June 2026


www.nitravelnews.com


Travelsphere Launches New Escorted Tours for 2027


TRAVELSPHERE has unveiled four new escorted tours for 2027, covering mainland Europe and southern Africa. The tours are now on sale, featuring Winter in Switzerland, which includes a journey on the GoldenPass Express to Montreaux; a Kleine Scheidegg visit by train from Grindelwald; visits to the Lauterbrunnen village, Maison Cailler for a chocolate-making workshop, and Gruyères for a traditional Swiss cheese fondue tasting; and a guided tour of the Château de Chillon with wine tasting. Travellers can also choose Exploring


Crete – Chania and the White Mountains, which includes guided tours of the ancient city of Aptera; Chania including its Venetian harbour; the White Mountains; and Gonia Monastery. A winery and olive mill visit with tasting are also available. Closer tothe UK,


the Scandinavia


Explorer option includes guided city tours of Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Orebro and Jonkoping; visits to the Vasa Museum and Skansen Museum; and a cruise on Stockholm’s canals. With a final option of Livingstone’s


Africa – Victoria Falls, Botswana & Zimbabwe.


This Includes game drives


in Chobe National Park and Hwange National Park; river cruises on the Chobe and Zambezi; a vintage tram ride through Zambezi National Park to the Victoria Falls Bridge; and a guided tour of Victoria Falls including a David Livingstone talk. All tours will include return flights, overseas transfers, accommodation, select meals, and a holiday director and specialist local guides. Kathy Farahat, Travelsphere product and operations director, said: “These new tours reflect the growing


TUI Announce Further Support For


Neurodiverse Holidaymakers TO mark Neurodiversity Awareness Month,


further supports for neurodiverse holidaymakers and their


TUI has announced families —


with services designed to make every stage of the journey easier, calmer and more accessible, from first booking right through to your time in resort TUI have expanded their sensory room offering for Summer 2026. Building


on


the success of its first sensory rooms launched last Summer, three new TUI BLUE sensory rooms are now accessible from Belfast airports this summer including TUI BLUE Palm Garden in Antalya, Turkey, TUI BLUE Tropical in Dalaman, Turkey


and TUI BLUE Nausicaa Beach in Larnaca, Cyprus, which join the existing sensory room at TUI BLUE Aura in Ibiza. Each sensory room has soft lighting, interactive sensory equipment and quiet zones, and designed to be a peaceful, low-stimulation environment for guests who may feel overwhelmed by busy or unfamiliar surroundings. In addition to sensory rooms, TUI works with specialist educational needs childcare agency, SENNIES, to ensure Kids Clubs across TUI BLUE hotels offer a consistent, inclusive approach. Team members receive enhanced neurodiversity training, aiding them with supporting a wide range of needs in children.


UPDATES | 13


Thomas Cook Becomes Latest Travel Business to


appetite we’re seeing for immersive, expertly guided experiences. Whether it’s travelling through Switzerland’s spectacular scenery, discovering Crete’s heritage, exploring Scandinavia’s vibrant capitals or sampling the wonderful wildlife of southern Africa, each itinerary combines must-see sights with the reassurance of our specialist holiday directors and guides.”


Introduce an AI Assistant THOMAS Cook has announced the official launch of MAIA, a new AI- powered travel assistant. Thomas cook has said it is designed to make planning and booking holidays faster, simpler and more personalised.


Integrated directly into the Thomas Cook


app, MAIA – short for My AI Assistant – allows customers to search, plan and book complete holidays through a conversational experience. It guides customers from the initial travel idea through to personalised recommendations and bookable holiday options.


MAIA can also be used to assist with post- booking queries – from changing travel dates and passenger names to answering questions about bookings and refund policies. Powered by advanced AI and connected to Thomas Cook’s live holiday inventory, MAIA is said to act like a ‘personal travel advisor’ Nicholas Smith,


Dynamic Packaging


Director at eSky Group, parent company of Thomas Cook, said: “Artificial intelligence is fundamentally transforming travel, which is why we’re incredibly excited about what MAIA brings to our customers. Planning a holiday should feel as enjoyable as the trip itself, but some can find it time-consuming and overwhelming.


“MAIA changes that by allowing customers to simply describe what they’re looking for and, in seconds, receive tailored holiday options they can refine and book with ease. It’s about combining the reassurance of Thomas Cook’s expertise with the speed and intelligence of AI.”


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