WTM 2018 NEWS YOU CAN USE


Gardaland eyes UK growth with new hotel for families


Ben Ireland ben.ireland@travelweekly.co.uk


Italian theme park Gardaland hopes a new themed hotel for families and a growing partnership with Jet2holidays will boost sales from the UK.


The theme park, situated south


of Lake Garda, will open the 128-room Gardaland Magic Hotel on May 31, 2019. It will be its third on-site hotel. Head of international


sales Alessandro Zissis Bernacchi said agents could sell Gardaland stays as part of longer trips to cities such as Milan and Venice, or pair it with activities such as itesurfing on ae Garda. He said: “The Lake Garda


region is already popular, with 4.5 million tourists visiting every year. Our guests may stay on site, but want to see the region around Gardaland, as well as spending a few days at the park. “The UK for us is a new market.


Lake Garda has been a destination from the UK for couples and senior citizens, but we have a great offering for families too.”


“Lake Garda has attracted couples and senior citizens, but we have a great offering for families too”


The theme park, which has 40


attractions including adrenaline rides such as Oblivion and Blue Tornado, only started targeting the UK in recent years. UK guests typically stay for a week. It has events around


Oktoberfest, Halloween and


Christmas, and a ‘Night is Magic’ season when the park stays open until 11pm. There is also a Sea Life aquarium on site, with sea horses a new attraction for 2019. Gardaland signed a deal with Jet2holidays in 2017, making this year its first full season of selling packages through the operator. It is served by eight Jet2.com


flights a wee from  airports into nearby Italian airports. Next year, the airline will increase capacity by 22% by operating larger aircraft. Gardaland also sells via


Attraction World and Hotelbeds. gardaland.it/en


GARDALAND: The Magic Hotel will be the Italian park’s third on-site property


Hong Kong Tourism Board adds new training for agents


The Hong Kong Tourism Board has produced new training modules and a range of print and online content promoting four of the city’s neighbourhoods to the trade for the first time. The tourism board’s focus on boosting individual neighbourhoods has been extended to cover Wan Chai, Kowloon Walled City, West Kowloon and Eastern New Territories. Agents will have access to neighbourhood guides, maps, tips from local ‘personalities’, and suggested self-guided walking tours, which they can use to learn about the districts or give to clients. An updated Great Outdoors


Hong Kong guide is also set to be published next week, including 14 new hiking and cycling trails. Dawn Page, director for the


UK and northern Europe, said: “What we’re trying to do is help people discover Hong Kong like a local. We want to give everybody a reason to come back to Hong Kong again and again. Over the next two to three years, we’re going to be adding more neighbourhoods [to our programme].” The modules will be available on the Hong Kong trade portal, PartnerNet, by early 2019. tinyurl.com/hktbtraining


15 November 2018travelweekly.co.uk27


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