New trade hub to help travel restart


Katie McGonagle


Travel Weekly has created a Restart & Recovery Hub with information from a range of destinations and trade-friendly suppliers on how they are reopening to travel. The hub will launch next week


with updates from partner tourist boards, airlines and operators. It will include details of planned dates for reopening borders and resuming flights, along with essential information such as requirements for testing, quarantine or wearing face masks, and photos or videos showing what customers can expect on holiday. Lucy Huxley, editor-in-chief of


Travel Weekly, said: “After months of travel being effectively at a standstill, the lifting of the UK government quarantine for certain destinations and the reopening of some countries’ borders to British tourists has felt like a huge step forward. “Yet agents still face a tough road ahead, with ever-changing advice and


complex entry requirements that vary by destination. “We hope our Restart & Recovery


Hub will help our readers navigate this challenging time by bringing together up-to-date information straight from the suppliers and destinations themselves so you can feel confident in what you’re selling and reassure your customers.” The hub, hosted on travelweekly.


co.uk, forms part of the Travel Weekly’s Roadmap to Recovery series, giving the trade the tools to restart sales and rebuild their businesses. Tony Smyth, senior vice-president


of iFree Group, headline sponsor of the hub, said: “In a world facing many challenges, shifting sentiment and heightened security, there will always be some constant convictions we embrace: safety, security and well-being. That is why we are proud to sponsor Travel Weekly’s Restart &


Recovery Hub.” ● To get involved in the hub, contact katie.mcgonagle@travelweekly.co.uk


Refund policies must comply with consumer law


Warnings issued ov Juliet Dennis


Abta has urged supplier members to ensure their refund policies comply with consumer law following a warning by the competition watchdog of potential enforcement action. The association shared


a copy of an open letter from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) with suppliers, which includes how package holiday companies should respond to refunds and cancellations during the pandemic. The CMA sent the letter directly


to more than 100 travel firms facing the highest number of complaints,


Holiday Extras to cut 330 jobs


as part of recovery plan Holiday Extras is cutting 330 jobs, including 250 roles at its head office in Kent. The add- ons provider said the move was the “first stage of a two-year recovery plan” in response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and that the government’s furlough scheme had helped it reduce the number of job losses. Senior leaders have been trained on helping staff through the process, and training and help with CVs will be offered to outgoing workers.


6 16 JULY 2020 Fleetway Travel fails with 6,500


forward bookings and 85 staff Fleetway Travel has gone into administration. The operator ceased trading on Monday with 6,500 Atol-protected bookings and a smaller number of accommodation-only bookings to be refunded by Abta. The company had 85 staff across offices in London and Sheffield. No travellers were abroad at the time. The firm, which had a significant US business, had been trading since the late 1970s. In 2018, it carried 68,000 pasengers, and recorded a transaction turnover £38 million.


of which 17,500 have been received since March. In its email, Abta said members


STORY TOP


should offer a refund where required by law, including on rebookings, as soon as possible. It said: “Members should not delay refunds any more than is absolutely necessary for their own survival – in particular refunds must not be delayed until close to the end date of a Refund Credit Note simply to


maximise liquidity.” The CMA’s “advisory” letter


acknowledged the “extraordinary pressures on package holiday businesses”, but stated: “Although we were sympathetic to the


Davidson leaves Jet2holidays after four years in business Jet2holidays’ general manager of trade sales, Craig Davidson, has left the business after four years. Davidson joined the operator in 2016 as it expanded to Birmingham and Stansted airports. Before that he was director of sales for Holiday Malta Company, which included Belleair Holidays. Head of trade Alan Cross said Jet2holidays was “extremely grateful to Craig for his contribution”.


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