E
Tui and Ocean Florida seal £117k accessible booking
Juliet Dennis
A travel agent and tour operator worked together late into the evening to secure a £117,000 accessible booking within 48 hours of the initial enquiry. The booking is Tui agent Carl
Stoner’s biggest-ever sale, and marks Ocean Florida’s largest accessible booking achieved through the trade. The 14-night Florida package at
Disney’s BoardWalk Inn is for a family group of 22, including six passengers with disabilities, flying with British Airways to Tampa in July 2027. Four of the customers are neurodivergent and two have cerebral palsy. Stoner, based at Tui’s Bluewater
branch in Kent, contacted Ocean Florida after receiving a text enquiry from a regular family client on his day off. He said: “Within half an hour, they put me in touch with travel trade specialist Katie McGregor. “As soon as they understood there
were neurodivergent travellers in the group, they were already thinking about how to make the whole journey easier. It felt like everyone was pulling in the same direction and it was all about tailoring it properly.” As well as organising airport
lounge access, fast-track passes and Hidden Disabilities Sunflower
Carl Stoner
lanyards, the pair sourced a hotel with fewer over-stimulating features near the theme parks. Stoner, who has completed Tui’s
internal neurodiversity training, added: “One person needed a first- floor room; some needed at least one interconnecting room. They didn’t need adapted rooms, but it was about making sure the setup really worked. “We looked at the hotel location,
accessibility in the parks and transport options – practical details make a big difference once you’re there.” About 10 members of the family
came into the store at 5pm to finalise details. “They wanted an agency on the high street, where they could talk with me in person,” said Stoner, who
Travcorp Holdings rebrands as Specialist Holidays Group
Travcorp Holdings has rebranded as Specialist Holidays Group to reflect its united portfolio of travel brands, including Sovereign Luxury Travel, Citalia, American Holidays and Destination2. The transition marks a return to the portfolio’s well-known former identity, previously held under owners Travelopia and Tui before the group was acquired by Travcorp last year.
6 11 JUNE 2026
Katie McGregor
was in contact with McGregor late into the evening until the rooms were confirmed at 11.30pm. He added: “It was one of those
bookings where everyone rolled their sleeves up and kept going until it was sorted. Katie and I have become friends through all of this. We were texting late into the evening, and it just shows how much everyone cared about getting it right.” Clare Harvey, Ocean Florida key
account director, said: “Launching our accessibility offering in 2022 was exactly for families like this – the agent knew to come to us, and within
48 hours the booking was confirmed.” i Tui boosts disability focus, page 17 i Agents’ Tui Blue reports, page 30
Globus seeks successor to Phil Shipman as brands director
Globus family of brands UK and Ireland sales director Phil Shipman has left after three years due to “personal circumstances”. During his tenure, he boosted trade teams across Cosmos, Globus and Avalon Waterways. Managing director Lesley Taylor will support the sales team while recruitment for his replacement begins.
Traveleyes seeks solo travellers as companion guides
Traveleyes is seeking trade partners to attract sighted solo travellers as it prepares to resume independent operations this September following a three-year partnership with HF Holidays. The operator, which pairs
blind and sighted travellers, aims to rebuild its portfolio to 70 destinations next year after seeing immediate sell-outs for newly released trips to Costa Rica, Morocco and Sri Lanka. Founder Amar Latif said while
the company has a large, loyal base of blind clients, its main growth constraint is attracting sighted companions, who receive up to a 50% discount on trips in exchange for describing destinations. Latif urged high street agents
and solo travel specialists to back the “unique” model. “We have a lot of blind travellers
who want to holiday, and our limiting factor is sighted travellers,” he said. “For agents with solo clients wanting to travel with a purpose, this is ideal.” Traveleyes offers trade partners
training materials and discounted fam trips to learn guiding techniques. Latif said the company is
expanding its team of eight, recruiting a customer and operations executive to help manage
a rise in international bookings. i News You Can Use, page 18
Cunard marketing vice-president Dave Jones to leave in September
Cunard’s vice-president of global marketing and UK/EMEA sales, Dave Jones, will leave the business in September after 10 years with the cruise operator. Jones, who stepped into the VP role in June 2024 after serving as marketing director, is departing to pursue a new challenge. The line said Jones had “helped strengthen how Cunard presents itself to the world”.
travelweekly.co.uk
A
C
A
C
N
R
E
T
S
A
S
E
L
I
I
L
B
D
V
E
S
L
P
E
C
I
I
T
O
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
