James Villas closure shocks agents Juliet Dennis


Agents say they are shocked and saddened by the closure of James Villas by parent company Awaze. The villa specialist ceased taking


bookings on October 30, putting 40 roles at risk of redundancy. Staff are under consultation and


there is a proposal to close the firm’s offices in Maidstone, Kent. Bookings beyond November 30


have been cancelled and will be refunded, with about 100 trade bookings affected. Hays Travel homeworker


Aaron Petty, who has a “handful” of accommodation-only bookings with the firm, was “totally taken aback” by the news. “Most of my clients who booked


this year have rebooked. I had no idea this was coming,” he said. He admitted it could be “a


challenge” to replace bookings with like-for-like properties, particularly for large groups. Fred Olsen Travel retail director


Paul Hardwick described James Villas as a “great brand” and said it would now be harder for agents to book villas. “It makes things difficult because


it was one of the strongest villa brands we could sell,” he said, adding there were limited trade-friendly options in the sector. Baldwins Travel managing


director Nick Marks said he felt “desperately sorry” for James Villas staff. “It was a complete shock,” he said, adding: “They were making an effort


Royal predicts sales boom with return of Independence


Josie Klein


Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas will return to UK waters in 2025, with the line predicting the move will prompt “one of its biggest-ever on-sale-now performances”. Freedom-class ship Independence


of the Seas, which last sailed from Southampton six years ago, will replace Quantum-class Anthem of the Seas, which will sail ex-Southampton next summer. Speaking on a Travel Weekly webcast, EMEA vice-president


6 2 NOVEMBER 2023


Ben Bouldin said he expected Independence of the Seas to be well received by agents as the ship was “synonymous with the growth of cruise in the UK market”. “She was the biggest ship when


she launched and she spent a lot of years [in the UK] in her early life. She’s a brilliant ship for the UK market,” he said. “I know it’s not a new ship but


I genuinely believe Independence will drive one of our biggest-ever on-sale-now performances from a booking perspective.” He added: “Our audience


is predominantly families and Independence has the biggest pool space and pool deck of any ship in the fleet. “It also has an ice rink, water


slides and the best sports bar we have in the whole fleet, as well as the West End musical Grease, so there’s loads of activities and entertainment for everybody.” Royal Caribbean will do some


“pre-registration work” to give agents a head start on securing bookings before it goes on sale in the next week. Bouldin encouraged agents to revisit their databases of customers


to come back to the trade. Hopefully we’ll see others take up the mantle.” Kelly Cookes, chief commercial


officer at The Advantage Travel Partnership, was hopeful staff would find other roles within the sector. She added: “Our thoughts are


with the team there who are likely to face some uncertainty as we approach the end of the year.” Awaze said the closure was a


strategic business decision unrelated to the current market. James Villas relied on guaranteed


product, paid for up front, as opposed to a commission-based model, which operates across other group brands. The move comes as Awaze


focuses on growth of its core portfolio, including Hoseasons and Cottages.com, and prepares to launch a common sales platform for its European product. Chief executive Henrik Kjellberg


said: “With our integration plans behind a common platform for our combined European inventory far advanced, we have decided to cease trading with James Villas as that model relied on guaranteed inventory.” James Villas offered about 600


guaranteed villas across Europe. Its product made up less than 1% of Awaze’s total product range.


Independence of the Seas


who sailed on Independence of the Seas when it previously departed from Southampton, as well as urging fans of Anthem of the Seas to secure a final sailing on the ship next summer. He said: “There are two


opportunities for agents here: it’s a great chance for people to go on Anthem next summer, and if they are also a fan of Independence, then they should make two bookings. “A change [of ship] is important.


We have a number of guests who like to sail from Southampton every year, so having a fresh ship, fresh itineraries and fresh entertainment is key.”


travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURE: Simon Brooke-Webb


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