8 | UPDATES
www.nitravelnews.com
July/August 2024
Jet2holidays Launches BRAND NEW Spanish Holiday Destination from Belfast!
JET2HOLIDAYS has
announced the launch of holidays to the Costa de la Luz from Belfast International Airport for Summer 25. This exciting expansion, opening up a stunning and authentic slice of Spain, comes on the back of strong demand from Northern Ireland
holidaymakers
looking to get away next summer. The UK’s largest tour operator has put award- winning holidays on sale via Faro Airport to the Costa de la Luz from Belfast International Airport from early May right through to the end of October 2025. From Faro Airport, it is a short drive across the Portuguese border into Spain where holidaymakers will now be able to choose from a range of hotels that have gone on sale with Jet2holidays across the four resorts of Punta Umbria , Isla Canela , Isla Cristina and El Rompido . The Costa de la Luz, also known as the ‘Coast of Light’, is a stunning spot on the south-western coast of Spain, making it the perfect choice for a sun-kissed holiday. Known for its golden sandy beaches, it stretches along the glistening Atlantic from Tarifa to the pretty Portuguese border. The diverse region is made up of tranquil seaside towns and vibrant cultural experiences, as well as natural parks, historic cities such as Cadiz and Huelva, and top-notch golf courses. The launch gives independent travel agents across Northern Ireland the opportunity to offer package holidays to a brand-new destination for Summer 25 with Jet2holidays, while enjoying the company’s award-winning benefits and customer service. The brand has recently been named Travel Brand of the Year at the prestigious Which? Awards, after it was recognised for providing customers with industry-leading products and customer service on their well-deserved holidays. Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2. com and Jet2holidays,
said:“We are absolutely delighted to be giving independent travel agents across Northern Ireland the chance to offer customers an authentic slice of Spain thanks to the launch of Costa de la Luz as a new destination from Belfast International Airport for Summer 25. As a result of this launch, customers can easily reach this stunning region and Spain’s best beaches via Faro Airport.” He added: “This latest expansion comes on the back of strong demand from customers and independent travel agents looking to book with us time and time again on our award-winning flights and holidays out of Belfast International
Airport.
Thanks to the launch of this new destination from next summer, we look forward to welcoming even more holidaymakers onboard and showcasing all the reasons why we continue to delight customers.”
New Iceland Route Announced from Belfast International Airport!
JET2.COM and Jet2CityBreaks have announced three dedicated Iceland trips from Belfast International. The trips include a four-night trip
on 3rd December 2025, a four-night trip on 18th February 2026 and a four-night trip on 22nd April 2026. The February trip is perfectly
timed for the February half-term while the April trip falls over the Easter holidays. Customers can pick from flight-
only or package holiday options, with package options with Jet2CityBreaks available for a low £60 per person
deposit. These package options with Jet2CityBreaks include a guided Northern Lights Tour, flights with
Jet2.com, 22kg hold luggage and transfers to and from the airport, as well as a choice of 3 and 4-star hotels in central Reykjavik. In addition, a choice of excursions to the South Shore, Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon are also available to purchase. The release of the programme
is the earliest the companies have ever put their Iceland programme on sale, giving holidaymakers the opportunity to book ahead and tick
Raised Within Two Years THE Chief Executive of Dublin Airport says he is hopeful that the airport’s passenger cap of 32m passengers per year can be raised to 40m within the next two years. DAA Chief Executive Kenny Jacobs told Ireland’s
Jet2holidays Partners with The Fun Lab to Set Industry-Leading Standards at
Hotels Featuring Water Parks Jet2holidays has signed an agreement with The Fun Lab, an engineering firm and accredited inspection entity (ISO 17020) which specialises in safety at water parks. The deal has been signed
as Jet2holidays’ biggest ever summer season gets underway, with millions of holidaymakers and families travelling to the sunshine with the award- winning company. As a result of the agreement,
The Fun Lab will inspect and audit water parks at more than 50 hotels featuring water parks across Spain, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Croatia this summer. This provides each establishment, as well as visiting holidaymakers, with the assurance that the water park facilities are not only fun for all but are industry-leading when it comes to safety too. The Fun Lab team has developed a specific safety checklist for these hotels which feature water parks, and they will visit each property to audit them against it. The checklists follow European EN regulations (EN-1069:2017 (Water slides), EN-17232:2020
Oireachtas Transport Committee that while he is “not a planning expert” he is “hoping we can get the
the destination off their bucket list. Announcing the programme this early comes in response to the number of customers who book early when it comes to choosing a flight or city break to Iceland. Thanks to its abundance of natural wonders and wide variety of sights to see, Iceland has continued to experience strong demand. From the world’s most northernmost capital, Reykjavik, to volcanic landscapes and the night skies featuring the spectacular Northern Lights, it is easy to see why Iceland’s deemed a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
Dublin Airport Chief Claims Dublin Airport Passenger Cap Could be
40m approved within the next two years”. This is contrary to his former employer’s claims
that the application to raise the cap will take five years. Mr Jacobs was formerly Chief Marketing Officer at Ryanair. Mr Jacobs raises his concerns regarding the existing 32m passenger cap claiming that unless it is raised the airport “may be forced into a breach” before the end of 2024. It was stated that Dublin Airport processed 120,000 passengers in one day alone. Mr Jacobs insisted that Dublin Airport complied
with the 32m cap in 2023, however both DAA’s own corporate statistics and those of the Department of Transport showed that the cap had been breached by 1.5m passengers.
MORE than 30,000 Irish passports were lost last year and almost 14,000 to date this year. In addition, almost 3,000 were reported stolen in 2023 and 1,000 so far this year. That’s according
(Water play equipment and features), and EN-25649:2017 (Floating leisure articles for use on and in the water) which are appropriate for these types of facilities. In addition to this, The
Fun Lab can also work with Jet2holidays hotel partners that feature water parks to provide them with exclusive ‘Safe Fun’ certification. This certification is awarded
to establishments that have certified their water leisure facilities in accordance with the mentioned international standards, showing that they adopt first-class practices when it comes to everything from the build and design of their facilities, right through
Competition Winners Head to Weatherfield for Hays Travel Summer Street Party
THIRTY Party Coronation
Street fans headed to Weatherfield on 8 June for the Hays Travel Summer Street
on the
cobbles, after winning a passport to the exclusive event in a prize draw. The fifteen prize- winners and guests met for cocktails and canapes at The Alchemist on Salford Quays, before heading to the nearby ITV studios, where they were
welcomed for a briefing and drinks by the Coronation Street team on set in the Viaduct Bistro. The lucky winners enjoyed a rare ‘behind the scenes’ set tour, met some of the Coronation Street cast inside Speed Daal, then headed out into the sunlit cobbles to be entertained by a live band and indulge in colourful cocktails and a ‘street food’ summer BBQ.
to statistics from Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin. Last year Irish
citizens lost 30,345 passports,
13,769 have been lost to date this year. A total of 2,393
were reported stolen in 2023, and some 1,000 up to early June this year. The figures mean
while
48,000 Irish Passports Lost or Stolen Over Past 18 Months
that, in total, 47,507 passports were either lost or stolen in just under 18 months. Ireland’s
Democrats
Catherine Murphy said that “30,000 is an enormous number of lost passports and must raise a huge red flag”.
Social TD
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
