Cover Stars hit headlines on Montenegro VIP trip
Travel Weekly reporters
Twelve British frontline travel agents hit the headlines in Montenegro last week as they visited the destination for their Cover Stars prize fam trip. Their visit was featured by
Montenegrin daily newspaper Vijesti as they explored with representatives from Jet2holidays and Iberostar Group. Travel Weekly’s Cover Stars
winners for 2024 had been selected from a host of entries to join the VIP trip with Jet2holidays. They stayed at Iberostar Slavija resort, Budva, flying from Manchester to Tivat. The agents each had a professional
photoshoot, as they will feature on the front covers of Travel Weekly next year. During their trip – co-hosted with
Montenegro’s tourist board – the agents visited Budva, Kotor, Perast, Tivat and Cetinje. They explored mountainous regions, took a boat trip and enjoyed a spa afternoon at the Chedi Lustica Bay Hotel. Travel Counsellors’ Bryony
Hordern told Vijesti: “This is my first visit to Montenegro and I am really pleasantly surprised. The scenery is amazing and everything we visited was interesting.” She highlighted Montenegro’s diverse tourism offering, and how
Tra vel Weekly’s Cover Stars 2024 winners
O Laura Donald, Dawson & Sanderson O Jessica Gilmour, Stewart Travel O Louise Griggs, Constant Travel O Bryony Hordern, Travel Counsellors O Ravina Kaur, Midcounties Co-op Travel O Bethany Leach, Premier Travel
O Richard Lowrey-Heywood, Seaside Travel O Kieran Marshall, Idle Travel O Tania Nash, Colchester Travel O Luke Nicol, Hays Travel O Sarah Nowell-Stuart, Admiral Travel O Suzanne Wilkinson, Althams Travel
Merlin hints at growth as group hits 60 members
Merlin Travel Group has more than doubled its membership in the last two years and hinted at further growth in the tour operating and cruise markets. The consortium for
travel agents and destination specialist tour operators had 28 members in 2021 and now has 60. It started in 2019 and had eight agents by early 2020. Most members of the
group – which is part of Protected Trust Services – are homeworkers. Managing director Garry
Butcher said: “This has been a fantastic year for us in terms of sales and growth, and we’re very excited about future projects we’re working on. “I’m sure our principles
food and drinks are “very affordable”. The agents were accompanied
by Jet2holidays trade sales executive Emma Broad and trade marketing B2B manager Sophie Helsby, plus James Carvetta, UK and Ireland business development manager for Iberostar Group, which helped sponsor the trip. Dr Ana Tripković Marković,
National Tourism Organisation of Montenegro director, told
Tui names Iveson as commercial director after Sofer’s departure
Phillip Iveson will become commercial director of Tui UK and Ireland on November 1. He moves internally following last month’s announcement of the departure of commercial and business development director Richard Sofer after seven years. Iveson joined Tui in 2010 from Expedia and switches from Tui Group product and purchasing where he was commercial director.
8 26 OCTOBER 2023
Vijesti: “Cooperation with the tour operator Jet2holidays is of key importance to us for improving air availability and the growth of tourist traffic, bearing in mind that
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays operate from 11 British cities. “It’s a really big deal that Jet2. com
has announced the introduction of flights from Birmingham and London, in addition to the already established Manchester route.”
Job market tightens as more candidates vie for fewer roles
The number of new candidates searching for travel jobs rose by 3% in September versus August. However, C&M Travel Recruitment said the number of candidates finding new roles last month fell to its lowest level of the year, while the number of new jobs advertised dipped to its lowest point for five months.
of empowerment, autonomy and equitable share of commissions have been key ingredients in our success and that of our members.” Mark Sutton, PTS managing
director, said the group’s affiliation with PTS had created an “ecosystem where businesses can grow without constraints”. Merlin Travel Group is also
looking to expand its trade tour operation MTG Holidays in the near future and plans to launch MTG Cruise, an exclusive cruise network, next month.
On the Beach urges regulator to tackle airlines’ ‘aggressive tactics’
On the Beach is urging the Competitions and Markets Authority to conduct a market review to “safeguard consumer choice”. The online travel agency is calling for the regulator to stop some low-cost airlines using “aggressive tactics to limit choice and drive out competition”. On the Beach has released a white paper claiming support from 3,000 UK holidaymakers.
travelweekly.co.uk
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