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EasyJet appoints Wilson to lead holidays division
Ian Taylor
ian.taylor@travelweekly.co.uk
EasyJet has appointed Tui managing director for group product and purchasing Garry Wilson to lead easyJet Holidays as it attempts to fulfil its pledge to make it a major holiday firm.
The airline unveiled plans to
“transform our holidays business” along with its half-year results on Tuesday. Chief executive Johan Lundgren,
former deputy chief at Tui who took over at easyJet in December, said: “EasyJet entered the holidays market a few years ago, but hasn’t taken advantage of the opportunities it has.” Steve Endacott, Teletext Holidays
chairman and former On Holiday Group chief executive, suggested easyJet Holidays stalled because the airline did not understand the holiday market. He said: “They looked at holidays as an ancillary sale. They didn’t have a tour operator running it. Now they do.”
EasyJet Holidays began trading
in 2011 with the now-defunct Lowcost Travel Group supplying accommodation and aiming to be “in the top three to five” in the UK holiday market. It switched partner in 2014 to Hotelbeds’ Hotelopia, then part of Tui Travel, declaring it would be “a strong number three” in Europe. But in a statement to investors
this week, easyJet revealed: “Only 500,000 passengers book a hotel with us out of an addressable market of 20 million.”
The carrier said with Wilson at the helm it would “develop closer relationships directly with selected hotel operators”, adding: “EasyJet has a market share, a frequency and a cost position that no one else can match, [with] a cost advantage of at least 20% over the leading operators.” Lundgren said: “Garry has deep
experience of the holiday market across easyJet’s network.” He forecast: “EasyJet Holidays can capture a significant share of the market.”
Club 18-30 needs ‘radical change’
Juliet Dennis
juliet.dennis@
travelweekly.co.uk
Club 18-30 needs to radically change to meet the needs of today’s young holidaymakers, according to the trade.
As parent company Thomas Cook announces a review of the famous brand synonymous with “sun, sea, sand and sex”, operators say young travellers now want authentic, experiential and worthwhile trips. Club 18-30 was founded in 1965
by Horizon Holidays and became well known for beach parties and bar crawls in resorts such as Malia, Crete; Ayia Napa, Cyprus; Magaluf, Majorca; and Benidorm, Spain. It was acquired by Cook in 1998. The annual number of Club
Johan Lundgren: ‘Garry has deep experience’
18-30 holidaymakers has fallen to between 50,000 and 70,000 in recent years, compared with a peak of about 115,000. A spokesman said: “We remain committed to Club 18-30 for summer 2018. However, we are exploring options for the future of the brand, which could
include the possibility of a sale.” Observers say Cook has “lost
track” of younger travellers’ needs and lost its foothold in the market. Andy Tidy, who was Club
18-30 managing director from 2001-06, said the brand’s profile had dropped since it was taken “inhouse” a decade ago. Previously it was operated separately from Cook’s mainstream business. He said: “Someone will need
to grab it by the neck and do something radically different with it. Its profile has diminished. Young people still want to have fun but they want to do it a different way.” Contiki Holidays director of
operations and product services Chris Treloggen said: “A lot of companies would end up in the same boat [as Club 18-30] if they didn’t offer new destinations and more authentic experiences. “The whole partying scene has
died down and we have seen a change. People want more genuine experiences and immersive holidays. They are also more responsible and aware of their
global footprint.” › Talk Back, page 19
17 May 2018
travelweekly.co.uk 5 3
Thomas Cook is ‘exploring options’ for party brand Club 18-30
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