Firms focus on kindness in Mental Health Week


Juliet Dennis


Travel companies have put together activities and tips for people to practise at home during the lockdown as part of Mental Health Awareness Week. The theme of this year’s Mental


Health Awareness Week (May 18- 24), hosted by the Mental Health Foundation charity, is kindness. Industry charity Abta LifeLine


has formed a partnership with the Centre for Crisis Psychology to offer counselling support and said it was a particularly pertinent time to support those with mental health concerns, with many in the travel trade under strain during the UK lockdown. Director Trudie Clements said:


“Stress levels are high. People are trying to work and home-school, or are furloughed and worried if they still have a job, or what shape their business will be in. We particularly want to reach out to Abta agencies that don’t have employee assistance programmes to offer them this 24/7 telephone counselling service.” The Association of Touring &


Adventure Suppliers is offering daily tips this week from mental health professionals, while Royal Caribbean Cruises is running activities to


MENTAL


HEALTH MATTERS


promote self-care, wellbeing and kindness, and hosting webinars by performance enhancement coach Charlie Cannon and Reuben’s Retreat founder Nicola Graham. Psychotherapist Evelyn Byway,


who leads the cruise operator’s wellbeing and ability employee representative group, said: “As we continue to work remotely, it is now more important than ever that our teams have access to knowledge and


Tour America and Kuoni launch


video-chat services for customers Irish agency Tour America has launched a brand called Zoom Holidays to tap into consumers’ increased use of video-chat software such as Zoom. Agents for the company, which also owns the Cruise Holidays brand, will arrange customers’ holidays and travel arrangements via video chat. Kuoni also launched a video appointments service last week. It will run while the operator’s 48 stores and John Lewis concessions remain closed due to the Covid-19 crisis.


8 21 MAY 2020


techniques that build resilience and reduce stress.” Speakers on Advantage Travel


Partnership’s daily YouTube videos are sharing their top tips every day this week on how agents can look after their mental health. Global Travel Group commercial


director Cherie Richards said: “We encourage all our members to look after their mental health, especially during these difficult times.” From Thursday, Malta Tourism


Authority will host half-day ‘Virtual Retreats’ for travel sales professionals to experience “the sights and sounds of Malta while combining relaxation techniques with positive thinking”. The sessions will run in a tie-up with wellbeing specialist Talent Courtyard.


Advantage brings forward launch


of leisure agent steering group The Advantage Travel Partnership was set to hold the first, virtual, meeting of its new agent steering group this Wednesday. The consortium has set up the group, comprising eight to 10 leisure agent members, to gain feedback from the frontline and to act as a sounding board. Leisure director Kelly Cookes said the group’s launch had been brought forward from early June. A business agent steering group was set up in April.


OParty Hard Travel raised more than £2,000 for NHS Charities Together through a DJ-led event live- streamed on its Facebook page and YouTube channel. It featured Btay, Ellie Sax, Danny T, SKT, Sammy Porter, James Hype and Charlie Hedge, and gave away a host of raffle prizes.


OAmaWaterways is offering Frontline Medical Heroes a free river cruise. Successful applicants will be offered a future cruise certificate which can be used with one paying guest sharing the same stateroom and redeemed for any AmaWaterways sailing in Europe or Asia until December 31, 2021. More at: amawaterways.co.uk/hero


OLiz Turner, who retired from her role at Ffestiniog Travel last year, has returned to work as a volunteer to help the rail holiday operator deal with the impact of Covid-19. The 68-year-old (pictured), who was the company’s longest-serving employee having joined in 1973, said: “There’s no place I’d rather be right now”. She is helping Ffestiniog plan journeys for its 2021 brochure.


travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURE: Shutterstock


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32