NEWS


CLASS ACTS: Cunard hosted 12 travel agents at the Royal Albert Hall for the 50th anniversary of the Olivier Awards on Sunday. The awards ceremony marked Cunard’s first headline sponsorship of the annual event. The agents in attendance, who were selected by Cunard’s trade sales team and through a competition with its Shine Rewards Club, enjoyed access to the ‘green carpet’ and admission to a VIP after-party at the Natural History Museum. Not Just Travel agent Joanne Doherty said it was “a real honour” to be invited, while Anjalina Young of Mundy Cruising said she felt “incredibly lucky”. Iain Baillie, Cunard associate vice-president of UK and EMEA sales, said: “It was a real pleasure to welcome our travel agent partners to this landmark 50th anniversary ceremony.”


Gulf blockade fuels uncertainties as March spending on travel dips


Ian Taylor


The crisis in the Gulf appeared to ratchet up to a new level this week as the US blockaded Iran and Iranian-linked ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz towards a likely confrontation with US forces while China denounced the US action. One analyst described


weeks”. That led Advantage Travel Partnership chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said to demand “information to travellers remains accurate” so as not to cause “unnecessary alarm”. She pointed out: “Supply risks


the blockade as “fine by the Iranians [as] it prolongs the chokehold on the global economy.” Another suggested: “It shows President Trump is willing to risk prolonged disruption.” Virgin Atlantic chief executive


STORY TOP


are being monitored closely, [and] the UK government and UK airline representatives point to robust contingency planning and resilient supply chains.” However, Association


of Atol Companies advisor Alan Bowen noted: “If we get to the end of May


and we’re not getting any fuel,


we’ll clearly have an issue.” He said: “We hoped the ceasefire


Corneel Koster warned: “No matter what happens in the Gulf, disruption to global energy prices will be here to stay.” Fears of a lack of jet fuel for flights


hit the headlines after the European airports association warned of shortages “within the next three


travelweekly.co.uk


would bring a boom, but it hasn’t. “I suspect a lot of people are


waiting to see what happens after the two-week ceasefire.” Sandra Corkin, executive director


of Oasis Travel, said: “We’re definitely seeing an impact. Sales and enquiries have been a bit stronger since Easter,


but we’re getting cancellations for summer as balances become due. People are putting off decisions and feel apprehensive about committing to long-haul bookings.” Barclays card-spending data


for March showed a fall in the value of travel transactions for the first time since the pandemic, despite a 0.9% increase in spending overall year on year – although this lagged the 3.4% inflation rate. Confidence among chief


financial officers (CFOs) at the UK’s largest companies has also fallen to its lowest since the early months of the pandemic, according to the latest Deloitte CFO Survey. Barclays reported consumer


spending on essentials rose for the first time in eight months as fuel prices surged, but spending on trips abroad fell 3.3% year on year and spending with travel agents was down 4.6%. A Barclays consumer poll found 70% concerned about rising travel


costs and 57% worried about travel disruption, while 11% reported cancelling their travel plans. The findings tallied with a


Responsible Travel poll of 112 travel businesses which found 80% reported falling bookings since the start of the war. Three out of five (59%) of those offering trips worldwide and 68% of those selling Asia tours reported a drop in enquiries of ‘20% or more’. Responsible Travel customer


director Tim Williamson described the human costs of the war as “incalculable” but said falling tourist numbers and rising costs would “hit small businesses and communities dependent on tourism the hardest”. Travel Weekly is launching


a monthly tracker of consumer sentiment towards outbound travel and flights via the Gulf with consumer


researcher The Harris Poll UK. i Agent Diary, page 22 i Analysis, back page


16 APRIL 2026 5


PICTURE: Chris Ison


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