CARIBBEAN CALLING The trade noted strong interest in the Caribbean, but flagged the lack of airlift and bed-stock as a growth constraint, with Caribtours citing a “real opportunity” to switch-sell from Europe in summer if capacity increased. Sandals’ (pictured) in-house operator Unique Caribbean Holidays described the UK market as “strong”, but noted flat demand against last year. The St Kitts Tourism Authority set up its first travel agent advisory board and the Jamaica Tourist Board hosted 70 agents on fam trips.
DISNEY DELIGHT Disney Destinations International hailed a “phenomenal” response to its free dining and drinks offer for Walt Disney World Resort in Florida after it relaunched to the trade in June. Across the Channel, the largest- ever investment in Disneyland Paris (pictured), to rebrand Studios Park as Disney Adventure World and open the World of Frozen in 2026, created new sales openings, along with the new PixieDust HQ trade platform.
GRAND PLANS Sani/Ikos Group confirmed plans to open its “most expansive Ikos property to date” after acquiring three hotels in Halkidiki, Greece, and promised to work better with the trade. The luxury all-inclusive hotel operator pledged €400 million to transform the 40-acre site into the first Ikos Grand Resort. Scheduled to open in April 2029, it will feature more than 700 contemporary rooms, suites and villas. Meanwhile, Iberostar Group opened five new hotels and Palladium Hotel Group revealed plans to open properties in Asia and the Middle East for the first time.
UNIVERSAL SUCCESS
Trade sales for Universal Orlando Resort outstripped expectations during the opening of the Epic Universe park (pictured), while the new Terra Luna and Stella Nova resorts also generated strong UK interest. Alison Montague, vice-president of sales and marketing EMEA
for Universal Destinations & Experiences, said forecasts were strong for 2026. Meanwhile, new planning documents revealed the proposed
Universal UK theme park would be able to handle 8.5 million annual visitors in its first phase.
LOTUS EFFECT Southeast Asia continued to grow in popularity, driven by greater airline capacity, keen pricing and renewed consumer confidence. Tui doubled capacity to Thailand and added the destination to its wedding portfolio, while Onyx Hospitality Group attributed a 31% hike in UK room night bookings in April to TV series The White Lotus. Norse Atlantic Airways started flights from Gatwick to Bangkok to tap into demand.
SPECIALIST SUPPORT Aito, The Specialist Travel Association, has had a busy year. It held its fourth annual ‘Famference’ in Gibraltar (pictured) in June (next year’s will take place in Switzerland), launched support for start-up businesses and a series of trade webinars promoting sustainable tourism. Executive director Martyn Sumners said: “Travel is a force for good, and educational as well as experiential. We should be encouraging people to travel more sustainably, for longer and putting back into destinations to help those in most need of tourism.”
id “T l A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR
“We are thrilled to continue our sponsorship of the Globe Travel Awards with the Destinations sector. Our Travelzoo audience has made it clear – they want to go bigger and bolder for their next trip. We can’t wait to see how this shapes our partnerships with more destinations. We remain dedicated to offering
our club members the best possible inspiration, covering all types of trips and experiences. Their adventurous travel plans never cease to amaze us. Here’s to a prosperous year ahead!” JAMES CLARKE, general manager, Travelzoo
globetravelawards.co.uk
November 2025 45
PICTURES: Shutterstock/Romaine W, veritographer; Marie Flament/Disneyland Paris
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