INSIDE THIS


WEEK Contents


NEWS Hot Stories


Short Brexit delay ‘could hit sales’; Thomas Cook plans to shut 21 shops; InteleTravel divides industry opinion; Advantage unveils Brexit advice; Agents urge clients to check passports


Round-up Viking Sky probe; Swords eyes new shop 08 NCL fares shake-up; Ridgeon’s new job 10


WIN!


A place on a fam trip to Barbados with Barbados Elite Club page 34


Special Report The Travel Network Group conference Celebrity Summit completes revamp


Talk Back InteleTravel, Thomas Cook


NEWS YOU CAN USE Product Marella, Premier Holidays


Operator AC Group, Goa Experience


12 14


17 04 19 20


Aviation Virgin Atlantic, British Airways 23 Cruise Wendy Wu, Cunard, P&O Cruises 24


FRONTLINE Comment Steve Dunne: Digital Drums


updates and the effect that each individual machination, recommendation and forecast was having on the travel industry. As a trade publication, we have instead attempted to


A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Proactive strategy is key O


assess each development on its merits, using verified booking data and objective expert guidance to get past the often scaremongering headlines in the national media and present the facts about the current state of play and the potential impact on our readers. As we approached the original deadline for the UK to


leave the EU this week, Brexit was certainly impossible to ignore, and there is no doubt that ongoing uncertainty and further delays will not be overly conducive to improved customer confidence (page 4). The latest figures from analyst GfK also suggest a clear impact on bookings in recent weeks, though it is important to remember that the outbound market has remained remarkably resilient over the past two years. The message from many industry leaders from the start of this process has been to focus on what you can control, rather than worrying unduly about what you can’t. That hasn’t meant sticking heads in the sand, of


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This Week In… A look back at archives 30 Readers’ Lives Britt-Marie Monks Mystery Shopper Norwich, Norfolk


DESTINATIONS FRONT COVER


From left: Elaine Barnes, Andersons Travel; Gary Lewis, The Travel Network Group; Carol Kirkham, Kirkham Travel; Mark Brewer, Imp Travel; Paul Philpott (front), Beacon Travel Service; and David Archer, Archer & Gaher


Adventures PHOTO: STEVE DUNLOP


Theme Parks & Attractions Entertainment: Best shows and parades 42 Thomas Land: Toddler theme park fun 49


Greece & Cyprus Skiathos: Sun, sand and spas await Second time: Cyprus keeps on giving


BUSINESS


Travel Weekly Business Breakfast First quarter and post-Brexit outlook


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54 61


WHAT


LUCY DID THIS WEEK


28 Mar 1


2 3


32 40


Lucy Huxley Editor-in-chief @Lucy_Huxley


Had a really productive meeting with the marketing and sales directors of Cunard – was great to catch up!


Jointly hosted agent and supplier partners on a short ski trip to Ischgl in Austria with Hotelplan/Inghams


Ran my third-fastest time at my weekly 5K Park Run and am excited to have signed up for my first 10K!


28 March 2019travelweekly.co.uk3


course, and prudent planning, clear guidance and a proactive strategy are key to plotting a course through this period of uncertainty (page 6). But the industry has proved itself adept at dealing with an array of challenges over many decades. This professionalism and ability to adapt should be a source of reassurance as the trade awaits some clarity on what the immediate future is likely to hold.


ver the past six months, it could have been tempting to give a running commentary on the latest Brexit


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