Cruise recovery is testament to teamwork A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
It was fantastic to be back at the Clia Conference at the weekend and see some incredible ships amid much optimism from agents and operators alike (page 4). There was plenty of discussion about the prospects for the future, but a comment from Royal Caribbean vice-president and Clia chair Ben Bouldin stood out as something of a line in the sand for the sector. Bouldin made the point that after months of focus on the restart following the lengthy shutdown of operations, cruise can finally get back to thinking about pre-pandemic growth plans. Logistical challenges remain as operators find their feet and deal
with shortfalls in airlift and resources, in addition to geopolitical influences on confidence and deployment. But as a growing number of
destinations make things easier for travellers to visit, it certainly feels the time is right to start looking to the future with a sense of stability and confidence. New Zealand’s tourism minister recently said cruise would be used as a future case study for how an industry can respond in the face of adversity, adjust perceptions and come back stronger (page 13). And with more calls this week for the wider trade to work together to overcome operational challenges (page 6), the sector is also a great example of how ultra-competitive rivals can unite around a single purpose for the greater good. It really is remarkable that an industry battered and pilloried at the start of the pandemic and then shut down for more than 12 months is now talking about a possible record year as soon as 2023.
Lucy Huxley, editor-in-chief, Travel Weekly Group CONTENTS
NEWS Sales resilient but dollar starts to bite 4 Cruise targets record year in 2023
4 COVER photo
From left: Rob Scott, P&O Cruises; Millie Allen, Hays
Travel; Kal Sindhu, Travelbag; Andy Harmer, Clia UK &
Ireland; and Kate Holroyd, Strawberry Holidays
pages 4, 12-13 Photo: Steve Dunlop
Airports ‘in good place’ for half-term 5 ‘Trade shifts to managed service model’ 6 NCL chief sure of no shutdowns; OTB 8 Conference reports Future of Travel Spring Forum, London 10 Clia Conference, Southampton
12
comment Gemma Antrobus: Covid’s ‘dividend’ 16
NEWS YOU CAN USE Newmarket, Fred, easyJet, Just Go! 19 Explora, Carnival, Amadeus, Windstar 20 Audley issues first worldwide brochure 23
THE QUEEN’S AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISE:
INTERNATIONAL TRADE 2020
FRONT COVER AND THIS PAGE: Shutterstock/Droneworksnortheast, Dmitry Rukhlenko, Jaromir Chalabala, rafastockbr, PJ
travelweekly.co.uk
FRONTLINE agent diary Clare Dudley: Trip revives love for travel 24 Close-up Prestige Holidays, Riviera, A-Rosa, Vertical Systems 25
FOLLOW US: @travelweekly
WHAT LUCY DID THIS WEEK
OGot to see three amazing cruise ships at the Clia Conference, MSC’s Virtuosa, P&O Cruises’ Iona and Royal’s Anthem of the Seas.
OBegan my favourite week of the year – chairing the judging sessions for the Agent Achievement Awards. I meet so many inspiring agents.
ORan 5k each morning before the Clia Conference with running buddies Andy Harmer and Stu Parish.
A Day with... Your Co-op Travel, Gloucester
28
competitions Caribbean fam, Alaskan cruise, money 30 Get Social
Booking terms, wait times, Clia forum 31
DESTINATIONS family holidays UK: Visit Northumberland to step back in time at Hadrian’s Wall and stargaze at Kielder Observatory 32
Asia
Bangkok: A 48-hour itinerary in the Thai capital to suggest to clients as new hotels open and flights resume 41
BUSINESS NEWS UK hotels recover quicker than Europe 46 EasyJet confident of ‘summer resilience’ 46 Europe’s airports face ‘big challenge’ 47 French airspace delays; ACI prediction 47 Airfares tipped to rise as costs increase 48
travelweeklyuk @travelweeklyuk 26 MAY 2022 3
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