� IN FOCUS l WTM LONDON Mayflower 400 launches tours and fam trips
The 400th anniversary of the Mayflower voyage from the UK to America will be marked in 2020 with an international programme of commemorations. Holidays have already gone on sale
for groups and individuals to explore the Mayflower 400 trail, including key destinations in the UK and Holland. Amanda Lumley, Destination Plymouth
executive director, said: “There is significant demand for Mayflower tours to England – in advance of and during 2020. “The Mayflower 400 team is on hand to provide advice and destination information to support the development of further tours.”
WTM IN BRIEF
w Silverstone Experience gears up for 2019 opening
Opening in spring 2019, the Silverstone Experience will explore the history of the Silverstone racing circuit and British motor racing. Supported by its Royal Patron,
HRH Prince Harry of Wales, the attraction aims to inspire future engineers and bring them closer to motor sports through interactive installations based on science,
technology, engineering and maths.
silverstone.co.uk
Stand UKI320 A Mayflower 400 fam trip was held
in September for 14 tour operators – all members of UKinbound – to explore links in Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.
The Mayflower set sail for America in 1620
The 11 UK member destinations within the Mayflower 400 programme are: Austerfield, Doncaster; Boston, Lincolnshire; Dartmouth, Devon; Gainsborough, Lincolnshire; Harwich, Essex; Immingham, Lincolnshire; Plymouth, Devon; Scrooby and Babworth, Nottinghamshire; Southwark, London; Southampton, Hampshire; and Worcestershire.
mayflower400uk.org
Get ready for Grand Central Hotel Belfast
Hastings Hotels, Northern Ireland’s leading collection of hotels, will be at WTM London to promote the latest addition to its portfolio – the Grand Central Hotel Belfast.
The £53 million project, with
more than 300 rooms, is slated to open in mid-2018. The hotel takes its name from the original Grand Central Hotel which opened in 1893 during Belfast’s Victorian heyday. It welcomed guests from Winston Churchill to the Beatles before being demolished in the
1980s. The new property, which is an office conversion, has used local companies and materials wherever possible throughout its construction.
Sir William Hastings, chairman of Hastings Hotels, said: “The £53 million investment represents our company’s biggest single investment to date and is the sum required to create a top- quality hotel befitting the name Grand Central, and of which Belfast city can be proud. “It will bring the number of bedrooms in our group to over
Key EU Brexit negotiator to speak at Leaders’ Lunch
The European Parliament’s chief negotiator of Britain’s exit from the European Union, Guy Verhofstadt (pictured), is the keynote speaker at the exclusive WTM Leaders’ Lunch. The WTM Leaders’ Lunch is an
invitation-only networking event with 200 heads of commercial travel organisations. The Belgian MEP was Prime Minister of Belgium from 1999 until 2008, and is now leader of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe in the European Parliament. He is charged with leading the
European MEPs’ negotiating team, and any deal with the UK will have to be ratified by the European Parliament. Verhofstadt is among the top brass in Europe dealing with the negotiations,
22 TravelGBI | November 2017
Brexit is considered by many to be our generation’s greatest challenge
alongside Donald Tusk, European Council president; Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission; and Michel Barnier, chief negotiator for the European Commission. Simon Press, WTM London senior
director, said: “The UK’s exit from the EU is considered by many to be our generation’s greatest challenge, and it will bring huge changes to the travel trade. Many in our industry are deeply concerned about freedom of movement for travellers and workers – so to hear directly from the European Parliament’s negotiator is an exceptional opportunity.” w The WTM Leaders’ Lunch is an invitation-only event, from 11:00-13:30 on November 6, Platinum Suite 3 & 4.
1,000 making us the largest privately owned hotel chain on the island of Ireland.” Hastings Hotels has six other luxury hotels in Northern Ireland including the five-star Culloden Estate and Spa, the famous Europa Hotel, and the four-star Stormont Hotel.
hastingshotels.com Stand UKI400
WTM IN BRIEF
w Riverboat travel with MBNA Thames Clippers
London riverboat company MBNA Thames Clippers is offering special travel packages for trade professionals attending WTM London 2017. Delegates can travel from
central London piers – including Westminster, London Eye and London Bridge – to North Greenwich with a special WTM travel ticket, which also includes a short cable car ride with Emirates
Air Line to reach ExCeL.
thamesclippers.com Stand UKI300
travelgbi.com
Stand UKI300
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