July/August 2023
Celestyal Expands in Key Markets with New VP Appointment
CELESTYAL continues to invest and expand
in key markets with the
appointment of Janet Parton to the brand new role of Vice President, Business Development – UK, Europe & Australia. Parton has a wealth of experience having
spent over 20 years in the travel industry working across a number of sectors including cruise, tour operating and retail. She currently chairs the CLIA Specialist Cruise Committee and is a member of the ATAS Trade Engagement Committee. Parton joins from the Globus Family of Brands where she was Sales & Marketing Director for Cosmos and Avalon Waterways as well as part of the Executive Team. Prior to that she was Head of Sales UK & ROI for MSC Cruises. Within her new role, Parton’s primary
focus will be on developing and executing the strategic business development plan for her designated region of responsibility, and ensuring its accurate, effective and efficient implementation in order to support Celestyal’s business growth and profitability. She will also position and build the UK, European and Australian distribution to support the business as a tour provider of multi-destination rich itineraries.
Lee Haslett, Celestyal’s Chief Commercial
Officer, comments: “I am delighted to welcome Janet to Celestyal and am confident that her strong business development and leadership skills, along with a keen commercial sense and a proven track record of leading and motivating high performing teams in the travel sector, will prove invaluable as we continue to broaden our presence in key markets.” Parton added: “Celestyal is a company
with huge ambition and I’m relishing the opportunity to help them achieve their objectives of increasing their presence in key international markets as well as consolidating their position as the leading provider of the award-winning, multi- destination holiday experiences in Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean.”
MY BOOKING REWARDS
REPORTS RECORD BREAKING PEAKS PERFORMANCE
MY Booking Rewards (MBR), reports record breaking figures for its Peaks 2023 campaign. In the period from December 2022-April 2023, MBR saw UK agents earn £122,000 in tangible rewards from logging more than 22,700 bookings. MBR suppliers also saw record returns, with those logged bookings resulting in a combined sales revenue of £147 million. Likewise, new agents flocked to register at
www.mybookingrewards.com during Peaks, with 7,000 new members (versus 3,000 during Peaks 2022) starting to reap the benefits of additional cash income, free room nights, FAM trip places and more. Globally, MBR’s Peaks 2023 campaign has
helped agents to earn a staggering £158,000 ($200,000 USD) in bonus rewards income, whilst suppliers have generated sales revenue of approximately £160 million ($200 million). Darren Pearson, CEO, My Booking Rewards, comments: “Peaks 2023 has been outstanding and, as always, we thank our agent friends and supplier members for continuing to utilise the MBR platform to the best of its ability.
WOMEN golfers are being urged to get their entries in for an exciting competition, hosted by the upmarket Lough Erne resort in Fermanagh and boasting a main prize of a five day, all inclusive cruise on the MSC Virtuosa with premium drinks package included. The Faldo Course Summer Open is a singles stableford open competition, with both men’s and ladies section prizes up for grabs. Altogether the prize fund is worth £3,000, including golf gear, accessories, four-balls and much more. LG Travel NI, of Portadown, are the headline sponsor and visitor entry fee is only £50. Fiona Cathcart, Lady Captain of the
“It is the MBR mission to offer a rewards resource that actively supports agents’ earning potential in conjunction with providing an intuitive sales stimulus for suppliers; these figures demonstrate that our unique rewards led formula does just that. Our supplier members also reap the benefits of agile technology that allows them to truly target their sales focus via specific booking timeframes, travel dates and even by product.” Peaks culminated in MBR’s seventh
annual Peaks Performance Awards, which celebrated outstanding agent sales performance during peaks. Combining luxury prizes with an evening of entertainment, this is the only agent event to nominate winners based on their qualified sales performance. Pictured L-R: Peggy Sue, Compere; Angelica Diaz-Arnett, Head of Global Partnerships, OTT; Gwalia Howells, Hays Travel and Darren Pearson, CEO, My Booking Rewards. My Booking Rewards is a fully integrated
online solution that supports rewarding relationships by bringing together agents and suppliers. Agents can earn and learn from one easily accessed portal that offers direct interaction with over 1200 hotels and resorts worldwide. Suppliers can engage with an active network of 10,000 agents, incentivising sales in key markets to drive and convert bookings. MBR is also HMRC approved so financial management across the portal is simple; agent earnings can be officially taxed at source and NI contributions for UK corporations are also calculated and paid. Agents can sign up to My Booking Rewards
today and start earning immediately by visiting
www.mybookingrewards.com.
Local Travel Agency Announced as Headline Sponsor for Summer Golf Open
Lough Erne club, said, “I am very excited for the upcoming Summer Open taking place on Thursday, July 20 on the Faldo Course. “We as a club would like to send
a sincere thank you to our main headline sponsor LG Travel NI, who has supported this event with very generous sponsorship towards the vast array of prizes. “We would also like to mention a word
of thanks to all of the sponsors who are involved with this prestigious event, along with the support from Barry McCauley, Golf Operations Manager, and The Lough Erne Resort Golf Team with the organisation of the event behind the scenes.”
The Scenic Group Drive UK Growth with New Leadership Team
NICHOLA Absalom will become sales and marketing director for the UK business and Ian Wentworth to general manager UK, jointly leading The Scenic Group in the UK – which includes Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours and Emerald Cruises. Together, Absalom and Wentworth will be responsible for driving the businesses ambitious growth plans and maintaining their market leading positions in the UK travel industry. Absalom, reporting directly to Glen Moroney, Scenic Group chairman and founder, will oversee the entire sales and marketing function including digital, direct and trade sales. Andrea Stafford, director of trade sales will continue to own the trade strategy and commercial relationships reporting into Absalom.
www.nitravelnews.com
TRADE NEWS | 53
Brand-New “Quick and Easy Platform” Agent Website Launched for Belleair Following JTA Acquisition
FOLLOWING the recent message regarding the acquisition of “Belleair Holidays” by Alfendo Limited the parent company of JTA Travel Group, the new
www.Belleair.co.uk agent only website is now live for agents to search and make bookings. A spokesperson for
Belleair.co.uk said:
“The brand-new website will give agents access to the latest version of our booking engine and will provide a quick and easy platform to search and book a wide range of
top resorts and great flight package options. “We also provide an expert tailor-made team booking service for the more complex requests that cannot be completed through the website. “Since the brand was established back
in 1977, Belleair Holidays has been known as the go-to travel specialist for Malta, building a strong reputation for offering exceptional service and expertise in this market, and we are proud to continue doing so with our new website and relaunch.”
Tourism Ireland Brings Good Vibrations To The Big Apple
THE Spotlight will be on Belfast’s music and culture in New York this summer as the Lyric Theatre’s musical show Good Vibrations kicks off a five-week run in the Irish Arts Center in New York. Tourism Ireland hosted a preview event, in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Bureau and the Irish Consulate, which was attended by leading travel trade representatives, as well as travel and lifestyle journalists, based in New York. Te guests heard about Belfast’s rich musical heritage, its wonderful contribution to music and why American holidaymakers should come and visit. Guests also had the opportunity to meet some of the cast and writers of Good Vibrations – which is based on the award-winning movie of the same name and tells the story of radical and charismatic punk music fanatic Terri Hooley and his journey to open a record shop, start a music label and keep music in general accessible in Belfast in the early 1970s.
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