Seeking a balance amid the crisis A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
There was a marked shift in conversations this week as travel companies and stakeholders from airports to destinations started to discuss their visions of the future industry landscape. For many, those visions made for incredibly sad reading, linked as
they were to the contraction of businesses and workforces. As I wrote this column on Tuesday afternoon, Virgin Atlantic became the latest brand to announce it intended to take drastic action to reduce its operations and retail estate (page 6). Meanwhile, NCL issued a stark warning about its future, and Travelopia confirmed cuts which signalled the end of two long-established brands for the trade (page 8). As was feared from the outset of this crisis, the pandemic is taking a massive toll, not just on lives and health, but on economies, livelihoods
and security. It is this fine balance which governments are trying to strike around the world, and which travel firms large and small are also grappling with as they fight for their corporate survival. Our front page this week focuses on the latest pressing challenge facing agents and operators, namely due dates for balance payments on summer holidays. But it could equally relate to a raft of similar challenges for companies and individuals walking
the tightrope of staying in business while attempting to safeguard staff, colleagues and customers. These challenges may at times seem insurmountable. But we must all keep trying to chart that path to recovery, if only one step at a time.
WHAT LUCY DID THIS WEEK
OHosted webcasts featuring the chairman of Abta, the editor of Which? T
ravel, the founder of G Adventures and several others.
OMade the difficult decision to postpone this year’s Agent Achievement Awards but the event will be back bigger and better next year.
Lucy Huxley, editor-in-chief, Travel Weekly Group CONTENTS
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Agents urge shorter balance deadlines 4 Regulators ‘won’t enforce refund rules’ 4 Tanzer insists ‘we’ve shown leadership’ 5 Operator payments; Virgin restructure 6 ‘Roadmap’ for revival; Which? webcast 7 AAAs postponed; Advantage survey 8
Catch up with Travel Weekly webcasts 10 Special reports
Travlaw offers post-furlough advice 12 Six perspectives on global tourism crisis 14 Comment
Gemma Antrobus: An agent is for life... 16
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THE QUEEN’S AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISE:
INTERNATIONAL TRADE 2020
Tracey Berry, Midcounties PTA, Chard 18 Agent diary
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OSpent time in the garden and on walks in the woods with my daughter, taking pictures of nature and wildlife for her photography project.
Get Social Greece, Which?, BA, refunds, VE Day 21
DESTINATIONS Wish list
Rail Holidays
Find out where members of the travel industry dream of going for their own holidays once the travel restrictions are lifted
22
Iconic Journeys: Get on track with our guide to the Rocky Mountaineer, Glacier Express, California Zephyr, Orient-Express and more 26
Australia: Postcard from an Indian Pacific ride from Perth to Sydney
17 BUSINESS NEWS
Travlaw fights chargebacks; Norwegian 32 Elman Wall webinar: experts advise on refunds, insolvency and redundancy 33 BA, Virgin Atlantic and Ryanair among carriers set to axe thousands of jobs 34
travelweeklyuk @travelweeklyuk 7 MAY 2020 3 30
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