NEWS ROUND-UP NEWS IN BRIEF
Hurtigruten orders new expedition ship for 2021
Hurtigruten has ordered a third hybrid-powered expedition cruise ship. The 530-passenger vessel will be custom-built with an ice-strengthened hull, and is due for delivery by summer 2021. The line has 17 cruise ships.
Far East specialist Lee’s Travel ceases trading
North London travel agency Lee’s Travel has ceased trading. The Far East specialist was the parent company of Forever Cruises, Oz Flights, Fly Club and
Sumoflights.com. It had an Atol licence for 5,000 passengers. A week earlier, Lee’s Travel missed a payment to Iata’s Billing and Settlement Plan.
Exodus Travels acquires Headwater Holidays
Adventure operator Exodus Travels has acquired self-guided holiday specialist and sister company Headwater Holidays. Both are owned by Travelopia. The deal, which went through on October 1, was announced last week. Exodus said it saw “huge potential for growth within the self-guided market”.
Advantage cruise forum postponed until March
The sixth Advantage Travel Partnership cruise conference, which was due to be held in Barcelona this month, has been postponed until March. Delegates had been scheduled to tour MSC Seaview but will now get to see MSC Bellissima.
Ryanair rebuts claims it failed to act on racist abuse
Ryanair has hit out at accusations that it failed to act over racist abuse by a passenger on a flight from Barcelona. The airline said it “immediately” reported the incident to Essex Police when it was made aware the day after.
‘Luxury cruise sector risks losing its exclusive tag’
Harry Kemble
harry.kemble@
travelweekly.co.uk
The ‘exclusivity’ of luxury cruising could be diluted by the number of ships coming into the market, two senior industry figures have warned.
In the past four weeks, Silversea
has agreed deals to build three ships, including one designed to operate around the Galapagos Islands, while MSC Cruises has announced plans to launch four luxury vessels from 2023. MSC said its 1,000-passenger
ships would make “luxury experiences more accessible” as the sector becomes increasingly popular.
Clia UK chairman Tony Roberts said last month around a quarter of the 100-plus ships currently on order will be luxury vessels. Frank Del Rio, chief executive of
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH), whose brands include luxury line Regent Seven Seas Cruises, said he welcomed “all competitors”, before issuing a warning to new entrants coming into the luxury market. “If you make it too accessible,
Former agent Hunter appears in court on nine fraud charges
Former travel agent Rita Hunter has been remanded in custody after appearing in court on nine fraud charges. The ex-homeworker appeared
at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on October 24 after being arrested by police a day earlier. Hunter is accused of booking holidays for clients that later
8
travelweekly.co.uk 1 November 2018
MCAULEY: ‘Prices will drop’
“If you make it too accessible, it is not luxury. The core of luxury is it is limited”
it is not luxury,” he said. “The core principle of luxury is it is limited, exclusive.” Lisa McAuley, former UK boss of
Silversea Cruises who joined Gold Medal and Travel 2 last year, said: “The industry is going to have to grow at a significant pace to keep up with the amount of ships on order. If prices drop, it will open up a greater audience. Do I think
DEL RIO: ‘Luxury is exclusive’
we run the risk of that? Yes, I do. I don’t see the market growing at the speed the ships are coming.” McAuley said overcapacity was one of a number of challenges facing the industry, adding that overcapacity in the luxury sector would affect “onboard dynamics”. “A different clientele can lead to
a perception that a brand has lost its ultra-luxury tag,” she said. Anthony Daniels, Hurtigruten’s
new UK general manager, warned overcapacity could also affect the expedition sector. “Too much capacity could be a problem,” he said. “Expedition cruising cannot become a mass-market product.”
turned out to be bogus. Victims claim they handed over thousands of pounds for accommodation and flights and either did not receive tickets or arrived in destinations to find hotels had not been booked. The incidents were reported to
HUNTER: Court appearance
Merseyside Police, which launched an investigation at the end of last year. Hunter, 63, of Sankey Road, Liverpool, had been operating under the name Platinum Travel, but has since closed the business. Her previous business, Hunters Travel, went bankrupt last year.
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