News 01.03.12 Late snow brings sales flurry Patrick Whyte
SKI OPERATORS are preparing for a late ski season boost following record snowfall and an early Easter this year.
The improvement in the market comes after a difficult 2010-11, which saw a 5% drop in UK skiers. The industry is now hopeful that the early Easter and good conditions in the Alps will “generate more bookings than last season, when operators were faced with the challenge of a late Easter and early spring thaw,” according to Vicky Norman of Ski Club of Great Britain. Helen Furlong, a Ski & Activity specialist at Ski Direct, agrees: “We’ve had a buoyant late market in ski this season. Some people are taking a second and third trip. “There seems to be a trend of later spend. People are waiting before they book,” she added. Another positive for the industry is that strong snow levels have
OPERATOR FLIGHTS
Flight-inclusives launch by Superbreak
SUPERBREAK HAS unveiled a new flight-inclusive programme, writes Patrick Whyte.
This will initially feature a number of no-frills carriers and will later be followed by some scheduled airlines. “We have always had accommodation overseas but not the transportation to take them there so it was a natural progression,” said Graham Balmforth, national sales manager at Superbreak. All of Superbreak’s flight-inclusive packages are fully protected under the company’s Atol license and agents can book the flight-inclusive product to any European or domestic destination.
08 01.03.2012
helped prices stay steady. “When we have demand and good
snow, there is no need to drop prices,” said Sophia Phillips a senior sales consultant at Alpine Answers. Ski Direct’s Furlong agreed: “We’ve seen some solid, good discounts but prices have remained sensible.” With helpful ski conditions across most of Europe, the continent is reclaiming skiers lost to North America last year. “France is our biggest ski destination, with Austria and Andorra
being the fastest growing,” said Pete Tyler, managing director of Neilson Holidays. “The snowfall has been
impressive with a mix of fresh powder and plenty of sunshine,” he added.
Good conditions in the French
resorts of Tignes and Les Deux Alpes have even persuaded Neilson to extend its season there by a week.
■Simon Calder shows you how to maximise late ski deals, p23
TTG EXPLORE ADVENTURE
Winners of Everest trip revealed
Four TTGreaders will be heading off to Everest Base Camp on the TTG Explore Adventure after triumphing in a rigorous entry process. The lucky winners are: Joanne
Coleman from Bath Travel in Shillingstone, Dorset; Michelle Stammers, a Co-operative personal travel advisor from Sutton Coldfield; Gareth Peel from Flight Centre in Queen’s Road, Bristol; and Gary Hickman of the Midlands Co-operative. Each of them will be travelling
Conditions in the Alps are good, despite a slow start to the season IN-STORE DESIGN Warm welcome at Kuoni with woolly desk
KUONI IS keeping cosy in Canterbury with a new handknitted meet-and- greet desk. Proving that knitting is the coolest new hobby around, the welcome desk in the new store was lovingly knitted using 3,250 metres of Merino lambswool, other mixed wools and cotton in a variety of eye-catching colours by Margit Viola of Augsburg in Germany. She used 34 balls of wool in a
variety of colours to create her crafting masterpiece, after having been commissioned by Kuoni in 2011. This, says facilities manager at
Kuoni, Julie Day, ensures an unusual and tactile welcome for customers at the new store in Whitefriars
Kuoni’s knitted desk in Canterbury is a real talking point
Shopping Centre. “I wanted to create a dramatic
first impression to the store, as well as an unusual feature. The knitted desk is a real talking point and people love to touch and feel its
texture. There is something about wool that is naturally warm and welcoming; this feel links with what Kuoni wants to convey – the warm welcomes our travellers receive from our staff across the world.”
to Everest with Explore on a once-in-a-lifetime fam trip this May after sharing their life-changing experiences in the competition. The four were among a string of finalists who were interviewed by judges from Explore and TTGin London last month. Look out for more on our winners – and the stories that got them to Everest – in the next issue of TTG.
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