
tours with activities such as walking, trekking and cycling, while the Discovery brochure was based more on seeing sights and experiencing local communities and culture. Explore has also added holidays that include
voluntary work in Nepal, South Africa or India. New tours are offered in destinations such as Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, El Salvador, Lebanon, Palestine, Mozambique, Sudan and Zimbabwe.
Win an Explore fam place: Agents can enter to win one of the first 10 fam trip places, with one entry for each Explore booking or two entries for a new tour booking up to December 15. The winners will be selected in a prize draw.
020 7921 8011
rgill@ttglive.com
Rob Gill
Spa programme debut for ITC Classics
ITC CLASSICS is offering more cruise holidays, tours, villas and health trips in its expanded programme for next year. One of the major developments in the
upmarket operator’s 338-page brochure for 2011 is its first holistic spa programme, which features eight resorts around the world. Chief executive Jennifer Atkinson said: “No
operator in our sector was offering holistic trips at this level. Sport is a unique focus for us, and cruising is a key growth area.
“These are areas where we either have the
expertise, or are holidays where we know we can add value and help clients on trips they may otherwise struggle to put together themselves.” ITC has also added eight destinations for next
year, including Croatia, India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Brazil, Peru and Canada. Additional resorts include Buccament Bay on
St Vincent, Shangri-La’s Villingili in the Maldives, Florence’s Il Salviatino and Marrakech’s reopened La Mamounia.
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