NEWS ROUND-UP NEWS IN BRIEF
Tui’s Jeremy Ellis leaves after 27 years at operator
Tui UK & Ireland marketing and customer experience director Jeremy Ellis is to leave the business at the end of May after 27 years. His role will be taken over by digital director Katie McAlister, who will become chief marketing officer on June 1.
Basnett quits Elite to focus on Holiday Inspirations
Neil Basnett is to stand down as chief executive of Elite Travel Group to focus on his own homeworking business, Holiday Inspirations. He will continue to work on a consultancy basis with Elite for the next three months.
P&O and Cunard helpdesk to open seven days a week
A UK-based helpdesk is being created by sister lines P&O Cruises and Cunard to provide support to agents seven days a week. The team will consist of 38 staff who will join by mid-April.
Uniworld to turn Empress and Royale into super-ships
Uniworld will turn two of its vessels into “super-ships” in 2019. River Royale and River Empress will be upgraded at the end of the 2018 season and relaunched in April 2019. The line’s fifth super-ship, Beatrice, launched last week.
Universal bookings spike after Ant & Dec show airs
Laura French in Florida and Amie Keeley
Gold Medal reported a 30% uplift in Florida enquiries from agents following the live finale of ITV’s Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, which was filmed at Universal Orlando Resort.
The show, fronted by Declan Donnelly, Stephen Mulhern and Scarlett Moffatt, featured guest appearances from Denise Richards, Craig David, The Rembrandts and Jason Derulo, and was filmed live at CityWalk. It marked the first time a show had been broadcast live from Universal to the UK and saw more than 200 winning viewers in attendance after flying out on a specially chartered Virgin Atlantic aircraft last week. Gold Medal said it saw a 30%
increase in call volume for Florida quotes and enquiries on Sunday. Ross Sinclair, Gold Medal’s senior
product manager for the Americas and Caribbean, said: “With the spotlight on Universal Orlando this weekend, thanks to the Saturday Night Takeaway finale, public interest was certainly on a high.
Virgin Holidays to open 20 concessions in Next stores by July
Virgin Holidays has teamed up with high street retailer Next to open 20 concessions. The stores will open between
April and July across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The partnership is the first tie-up of its kind between a
travel retailer and a fashion brand in the UK and supports the strategy of Virgin Holidays and Next to target a “core family demographic”. Store locations will include
Crawley County Oak Retail Park, Belfast Donegal Place and York Vangarde Shopping Park. Dan Buckingham, head of
retail at Virgin Holidays, said: “We’re continually looking to diversify and expand our retail network, and Next
8
travelweekly.co.uk 12 April 2018
NEW: Computer rendering of a Virgin Holidays concession
MINION MAYHEM: Declan Donnelly and co-presenters open the show “The next day we saw an increase
in nights booked into Universal Orlando Resort hotels, which just goes to show how helpful it can be for high-profile TV programmes to help showcase the highlights of a destination.”
Alison Montague, managing
director EMEA for Universal Parks & Resorts, said: “Before the show we were already seeing an increase in search and interest in the US. “We expect that to continue
beyond the show by generating awareness and bookings, showing people who have never been
herewhat it’s actually like.” Universal is planning a string of updates for the park, including new immersive attraction Fast & Furious – Supercharged, set to open at Universal Studios this spring, and tech-savvy hotel Aventura, launching on August 16. Two new budget hotels offering
rooms for under $100 and a Harry Potter-themed rollercoaster will follow in 2019. A new trade portal with selling tips, pre-fam preparation and training is also set to launch “imminently”, according to Montague.
is an obvious partner. Not only does it fit our current customer demographics, it also has a retail footprint that is well located and superbly designed. We’re confident this partnership will deliver stand- out results for both businesses.” A spokesperson for Next said: “Virgin Holidays is a great partner to complement our current in-store offering, giving the chance to book a holiday and shop all under one roof.”
PICTURE: ITV/ANT & DEC’S SATURDAY NIGHT TAKEAWAY
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 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
