Nothing beats personal connections A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
After 18 months of conversing primarily via a laptop screen, I can’t wait to reunite with industry friends and colleagues in person at two flagship Travel Weekly events next week. Though very different occasions, our Future of Travel Conference in
partnership with Google and the fantastic Agent Achievement Awards will both play a crucial role in bringing the industry together and assisting the rebuilding process. While videoconferencing is undoubtedly going to play an increasing role in all our lives, you simply can’t replace face-to-face meetings and conversations to really develop relationships. This need to connect with other people is abundantly clear within the
trade, judging by the messages I’ve received from people attending both Future of Travel and the AAAs (page 16).
And it will also underpin the recovery of an industry which relies on customers’ desire to get
away, experience different cultures and mix with fellow travellers and locals alike. Indicators from agents and consumer analysts suggest confidence is returning (page 4), so it is essential for the industry that stringent travel restrictions are eased sufficiently for it to secure crucial late sales and forward bookings. Many MPs already back calls for the testing and quarantine system to be overhauled and simplified to reflect restrictions in other countries, the rollout of vaccines and the data that suggests returning travellers are not posing a significant threat to NHS resources. As the end of furlough approaches and the shackles remain on many travel companies, those arguments become more compelling by the day.
Lucy Huxley, editor-in-chief, Travel Weekly Group CONTENTS NEWS
dedicated web pages to support you
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Restart & Recovery Hub
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T ravel Weekly’s
Agents buoyed by late-bookings upturn 4 Industry calls for testing regime review 4 Trade to intensify lobbying for support 5 OTB back on sale; ‘loss of talent’ fears 6 Travel Counsellors; passport confusion 7 Brand USA vow; Attraction World tie-up 8 special report
Twenty years on from the 9/11 attacks 10 The interview Steve Byrne, Travel Counsellors
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NEWS YOU CAN USE product
Cunard, Great Little Breaks, WestJet 19 APT, Leger Holidays, Gold Medal Tradewind, Princess, CroisiEurope
20 22
THE QUEEN’S AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISE:
INTERNATIONAL TRADE 2020
PICTURES: Shutterstock/Evgeniyqw, Giovanni Cancemi; Kamil G Polak; P&O Cruises
travelweekly.co.uk
FRONTLINE agent diary
FOLLOW US:
Colin Burns: I’m in Spain – and loving it 24 @travelweekly
12 Jacqueline Dobson: Appeal to next-gen 14
WHAT LUCY DID THIS WEEK
OHosted a webcast with Travel Counsellors CEO Steve Byrne to hear the latest on how the homeworking firm is navigating the pandemic.
OHad a great meeting with Virgin Atlantic to plan its big giveaway as headline sponsor of the Agent Achievement Awards.
OMade a mad dash to an emergency out-of-hours vet to save the life of my daughter’s beloved guinea pig. He survived!
Your Stories competitions
Sefton Monk on creating a bookable cruise app
26
Win trips to US, Disneyland and more 28 Get Social
Testing, Border Force, Hays, Cruise118 33
DESTINATIONS cruise
Iona: Review of the maiden voyage of P&O’s new ship, the largest ever built for the British market
34
Tui Maya: Operator makes river debut 39 Greece: Report from Norwegian Jade 42
Tradewind: Golden Horizon captain 46 spain & portugal
Majorca: 48 Hours in Magaluf, the resort that’s now more than just a party town 49
BUSINESS NEWS Paysafe’s Daniel Stanbridge says firm’s trust system ‘passed Covid stress test’ 54 Brand USA pledges ‘robust’ marketing 56
travelweeklyuk @travelweeklyuk 9 SEPTEMBER 2021 3
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