INSIDE THIS


WEEK Contents


NEWS Hot Stories


Cook’s Waggott signals ‘tough decisions’ CAA grounds new Boeing 737s in the UK ITE homeworkers scoop big bookings Summer market picks up ahead of vote Agencies report recruitment woes


WIN!


Round-up Cook in talks with Collette about tours 08 Agent jailed for eight years; Abta LifeLine 10 Millennial bookings; PTAs peaks record 12


Enter Perfect Places poll to win Fitbit, vouchers or Amazon Echo page 38


Talk Back Flybe, Collette, referral agents, Brexit


NEWS YOU CAN USE Product G Adventures, Cosmos, Globus 19


Operator Gold Medal, Travel 2, Explore 20 Destination Tourism Australia Hotel Parc Astérix, Sandals, Zafiro


23 24


Cruise Cunard, Princess, Crystal, P&O 26


FRONTLINE Comment Gordon McCreadie, If Only


15 04


A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Industry’s pull is strong W


hen you ask people why they’ve taken on a new challenge, you often get the answer: “It was an offer I


couldn’t refuse.” That certainly seems to be the case for Will Waggott,


who told me this week that the opportunity to rejuvenate one of travel’s true giants had proved irresistible (page 4). He said he envisaged some non-executive roles filling his


time after years at Tui and latterly Travelopia; not one of the biggest jobs – and indeed challenges – in the UK industry. The pull of leading such an iconic brand was clearly too


strong, and that’s what happens when travel is in your blood. There’s certainly no shortage of people who have been similarly bitten by the travel bug, like The Travel Network Group homeworker we interviewed this week who used his skill and knowledge to make a booking so lucrative he was able to add a sizeable sum to the deposit for his first house (page 5). But that doesn’t mean everything is entirely rosy, as


we also report on an increasingly difficult recruitment landscape for some small and medium-sized agents (page 6). It’s good to hear that the consortia are taking steps to try to help their members counter the challenges they face. And central to that will be showcasing how the travel industry continues to offer opportunities to build a long and rewarding career. Just ask Kuoni’s Derek Jones, who tweeted


this week that it was 30 years since he left a job in the civil service (to the dismay of his parents) to become an overseas rep. His take on that move? “The best decision


I ever made.” 30


Readers’ Lives Cover Star: Ellie Armstrong 34 Mystery Shopper Winchester, Hampshire 42


DESTINATIONS Cruise


Asian Rivers: The Mekong and Yangtze 44 Entertainment: 10 of the Best Cruises Coastal Cruising: A growing trend


Africa Kilimanjaro: Reaching the peak


FRONT COVER Hays apprentice Ellie Armstrong visits Miami, where her parents married PHOTO: STEVE HOCKSTEIN


64 South Africa: Mpumalanga and Limpopo 71 BUSINESS


A4E Summit ‘Weak carriers will collapse’ 78 ITB 2019 Tui, Airbnb and data security 79 Back page Abta reveals theme for Japan 80


Mar 14


51 61


WHAT


LUCY DID THIS WEEK


1


2 3


Lucy Huxley Editor-in-chief @Lucy_Huxley


Met up with John Sullivan and Claire Brighton from Advantage Travel Partnership to discuss plans for their conference in Cadiz in May.


Had a good catch-up with new Thomas Cook boss Will Waggott midway through my Sainsbury’s shop on Sunday!


Made my daughter a black and red samurai warrior costume, based on The Young Samurai, for World Book Day.


14 March 2019travelweekly.co.uk3


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