Mystery holiday reveal attracts 50,000 views
Juliet Dennis
A travel agent who booked a “mystery holiday” that attracted more than 50,000 views on Facebook says the client enjoyed her surprise trip so much she wants to book a second one. Heidi Evans, director of Oasis
Travel in Stoke-on-Trent, said the customer asked her to choose the destination without revealing details prior to her arrival at the airport. The client gave Evans a budget of
£700 per person for the seven-night holiday for two in September, asking only for “somewhere nice, busy, but not too busy”. Evans said: “She wasn’t bothered
where she went as she knew we’d put her somewhere nice. “The only question I asked was
if she wanted a decent hotel with half-board accommodation or an all-inclusive property. “She’s quite laid-back and just
wanted it all to be a surprise.” Evans said she was slightly taken
aback by the unusual request, which allowed her to pick the destination, flights and accommodation, within the customer’s budget. “I’ve never been asked this before.
I said, ‘Are you sure?’ and she said yes as she trusted me,” said Evans, who
Oasis Travel’s Heidi Evans
says her client wants her to
book ‘another surprise trip’
added: “I just looked at the dates to see what was available.” Evans booked seven nights at the
all-inclusive Hotel Puente Real in Torremolinos, Spain, with easyJet holidays for £722 per person, and 72 hours before the flight gave her client a sealed envelope with the holiday details, including her boarding pass and hotel information. Evans added: “She booked a taxi
to Birmingham airport and got the taxi driver to ring me so I could pass on the flight details. She then opened the envelope just before check-in.” The customer was filmed by her holiday companion opening the
Premier sales and marketing
director Debbie Goffin to retire Premier Holidays sales and marketing director Debbie Goffin is to retire this summer after more than 25 years with the operator. The company said Goffin had played a “central role” in driving commercial growth, strengthening the brand within the trade and championing the value of long-term trade partnerships. Goffin was appointed to the board as a director in 2017.
8 8 JANUARY 2026
envelope. Evans said: “She sent me the video of her finding out where she was going for our Facebook page. The post got more than 50,000 views! “She had an amazing time and
has rung me to say she wants to book another surprise trip.” Meanwhile, the agency plans to
start marketing on TikTok for the first time, after generating bookings from videos and posts such as the surprise trip on Facebook and Instagram. “We’ve noticed other agents going
on TikTok and thought we’d give it a try and see how many followers we get,” added Evans.
Industry pays tribute to former
leading GDS figure Tim Wright Tributes have been paid to Tim Wright, formerly of global distribution system suppliers Travelport and Worldspan, following his death aged 76. Wright held a number of senior roles over the course of his career, including vice-president of business development for the EMEA region at Worldspan.
HAL offers host of prizes in wave booking incentive
Holland America Line has relaunched its ‘Have It All Giveaway’ for the wave period, giving agents the chance to win prizes throughout January and February, including a grand prize of an Alaska cruise. The 10-day trip combines a
seven-day cruise for two people with a Denali land tour, plus £2,000 flight credit and a ‘Have It All’ onboard package. Other prizes include a hosted
ship visit in Rotterdam, Elemis skincare products, Amazon vouchers, Lindt chocolates, Daelmans stroopwafels and HAL-branded goodies. To enter, agents need to
submit booking references made throughout January and February using this link: surveymonkey. com/r/HALaskagiveaway26. Each cruise booking equals one
entry – or two for Alaska sailings. Winners will be announced weekly on the Travel Weeklywebsite and via HAL’s trade social media channels @haluktravelagents. Karen Farndell, associate vice-
president for sales and marketing for the UK and Ireland, said: “What better way to kick off the new year than with an exciting agent competition? Our team is thrilled to launch the Have It All Giveaway, rewarding our valued agent partners for their incredible support in January and February.”
Virgin Atlantic chief Koster
reveals new leadership team New Virgin Atlantic chief Corneel Koster has unveiled the airline’s new leadership team, which includes promotions for Suzanne Roddie to chief operating officer, Juha Jarvinen to chief customer officer, Dave Geer to chief commercial officer and Ansar Hussain to chief financial officer. Holly Boyd-Boland becomes senior vice-president of corporate development and legal affairs.
travelweekly.co.uk
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