First Choice no longer ‘home of all-inclusive’


Amie Keeley


First Choice is to return to its roots as a traditional package holiday operator aſter selling all-inclusive only for seven years. Te Tui-owned brand will offer all


types of board basis, from self-catered to all-inclusive, as well as fully flexible holiday durations – but will promote itself as the group’s value brand. It will drop its ‘home of all-


inclusive’ tag line and replace it with ‘home of ridiculously good value’ in its turn-of-year advertising campaign. First Choice’s 2020 programme


will be its largest-ever to go on sale. Tui increased flying capacity


by one million seats and added more than 130 former Cook hotels following its collapse. Newly relaunched easyJet


Holidays has touted its flexible holidays, while Jet2holidays has long promoted this aspect of its packages as a USP. When asked if the changes were


driven by competitors, Tui UK and Ireland’s chief marketing officer Katie


McAlister said they were based on customer demand and planned long before Tomas Cook’s collapse. “Tere’s a need for more


flexibility and choice,” she said. “Customers would come to our website and try to untick the [all-inclusive] board basis.” She added: “We planned these


changes long before Tomas Cook [collapsed]. Having more holidays to sell, it’s even more important [the two brands] do different jobs. “First Choice is more of a value brand and Tui is more premium


so there is an opportunity to be more value, and flexible focused [with First Choice].” Te new offering will be promoted


in a TV ad from Boxing Day during Skyfall on ITV. Te ad features a family around


a pool discussing the “ridiculous” price of their holiday, before a tiki bar drummer, Cleopatra and a flying merman appear to the soundtrack of Te Lion Sleeps Tonight by Tight Fit. Te ad ends with a voiceover


saying ‘ridiculous deals need ridiculous adverts.’


First Choice ad features a merman


Azamara’s UK boss


Twynam to leave line Azamara UK, Ireland and EMEA managing director Richard Twynam is to leave the line. Twynam, who has been with the business since January 2014, is to be replaced by Patrice Willoughby, who will be based at the line’s Miami headquarters as managing director of international business development.


Barrhead expands


network to 85 stores Barrhead Travel has welcomed customers at the first two of the 20 shops it plans to open by the end of March. The Burnley branch opened last week, and the Allerton Road branch in Liverpool opened on Tuesday. The agency now has 39 Barrhead Travel stores and 46 Managed Service Travel Partners.


Abta simplifies advice


about animal welfare Abta has updated its animal welfare guidelines, which now deem elephant rides, shows, bathing or any other form of contact without a barrier as unacceptable. The advice, which Abta says is easier for members to understand, stipulates that it is unacceptable to take selfies with sloths in the Amazon, feed orangutans or giraffes, or walk with lions in southern Africa.


CAA payouts to 250,000-plus Thomas Cook customers break £200m mark


More than three-quarters of claims from Tomas Cook customers have been setled, with total payments of more than £200 million, according to the Civil Aviation Authority. Te payouts for the period to


December 15 cover more than 250,000 claims. Some 300,000 cancelled Tomas Cook holidays were Atol-protected. Te CAA, which manages the


scheme, said earlier this month that 6 19 DECEMBER 2019


one in three refunds had not been paid within its target of 60 days. Te update followed the Official


Receiver’s disclosure that Tomas Cook had collapsed with total liabilities of £9 billion. A report


to creditors showed £585 million was owed to customers and £45 million to employees. Te CAA’s claim is not


included in the £585 million figure. Te biggest proportion of the


COLLAPSE


THOMAS COOK


liabilities (£5.7 billion) covers debts to other group companies, followed by £1.7 billion owed to lenders. Trade


creditors


are owed £885 million, with £393 million due from Tomas Cook Tour Operations,


£448 million from the group’s airline business and £44 million from “group corporate functions”. Between £176 million and


£244 million has so far been realised through the sale of assets, including stores, landing slots, intellectual property rights, subsidiary and joint venture businesses, and the collection of currency and cash from agency branches.


travelweekly.co.uk


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