NEWS ROUND-UP NEWS IN BRIEF


Brunei backtracks on death penalty for gay sex


Brunei has backtracked on plans to impose the death penalty for gay sex and adultery, following global condemnation and calls to boycott the destination. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah announced a moratorium on capital punishment through Sharia laws. The move was welcomed by the Human Rights Campaign.


John de Vial and Stuart Swords run the marathon


Abta financial protection director John de Vial completed the London Marathon and raised £11,400 for the Family Holiday Association, taking his total for the FHA to £75,000. Swords Travel co-owner Stuart Swords raised more than £3,400 for cancer research charity Orchid.


Kimberly Wyatt to teach dance on Royal sailings


Former Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt is to teach dance classes on three Royal Caribbean


sailings. The classes will take place on Explorer of the Seas’ ex-Southampton sailings on July 21, August 4 and August 18.


Trevor Harding retires as president of the ITT


The president of the Institute of Travel & Tourism, Trevor Harding, is to retire after 16 years. Harding’s career includes 17 years as managing director of Travel Weekly.


James Villas unveils Nau as managing director


James Villas has appointed Andreas Nau as managing director, replacing Alan MacLean who is taking partial retirement. Nau had been Expedia managing director for the EMEA region since 2011.


Agent books flight in night for client’s life-saving op


Amie Keeley amie.keeley@travelweekly.co.uk


A travel agent stepped in at the 11th hour to oo flights and transfers for a patient in need of a life-saving kidney transplant.


Travel Counsellors’ Christian


Mascarenhas logged on in the middle of the night to make arrangements for the patient to fly from ibraltar to London to undergo the urgent operation at Hammersmith Hospital. he surgery, for a male patient,


was a success and he is now recovering in hospital. ascarenhas, the first and


only ravel ounsellors agent on the ritish overseas territory, is contracted by the ibraltar ealth Authority A to arrange travel for medical emergencies. e received a call in the early


hours of the morning last onday from a A staff member who said a donor had become available and the patient needed to be in London by 10.0am.


LIFE-SAVER: Gibraltar- based agent Christian Mascarenhas, with assistants Amy Celecia (left) and Siobthan Lenehan


“I arranged the flight, the taxi to the airport and the ambulance to pick him up on arrival”


 umped on my laptop and


arranged the flight from alaga at 7.0am, as well as the taxi to the airport and the ambulance to be there to pick him up on arrival, Mascarenhas said.  got a lovely message on


ednesday from the client to say the operation had gone well.


Wendy Wu Tours cancels three Argentina trips as destination ‘was not such a hit’


endy u ours has cancelled three group tours to Argentina due to depart in the second half of the year. Product director Jonathan


ilson said a handful of bookings were affected and customers had been offered alternatives. Argentina continues to feature


in the operator’s Essence of Argentina and Brazil and Ultimate South America itineraries. endy u ours brought out


its first dedicated outh America programme of escorted group tours and tailormade holidays in


8travelweekly.co.uk9 May 2019


January 2018, and now features seven countries in the region. Wilson said: “We went out


with quite a wide range for a new destination, which we did on the basis of seeing what works for us. Some will and some won’t. he Argentinaonly tour was


not such a hit, but the Argentina and Brazil one was. So we decided to withdraw [the former] and focus on the other two that incorporate the destination. “We removed all future


Argentinaonly departures for well ahead so there is minimal impact.


Last year, during a ravel Counsellors conference in lasgow, ascarenhas was up all night organising a chartered air ambulance for a patient who needed a heart transplant. He also arranges travel for another customer who has to go back and forth to London to see his baby who is sick in hospital. Mascarenhas joined Travel ounsellors in 2017 having worked as a travel agent for 22 years. e used to be based on the high street, but is now in an office and employs two assistants.


South Shields to turn pink and blue in memory of agent


More than 350 schools and businesses in South Shields will take part in a pink and blue day in memory of Westoe Travel agent apprentice Chloe Rutherford, and her boyfriend Liam Curry, who were killed in the Manchester Arena bombings in 2017. TheMay 22 event will raise money for the Chloe and Liam Together Forever Trust, which has already raised more than £150,000 to help young people achieve their ambitions in sport and performance.


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