Time to shine light on travel’s top sellers A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR


The golden glow of another spectacular Travel Weekly Globe Travel Awards is still fresh in the memory, so it feels a perfect time to turn our attention from the best suppliers in the business to the cream of the travel agency community. The launch of the Agent Achievement Awards is always a high point, as we ask suppliers to support their trade partners and agents to nominate themselves to showcase their work over the past 12 months. This year is no exception, and I am particularly excited about a new


award for the UK’s best individual agency branch, which gives us an opportunity to shine an even greater light on the frontline travel sellers truly excelling in their communities (pages 8 and 12-17). The start of the year has been notable for a string of announcements


hailing record sales, but conversations at our Industry Leaders’ Dinner last week highlighted a more nuanced picture. Like the proverbial swan gliding gracefully through the water, the positive outlook belies a hell of a lot of action beneath the surface – in the words of one guest, it is “a real grind” for some. That activity might be huge investment in marketing, or keen pricing and offers that require


careful monitoring of volume versus margin, but it’s certainly not plain sailing for many. We are clearly in for another bouncy ride in 2026, with the ongoing trend for closer-to-departure bookings adding to the uncertainty in the family sector in particular. With that in mind, the trade partnerships that both the Globes and AAAs are designed to champion will be as crucial as ever.


e Lucy Huxley, editor-in-chief, Travel Weekly Group CONTENTS NEWS


Ex-Fred Olsen boss back on high street 4 EES Easter rollout fears spur review call 4 Agents concerned over pricing rules 5 Intrepid doubles fams; accessibility call 6 New agency award; Spain visitor stats 8 AAAs 2026


AAAs 2026


Nominations open for the industry’s top awards for frontline sellers pages 12-17


Photo: Steve Dunlop


Time to nominate industry’s top sellers 12 comment


Finance Q&A: ISAs are tax-efficient 18 asia NEWS YOU CAN USE


Uniworld, Magari, Just Go, TransIndus 21 Leger Holidays, Grand UK Holidays 22 Disney Cruise, MSC, Swan, Azamara 24


FRONTLINE agent diary Clare Dudley: Inaccurate documentation


causes unnecessary work and stress 26 Your Stories Chris Hughes on why he sells only one cruise line 28


FRONT COVER AND THIS PAGE: Shutterstock/Frame Stock Footage, HBARTIS, wu hsoung; Steve Dunlop


travelweekly.co.uk FOLLOW US: @travelweekly


India: Culture, cuisine and dazzling mansions make Chettinad in southern India an under-the-radar hit 42


Lunar New Year: Pyrotechnics, lantern festivals, fireworks and dragon dances – your guide to eight of the best festivities 47


BUSINESS NEWS


England tourism bodies fight levy plan 54 Expedia reports 8% rise in revenue 55 AI pricing battle; American dispute 55 Analysis: Why are engine costs rising? 56


travelweeklyuk @travelweeklyuk 19 FEBRUARY 2026 3 close-up


Plan Your World, Miles Morgan, Hays 32 competitions Accessible holidays, fam trips, vouchers 34


DESTINATIONS The US


Florida: New hotels, fresh attractions and a host of World Cup fixtures can lift your Sunshine State sales 36


WHAT LUCY DID THIS WEEK


OAttended a lunch hosted by new Virgin Atlantic chief commercial officer Dave Geer for the carrier’s top trade partners.


OHad great meetings with Karen Farndell of Holland America Line and Rachel O’Reilly of Dertour UK to discuss plans for the rest of 2026.


OWent out for dinner with my kids’ first childminder, who subsequently moved to the Lake District and whom I hadn’t seen for years!


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