NEWS ROUND-UP NEWS IN BRIEF
P&O’s oldest ship Oriana to leave the fleet next year
P&O Cruises’ oldest and smallest ship Oriana is to leave the fleet in August 2019. The 1,880-passenger vessel joined the line in 1995. It will be replaced by Iona, one of two 5,200-passenger ships on order.
Simpson Travel acquires Alternative Escapes
Independent operator Simpson Travel has acquired Alternative Escapes in a deal the operator said would help it expand in France and Portugal. The acquisition, for an undisclosed sum, includes Alternative Escapes’ Alternative Aquitaine and Alternative Portugal brands.
Andy Washington joins online start-up Culture Trip
Former dnata Travel chief executive of B2C, Andy Washington, has joined online cultural specialist start-up Culture Trip to drive the launch of its travel booking division. Washington, who is senior vice-president of travel, previously held roles at Expedia, Cosmos and
lastminute.com.
C&M: Women overlooked for top-paid jobs in travel
Research by C&M Travel Recruitment suggests women in the industry are routinely overlooked for top jobs. It found that females accounted for 64% of all travel job placements in the first half of 2018, but were awarded just 25% of all executive positions paying £40,000 or more.
Virgin puts 150 jobs at risk with contact centre closure
Virgin Atlantic is to close its Crawley contact centre, affecting up to 150 jobs. The airline said it planned to merge its two call centres at its other base in Swansea in a bid to help roll out “digital enhancements”. Staff were informed on Tuesday.
New cruise-only stores tap into sector’s growth
Harry Kemble
harry.kemble@
travelweekly.co.uk
Growth in the cruise sector has sparked a flurry of cruise-only agency store openings across the country.
London-based Paramount Cruises, which launched in April, plans to open two more cruise-only stores in the north of England over the next 18 months. And Deben Travel has just launched its first cruise-only agency, Cruise Ready, in Woodbridge, Suffolk. The moves come as Wowcruise,
which launched in Cardiff in November, plans to open shops in London, Manchester and Scotland before 2023, and follows the opening of Cruise1st’s first shop in Manchester in January. Confirming Paramount Cruises’
expansion plans, head of the company Patric Gaudini said: “Our speciality is the luxury market, but we cater for everybody.
Travel Weekly invests in editorial coverage with appointments
Travel Weekly Group is investing in its editorial coverage and events portfolio in the UK and overseas with a series of promotions and appointments. Current Travel Weekly head of
news and Travolution editor Lee Hayhurst is to focus full-time on his Travolution role as the brand for the digital travel industry expands its presence online, in print and via its global events business.
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travelweekly.co.uk 5 July 2018
PROMOTIONS: Lee Hayhurst (left), Amie Keeley and Ben Ireland
Travel Weekly news editor
Amie Keeley will step up to become head of news, with deputy news editor Ben Ireland promoted to news editor. Recruitment has started for
a deputy news editor as the group looks to extend its market
EXPANSION: Paramount’s Patric Gaudini (far left) with PS Kang, managing director of Moresand Group
“We are looking to be a major
player within the marketplace.” Paramount Cruises, based in
Fitzrovia, operates in conjunction with Affordable Luxury Travel. Both are part of the Moresand Group, which has an annual turnover of £190 million. With more than 100 ships due
to be delivered over the next decade, Gaudini said there was enough capacity for every agency selling cruise. Sarah-Anne Everitt, Cruise
Ready’s store manager, revealed the business had taken £50,000 worth of bookings since launching on June 11.
She said: “Cruise-only shops can stand alone because of how popular cruising is. [Managing director] Lee [Hunt] had seen such growth [in the cruise industry], he knew he would be justified in selling just cruise. “He saw a niche there that
needed to be explored. There is nothing like this in East Anglia.”
leadership across all channels. Designer Emma Winton is promoted to senior designer. Editor-in-chief Lucy Huxley
said: “These well-deserved promotions and the recruitment of a deputy news editor for the travel trade’s leading publication demonstrate our commitment to delivering the best news and analysis in the industry. “Travolution broke the
mould when it pioneered coverage of the digital travel industry and travel technology, and this further investment reflects Travel Weekly Group’s continued growth and standing in the UK and an increasing number of overseas markets.”
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