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passenger record... D


UBLIN Airport welcomed a total of 31.5 million passengers during 2018, setting a new record for the airport. Passenger numbers were up six per cent, as the equivalent


of more than fi ve times the population of the island of Ireland used Dublin Airport last year. An additional 1.9 million passengers were welcomed at the airport during 2018.


About 29.4 million people started and ended their journey at Dublin Airport last year, while a further 2.1 million passengers used the airport as a hub. Short-haul traffi c increased by fi ve per cent to 26.5 million, while long-haul passenger numbers increased by 15 per cent to 5 million. Traffi c growth was underpinned by a strong performance from transatlantic and other long-haul routes, coupled with healthy growth in continental European traffi c and the continued expansion of Dublin Airport as a signifi cant gateway between North America and Europe. Continental European traffi c, which is Dublin Airport’s largest market, increased by seven per cent last year, as almost 16.3 million passengers took fl ights to and from continental European destinations. UK traffi c increased by one per cent, with almost 10.1 million passengers travelling to and from UK airports last year. UK traffi c growth has been sluggish for the past two years due to the weakness of sterling amid concerns about the impact of Brexit on the UK economy. Transatlantic traffi c increased by 16 per cent, as Dublin Airport recorded more than four million annual passengers on North American routes for the fi rst time. Transatlantic traffi c has doubled since 2014. Other international traffi c, which includes fl ights to Asia, the Middle East and Africa, increased by 17 per cent to just over one million. Dublin Airport continued to strengthen its position as a key gateway between Europe and North America, with transfer passenger numbers increasing by 18 per cent to 1.8 million last year. A new €16 million dedicated transfer facility was opened during the year, to help expand this business. A further 240,000


Developer launches untique


‘Love Boat’ to the


UK market The ‘Love Boat’ - a £3.3m Ibiza style fl oating hotel


SIGNATURE Living, the Liverpool based hotel developer and hospitalty operator, has announced it’s latest acquisition with the purchase of a £3.3M ship which it plans to launch as an Ibiza style “fl oating hotel.”


The ship, which is currently receiving


a fi t out in Portugal will take its maiden voyage in August of this year and will carry 632 passengers. The ship is expected to drop anchor and visit the party capitals of Marbella, Ibiza and Majorca for week long residencies.


The “Love Boat” will feature guest name DJs who will fl y in from around the world for one off spectacular DJ sets and residencies. Some of the worlds stellar DJs including the likes of David Guetta, Calvin Harris, Avicci, Alesso, Sebastian Ingrosso, Swedish House Mafi a, Danny


Rampling and Pete Tong are expected to perform alongside dance acts and live PAs from artists such as Clean Bandit, Disclosure, Shift K3Y and MNEK. Entertainment will also come in the form of percussionists, theatrical performers and Alma De Cuba’a dancers renowned for their Rio carnival style dance routines stunning costumes and petal drop spectaculars. Bookings for the Signature Living Love Boat opened in January with prices expected to start at £70 per person per night.


The concept is the brainchild of property developer and hotelier Lawrence Kenwright whose Signature Living hotels group is one of the UK’s most innovative hotel operators and which regularly achieves 98% occupancy across its hotels. Signature Living have always ensured


that its guest experience exceeds expectations and lives as far away from a standard hotel as is possible, but this fl oating hotel will yet again break all the rules.The acquisition of the ship marks an exciting new chapter for the privately owned Signature Living Group. Signature Living was started 10 years ago when co founders Lawrence and Katie Kenwright purchased their fi rst apartment in Liverpool transforming this into party style accommodation for hen and stag parties to the city. They have since built a £500M hotel and hospitality empire.


Signature Living has a portfolio of fi ve operational hotels in Liverpool including the Shankly Hotel, and nine further hotels in development including the soon to be opened George Best hotel in Belfast.


Improved BA dining experience


CUSTOMERS travelling in British Airways’ premium economy cabin, World Traveller Plus are about to see some exciting new improvements to their experience on board. The changes come as part of the airline’s £6.5 billion-pound investment plan.


Changes to the cabin, which will be rolled out over the coming months will include new furnishings, an enhanced service and an improved dining experience.


The delicious new menus will be available from February 1 and feature a third main meal option and a more substantial hot second meal later in the fl ight.


Launch menus, will include braised British beef with roast new potatoes, onion soubise and bourguignon sauce, roasted guinea fowl with braised red cabbage, green beans, roast potato and mustard and chive jus and rigatoni pasta in a creamy garlic and herb sauce with leek, pumpkin and baby spinach.


From the Spring, the airline will also be investing in its World Traveller Plus amenities, with new amenity kits, quilts and pillows.


Carolina Martinoli, British Airways’ Director of Brand and Customer Experience, said: “This latest tranche of our £6.5bn investment is set to improve World Traveller Plus and customers will see a real change to the cabin. In February the new menus will launch, followed in the Spring by the introduction of new amenity kits, quilts and pillows for added comfort and a touch of luxury.” Last year British Airways unveiled a new World Traveller Plus seat at Gatwick. The seat features a 50 per cent larger entertainment screen, as well as a six-way adjustable leg, foot and headrest to suit customers of all heights. The seat will feature on the airline’s A350 aircraft, when it arrives later this year. Customers travelling in World Traveller Plus have the ability to pre-order their main meal up to 24 hours before departure, guaranteeing their fi rst choice for their main meal. Customers can select this option by using the ‘manage my booking’ tool on ba.com


2019 is British Airways’ Centenary year. The airline is investing £6.5 billion for customers over fi ve years, including new aircraft, new cabins, new catering, new lounges, WiFi, and new routes.


British Airways is rolling out improvements in the next few weeks including delicious new menus from February 1 (see story left)


Dublin Airport sets new


passengers transited through Dublin last year – i.e. they passed through the airport but did not change planes. There were 16 new routes at Dublin Airport last year – including new services to Beijing, Hong Kong, Montreal, and Seattle – and capacity increases on 22 existing services, as airlines added fl ights and deployed larger aircraft on some of their Dublin routes.


This year, Dublin Airport will welcome 19 new routes. New long-haul destinations include Calgary, Dallas-Fort Worth, Minneapolis-St Paul, and Hamilton, Ontario. The short- haul network is also expanding, with scheduled fl ights to new destinations such as the Sardinian capital Cagliari, Kyiv, and Gothenburg.


Since 2014, annual passenger numbers at Dublin Airport have increased by 45 per cent from 21.7 million to 31.5 million making it one of the fastest-growing large airports in Europe during that period.


To help cope with this huge growth in traffi c, and to also enable the airport to expand to handle 40 million passengers per year, daa is currently consulting on a major capital investment programme.


The centrepiece of the plan is a €900 million capital investment programme to deliver new boarding gate areas, aircraft parking stands and many other signifi cant improvements. The plan also includes about €200 million in airfi eld works and annual investment of about €120 on repair and maintenance and revenue generating projects.


These investments will be made at no cost to the State, as while daa is State-owned, it is not funded by the taxpayer. There will also be no charge to airport users as under daa’s proposals, airport charges will remain fl at during the forthcoming regulatory period.


Dublin Airport is one of the most important economic assets in the country. It supports or facilitates 117,300 jobs and contributes €8.3 billion annually to the national economy.


Dublin Airport set a new passenger record in 2018 as it welcomed a total of 31.5 million passengers - up six per cent from the previous year


Guides at the heart of SA campaign SOUTH African Tourism is


putting 12 of South Africa’s most passionate guides at the heart of its latest campaign, ‘Meet Your South Africa’, which showcases the wealth of unmissable travel experiences available for holidaymakers to suit all interests, budgets and ages.


The campaign focuses on the destination’s key pillars: adventure, wildlife, culture, cities, natural beauty and food & drink. The ‘Meet Your South Africa’ guides have been handpicked by the tourism board due to their friendliness, charisma and invaluable knowledge and expertise in their fi elds to connect UK travellers with the people of South Africa.


Based across the length and breadth of South Africa, the stars of the campaign include a game ranger, an outdoor adventure guide, a marine biologist, a chef, a wine expert and local city guides. From providing insider tips on local hotspots and wowing holidaymakers with dramatic scenery and exhilarating wilderness activities, to off ering authentic local experiences and ticking off bucket list items such as safari and diving with sharks, the guides all specialise in bringing South Africa’s best experiences to life.


The guides are featured in a new dedicated section of South African Tourism’s website, southafrica. net/meetyoursouthafrica, which includes Q&As, imagery and video content of them and the experiences they off er.


Ryanair axes Holidays division


RYANAIR has closed its holiday division, Ryanair Holidays, two years after promising to shake up the market with its launch.


A statement on its website says: “Ryanair Holidays is discontinuing its service.”


It adds: “Going forward, it is no longer possible to book a package on Ryanair Holidays. However, all previous bookings are unaff ected and will be fulfi lled as planned.”


The holidays division has had a tricky time since it was launched in December 2016, when it promised to transform the market, saying people had been paying too much for their holidays.


At the time, marketing chief Kenny Jacobs said: “Ryanair’s low fares transformed air travel in Europe and now we’re going to transform the package holiday market… off ering our customers the unbeatable combination of Ryanair’s low fares, a wide range of accommodation options and transfers - all on the Ryanair.com website and all at the lowest prices.” In February 2017, the package holiday division was suspended when it accused its software provider Logitravel of ‘illegal screenscraping’. Logitravel denied the accusation, but the partnership was ended. Ryanair Holidays went back on sale the following month after the airline signed a deal with a new software provider, German company HLX Touristik.


February 2019 Travel News


The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival includes a food fair


Rolling Stones top bill


at New Orleans Festival THE New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival, an outdoor extravaganza of music, food and history reaches its golden anniversary in 2019.


And The Rolling Stones, one of the biggest bands in music history have offi cially been announced by organisers as headline performers among a host of other star names. The band performs on Thursday, May 2. The likes of Katy Perry, Tom Jones, Van Morrison and Santana will also be playing at the festival alongside stars of the New Orleans and Louisiana music scene. Numerous local jazz groups, Cajun rhythm and blues bands that embody the iconic sound on New Orleans are appearing across the festival.


The two-weekend festival is one of the premier events of the year in New Orleans, Louisiana. It takes place on the last weekend of April and fi rst weekend of May (April 25 to May 5) at New Orleans Fair Grounds. In honour of its half centenary, the celebrations will kick off a day early (April 25) with soul legends Earth, Wind & Fire appearing on the opening day.


In addition to the wonderful music, the event includes a food fair showcasing over 100 variants of local Louisiana and international delicacies. There is also a craft bazaar featuring the works and creations of numerous regional artists. Tickets are already on sale for the Rolling Stones date on Thursday, May 2.


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