Sign up now to get your TW for free A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR


The shortlisting for the Travel Weekly Agent Achievement Awards is always a tough task, but the standard of entries this year was truly exceptional. Those shortlists will be revealed in a matter of weeks, and I can assure you they will showcase the incredible breadth of quality and talent that exists within the travel trade. The sheer volume of entries was a reminder of the special place the AAAs holds for the hundreds of agents and suppliers who engage each year by crafting their submissions and casting their votes. And it was a fantastic boost for the entire Travel Weekly team, which looks to inform, inspire, support and connect the travel industry in everything we do.


We are immensely proud to serve our agent readers wherever they need and want us, whether that is on social media and digital channels, through our unrivalled events portfolio or in the pages of the only weekly magazine for the travel trade. On that subject, we are now in the process of reverifying our circulation, so I would urge you all to renew your subscriptions and encourage any colleagues who are not receiving the magazine to sign up for free. In an attempt to minimise the reverification phone calls, which we appreciate can be a source


of frustration in the summer months, we are urging all readers to register during May, and there are five £100 shopping vouchers up for grabs for those who do. To make sure you receive your copy and are in with a chance of winning, please head to travelweekly.co.uk/subscribe today.


p Lucy Huxley, editor-in-chief, Travel Weekly Group CONTENTS


NEWS CMA enforces pricing guidance Greek authorities clarify EES policy


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COVER photo


On board HX Expeditions’ Fram are, from left: Justin Lacey and Janet Lacey, Not


Just Travel; Gebhard Rainer, HX; Sarah Stephens, ROL Cruise; Mark Walter, HX;


Yvonne Brown, InteleTravel; and Kelly Joannides,


Advantage Travel Partnership page 10


Photo: Timo Heinz


FRONTLINE agent diary Matt and Ashley: Tap into touring trips 22 Your Stories Tui branch manager Michelle Kirkham


FRONT COVER AND THIS PAGE: Steve Dunlop; Shutterstock/PatChan_HK, Ahanov Michael, Symeonidis Dimitrios, Kampon; Simon Wright


travelweekly.co.uk FOLLOW US: @travelweekly


Gulf crisis ‘complex’ but sales return 5 Advantage hits £17bn; TC record profit 6 Kuoni committed to retail; new car prize 8 Special Reports HX hosts fam cruise from Hamburg


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Celebrity Cruises fam sailing, Lisbon 12 comment


Finance Q&A: Cut your outgoings 14


NEWS YOU CAN USE Wendy Wu Tours, Top Villas, Travelpack 17 Sunvil adds Albania; Fred Holidays 18 Viking, Cunard, Virgin, Regent, Riviera 20


WHAT LUCY DID THIS WEEK


OFilmed a webcast with Newmarket’s Hayley Morris to hear about plans to give away a car at the AAAs (page 8).


OHad meetings with easyJet holidays, Virgin Atlantic, Black Diamond, British Airways, Royal Caribbean, Ticketo and Holland America Line. Busy week!


OJoined colleagues to throw a baby shower for Aspire deputy editor Erica Rich as she heads off to the exciting new world of motherhood.


close-up G Adventures, Tui, Not Just Travel


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competitions Caribbean trip, vouchers and hot tub 28


DESTINATIONS asia


South Korea: Virgin Atlantic’s new link offers easy access to Seoul’s teahouses, temples and modern marvels


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greece, Cyprus & Balkans Montenegro: Discover the mountains, lakes and monuments within easy reach of the tourist hub of the Bay of Kotor 34 Thessaloniki: Five of the city’s tastiest treats, from bouyiourdi to trigona 40


Santorini: Quiet spots on a busy island 42 24


BUSINESS NEWS Spirit creditors rejected federal loan deal 46 Amex GBT set for $6.3bn takeover 47 Results: IAG, Emirates, Amadeus Analysis: Airlines seek to reassure


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travelweeklyuk @travelweeklyuk 14 MAY 2026 3


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