NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW 4


Safer Tourism Foundation aims to protect Brits


Lucy Huxley lucy.huxley@travelweekly.co.uk


A new industry-wide charity has been set up to reduce the number of avoidable deaths, injuries and illnesses among British tourists.


The Safer Tourism Foundation has been established after children Christi and Bobby Shepherd died of carbon monoxide poisoning while on a Thomas Cook holiday in Corfu in 2006. Their mother Sharon Wood, who has spent the past 10 years


fighting for justice, is patron and a founding trustee of the charity, along with Thomas Cook chief executive Peter Fankhauser. Thomas Cook, Tui, Hotelplan


and Saga Travel have signed up to the charity’s pledge: a commitment to improve the health and safety of customers. The pledge includes promising


to use their influence on holiday partners to improve health and safety standards in resort, providing better information to customers, acting promptly when incidents occur, and sharing expertise and anonymised data.


Charity trustees Peter Fankhauser and Sharon Wood


5 STORIES HOT


Representatives from each


operator attended the charity’s launch on Tuesday, along with senior directors from Google, Expedia, Wyndham Vacation Rentals UK, Travelopia and Kuoni, as well as Abta and Aito. Wood said: “My children died needlessly due to systemic failings in the travel industry. We can’t change what happened but together we can be influential in making tourism safer for the future – a lasting legacy for Christi and Bobby.” Fankhauser said: “Health and


safety is beyond competition. If we


share information we can make the world safer for our customers.” Tui UK & Ireland managing


director Nick Longman said: “While every company has its own policies, we are more powerful when we work together.” Google’s Robin Frewer, travel commercial director for the EMEA region, said: “Information is critical to safety. The STF can learn from how we manage data. We can give guidance on platforms like our SOS Alerts and Person Finder


to add real value to the charity.” › Special Report, page 12


5 Barrass returns to UK for dnata role


Ben Ireland ben.ireland@travelweekly.co.uk


Former Gold Medal chief executive Steve Barrass is to return to the UK as part of a management reshuffle by dnata Travel that has seen several senior appointments.


Barrass has been based in


Dubai for four years since being appointed senior vice-president of dnata parent Emirates Group after Gold Medal and rival Travel 2 were acquired in 2014.


In his new role as senior vice-


president, new ventures (Europe), Barrass will oversee growth and development opportunities in new source markets and develop differentiated product. Dnata said he is also tasked with


creating greater synergies within the group’s portfolio of travel brands and independent members of The Global Travel Group agent consortium. Barrass will be based in the UK and will be supported by Andy Stark, managing director of Global. Other appointments by dnata


6 travelweekly.co.uk 14 September 2017


B2B Middle East and India, will take responsibility for a travel management joint venture with Norway-based G Travel International. Andy Washington, chief


Steve Barrass


Geoff Wood


include Geoff Wood as senior vice-president for corporate development, taking on responsibility for supplier relations. Wood was finance director at


On the Beach for three years and joined dnata Travel in July 2013. Steve Allen, senior vice-president


executive for B2C in Europe, overseeing brands Travel Republic, Travelbag and Sunmaster, takes on responsibility for Business Intelligence (Information). The appointments will come


into effect on October 2. In June, five senior directors, including managing director Andy Freeth, left dnata-owned Travel 2/ Gold Medal for rival operator If Only.


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  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96