NEWS
DOUBLE CELEBRATION: Popstar Katy Perry officially christened the newest ship in Norwegian Cruise Line’s fleet in a spectacular ceremony in Reykjavik on Saturday, as she also celebrated her daughter Daisy Dove’s second birthday. Norwegian Prima’s naming was held in the ship’s Prima Theater, and included a performance from Icelandic popstar Daði Freyr, the country’s Eurovision entrant in 2020 and 2021, before Perry performed some of her greatest hits. The show also honoured the ship’s crew and paid homage to Knut Kloster, the founder of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, who died in 2020. Harry Sommer (second right), NCL chief executive, said Prima’s christening was “the pinnacle of everything our 55-year history has been preparing us for”. i Prima ‘elevates NCL’s quality’, page 8
Strong August sales help ease fears over cost-of-living impact
Samantha Mayling
Agents remain largely bullish about soaring inflation and sky-high energy bills, saying bookings are buoyant and they can capitalise on higher prices. Energy regulator Ofgem said the
price cap for households will rise by 80% in October but, unlike for consumers, there is no cap for commercial energy bills. Nevertheless, Gemma
increase would “undoubtedly bite” but destinations such as Japan, Australia and New Zealand were now back on sale and consumers were still likely to prioritise holiday spending. Aito and other organisations such
Antrobus, owner of Haslemere Travel and chair of Aito Agents, said businesses that had pared back costs during the pandemic “should be OK”. “Those who have been leaner –
keeping costs down – will weather the storm better,” she said. “If you are maximising this
amazing demand and not discounting, you should be making more money than before Covid as prices are higher.” Bharat Gadhoke, Aito’s head of commercial, said the cost-of-living
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as Abta and The Advantage Travel Partnership are enabling members to spread the cost of their subscription fees this year to help with cashflow. Danny Waine, Abta’s head of membership, said: “We are acutely aware that members are heading into the cost-of- living crisis after the worst
two years of trade.” The association will continue
lobbying when the new prime minister is appointed, calling for business rates support to be extended and for financial packages, especially for SMEs and independent traders. Abta LifeLine, which helps
members facing hardship, has seen applications rise, although not currently at levels seen during the Thomas Cook collapse or onset of
the pandemic. However, director Trudie Clements said: “It’s clear we’re going to see an awful lot more.” Premier Travel director
Paul Waters said the chain was monitoring its spending, adding: “We are speaking to our teams about partners who offer higher levels of commissions and suppliers that The Travel Network Group highlights as offering additional overrides.” He said staff were also striving
to cut costs by preventing draughts, installing more-economical heaters and turning off unused equipment. Ashley Quint, travel agent at
TravelTime World, is seeking to turn a negative into a positive with a campaign called ‘The Heat Is On’. His marketing highlights costs per
day for long-stay winter-sun holidays to encourage people to head overseas and avoid high bills in the UK. TravelTime World moved into
smaller premises in January 2020, cutting costs such as rates and its lease. Homeworking group InteleTravel
said its agents benefited from low overheads – they pay £32 a month to the group – and transactions in August were up 21% year on year. Advantage Travel Partnership
chief commercial officer Kelly Cookes also reported strong sales, with 46% of bookings for departures within 12 weeks. She said there were some
“rumblings” about the cost of living over the bank holiday but highlighted how the consortium can support members with webinars on issues such as cashflow, and HR and legal support. The Personal Travel Consultants
in Partnership with Blue Bay Travel reported “really strong” sales in August and sales manager Abbie Heaton commented: “Some of our top sellers have achieved record-breaking sales of £300,000 each for August.” Samantha Bruton, GoCruise &
Travel head of franchise, said August was the best month of the year so far but cost-of-living pressures could slow sales for winter 2023-24.
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PICTURE: Tristan Fewings
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