NEWS
BIG BUS TOURS IN NEW CITIES
Abra Dunsby, acting features editor
Big Bus Tours (TA220) will continue to expand by launching in three to four new cities a year, the company’s CEO Alex Payne has revealed. The tour company has added four new locations to its roster in the past 12 months – Dublin, Singapore, Los Angeles and Berlin – bringing the number of cities it operates in to 23. “We are driven by market size and will also look into opportunities to acquire existing operations,” said Payne. Big Bus Tours will also focus on “transforming the business to become more digital”, with forthcoming initiatives including real-time bus tracking on the company’s free app; installing onboard scanning for a more efficient passenger boarding process;
and direct integration with trade partners such as
Booking.com, Viator and Get Your Guide. More growth is intended for the
company’s new Global Partner Booking Platform, through which 40% of partners now channel bookings. The new platform has helped the
company work more closely with smaller players too, said Payne: “[It] has allowed our smaller partners who are unable to complete an API integration, regardless of where they are based in the world, to take advantage of key benefits derived from an API integration.” Attracting MICE audiences and the
global group travel market is also high on the agenda, said Payne. “Group travel is a key focus, especially
in major group destination cities including Dubai, London, Sydney and Singapore, which perform especially well in the student and MICE sectors.”
JORDAN POISED FOR VISITORS INFLUX
Sophie Griffiths
Jordan is gearing up for an increase in tourist numbers as it prepares for the doubling of easyJet flights from Gatwick to Aqaba from October until March 2020. The route to the coastal city will
operate a winter seasonal schedule twice a week until 28 March. It comes after Jordan welcomed more British travellers than ever before last year following the launch of the new direct easyJet flights from Gatwick to Aqaba in August. Visitor numbers increased by 24% from January to August when compared with the same period in 2018. The Jordan Tourism Board (ME140) said new hotel openings and a focus on promoting the destination’s cultural and sustainable experiences beyond Petra had helped contribute to the growth in visitors to the destination. Two new resorts, Ayla and Saraya Aqaba,
have opened in Aqaba, offering four- and five-star hotels, activity experiences, a marina, restaurants and beach clubs. The tourist board said it had “invested
BROOKFIELD PLACE TARGETS NEW MARKETS James Chapple
New York cultural and commercial space Brookfield Place (BFPL) (NA300) is showcasing its inaugural tourism products to new markets at WTM London. BFPL’s Insider Pass offers guests
access to in-store experiences across participating fashion, food and marina partners. Travel professionals can earn 10% commission with promo code
“TravelTrade”, while direct contracting with Shop America Tours opens commission starting from 20%. Forthcoming developments include
custom experience for FIT groups and turn-key group programmes involving BFPL’s partners. BFPL said while its target markets
include the UK and Ireland, France, Germany and Italy, it’s open to forging new partnerships in all markets.
heavily” in its agent and tour operator partners to broaden awareness of the destination, and will be hosting an adventure-themed training day in London on 7 November for UK travel agents keen to learn more about Jordan’s offering for this sector. It will also be hosting a fam trip to
Jordan in late November 2019, with a focus on highlighting Aqaba as a winter sun destination in line with the doubling of easyJet’s direct route into the city. Sustainability will also form a key focus for Jordan at WTM London, after Petra was named one of the top 100 sustainable destinations for 2019 by the Green Destinations Foundation.
04.11.2019 WTM OFFICIAL EVENT DAILY 31
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