Idle Travel reveals location for Jet2-supported branch


Juliet Dennis


Idle Travel will open its second branch, in the West Yorkshire town of Saltaire, this summer with the Jet2holidays brand set to feature on the shop fascia. Owner Tony Mann revealed


plans for a second store last year after receiving £10,000 in marketing funds from Jet2holidays’ Scale Up Your Street promotion, which has already supported seven shop openings since its launch almost a year ago. The branch will have a similar


look to the agency’s existing Bradford shop but the fascia will include ‘Jet2holidays booking centre’ in the top right corner. Mann has signed a five-year


lease on the shop and plans to use its windows for promotions ahead of its opening “in a couple of months”. “We were one of the first to see


Jet2’s potential,” he said. “You have to get the balance right but it will quickly get people through the door.” Saltaire is a Unesco World


Heritage Site, three miles from Idle Travel’s Bradford store. “The shop is on a very busy road with a bus stop outside, so our window is a big marketing opportunity,” added Mann. Idle Travel first opened 43 years ago in the village of Idle, before


Virus probe after deaths of


expedition ship passengers Expedition ship Hondius, operated by Netherlands- based Oceanwide Expeditions, was moored off Cape Verde following a hantavirus outbreak and the deaths of three passengers. About 150 guests were confined to their cabins, with two cases confirmed and five suspected, as Travel Weekly went to press. The vessel was seeking a port to disembark the remaining travellers.


8 7 MAY 2026


Tony Mann outside Idle Travel’s new store in Saltaire; inset: the shop’s proposed fascia


moving to its current location in an out-of-town shopping centre. Mann said: “It’s the right time [for


a second shop]. Saltaire has a lovely feel and is full of independent shops.” A 3D illuminated sign is planned for outside the agency, while inside there will be digital screens, lightboxes, four desks and Jet2-branded chairs. Mann is recruiting for a manager


and three sales consultants, including an apprentice. “The most important thing is getting the team right,” he said. Existing staff will be drafted


across to help initially, with Mann and his daughter Jodie overseeing the branch. Mann’s grandson Tyler,


an apprentice with Idle Travel, has created an artist’s impression with AI of how the shop could look. Jet2holidays director of travel


agent relationships Alan Cross said he was “delighted” about Idle Travel’s new store, adding: “It is fantastic the Jet2holidays brand will be permanently featured on the shopfront, which is testament to the incredible partnership we have with Tony and the team. “Our Scale Up Your Street


campaign is all about supporting independent agents and boosting the high street – and this is a perfect example of that.”


Spirit Airlines cites cost of fuel as it starts ‘orderly wind-down’


Florida-based Spirit Airlines ceased operations on Saturday, grounded by rising fuel costs linked to the Iran war. Despite earlier efforts to restructure and downsize its fleet, the low-cost carrier failed to secure essential funding. Chief executive Dave Davis said an “orderly wind-down” was the only remaining option.


NITGB secures investment and appoints Downs


Experiences specialist Not In the Guidebooks (NITGB) has secured new investment and appointed Iglu.com founder Richard Downs as chair to “accelerate” the next phase of its “ambitious” expansion. NITGB said the funding, led


by investment company Maven Cognition, would “power” growth into new destinations and accelerate investment in its technology platform, “making it faster and simpler for travel agents to discover, package and book its itineraries”. Launched in 2018, NITGB


offers locally hosted experiences and accommodation, packaged and sold through a growing network of UK travel agencies. It has a network of more than 250 local experience partners across 25 countries. NITGB said Downs brings


“significant firepower” to the chair role. Carol Savage, founder and chief executive of NITGB, said: “This investment and the addition of Richard put us in a strong position to move faster – into new destinations, with better technology, and with an even stronger offer for our agent partners.” Downs added: “Not In the


Guidebooks has built a highly differentiated proposition in a part of the market that is seeing strong and sustained demand. I’m excited to support the team in delivering its next phase.”


NCL Holdings lowers economic


forecast amid ‘softer demand’ Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has lowered its financial outlook for the year. The company said booking levels remain below its “optimal range”, due in part to “softer demand related to heightened geopolitical uncertainty”. The group cut its forecast Ebitda [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation] from $2.95bn to between $2.48bn and $2.64bn.


travelweekly.co.uk


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