Week of mixed emotions for cruise sector A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
The week leading up to the Easter weekend was one of mixed feelings in relation to the cruise sector, with a personal high point tempered as the weekend approached. Early last week I was honoured to represent the readers of Travel
Weekly as I named APT’s new river cruise ship Estrela in Portugal. The ship will be a great option for the trade to sell on the Douro, and
I was particularly delighted to be joined by some fantastic agents as I carried out my duties as godmother (pages 8 and 10-11). As I said on the day, the growth of the river cruise sector has been
truly impressive over the past decade, and the travel trade can take great credit for its contribution to that rapid evolution. While the naming celebrations were an undoubted positive, the week
ended with sadder news as Carnival Corporation confirmed plans to shelve Carnival Cruise Line’s UK operation (page 6). The news didn’t come as a huge surprise to many in the trade, with the CCL product very much
curated for US customers, and its parent company having an array of alternative products with greater reliance on the UK market. But it will still be a real shame to see a brand that often brought a breath of fresh air to trade engagement take a step back from the market next month. Our thoughts are with Iain Baillie and his team, whose ‘Fun Ambassadors’ rewards programme summed up their upbeat approach to supporting their partners. I hope to see them all back on the frontline very soon.
Lucy Huxley, editor-in-chief, Travel Weekly Group CONTENTS NEWS COVER photo
From left: Claire Dudley, Ponders Travel; Margaret McCorriston, Hays Travel; Lucy Huxley; Paul Melinis, APT/
Travelmarvel; and Gemma Pallister, ROL Cruise
pages 8 and 10-11 Photo: nvstudio
Jetline assets acquired by Travelodeal 4 Travel Counsellors’ premium leisure focus 4 Indie agents report recruitment problems 5 CCL’s UK closure; M&A ‘taking longer’ 6 Editor christens Estrela; Oceania/RSSC 8 Special Report APT reveals ‘aggressive’ sales targets 10 comment Amanda Matthews: Sustainable tourism 12
NEWS YOU CAN USE Product
Jet2, easyJet, Just You, Qatar Airways 15 G Adventures, Shearings
Fred Olsen, Unforgettable Croatia
16 18
FRONTLINE agent diary Andrea Smith: Managing expectations 20 Your Stories Westway Travel’s Ian Prior on old-fashioned values 22
FRONT COVER AND THIS PAGE: Steve Dunlop; Shutterstock/Marko Aliaksandr, Simon Wright; Stian Klo
travelweekly.co.uk FOLLOW US: @travelweekly
WHAT LUCY DID THIS WEEK
OSpent three great days with 50 agents from the UK and Ireland on the christening sailing of APT’s new river cruise vessel Estrela.
OCaught up with Aspire acting editor Erica Rich to go through the agenda for her flagship Leaders of Luxury conference in June. It’s looking excellent.
OOrganised an Easter egg hunt to keep up my mum’s tradition – though think my kids, now 19 and 15, might be a bit old for it!
close-up Not Just Travel, Riviera, Visit Orlando 24 competitions Win vouchers, cruise and Oasis tickets 25
DESTINATIONS Cruise
Norway: Agents delve into country’s seafaring heritage on a Hurtigruten fam trip on The Svalbard Line route 26
Croatia: Cheers to wine-themed sailing 31 Danube: See three cities in three days 37 hotels, resorts & spas Seychelles: Wonder at the wildlife and wilderness on a Constance Resorts twin-centre holiday
40 Edinburgh: Q&A with a whisky expert 44
BUSINESS NEWS Abta Aviation Forum: ›Charter and lease costs ‘unlikely to fall’46
›Hydrogen ‘key’ to decarbonisation 47 Easter getaway defies financial turmoil 48
travelweeklyuk @travelweeklyuk 24 APRIL 2025 3
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