NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW 4


Travelzoo boss spearheads solo travel campaign


Lucy Huxley lucy.huxley@travelweekly.co.uk


Travelzoo is spearheading a new campaign urging the industry to do more for solo travellers.


On the back of exclusive


research, the deals publisher has launched ‘Solo September’ and issued a rallying call to the trade to support the initiative. UK general manager Joel


Brandon-Bravo said: “The number of people travelling solo every year has doubled since 2010. Surprisingly, 60%


of people travelling alone are in relationships and 38% have already travelled solo. It’s not just young backpackers or older widowed people, but customers who are choosing to do something that interests them. It’s a growing market – yet the biggest frustration is single supplements.” Brandon-Bravo said he received


a groundswell of support when he presented his research at Abta’s Solo Travel Conference in June. “There were about 50 suppliers


in the room. When I asked for a show of hands for support for a campaign, 49 did so,” he said.


Travelzoo will launch a


website, Soloseptember.com, on September 1 and has designed a logo for supporters to use to support the campaign. The site will feature solo travel deals with no or very low single supplements that can be booked in September. They will range from late deals for this year through to 2019 holidays. Participating companies so far


are Caribtours, Collette, Cox & Kings, On The Go Tours, Riviera Travel, STA Travel and Travel Club Elite. Fred Olsen Cruise Lines,


Premier Holidays and Titan are close to joining, Brandon-Bravo said. As well as curated solo


traveller deals, Travelzoo’s site will explain to consumers what #SoloSeptember is about through video blogs and include a list of supporting partners and suppliers. Brandon-Bravo stressed: “This is bigger than Travelzoo. Our members are everyone else’s customers, so we want to rally the travel industry to see solo travel as an opportunity. It will only get momentum if everyone is on board – a rising tide lifts all ships.”


5 STORIES HOT


5 Intrepid aims to build 60-ship fleet


Harry Kemble harry.kemble@travelweekly.co.uk


Intrepid Travel plans to build its first own small ship by 2022 – and to “disrupt” the expedition cruise sector by creating a fleet of 60.


The small vessels, which will


carry about 50 passengers, will add to its current fleet of seven chartered ships, which operate in destinations including Vietnam, Thailand, Croatia, Iceland, Spain and Morocco.


Filippos Venetopoulos, Intrepid’s


general marine manager, said he was in talks with shipyards around the world, but in advanced discussions with sites in Croatia. Intrepid vowed to


build at least one ship a year.


In the long term, the operator aims to account for 1% of the $40 billion cruise industry. Venetopoulos


said: “Our goal is 6 travelweekly.co.uk 2 August 2018


to disrupt the industry, but we also want to be the most affordable and most sustainable line. “By 2022, we will certainly


Filippos


Venetopoulos: ‘We want to


be owning vessels. We are already talking to shipyards about launching vessels on a yearly basis.” Venetopoulos said the operator’s first ships would be designed to target passengers “who have been on a big


launch ships on a yearly basis’


cruise ship but did not like the experience”, as well as new-to- cruise passengers. Intrepid, which currently sells


about half its chartered sailings through the trade, has been in negotiations with large cruise agencies and multiples about selling its growing cruise offering, but admitted it was seen as a “niche product”. Venetopoulos said sailings


on Intrepid’s new builds would follow similar ‘adventure cruising’ itineraries to those it currently offers on its chartered ships.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70