Industry leaders unveiled for Future of Travel forum


Travel Weekly reporters


Tui northern region managing director Andrew Flintham, Carnival UK president Simon Palethorpe and Hays Travel chiefs Irene Hays and Jonathon Woodall are among the keynote speakers confirmed for a new three-day Travel Weekly Future of Travel virtual event next month. The Future of Travel Spring Forum will take place


on March 15, 17 and 19 and will follow the format of September’s highly successful Future of Travel Week, with a mix of interviews, panel discussions and presentations on issues facing the industry and related sectors. The event will be free to attend as Travel Weekly


continues to support the industry through the Covid-19 pandemic, with registered attendees given early access to the content in advance of the wider Travel Weekly audience. The Future of Travel Spring Forum also marks the


continuation of an established partnership with Google, which hosted and contributed to the inaugural Future of Travel live events and conferences before the Covid-19 pandemic and will share exclusive insight from speakers including travel industry leader Finnbar Cornwall. Lucy Huxley, editor-in-chief of Travel Weekly Group,


said: “We traditionally hold one of our most popular Travel Weekly Business Breakfasts in March as we assess the peak trading period and the outlook for the year ahead, and the timing of our spring forum this year feels particularly pertinent a year on from the first national lockdown and the effective shutdown of the industry. “We are delighted to continue our partnership with


Google on our Future of Travel portfolio of events and are grateful to the leading executives who have agreed to share their time to discuss the outlook for their companies and the wider industry.”


Tucan Travel ceases trading with 850 forward bookings


Specialist groups and tailor-made operator and agency Tucan Travel collapsed on Tuesday with the loss of nine jobs. The Aito member cited “unprecedented financial difficulties” as it lined up Begbies Traynor to become administrators from February 16. The London-based operator’s 850 forward bookings, worth about £850,000, will be covered by its Atol and Abtot bonds.


8 4 FEBRUARY 2021


Andrew Flintham


Simon Palethorpe


BCH scheme says former Shearings set its own cover


Operators of the Bonded Coach Holidays (BCH) financial protection scheme have rejected a suggestion that it left some Shearings customers “uncovered by BCH bonding” when the coach operator failed last year. BCH insisted the extent of


financial protection was determined by Shearings, which failed when parent Specialist Leisure Group went into insolvency in May 2020. Ray Coyne, company secretary


of the BCH and the Confederation of Passenger Transport, which runs the scheme, said: “We abide by the Package Travel Regulations and bonds with us are for what is covered by those regulations.” Liam Race, new chief executive


Irene Hays Register for free at: go.travelweekly.co.uk/SpringForum She added: “We will be announcing further details of


the event and our speaker line-up over the next month and believe the Future of Travel Spring Forum will offer yet more compelling and insightful content and advice as the industry attempts to chart a path through the pandemic.” Registered attendees will be sent links to view the forum content at 10am on each day of the event.


MSC Cruises takes delivery of new flagship MSC Virtuosa


MSC Cruises took delivery of new flagship MSC Virtuosa on Monday. The Meraviglia- class vessel is the line’s 18th ship and will sail


in Europe from April 16. It is a sister ship to MSC Grandiosa and is the first of two MSC


vessels due to launch this year, with MSC Seashore set to join the fleet in August.


Jonathon Woodall


of the Leger Shearings group, had suggested some non-package customers were left without refunds and this had left a “nasty taste”. But Coyne said: “It is wrong to


infer people were not covered due to us. It was because of the policy of the old Shearings.” Leger Holidays acquired the


Shearings brand last June and has moved it to a trust arrangement.


Shearings


Midcounties appoints ex-BA exec as head of travel division


The Midcounties Co-operative has appointed ex-BA executive Sara Dunham as chief officer for travel and leisure services. Dunham’s remit spans the group’s 78 branches, 165 Personal Travel Agents homeworkers, 140-member Co-operative Travel Consortium and tour operator Co-op Holidays. The responsibilities were part of Alistair Rowland’s role before he left to join Blue Bay Travel last year.


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