Tentative start will be a base to build on A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
The restart of non-essential international travel was always likely to be a slow burn, as we have reported in the months since the government’s roadmap was announced. That certainly looked set to be the case as this week’s edition of
Travel Weekly went to press on Tuesday evening (page 5). There will inevitably be destinations disappointed when the ‘green
list’ is revealed this week, and plenty of agents and operators whose short-term business remains largely on hold. But May 17 was always the earliest date overseas travel could resume from England, and there was never a guarantee that even those initial steps would be taken this month. Many in discussions with government believe it is better to build to a strong summer than rush into a wholesale resumption and risk a
reversal that could ultimately be even more damaging for consumer confidence. As one industry figure said to me, frustrations remain but a tentative start is better than no start at all. There is still much work to be done to reduce costs and complexities that are likely to put off many customers. But there are already signs of movement on testing prices, and the deals being struck by travel firms to offer discounted rates (page 6) demonstrate not just an appetite from providers but a reminder of the value of booking through a trusted expert. The focus must now be on ensuring the restart runs smoothly and safely to prove that a wider reopening is indeed possible as we approach the peak summer season.
WHAT LUCY DID THIS WEEK
OHosted a brilliant ‘Cocktails & Conversation’ evening for Royal Caribbean senior execs in the UK and Miami and 20 of its top agent partners.
OHad great meetings with an attraction, an airline and an activity tour operator about plans to engage with the trade. Things are definitely moving!
Lucy Huxley, editor-in-chief, Travel Weekly Group CONTENTS NEWS
dedicated web pages to support you
go.travelweekly.co.uk/ webcasts
Webcasts
Restart & Recovery Hub
travelweekly.co.uk/ restart-recovery
T ravel Weekly’s
Shapps fails to allay airport queue fears 4 Hopes grow for wider travel by late June 4 Industry gears up ahead of ‘green’ list 5 Trade sales surge; Atol reform; Hays tests 6 Mental health webcast; US cruise restart 7
Shanks confident of ‘strong bounce-back’ 8 Comment Giles Hawke: We need real face time 12
NEWS YOU CAN USE
Relais & Chateaux, easyJet, Vueling 15 Syte, Corinthian Travel, Sovereign
Hotelplan, Titan Travel, Bamboo, Jet2 18 Celebrity, Regent, APT, Azamara Disney, Marella, Viking, Oceania
FRONTLINE agent diary
INTERNATIONAL TRADE 2020
THE QUEEN’S AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISE:
FRONT COVER PICTURE: Shutterstock/oneinchpunch
travelweekly.co.uk FOLLOW US:
Sharon Thompson: Look to the future 24 Your Stories
Hays Travel homeworker Kath McDonald
@travelweekly 25
16 20
22
OTook my kids to the Tree Top Challenge at Go Ape! – great outdoor, socially- distanced fun!
competitions
SAii Lagoon Maldives, Tipto, Visit Jersey 26 Get Social
Atol reform, Hays tests, mental health 27
DESTINATIONS weddings & Honeymoons
Budget: Our guide on where to send couples for their big day with packages for all budgets 28
Minimoons: Five of the Best short-stay
breaks to celebrate clients’ nuptials 32 active & adventure
Camino de Santiago: What lures walkers to this network of pilgrimage routes to the Spanish city?
BUSINESS NEWS
CAA’s Atol Reform report Authority’s plans to segregate monies 38 Agency agreements; insurance option 39 APC could become a variable rate 39 Reform aims to limit use of client money 40
travelweeklyuk @travelweeklyuk 6 MAY 2021 3 34
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