Murray Travel arranges Spain and Lapland charters


Andrew McQuarrie


Scottish agency Murray Travel has organised charter flights for the first time to cater for demand for regional departures. The business, which has branches


in Inverness, Elgin, Forres and Nairn, has arranged a five-week schedule of winter-sun services from Inverness airport to Gran Canaria, as well as two day-trip departures to Lapland. “The price of chartering


has come down,” said agency co-director Scott Murray. “It was ridiculous during Covid, but there’s now more of an opportunity.” The first Rovaniemi flight,


departing on December 13, went on sale in March and was fully booked within three days, he added, leading to the addition of a further departure on December 14, which is currently about 50% booked. The flights will be operated by a 189-passenger Boeing 737. The first Gran Canaria service


will depart on February 17, using a 149-seat Airbus A220, with Tuesday departures for five weeks. “People really want direct flights


from Inverness,” said Murray. “At the moment, there’s a direct flight to Majorca and that’s about it.” Asked about the anticipated level


If we can get an


80% load factor, we would be delighted. Anything north of that would be even better


of demand for the Gran Canaria flights, which are expected to go on sale in the coming weeks, he said: “If we can get an 80% load factor, we would be delighted. Anything north of that would be even better.” On the potential for more


Attraction World names Hyland as CEO in succession to Nicholls


Attraction World Group has appointed chief financial officer Joe Hyland as its new chief executive, following the departure of Olly Nicholls. The experiences specialist announced on May 27 that chief executive Nicholls and chief commercial officer Justin Mahoney had “stepped away” from the group. Nicholls had held the position for nearly six years.


8 5 JUNE 2025 Co-owners Scott


and Sarah Murray and their son promote the agency’s Lapland flights


charter flights, Murray confirmed the agency was “absolutely” considering the possibility and was already looking into charter flights for 2026 and 2027. “There are loads of options,”


he said, adding that Aberdeen was another potential departure point. The business, which celebrated


its 10th anniversary last year, opened a branch in Inverness in 2014, with stores following in Elgin in 2021, Forres in 2022 and Nairn in 2023. Trading has been “busy” this year,


Murray said, adding: “It’s not really slowed down.”


UK airspace set for biggest shake-up since the 1950s


The UK government has laid out plans for “the largest redesign of UK airspace” since the 1950s, with the aim of facilitating quicker flights and fewer delays. It is expected that the new UK Airspace Design Service (UKADS) will be fully operational by the end of this year and will be run by Nats.


Nuttall opposes French plan to ban adult-only hotels


Travel Village Group chief executive Phil Nuttall has urged the industry to push back against moves in France to ban adult-only hotels, describing the proposals as “ridiculous”. French senator Laurence


Rossignol plans to introduce a private member’s bill that would make it illegal to operate child-free


hotels, restaurants and campsites, The Times reported last week. French government lawyers


are also reportedly looking into whether it would be possible to take legal action against venues that exclude families. Nuttall said the proposals were


“beyond belief”, adding: “These people are so out of touch.” He called on the industry to be


vigilant about such developments, which he said could cause considerable damage if implemented. “Adult-only hotels and


cruises are a significant part of the UK travel industry, so people should have this loony stuff on their radar,” he said. He added: “If it gains


momentum in France, it just takes some loon to get hold of it and then it could get integrated into EU law.” Rossignol, a member of the


Socialist Party, told French radio station RMC that banning children from venues was an example of discrimination.


Crystal recruits Luke Smith for new sales vice-president role


Crystal has appointed former Carnival Cruise Line international sales director Luke Smith as vice-president of sales for the UK and EMEA. In the newly created role, Smith will oversee trade sales distribution and the performance of agency sales, as well as managing direct sales functions and liaison with the luxury line’s marketing team. He worked for Carnival Cruise Line for 12 years.


travelweekly.co.uk


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