NEWS ROUND-UP NEWS IN BRIEF
Tipto’s Willis-Edwards takes on new events role at Fore
Tipto’s Lorna Willis-Edwards has been promoted to the new role of events director at parent company Fore after five years as account manager. The company is recruiting for a replacement to run the Tipto account.
Aito expands membership to 122 with new affiliates
Specialist singing-group holidays operator Run by Singers has become Aito’s 122nd member. Aito has also welcomed five new affiliates: Uzbekistan Airways, Dominican Republic Tourist Board, South African Tourism, Hungarian Tourism Agency and Acuity Group.
P&O Cruises’ new ship Iona to be delivered in 2020
P&O Cruises has named its new next-generation ship Iona after the Scottish island. Iona is due to be delivered in 2020 and will go on sale in September.
Travel Franchise increases franchisees to over 600
The Travel Franchise has recruited 18 franchisees in the last month, bringing its total to more than 600. The recruitment arm of agency Not Just Travel plans to have 1,000 franchisees by 2020. The company is increasing the price of its franchise packages from June 1.
COMMENT: “The cost of flying is increasing, but the cost of ‘optional’ extras is spiralling out of control” Gemma Antrobus, page 28
Kuoni links up with Gandys duo to create Sri Lanka trip
Juliet Dennis
juliet.dennis@
travelweekly.co.uk
Kuoni has teamed up with the founders of clothing brand Gandys to create a trip to Sri Lanka in the first partnership of its kind for the operator.
The itinerary, in Kuoni’s new Indian Ocean & Arabia 2019 brochure, is inspired by brothers Rob and Paul Forkan, who lost their parents in the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami while travelling as a family in Sri Lanka. It features their favourite places in Sri Lanka, where they have opened a ‘kids’ campus’ to educate children aged from four to 18.
The itinerary takes clients from the country’s cultural triangle to the coastal city of Galle via the Hill Country and Yala National Park. Paul, whose parents took him out of school at the age of 11 to live in India and travel the world, was 15 when his parents died. Rob was 17 at the time. The brothers, and their two siblings, who hitch-hiked 200 miles to the airport to get home to Britain, have since built up fashion
IN THE PICTURE: Welcome!
Kuoni has moved into new state-of the-art offices, with a dedicated area for agent training called The Forum. A brightly coloured tuk-tuk greets visitors in the
reception area, while graffiti walls and red telephone boxes also feature, plus a cafe and deli bar, complete with pool table and a central courtyard for events. The company’s 241 staff started work in the
new premises in Dorking, Surrey, this week. The property, called Touristik House, has also become the headquarters of parent company Der Touristik UK. Derek Jones, chief executive of Der Touristik UK, is pictured in The Forum.
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travelweekly.co.uk 31 May 2108
FOUNDERS: Gandys’ Paul (left) and Rob Forkan. Inset: Kuoni’s new brochure
brand Gandys, which funds the Orphans for Orphans charity. Paul said: “We love travel and
our brand is built around travel. Sri Lanka stood out; we know it so well and are passionate about it.” Paul’s personal highlight is the village of Ella, known for its tea plantations and trail to Little Adam’s Peak, a hike the family went on during their fateful trip, and the Nine Arch Bridge, known as the Bridge in the Sky. “Ella is magical. The air is so clean and the trees are golden- green. It’s like life has slowed
down,” said Paul, who added that further itineraries could be in the pipeline if this one is successful. Kuoni senior commercial manager Sheena Paton said it was the first time Kuoni had partnered with a fashion brand. “We felt the passion they have for exploring the world and creating designs inspired by travel and giving back are a great fit for our own vision and values,” she added. Kuoni will make a donation to the kids’ campus as part of its
commitment to responsible travel.
kuoni.co.uk
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