5 7
South and central Asia enjoyed a growth spurt, as operators expanded their programmes. Wendy Wu Tours claimed the highest level of agent demand in more than a decade at the launch of its enlarged India and Central Asia 2026-27 brochure, seeing a 70% year-on-year rise in bookings to the destinations for January to July. Other operators capitalised on growing interest: InsideAsia Tours added India; G Adventures added trips for its 18-to-Thirtysomethings brand in destinations including central Asia; and Intrepid Travel and Regent Holidays expanded in the ‘Stans’.
6
Samarkand, Uzbekistan
There was uncertainty as US-focused operators feared the impact of funding cuts for the destination marketing organisation Brand USA and the fee for an Esta rising from $21 to $40. While many described the cuts as concerning, their impact remains unclear: Travelpack said the US continued to be its strongest destination, while specialist operator USAirtours said interest in next year’s Fifa World Cup – which will take place in 16 cities across the US, Canada and Mexico – was a “silver lining” for trade sales.
Tui’s UK and Ireland marketing and sales director, Bart Quinton Smith, issued an open thank you letter to independent agents after sales through them rose during the peak sales period. He hailed the success of long-haul sales through independents, with Mexico and the Dominican Republic topping the bill, and Egypt and Cape Verde attracting “exceptional” numbers of trade bookings.
9 10 8
Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group launched a global advisory board to strengthen its travel agent partnerships. The board of agency partners will meet up with the group’s leadership team over the course of the year. Abercrombie & Kent, meanwhile, unveiled a new brand identity and logo, and news of a “significant phase of global expansion” for Cox & Kings, including its launch into the US and Australia.
Marking 25 years of selling travel to Japan, specialist operator InsideJapan Tours revealed a new strategy to promote the country’s lesser-known regions to try to combat overtourism. The campaign focused on Yamaguchi (pictured), Nagasaki, Toyama, Nagoya and Aomori prefectures, in an attempt to balance visitor distribution and promote sustainability. Plans included a dedicated microsite and reduced prices for off-peak and shoulder-season tours to encourage travel at less busy times. The co-founders of parent company Inside Travel Group outlined plans to increase revenue from £65 million to more than £170 million within five years.
Australia saw an uptick in interest, with TV shows such as Gary Barlow’s Food and Wine Tour: Australia helping to put it in the spotlight for foodie
travellers. Sports events also helped to generate revenue: the summer’s British and Irish Lions rugby tour brought an additional 40,000 UK visitors to Australia, with cities such as Melbourne, Sydney and Perth reporting hotel occupancy of over 90% during matches. The Ashes cricket series, starting this month, is expected to give a further boost.
A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR
“Qatar is well on the way to achieving its goal of six million visitors by 2030 – and our trade partners play an instrumental part in getting us there. We will continue to support the trade through our Qatar Specialist training scheme, raising awareness of our stopover programme,
organising UK roadshows and giving agents and operators the chance to experience the HIWXMREXMSR ½VWX LERH SR JEQ XVMTW ;I EVI ZIV] proud to once again be a Globes sponsor.” FADI MOUAQUAT associate director of international markets
Gary Barlow
66
66 November 2
r 2025
globetravelawards.co.
co.uk
PICTURES: Shutterstock/Lizavetta, Ringo Chiu; ITV/Rock Oyster Media, InsideJapan
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92
