Belleair Holidays set for revamp after acquisition
Juliet Dennis
Belleair Holidays’ new owners are promising highly competitive prices as well as incentives and fam trips for agents once the brand goes back on sale later this month. The trade-only brand is being
revived following its acquisition by Alfendo Limited, parent of JTA Travel Group. Belleair and its sister brands closed last October under previous owners Crownshield Travel. Alfendo, which has bought
the Belleair trading name as well as Belleair Cruises, Chevron Air Holidays, Chevron Cruises and Malta Direct, hopes the operator can regain its reputation as the ‘go-to’ specialist for agents booking Malta. Managing director Dave Green,
a JTA Travel Group executive who was joint managing director of Belleair from 2014-17, revealed plans to “substantially” grow passenger numbers. Crownshield Travel’s Atol was for 1,500 passengers. A new agent-only website is due
to go live from mid-May, and agents who work with JTA will be able to use existing logins on the new portal. Window posters and social media imagery have been created to promote live offers. Belleair will share JTA Holidays’
Marsaxlokk, Malta; inset, Dave Green and the new logo
regional sales team of five, who will visit and train agents, but the operator will be a standalone specialist within the JTA group. It will also offer a rep service in
Malta, with customers welcomed upon arrival and supported during their stay. The company is currently
integrating hotel contracts, direct transfers and new connections to Air Malta and other airlines into its booking system, to give agents “full flexibility” in what they sell. Green said: “We understand the
potential and value of a brand that has been around a long time. We believe that by bringing the booking
Twynam leaves Scenic Group
after less than a year as MD Scenic Group UK and Ireland managing director Richard Twynam has left the company he joined in October 2022. He announced his departure on LinkedIn, saying he would miss his team of “great people that were very kind and welcoming to me and invested in my approach”. In a statement, Scenic Group thanked Twynam and said a replacement would be recruited.
8 4 MAY 2023
experience up to date, alongside offering competitive pricing, excellent commission and strong incentives, we can become the go-to operator of choice again for Malta, and potentially in other destinations.” He said the company would be
“thankful” for the support of agents, who welcomed the brand’s return. Love To Travel owner Joanne
Dooey said: “It’s brilliant news to see the Belleair brand being resurrected – a much-needed Malta specialist for us agents to sell.” The operator will launch other
destinations including Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Qatar, Tunisia and Turkey.
Norse Atlantic plans Gatwick
links to Barbados and Jamaica No-frills carrier Norse Atlantic Airways is to serve Barbados and Jamaica from Gatwick. Daily flights to Barbados will begin on October 29, from £449 return. Montego Bay will be served four times a week from the same date, with fares from £559, followed by Kingston with three flights a week from October 31, from £579.
Advantage posts return to profit for 2021-22
The Advantage Travel Partnership reported a profit for its most recent financial year, thanks to the easing of Covid restrictions and investments in its membership services and staff. The consortium reported a net
profit before tax of £619,815 for the 12 months to September 30, 2022. This compared with a pre-tax loss of £327,229 in the previous year. Total global sales turnover
across the membership grew to £12.5 billion, with £4.5 billion representing sales turnover from UK members – £3 billion from business travel and £1.5 billion from leisure. Steven Esom, chairman of
Advantage Travel Partnership, said 137 branches joined the consortium and the group was recognised as the second-largest travel management company (TMC) network in Europe. Esom added: “In total, we
grew the Advantage Global Network to 96 members, retaining our presence in 83 countries worldwide.” Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief
executive, added: “We invested in a robust structure to support our ambitious growth agenda, and made a number of promotions and key appointments to the senior leadership team during the year.”
Lufthansa Group predicts boom in travel despite first-quarter loss
The Lufthansa Group has forecast a “travel boom” this summer and record traffic revenue this year, despite reporting a €467 million first-quarter loss. Lufthansa hailed “continued high demand, especially in the private [leisure] travel segment” as it reported a 20% fall in first-quarter losses year on year. The airline group also includes Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings.
travelweekly.co.uk
PICTURE: Shutterstock/ecstk22
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