NEWS ROUND-UP Perrott scoops shining star award
Travelbag’s Anna Perrott was among a raft of agent winners at the Carnival brands star-studded fifth UK Cruise Awards. Perrott (centre), who is head of cruise, scooped the
shining star award, presented by ITV’s Richard Arnold and Seabourn managing director Lynn Narraway. She was recognised for outstanding contribution of an individual within the industry. The London event was attended by more than 200 agents, media and TV celebrities including Strictly stars Natalie Lowe and Ian Waite and ITV’s Love Island star Dr Alex George. The awards were hosted by six of the Carnival
cruise brands, each of which gave out two awards. The final award of the evening, the Carnival UK trade partner of the year, went to Iglu Cruise.
Cook, Butlin’s and Carnival fight fake Facebook pages
Samantha Mayling
samantha.mayling@
travelweekly.co.uk
Travel companies are calling on Facebook to remove fake pages after their brands were used to dupe customers in bogus promotions.
Butlin’s, Thomas Cook and
Carnival Cruise Line are among brands whose identities have recently been hijacked by fraudsters to obtain consumers’ personal details in fake promotions, according to Hoax-Slayer, a website that highlights internet scams. Travel agents have also
highlighted recent competitions that purport to offer a Butlin’s holiday as a prize. Hoax-Slayer, run by Australian
Brett Christensen, said: “The ‘Butlins Fans’ Facebook page is just another scam designed to trick you into providing your personal information on suspect websites.” Thomas Cook has asked
Facebook to remove a fake promotion page called
SCAM: The fake ‘Thomas Cook Fans’ Facebook page was offering a free holiday
NEWS IN BRIEF
Industry pays tribute to former Kosmar boss Dighe
Tributes have been paid to former Kosmar Villas managing director Abhi Dighe, who died recently. Dighe, 57, was managing director of the Greece specialist between 1995 and 2009 and co-founded TVTravelmedia in 2016. His funeral was due to take place on Thursday (January 31).
Carrier’s Cheshire shop is no ‘cookie cutter’ agency
‘Thomas Cook Fans’. A Cook spokeswoman said:
“We are aware of the page and reported it to Facebook at the end of last week to get it removed. Our social media team is also advising customers it is not an official Thomas Cook page.” Butlin’s is in discussions
with social media channels to prevent future scams. A spokeswoman said: “We only ever run competitions and giveaways on our official Butlin’s social media pages or with official partners which, where possible, are verified. Unfortunately, that
8travelweekly.co.uk31 January 2019
doesn’t prevent these scam pages appearing, and we are talking to all the social channels to try to stop them in future.” Carnival Cruise Line stressed the need for social media sites to cooperate with the industry. A spokeswoman said: “We actively monitor social channels and work quickly to call out any fake pages created on Facebook and other sites. We would never ask for the data being requested. “Unfortunately, until Facebook
takes steps to restrict these fake pages before they are even created, there is little a brand can do.”
Carrier has reopened a travel boutique in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, claiming it to be a cut above traditional ‘cookie cutter’ travel agencies. It follows a three-month refurbishment and includes client consultation rooms and a bar. The shop will host VIP receptions and exhibitions.
Advantage reveals theme for conference is ‘Vivolution’
The theme of Advantage Travel Partnership’s 2019 40th anniversary conference will be ‘Vivolution’, which combines the Spanish word ‘vivo’, meaning ‘alive’, and evolution. The event, on May 17-20 in Sancti Petri, Cadiz, Spain, will see the return of the popular ‘dine-arounds’ hosted by different suppliers.
PICTURE: STEVE DUNLOP
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