NEWS ROUND-UP NEWS IN BRIEF


Advantage conference to focus on tech and humans


The 2017 Advantage Travel Partnership Conference in Provence in May will focus on how smart technology and human service can enhance travel. Sessions will include the Human Factor, The Tech Zone and It’s All About Me – When Machine Meets Man.


Southall Travel to advertise at Premier League matches


The Southall Travel brand will appear on pitch-side boards at English Premier League football matches this season. The group has made a “significant” but undisclosed investment in the ad campaign.


Coast presenter sails round UK on Caribbean Princess


Princess Cruises will feature on BBC2’s Coast on Sunday (November 6). Presenter Tessa Dunlop travelled on Caribbean Princess on a round-Britain sailing. The episode focuses on the history and evolution of sailing in the Irish Sea.


Cook to open second own brand ‘Casa’ hotel in Kos


Thomas Cook is to open a 100- room Casa Cook hotel on the Greek island of Kos in July 2017, its second own-brand property. Cook said 90% of guests at its first, Casa Cook Rhodes, which opened in May, were new.


Two agents win Dubai trip to celebrate new Legoland opening


Two agents have bagged all-expenses-paid trips to Dubai as Dubai Parks and Resorts celebrates the opening of the Middle East’s first Legoland. Legoland, which opened alongside Riverland, is one of a new complex of four theme parks.


Dubai hopes to overtake Florida


as the family theme park capital of the world with the new attractions, to be followed by a Bollywood


8 travelweekly.co.uk 3 November 2016


Trailfinders and Celebrity create lawn club in store


Natasha Salmon


natasha.salmon@ travelweekly.co.uk


High street agency Trailfinders has partnered with Celebrity Cruises to create a ‘lawn club’ area following a refurbishment of one of its London stores, which now focuses on cruise and premium travel.


The lawn club feature is a


seating area with artificial grass surrounded by Celebrity Cruises brochures and promotional material. It reflects the half-acre of real grass on all Celebrity Solstice- class ships, which was introduced to create a “country club atmosphere”. It follows an overhaul of the


Kensington High Street shop in August, which was previously an administration base but now boasts a sleek minimalist design to reflect the luxury holidays on offer. The transformation of the store


was in response to increasing customer interest in cruise and, since the opening, the company has reported a surge in sales following years of steady growth. Trailfinders has a second shop in the same high street that also underwent a refurbishment but focuses on worldwide travel.


LAWN AND ORDER: David Ness (right) and staff at the revamped store


“The ‘lawn club’ in the shop is great exposure for what Celebrity can offer”


Cruise director David Ness said:


“Trailfinders had always sold cruise holidays, but as we saw a huge increase in interest we set up a dedicated cruise department. “This was seven years ago and as business progressed we invested heavily in the refurbishment of one of our Kensington stores. Since transforming it we have had an even larger up-take in cruise interest.” Ness put the increase in cruise


sales down to a generational change among customers, and said interest in cruising was increasing among new customers too. “We have a lot of first-time


customers, and previous customers who have never cruised before. “It is all about how we can make the best of these holidays as our unique proposition is offering long-haul tailor-made holidays. “We have got a close working


relationship with Celebrity Cruises and the ‘lawn club’ area at the front of the shop is great exposure for what Celebrity can offer, and therefore the kind of premium cruise holiday we can tailor for our customers.”


WINNERS: Jackie Prats and Annette Beckford, with Dubai Parks and Resorts’ Ian Scott


theme park and Dubai Motiongate before the end of the year. Agents were invited to a


birthday party-themed evening


in London on the day Legoland Dubai opened its doors. The winners, picked after a


Deal or No Deal-style game and a series of challenges, were Co- Operative personal travel advisor Jackie Prats from Chingford, and Annette Beckford, a London-based homeworker and group specialist working for Global Getaways. One finalist won a £100


Love2shop voucher and five others won a Dubai Parks goody bag.


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