“Resident squirrels should probably give the area a wide berth”


CLAIRE DODD TAKES UP THE ARCHERY CHALLENGE, P37


RANTS & RAVES


Thanks for your sensationalist headline, TTG(“FCO alters Egypt advice”, ttgdigital.com February 21) – who is the message for? Please be advised that there are no tourist


routes, resorts or destinations in the


areas referred to by the FCO advice…it refers to areas near El Arish and Gaza which are not really tourist areas anyway. Philip Breckner Discover Egypt


If this is the advice the Foreign Office gives, perhaps we should look at closing the whole department down (“Foreign Office slammed over Greece advice”, ttgdigital.com). Do we need it anymore? Nick Cooper Villa Plus


I have lived in Greece for 22 years, before that I lived in London. I certainly did not feel that safe in London for the 38 years I lived there. I can honestly say that I have had and still do feel 100% safe here even with all the current problems. I think that before politicians and the media can write such startling accusations about safety and scaremongering comments, they should visit this country and her islands, to find out for themselves what the real Greece is really like. Marilyn Day Hellenic Zeus


OPINION


Savvy agents can still steal ski sales


HOWEVER LONG you have worked in travel, it can still appear a baffling industry. For example, any winter- sports addict reading the travel sections of the Sunday papers could be perplexed about how prices will look for the rest of the season. One headline read: “More snow in the Alps means fewer last-minute bargains”. A rival newspaper agreed about the benevolent conditions, but insisted that it would have the opposite effect: “Heavy snowfall leads to late-season ski deals”. This is where the good travel agent comes in. There’s no argument that the Alps are enjoying superb snow conditions, in marked contrast to last year’s bare foothills and slushy summits. At Easter last year, skiers and boarders were bussed to Les Deux Alpes from surrounding resorts because only its glacier assured reasonable snow. And after some of the best snow in decades, many winter-sports fans who have already enjoyed a ski holiday are keen for a second trip to the slopes. As a result, both headlines have some merit. The first two weeks of the Easter break, which can be a lean time for ski operators, are seeing a surge in demand. While there is still some capacity, prices are looking


MANAGEMENT Chris Kilbee managing director 020 7955 3785


EVENTS Matthew Papworth event coordinator 020 7921 8186 Matthew.papworth@ubm.com


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HOW TO CONTACT US Address TTG, Third Floor, Ludgate House, 245 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 9UY Email Initial followed by surname@ttgdigital.com eg bsneath@ttgdigital.com (except for those listed) Talk ttgeditors@ttgdigital.com Website www.ttgdigital.com Fax Editorial 020 7921 8034 Fax Advertising 020 7921 8034 Printed by Polestar Colchester Ltd. ISSN 0262-4397 © UBM BE Media 2012


easyJet flight from Innsbruck to Gatwick is £205; that would buy you eight seats on the corresponding outbound flight the same day. Great deals are available to


Simon Calder, travel journalist


much firmer than last year. But a canny agent will be contacting customers who can be flexible about their plans – and proposing a trip in the third week of April. The snow, particularly in high resorts, looks sure to last; some resorts are planning to remain open into May. And by some intelligent use of “bin- end” flights, agents can put together trips that will offer startling value. For many operators in many


resorts, the season ends on the weekend of April 14-15. The aircraft will be largely full for the homebound flight – but going outbound, there are bargains galore. On April 15, the inbound fare for an


Geneva, Grenoble, Turin and other key ski gateways, and even to the normally high-priced niche airports of Sion and Chambery. On the trains, the last Eurostar overnight ski train from London St Pancras to Bourg St- Maurice departs on April 13, with one-way seats for £84 (40% less than the price a week earlier). The smart agent will combine one of these deals with a more circuitous trip back, perhaps flying home from Geneva rather than Chambery. Hoteliers and chalet owners are


likely to be cutting rates to cash in on the bonus of an extra week or two of business, while some resorts are already offering cut-price lift passes for the second half of April. Tie it all together and you can offer customers a week’s skiing, with pretty much everything included, for little more than a trip to the Med. Only one problem remains: the tangled business of consumer protection. Are you an agent for the consumer, legally as well as morally? That’s a whole new, and deeply baffling, subject.


TTG Uk & Ireland is part of a global network of travel trade media which includes TTG Asia, TTG Czech Republic, TTG Hungary, TTG Italia, TTG Mena, TTG Nordic, TTG Poland and TTG Russia


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