‘Creative’ agents enlist TV stars to promote line
Samantha Mayling
A Brilliant Travel homeworker who “took a leap” when she met
the winners of Race Across The World at a conference is set to host the TV stars on a river cruise with the help of A-Rosa. Michelle Stammers, who runs
The Travel Genius in Sutton Coldfield, approached Cathie Rowe and Tricia Sail after the stars spoke at last September’s Barrhead Travel conference in Palma, Majorca. “I had an idea, thinking outside
the box, to promote my business to a broader audience and wondered if they would be interested in a collaboration,” said Stammers. “I needed to take that leap to ask
Cathie and Tricia. I chatted to the A-Rosa team there too, then with their head office. “A-Rosa recognises the value of
agents, and it’s nice to have a supplier who supports your ‘self-fam’.” Stammers is working on the
marketing project with friend and fellow Brilliant agent Carrie Gibson, who is based in Lichfield and will join the cruise. The agents are paying for the Stansted-Cologne flights, while A-Rosa is supplying cabins for the week-long Southern Rhine Experience cruise, departing May 25.
Race Across the World winners Tricia Sail (left) and Cathie Rowe
Michelle
Stammers (left) and Carrie Gibson
“We have to invest in our business
to make it grow,” said Stammers. Lucia Rowe, A-Rosa River Cruises
managing director, commented: “We are delighted to be supporting Michelle with this trip. Watching an agent being creative and actively going the extra mile to promote river cruising is so encouraging and something we just love to see.” Cathie and Tricia said: “This
will be the first time for us on a river cruise and we are so excited to see what it will have in store. The ship looks amazing; we are sure it will exceed our expectations.” The agents will film a live taster
Premier Travel targets cruise growth with new appointment
Premier Travel has recruited Rachel Brinkley from Fred Olsen Travel to take up the newly created role of cruise business development manager. The East Anglian chain said growing interest from new and returning customers in cruise holidays, together with the influx of new ships, had “highlighted the need for a dedicated expert to steer the company’s cruise strategy”.
8 2 MAY 2024
video with Cathie and Tricia before they depart, then share the stars’ experiences on social media. Stammers highlighted the
importance of networking at conferences and taking the initiative with self-fams. “I take a list of bookings for the coming year and ask suppliers for little extras for my clients such as upgrades,” she said. “It is not just a jolly; you’re there for a reason, it’s your business. “Last year, I did Fred Olsen,
Windstar and MSC self-fams with agent rates. I had breast cancer in the pandemic, so normal fams are too tiring. I’m on the mend now.”
Ambassador Cruise Line seeks recruits for several vacancies
Ambassador Cruise Line is recruiting to fill the new role of deputy head of trade, along with vacancies for business development managers and business development executives. The ex- UK line said revenue more than doubled year on year in the first month of trading since the 2025-26 programme went on sale in March.
EasyJet blames ‘cancelled’ flights on technical error
EasyJet has blamed a “technical error” after some customers were incorrectly told their flights had been cancelled just two days before departure. Agents whose customers were
affected received an email about cancellations, but were informed soon afterwards that the original services were still operating. The budget airline issued a
statement apologising for the mistake, which said: “EasyJet can confirm that unfortunately, on April 28, some customers received an incorrect notification stating that their flight on April 30 was cancelled. This was due to a technical error and all customers were quickly sent updated messages with a confirmation their flight was operating as normal. “We would like to apologise for
this and any inconvenience caused.” The carrier said it was ensuring
customers are reimbursed if they booked alternative travel. Those who made alternative
arrangements could contact customer services to resolve the matter, it added. Some customers took to X to say
they had received emails and text messages about the cancellations, with some adding they had already taken the advice included in easyJet’s original message and rebooked an alternative flight.
Cosmos and Avalon earn award for high customer service levels
Cosmos Tours and Avalon Waterways have been awarded the ServiceMark accreditation for customer service with distinction. The Globus UK brands claim the accreditation from the Institute of Customer Service (ICS) is an “industry first”. The award was the result of a survey conducted by the ICS that questioned customers and staff on their engagement and satisfaction with the brands.
travelweekly.co.uk
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