NEWS
Operators plan for bounce-back demand
From left: Phil ntial workers’ T
Nuttall, Charles Duncombe and Derek Jones
Speaking to Travel Weekly, Nuttall added: “We are
dealing with cancellations and rebookings, and to keep customer service levels up, we need an exception. These are frontline workers helping thousands of people and the government needs to recognise that.” Charles Duncombe, director of homeworking firm
Holidaysplease, said: “The government should provide a dispensation to the travel industry whereby assisting customers with travel arrangements should not prevent that member of staff as being classed as furloughed. “Our industry is providing a vital service for British
citizens and it would simply swamp the Foreign Office if we were to take a step back and furlough ourselves. We are not earning income for these services so it’s not a case of trying to earn twice.” Kuoni boss Derek Jones underlined the difference
between travel and other sectors – pointing out the case of Pure Gym, which he said had “100% stop of revenue, but also a 100% reduction in cost”. He said: “The travel industry is not that simple. When it shuts down, it doesn’t shut down.”
Harry Kemble
ravel firms are planning marketing campaigns to tap in to pent-up demand when the UK returns to normal despite not being able to predict when a
bounce-back might start. Jet2holidays is preparing a ‘Back with a Bang’
campaign, and head of trade Alan Cross said other companies could “miss the boat” if they “don’t do it now”. Speaking in a Travel Weekly webcast, Cross added: “When things recover, customers will want that last-minute holiday.” Royal Caribbean International’s Europe boss
Ben Bouldin urged agents to take advantage of the “future opportunity” once the global crisis is over. Speaking in a video message, he said: “There’s
going to be a huge population of people desperate to take a vacation and Q3/Q4 could be a really exciting time for the holiday market, not to mention 2021.” Three industry veterans put rebound strategies
at the centre of a consultancy they set up this week.
Reboundconsulting.co.uk, founded by Holiday Taxis co-founder Steve Endacott, TourHound chief executive Seamus Conlon and former Thomas Cook head of tour operating Will Waggott, is offering free advice to travel firms on how to “survive today, rebound tomorrow”. Endacott said: “There is no point surviving if
there is no rebound plan. If you are not in a position to rebound, you might as well shut up shop for good.”
Saturday, March 28 O
O
Celebrity Cruises takes delivery of new ship Celebrity Apex in a virtual ceremony
Business secretary Alok Sharma announces plans to change insolvency rules, giving companies more time to pay off debts while staying in business
O
Faremine’s head of sales Chris Oakes leaves the company
Monday, March 30 O O
EasyJet grounds entire fleet
P&O Cruises and Cunard extend pause on all sailings by a month, until May 15; MSC Cruises does the same, until April 30
O O
Holland America Line’s coronavirus-hit ship Zaandam is granted permission to sail through the Panama Canal
The Foreign Office announces a £75 million government partnership with airlines to repatriate “tens of thousands” of British tourists stranded overseas
Jet2 is planning a ‘Back with a Bang’ campaign
Recent surveys have revealed mixed sentiments.
Three-quarters of 1,000 Brits asked by Holiday Extras believed they would be able to take a holiday this year, while research by consumer insight consultancy BDRC found that 63% of people had cancelled or expected to cancel a 2020 holiday. The current UK-wide lockdown could last for
six months, England’s deputy chief medical officer, Dr Jenny Harries, warned on Sunday. Derek Jones, chief executive of Kuoni parent
Der Touristik UK, said the operator had started to look at how it would “come back into the marketplace” but warned: “We need to restore confidence in the consumer.” But Steve Dunne, chief executive of marketing
consultancy Digital Drums, urged caution. He said: “I don’t think that there is the stomach for it. This is World War Three for a lot of us. There is no bonanza at the end of this.”
Tuesday, March 31 O O
British Airways stops all Gatwick flights
Operators including Exodus, Grand American Adventures, APT and Cosmos extend tour cancellations
O O
Tui furloughs 11,000 staff, including about 4,500 travel agents
Travel Counsellors says it will furlough ‘a number of’ head office staff
travelweekly.co.uk
2 APRIL 2020
7
PICTURE: Steve Dunlop
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