Travel Agents Choice Awards WINNERS' NEWS
ENGLAND
THE Great Britain Tourism Survey revealed that domestic overnight holiday trips were up nine per cent in both Britain and England during July, compared to the same month in 2012, with visitors spending £1.8 billion over the month. The good weather helped to boost tourism, with 12% changing their holiday plans as a result of the weather. 17% said they were 'more likely' to take a holiday in England. Visit England is supporting the trade role in this trend through its online training, which won the Short Haul Travel Uni Training Programme award.
englandexpert.com
VIKING
VIKING RIVER CRUISES picked up the agents' award for River Cruising Holidays just as it moved into ocean cruising with the Viking Ocean Cruises product line. The ocean cruises will begin sailing in May 2015, with the fi rst vessel— Viking Star — embarking on maiden voyages in Scandinavia and the Baltic, and the Western and Eastern Mediterranean. The company has aggressive
expansion plans in both the ocean and river cruise categories with a second ocean ship due for delivery in 2016 and conditional orders and options for four more. Ten new river ships were christened in March 2013 and 14 new river ships are due to launch in 2014.
vikingrivercruises.co.uk
TITAN TRAVEL
PERHAPS it is little wonder Titan Travel won a highly commended place in the awards (for river cruising holidays) if agent relations with the company generally mirror those of Karen Waters and Skyplane Worldchoice, Norwich. Karen recently earned herself a well-deserved bouquet from the operator after she secured £35,000 worth of Titan bookings – IN ONE DAY! That's an amazing achievement for Karen and Skyplane and a clear indication that there are some fantastic bookings up for grabs out there – even late in the year.
titantravel.co.uk
BRITISH AIRWAYS BRITISH AIRWAYS is looking good
with two award wins in this year's Travel Agents Choice Awards. In a partnership with Elemis, the airline has unveiled new- look airport travel spas and new infl ight amenity kits in Club World. The revamped spas at JFK and Terminal 5 Heathrow offer a range of pre-fl ight pampering options.
batraveltrade.com
CLASSIC COLLECTION
IT HAS been a year of celebrations for Classic Collection Holidays as it commemorates its 25th anniversary year. Sales to all destinations are currently 11% up year on year with Algarve, Italy, Malta, France, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lisbon, Greek Islands, Croatia and La Palma all out-performing this impressive growth statistic. A new cities brochure, due in January, will include classic short stay destinations such as New York, Paris and Amsterdam as well as Dubrovnik, Marrakech, Nice, Monaco and Valletta and more. Options for Croatia and Greece are also set to expand in 2014.
classic-collection.co.uk
Pictured: Vanda Bauer, Head of Marketing & PR, Classic Collection Holidays, receives the award for best Short Haul Tour Operator
WENDY WU TOURS
WENDY WU received recognition from agents just as it launched a new agent website and incentive club to support and reward retailers. The Bambu Club helps agents build their expertise and convert more sales in Asia. For more information, see page 67.
wendywutours.co.uk
ROTANA
ROTANA has upped its commitment to the environment with a new corporate sustainability programme, Rotana Earth, which addresses environmental, economic and social sustainability across its portfolio of 89 properties. The group is set to open 10 additional hotels in the coming year.
rotana.com
Pictured: Collecting the best Airline to
Latin America & the Caribbean Award; and the best Short Haul Airline Award is Keith Chuter, Sales Manager Specialised
Markets, British Airways, with Martin Steady, MD, BMI Publishing
Pictured: Ben Briggs, Marketing Manager, Wendy Wu Tours, celebrates a win in the Long Haul Escorted Tour Operator category
Pictured: Omar Kaddori, Area Vice President, Rotana Hotels & Resorts, highly commended in the Hotel/Resort in the Middle East category
www.sellinglonghaul.com
December 2013 41
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