Travel Bulletin 24th February 2012

emerging trends giveagents new opportunities

to entice their clients

Bermuda

February 24 2012 | ISSUE NO 1,767 | www.travelbulletin.co.uk

agent bulletinCruise and Maritime offers travelagents complimentary ship visits

personality bulletinwhich senior sales executive hasa skill for recalling the diallingcodes for most UK cities?

theme parkshow to maximise your clients'time in the US by offering thebest deals and advice

short breaksa round-up of new productlaunches and special offers

9

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this week

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All About February 2012

Your one-stop guideto all the latest news and developments

in Southern & East AfricaProduced by

www.travelbulletin.co.uk

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Southern & East Africa

Southern & East Africasupplement with this issue

TB2402 2012 Cover_TB Front Cover.qxd 22/02/2012 15:33 Page 1

WINWINWIN

10 Exciting weeks10 Fabulous luxury prizes!

Every Hoseasons booking confirmed between 9th January - 12th March 2012

will go into the prize draw to win 1 of 10 fantastic prizes

Good luck!

Ted Baker Designer Handbag

*Make-over with £150 voucher to spend on MAC products

*19” HD LCD TV DVD combi with Freeview

*£150 worth of ASOS Vouchers

*£150 worth of Events/Concert vouchers *£150 manicure and nail voucher

£150 Toni and Guy voucher 4 Adult Alton Towers tickets

*Dinner for two at Jamie’s Italian restaurant

GHD Scarlet Deluxe Collection

*Images used for this promotion are for design purposes only and do not have any connection with the relevant Brand.

^ The prize draw is open to all UK resident Travel Agents. Entrants must be over 18 years. Prize is non transferable with no cash alternative. Brand names noted are not participants or sponsors of this promotion. For the Promoter details and full terms and conditions of the prize draw visit www.hoseasons.co.uk/pdfs/tenweekgiveaway

WINNERThe lucky WINNER of the TV was

Leanne Hester, Thomas Cook, Bellshill, Scotland, presented by

Ryan Carroll, Hoseasons Regional Sales Executive

BOOK NOW!www.hoseasons.co.uk/agents

BOOK NOW!0844 847 1144

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A HEARTFELT THANK YOU...Titan staff were in for a surprise when they arrived at work recently and were greeted by anoffice decorated with balloons, banners and handmade cup cakes. The gesture, from management, was to thank staff fortheir hard work in achieving a record for the company’s biggest January sales in its 35-year history. The operator wouldlike to thank the trade for their support in helping achieve this milestone and is offering agents the chance to win an iPad2 every month when they make a booking on any product before May. Pictured from the left is the company's LorraineBazley, Alaina Harris, Kim Smith, Mat Hall, Joe Abbott, Ashley Rushman, Alison Brown, Gemma Pugh and James Anderson.For details visit www.titanagents.co.uk

This Week3

newsa round-up of the latestindustry news, deals andproduct launches

8 at home with eileenfind out what homeworkerEileen has been up to lately

9agent bulletinCruise and Maritime offerstravel agents complimentaryship visits

10 W-AITO-Go!the latest news & viewsfrom AITO Agents

11 puzzle bulletinwin a £50 M&S voucher inthe prize Su Doku puzzle

12choice wordsKaty Savvides from SabraTravel in Edgware hasstrong views on theproposed new airport in theThames Estuary

14personality bulletinwhich senior salesexecutive has a skill forrecalling the dialling codesfor most UK cities?

15bermudaemerging trends give agentsnew opportunities topromote the destination toclients

19 short breaksa round-up of new productlaunches and special offers

23 theme parkshow to maximise your clients'time in the US by offering thebest deals and advice

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3www.travelbulletin.co.uk February 24 2012

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Cloud computing offers industry lowercosts & worldwide access to data Cloud computing offers travel companies a ‘doublewhammy’ of lower costs and access to data fromanywhere in the world, visitors to the Travel TechnologyShow were told by Chris Kendregan from Commensus.

He said that a key advantage of having a company’sdata – such as the reservation system – stored in thecloud meant that relevant levels of information could beaccessed by staff from any location on a PC, laptop, tabletor even mobile phone.

The company, in partnership with Travel SystemsAssociates, has recently launched the industry’s firstdedicated cloud service: The Travel Cloud.

Kendregan said: “Cloud computing offers tremendousadvantages to any industry which has a mobile workforce,and travel is a perfect example.

“Different levels of staff have access to the specificinformation they need. All they have to do is to connect tothe system in the cloud and they are right up to date withthe latest data wherever they are. Once you add-in theefficiencies of using an integrated VOIP (Voice OverInternet Protocol) phone system you begin to get an ideaof just how much time and money can be saved.

“There are further savings to be made back at headoffice which does not have to face the upfront cost ofcapital expenditure on IT equipment.”

The company offers the travel industry a number ofhosted solutions to provide applications such as MicrosoftDynamic CRM, Microsoft SharePoint, and VirtualDesktops. These offer real flexibility by providing extracapacity when companies need it most, such as a newbrochure launch or to cover any peak booking period.

Half of Brits say food is importantwhen choosing a destinationA NEW SURVEY byIntrepid Travel has foundthat for almost half ofBritons, the local cuisineis an important factorwhen choosing theirholiday destination.The poll, which wascarried out for the smallgroup travel specialist byYouGov, found thatalmost half of those whohave been on holidayabroad (47%) think thatthe local cuisine is ‘very’or ‘fairly important’ whenchoosing their holidaydestination abroad. Butalthough almost nine inten with a favouritecuisine (87%) have eatenit in a restaurant, andeight in ten have cookedit at home, less then fourin ten (38%) have eatentheir favourite cuisine in

● Continues on next page


a restaurant in the country that it comes from. Theresearch found that Italian food is British people'sfavourite foreign cuisine, with one in six (17%) saying it'stheir top choice. It was voted the most popular cuisineamong 18 to 34 year-olds, while Indian cuisine is the topchoice for 35 to 44 year-olds, while 45 and overs aremore patriotic in their choice of meal and most likely tofavour British food. Within the UK, Londoners are themost likely to seek out the most authentic food they canfind when travelling, eating from street stalls and

markets whenever possible (18%), while Scots are themost likely to stick to western chain restaurants orfamiliar cuisines (15%).For the rest of this month the operator is offering 15% offgastronomic tours in more than 15 countries includingIndia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Italy, Spain andFrance.The discounted trips showcase global food at its mostauthentic, with cooking classes, street food and localmarkets featuring prominently on many of the itineraries.Trips can be booked atwww.intrepidtravel.com/deliciousdiscoveries

INGHAMS HAS issued its Lakes & Mountains brochure forsummer 2012 which offers money saving deals, new cash backsavings of up to £200 per couple, early booking discounts of upto £374 per couple and summer holidays to 117 resorts in 12countries across Europe and Canada. Prices lead in at £399 per person per week in Austria.

The company is also offering a range of complimentaryadded extras at selected resorts including free packedlunches, free afternoon tea & cake, free guided walks, freemountain bike hire, free excursions & travel, and new for 2012,free E-bike hire in five Austrian resorts.

The brochure also features 21 multi-centre tours offeringexperiences such as riding the Rocky Mountaineer trainthrough the Canadian Rockies, cruising the Norwegian Fjordsand visiting the cultural city sights of Florence, Rome andVerona.

Five new resorts; Torbole & Torri del Benaco on Lake Garda,La Villa & Corvara in the Italian Dolomites, and Kaprun in theAustrian Tyrol, have also been added, plus four new multi-centre tours in Italy, Austria and Canada. New twin-centreholiday options include ten- and 11-night stays which combinea week and a short break, plus ‘Two countries in two weeks'.For more information or to book visit www.inghams.co.uk orcall 020-8780 4454.

Inghams introduces free added extrasin latest Lakes & Mountains brochure

www.travelbulletin.co.ukFebruary 24 20124

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CHINA CHUMS...Air China celebrated Chinese New Year instyle by inviting 100 of its key travel partners to its DragonBanquet at The Grand Imperial Chinese Restaurant at TheGrosvenor Hotel Victoria in London recently. Pictured is Maria Barbato from Voyage Jules Verne, who wontwo Business Class tickets to Beijing with two nights'breakfast accommodation at the Peninsula Hotel, with thecarrier's Wu Xiao Ming [right] and Malcolm Day.

Mailings with Travel Bulletin this week include:

● The Travel Bulletin 'All About Southern & EastAfrica' supplement is your one-stop guide tothis amazing region. Learn more about theincredible wildlife experiences, adventureactivities, fascinating cultures and stunningscenery this area can offer you and your clients!

Mailbox

For further details and special offers please read the mail shots that accompany this issue

● Continued from previous page


Newsbites● ATLANTIC AIRWAYS is moving its summer UK schedule

to Gatwick Airport, from where it will operate anextended 2012 season. The airline will operate a twice-weekly service from late May to mid-September, plusflights at Easter, as well as value holidays with partner,Sunvil Discovery. Return fares start at £263 includingtaxes and charges.

● AIR FRANCE has expanded its digital services with theintroduction of new mobile flight alerts. The free AirFrance Connect service uses phone numbers and e-mail addresses provided by customers while bookingtheir flights. The airline informs passengers of anydelay, cancellation or change of boarding gate in realtime, throughout their trip. Alerts are active from 14days before departure either by phone, text messageor e-mail. For details see www.airfrance.co.uk

● AVIS RENT A Car has partnered with Americandepartment store, Macy’s, to offer its customers anexclusive savings card and 15% discount on car rentalwhen visiting the US this spring. Available for all UKtravellers visiting America before April 12, the gift cardoffers a 15% discount to use against purchases in anyof the 800 Macy’s stores across the US until April 15.Agents can log on at www.avis.co.uk and use discountnumber S772700 to book vehicles for their customers.

● NEW EUROPEAN Commission figures reveal that just13% of those surveyed in the UK know 112 is thetelephone number to call in an emergency anywhere inEurope.

● FLASH Entertainment is hosting Madonna’sperformance at the Yas Arena, Yas Island in Abu Dhabion June 3 with 22,000 tickets available. Tickets go onsale at midday on Monday February 27 and fans areurged to buy early to avoid disappointment. EtihadAirways is launching concert packages, available atwww.etihad.com/Madonna


12-night Carnival Med cruise from £1,179CARNIVAL CRUISE lines is offering a 12-night Mediterraneanfly/cruise itinerary from £1,179 per person, sailing fromBarcelona and calling at destinations including Naples,Dubrovnik, Venice, Messina and the French Riviera.

The lead in price is based on a family of four departingLondon on July 21 and includes scheduled flights and thecruise on a full board basis, based on an inside stateroom.

The company is also offering reduced deposits from £266per person.For more information visit www.carnivalcruise.co.uk or call 0845-351 0556.

HOLIDAY DESIGNERS, thenew diving, golf, spa anddestination operator, isoffering tailor-made holidaypackages to Red Sea resorts,El Gouna and Taba Heights.

The company, which offers10% commission to agentsfor package bookings,features a range of three- tofive-star hotels in bothresorts, including theCaptain’s Inn, MosaiqueHotel, Mövenpick Resort andSpa, Sheraton MiramarResort and SteigenbergerGolf Resort in El Gouna, andthe Hyatt Regency,

InterContinental, Sofitel,Three Corners El Wekala GolfResort and Taba HeightsMarriott Red Sea Resort inTaba Heights.

Holidaymakers can alsotake advantage of theoperator’s exclusive HyattHoliday Bonus package at thefive-star Hyatt Regency inTaba Heights, which includesa free upgrade to a sea viewroom, daily meal credits andreduced rates on a range ofactivities.For details visit www.holiday-designers.comor call 020-3384 0023.

New operator launches packages to El Gouna & Taba Heights

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Dear Lauretta,

Following up from Steve Allerston’s comment about a

complicated itinerary that got cancelled (Brainstorm

Bulletin - February 10 issue), there is a simple

answer. He should charge for putting the itinerary

together.

I charge a fee at Holiday Hut. As an example, last year I

had a request for a trip that took in Canada, the US, Fiji

and Hong Kong spread over six weeks and a budget of

£15,000. I put all the desired requirements together,

working over two weeks (on and off – the client made

some changes). After I had presented the complete trip

the client said that they had decided not to go. However

I charged an upfront fee of £250, so I still got paid. As

well as ensuring that I get paid for my professional

service the fee also removes the tyre kickers.

John Guinn, Holiday HutTingrith, Beds

Thanks for your comments John - I’m sure this ideawill prove useful for other agents to know. If you have a question or advice for our brainstormbulletin page please [email protected]

Holiday Extras teams up with Gatwick Courtyard by MarriottHOLIDAY EXTRAS has agreed a new contract with one ofGatwick's most sought-after hotels, the Courtyard by Marriott.

The two companies have been working together since thehotel opened in 2009, offering holidaymakers the chance toupgrade their room, pre-book a buffet breakfast or opt forChampagne on arrival when they make their booking.

The operator's commercial revenue manager, ChristianWarrell, said: "We're delighted to have secured this extendeddeal with the Courtyard by Marriott. It means our customerswill continue to benefit from this well-priced, quality hotelwhich is within close proximity of the South terminal."

Meanwhile, the company reports that it has seen "hugegrowth" in the number of bookings made through some of itslong-term partners last month.

As examples, bookings with Page and Moy increased by227% year-on-year, lastminute.com has seen increasedpartner sales of 44%, bookings through British Airwayshave risen by 14% in January compared to last year andsales through budget airline Flybe have grown by 60% onlast year's figures.

Letter to the Editor

S02 TB2402 News 1_Layout 1 22/02/2012 15:39 Page 5

Early bird treat atMonte da Quinta HOLIDAYMAKERS CANtake advantage of savingsof up to 30% when theybook their Easter andsummer holidays at theAlgarve's Monte da Quintaresort.

The offer is available toclients booking byFebruary 29, withdiscounts available fromthe start of April to theend of October.

Located in the heart ofthe Quinta do Lago estate,Monte da Quinta features acollection of 132 self-catering suites and arange of two- and three-bedroom townhouses andvillas, all with privatepools.

Guests choosing to stayin the resort’s suites cando so for as long as theylike, with a typical one-week break for two peopleat the height of summercosting from €1,470,offering a saving of €630.

Families booking forseven nights or morereceive threecomplimentary half-daysessions in the kids’ club,and, for those staying 14nights, it doubles up to sixsessions.

Free sessions are validfor one child aged three to12 years old, with a secondentitled to a 20% discount.Sessions must berequested at the time ofbooking.For more [email protected] visitwww.mqresort.com

TABER HOLIDAYS has introduced a new snowmobileexpedition to Spitsbergen to its portfolio – a once-in-a-lifetime trip for agents to offer customers looking foradventure.

Covering more than 200km over the course of three days,participants taking part in the ‘Basecamp SpitsbergenSnowmobile Expedition’ will ride over glaciers, mountains andfrozen fjords and may be lucky enough to spot the polar bear.

Overnight accommodation includes Basecamp Hunter’sHotel, a traditional wooden hunter’s lodge and the quirky

Basecamp Isfjord Radio Station. One of the highlights of thetrip is the night spent on the ‘Noorderlicht’ – a two-mastedschooner frozen in the ice.

Prices for the five-night expedition on selected dates inFebruary, March, April and May cost from £2,860 per personand include flights, transfers, accommodation (including onenight in Tromsø at the beginning of the trip), some meals andthe guided snowmobile expedition.For more information call 01274-875199 or visit www.taberhols.co.uk

New snowmobile expedition in Spitsbergen from Taber Holidays

CHARTER CHUMS...agents looking to offer their clients a classic Nilecruise during September and October can now make use of adedicated Discover Egypt weekly Monarch charter flights fromGatwick to Luxor. Seven-night Nile cruises are available on the five-star Viking Princess and deluxe Royal Viking with prices from £899and £1,099 per person with the second traveller going for £449.50and £549.50 respectively. All seven-night cruises are sold inclusive offlights, transfers in Luxor, full board accommodation and ten guidedexcursions. Pictured marking the new charter is Philip Breckner (left)from Discover Egypt with Ramy Khaled, UK director of the EgyptianTourist Office. For details call 0844-880 0461 or visit www.discoveregypt.co.uk


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Tweets of

the Week

Who’s saying whaton Twitter...

GetAheadoftheGames What will happen toLondon's roads as aresult of the 2012Olympics? This interac-tive map will show youow.ly/8Iw7n

PATA Check out what TourismMalaysia has in-storefor you at the 2012 PATAAnnual Conference inApril: ow.ly/96qrJ

Etihad Deals Pre-register for ourMadonna packages -including concerttickets, groundarrangements and hotelaccommodation - here:bit.ly/EtihadMadonna

VisitBritain There are so manyexciting events going onfor the Diamond Jubileein GREAT Britain thisyear. bit.ly/yDzpkJ

TravelChannel Planning a road trip?Here's our entire guideto roadtrips to help withall your planning needs- ow.ly/95vli

Follow us on Twitter!http://twitter.com/

TravelBulletin

MOVERS● Iain Baillie has been appointed head of sales for

Carnival Cruise Lines UK. ● Air Malta has appointed Mark Micallef Eynaud as chief

officer flight operations. ● Christian Schindler has been appointed as Lufthansa’s

general manager UK & Ireland. ● VisitGuernsey has appointed Wendy Crame as

marketing manager – trade & media relations.● HAT Marketing has appointed Helen Fitch Thomson to

manage and drive sales of US “show and save” cards,the Kids Eat Free Card Orlando, Dine4Less CardOrlando & Las Vegas, and the company’s newestsavings card - the Orlando Go Golf Card.

● Intrepid Travel has appointed Chris James as accountmanager.



Luggage service keen to work with tradeLUGGAGE COLLECTION and delivery service, The BaggageMan, is keen to work with the trade and is offering agents 10%commission on any bookings made.

The company's director, Stephen Dix, said: “We recognisethe value of travel trade partnerships and we want to developtrade business in 2012. Our service is particularly attractive to50 plus travellers as well as to those who have disabilities, asnot having to worry about or manoeuvre luggage takes a lot ofthe anxiety out of travelling. It also appeals to young familieswho tend to travel with more cases and equipment.”

Once a booking is confirmed, the customer is given a dateand time for luggage collection and sent the transportationpaperwork, which they need to complete and attach to theircases.

The luggage is collected a few days before travel anddelivered to a client’s hotel, cruise ship or holiday property intime for their arrival.

On the return journey the cases arrive home a few daysafter the client returns. All items in a customer’s luggage arecovered to a value of £10.00 per kilo.

As an example, to transport a bag up to 22kg to nearbyEuropean cities such as Dublin, Paris, Amsterdam, Cologneand Brussels, prices start from £116 return.For more information visit www.thebaggageman.com or call 0800-023 2094.

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Globe Trekker: Morocco 2

on Thursday 1st March at 22:00 on The Travel Channel

Ian Wright and Megan McCormick take a journeythrough mysterious Morocco, the meeting of Europeand Africa and a land of richly cultured cities, highmountain ranges and inhospitable desert landscapes.Ian's itinerary includes Fes and Marrakech whileMegan explores Tangier, Casablanca and Rabat.

Ones to WatchA pick of the top travel programmes

you don't want to miss...

LEEDS BRADFORD Airport(LBA) has announced its 12chosen charities for the2012 Coin Collection.Under the schemepassengers are encouragedto donate loose sterling,foreign coins or notes.Since it started over adecade ago the initiativehas raised thousands ofpounds for charities in theregion.

The chosen charities are:Yorkshire Air Ambulance,Saint Michael’s Hospice,Caring for Life,Candlighters, The ForgottenHeroes, Yeadon CharitiesAssociation, Friends ofHighbury SchoolDevelopment Fund, One ina Million, The Laura CraneYouth Cancer Trust, MartinHouse Children’s Hospice,NSPCC (Yorkshire), The Royal British Legion and the PoppyAppeal (South and West Yorkshire).

Leeds Bradford Airport’s chosen charities for 2012

Rev. Nick Baker (left) of GuiseleyMethodist Church & LBA’scommercial director, Tony Hallwood,make the first donation to theairport’s 2012 chosen charities.

CHARTER CREW...Eastern Airways has introduced a newenhanced charter product aimed at corporate customers,international companies, blue chip organisations, sports teams,the music industry and private clients. The new service meetsindividual client requirements, ranging from its premier levelPlatinum service, as well as Gold and Silver service. A new cabin crew uniform specifically introduced for charterservices has also been unveiled to differentiate the privatecharter service from the carrier's scheduled services. Picturedunveiling the new uniform are from left, the airline's cabin crew,Kate Goodson, Joanne Lodge and Craig Brett.


FOLLOWING DEMAND from customers to create a newriver cruise holiday along Portugal’s River Douro, VikingRiver Cruises has launched a new itinerary for 2013:River Douro, Portugal’s River of Gold.

Passengers will visit Porto, the medieval Spanish cityof Salamanca and stay for two nights in Lisbon, withexcursions within the capital, including a tour of the 15thcentury Jerónimos Monastery.

The itinerary includes all excursions, on board mealsand wine with lunch and dinner and is available fromMarch next year. For more information call 020-8780 7995 or visitwww.vikingrivercruises.co.uk

with Eileen...At home

What has homeworker Eileen

has been up to this month?

Had a bit of a mixed bag of enquiries in the last coupleof weeks, each challenging in their own way butthat's what I love about this job - it’s never boring.

You just never know what you’re going to be asked fornext and that’s what keeps my job so interesting. A GrandPrix weekend, return flights from Windhoek to SanFrancisco, a holiday to the Scilly Isles and a honeymoon toBora Bora are just an example of the enquiries I’ve hadrecently.

Occasionally I’m asked for a holiday to a destination I’venever sold before and perhaps know little about and I findthis a great opportunity to learn something new andincrease my knowledge.

It doesn’t matter how many years you work in travel, youpretty much learn something new every day. There’s never adull moment.

Knowing how popular and lucrative the weddings abroadmarket has become, I was intrigued to read that a UK travelcompany has just launched a cynical alternative, the"Divorce Abroad" package.

Unhappy married couples are being offered theopportunity of a quickie divorce on a Caribbean holiday tothe Dom Rep. The £4,500 package includes flights,accommodation and all the necessary paperwork.

In the Dominican Republic, foreigners are able to get aquick divorce without any residency requirement, providedboth parties have given consent. It seems that manyAmerican couples, including some well known celebrities,have been taking advantage of this quick and easy divorceopportunity for a number of years.

But will this take off in Britain? I doubt it. However, withdivorce on the increase and Brits never being short of anexcuse to go on holiday, I could be proved wrong. If this typeof package does takes off, I can't help but wonder if somecouples will opt to take along family, friends and even theirchildren. If so, it's a sobering thought that in the future wemight get to see the "best man" role being replaced by "theother woman" (taking back the ring) and the "pageboy"giving way to the "toyboy”. Who knows?

The travel company say there has been strong demand forthe product since its launch on Valentine's Day (when else?)Who said romance was dead!

by EILEEN SAUNDERS of Travel Counsellors To respond to any of Eileen’s comments email

[email protected]

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WEBSCLUSIVES● Win one of 3 great prizes from Villa Select’s

competition, hosted atwww.travelbulletin.co.uk/competitions. 1st Prize:One week’s accommodation at a Villa Selectproperty. 2nd Prize: £100 in Love2Shop vouchers.3rd Prize: A luxury hamper.

● Agents, sign up for one of the final remaining places atthe Travel Bulletin Southern & East Africa Showcase,taking place at Shaka Zulu restaurant in CamdenTown on 6th March. The event includes networking,presentations, delicious contemporary African food &drink. There will also be a free prize draw, whereyou can win some fantastic prizes including: flights,accommodation and rail trips. To reserve yourplace, email [email protected].

● Earn yourself some serious shopping voucherscourtesy of Travel Trade Tickets & Tours’ ‘Sun Bucks’promotion. See www.tttandt.com.incentives.

All this and more at:


The home of the web savvy travel agent

Go

Discounted water activities in MenorcaMENORCA TOURISM is set to make a splash with LaFiesta del Mar - a month of discounted water sportsactivities.

Running throughout May and operated by theWatersports Centre of Menorca, holidaymakers canexperience sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, waterskiingand scuba diving at special rates, with offers for bothfirst-timers and professionals.

There are also special offers on horse riding, cycling,boat charters and trips from Mahon. For details visit www.menorca.es andwww.menorcafiestadelmar.es

New Douro River route from Viking


● TO CELEBRATE RomanceMonth in Antigua (in June), theAntigua Tourism Authority(ATA) is giving agents thechance to win a holiday for twonext year when they book awedding in the destinationbetween February 29 and June30. The more weddings agentsbook, the more chance theyhave to win. For threeweddings booked ATA will sendAntigua goodies to agentsincluding cookies andcupcakes. In June the “I Do,Antigua and Barbuda WeddingExpo” takes place in London forthe trade. Agents can find outhow easy it is to get married inAntigua and Barbuda and learnabout special honeymoonpackages. For details seewww.visitantiguabarbuda.co.uk

● THE KENYA Tourist Board haspartnered with Etihad Airwaysto offer agents the opportunityto win a VIP ticket to theManchester City vs. Sunderlandgame when they book a

London or Manchester flightwith the carrier to Nairobi. Theincentive marks the launch ofthe carrier's new daily AbuDhabi-Nairobi route on April 1.There are three ticketsavailable to win and each prizeconsists of a VIP package tothe Etihad Stadium inManchester to watch the matchfrom the Platinum Box onMarch 31. It includesChampagne on arrival, a pre-match four course meal andcomplimentary half-time andfull time refreshments. Toenter, agents should send theticket number with passengername and flight itinerary [email protected] stating:‘Etihad/Kenya Competition’ inthe subject line by March 16.The more flights booked, themore chance agents have ofwinning. Each booking must beticketed and paid in full byMarch 16 and transport to thestadium is excluded. For details seewww.jambokenya.co.uk

● TRAVEL 2 has extended itsSimply Luxury incentive untilthe end of March, with moreCapital Bond vouchers up tothe value of £100 up for grabsfor Simply Luxury bookings. Toqualify, agents need to make aSimply Luxury booking by theend of March and the value ofthe booking will determine howmuch agents earn, withvouchers ranging from £25-£100 with every booking. For details seewww.travel2.com

● PRINCESS CRUISES is offeringa free cruise to two travelagents who use the company'sFlight Select tool before March9. The tool helps agents bookflights for their customers withthe ability to coordinate themwith their cruise itinerary. Theprize is based on a seven-nightcruise departing this year on acruise-only basis for twoadults. For more information visitwww.completecruisesolution.com

● CRUISE & Maritime Voyages is offering travel agents19 opportunities to visit Marco Polo and OceanCountess this year. A guided tour of the ships isoffered (including a selection of cabins) and lunch isalso included. As examples, agents can visit MarcoPolo on March 2, April 23, July 20, September 20 andOctober 5 in Tilbury and Ocean Countess on April 24in Hull, May 31 in Aberdeen, June 1 in Leith andSeptember 14 in Liverpool. Agents are advised tobook early as numbers for each ship visit are limited. For details call agency sales on 01322-623742 or 0844-414 6140 or [email protected] for a booking form.

● 2BY2 HOLIDAYS has teamed up with SouthAfrican Tourism to launch a new competition foragents called Feel Different, which runs untilMarch 25. The competition offers one agent atailor-made holiday to South Africa, worth up to£5,000. Second and third prices are two placeson a fam trip to South Africa. To enter, agentsshould log on to www.2by2holidays.co.uk(where they will find a link to the competition)and tell the operator how they want to feeldifferent. The company will respond to eachentry with a South Africa holidayrecommendation.Each week, for five weeks, five finalists will bechosen based on the following criteria: Impact -how will the person entering be affected by thewin?; Creativity - how original is the idea?;Quality of submission - how much thought andeffort went into the submission?; and salesgrowth potential: the ability of the entrant intheir individual capacity to increase sales toSouth Africa. At the end of five weeks, a panelof judges will choose the winner and tworunner-ups.

Booking incentives


agentbulletin

Agent offers



YOU KNOW that things are changing when The Timesfeatures a leading article with the headline ‘TripAdvisorTripped’. At long last, there it is in bright lights: Beware -

you cannot trust all the information on websites like this. For anumber of years, for all agents and operators who take immensetrouble to describe hotels and holidays accurately, it has beenirritating to have to explain to anxious travellers that what theyhave read on TripAdvisor may not actually be an accuratereflection of what the experience is really like.

Of course we accept that this particular website is unlikely todisappear from view (and it can, if used appropriately, be auseful tool for us all), but customers need to have a clearunderstanding of the limitations of unregulated comments madeby other ‘travellers’- and this new revelation is a wonderfulopportunity for those of us who take great pride in providingexpert advice. In many ways, it is the poor quality and lack ofaccountability of TripAdvisor type websites that has enabledindependent specialists like AITO members to thrive, asdiscerning travellers have learnt to be selective about who theycan trust.

The recent dent to TripAdvisor’s status has been achieved withthe help of reputation management company, KwikChex, whohave teamed up with a number of businesses that have beenunfairly tainted by vindictive and unattributed comments madeon consumer websites. It finally hit the headlines whenTripAdvisor continued to insist that all the reviews that theyposted were from so-called ‘real travellers’ - eventually theAdvertising Standards Authority stepped in and has now bannedthe website from claiming or implying that all the reviews theypost are genuine. Before I highlight why this new development isan excellent opportunity for all independent agents andoperators, it is worth looking at the key issues.

The problem involves three main groups of message posters:firstly, the axe-grinders: dissatisfied clients that relish theopportunity to raise negative feedback publicly rather thanprivately. Secondly, the jilted lovers: this group of messageposters has probably never experienced the service provided –they simply have a personal grudge and their objective is tomaximise the damage and angst they can inflict on a formerlover by attacking their business interests (read all about the‘simmering pot of lies’ written about the excellent ‘Good Life’restaurant in Shrewsbury.) Thirdly, what I refer to as the PSgroup – professional slime. PS posters have become an entireindustry where you can hire an agency to use their network ofprofessional message posters to write false positive reviewsabout your company and fake negative reviews about yourcompetitors. I understand that it is perfectly normal for hotelsand restaurants to spend £10,000 annually on this activity.

So why does it matter and what can I do about it? It mattersbecause in a very competitive market, we need all the help wecan get – and we want it to be a level playing field. We wantconsumers to listen to our marketing messages and to believewhat we are telling them. Most importantly, we want ourcustomers to value the high quality of the advice and accuracy ofthe information we provide. And so, I am excited by the mostrecent press reports because it helps to underpin the core valuesthat trade associations such as AITO are putting out all of thetime - if you want expert advice you need to consult a specialisttour operator or travel agent. Smaller travel agents and touroperators cannot take on the corporate might of TripAdvisor orhire £10,000 worth of consultants to beat the Google Analyticsalgorithms, but we can attend the next AITO training day to listento specialist speakers about key industry matters and that’swhere I first heard about Kwikchex’s ambitions to take onTripAdvisor.

AITO meetings are also a great place to meet like-mindedindependents to discuss key current issues and how best toresolve them.

To conclude, should we now expect a stampede of clientsrushing to our websites and shops for brilliant travel advice?Probably not – but you should anticipate more opportunities tosell to customers who are suffering from internet fatiguesyndrome. These clients will demand accurate, authentic advicewhen planning their next holiday. And you never know,consumers might begin to realise that expert advice andguidance from independent agents and tour operators is wellworth paying a small premium for - now wouldn't that bewonderful!

P.S Have a look at www.aito.co.uk or call 020-8744 9280 foraccurate advice about the Early Bird AITO Conference bookingoffer which expires on March 16. You won’t be disappointed inMadeira - June 14-16!

Why discerning travellers are still seeking accurate advice

To respond to any of Ted’s views email [email protected]

opinionbulletin

W-AITO-Go!by OLIVER BROAD


puzzlebulletin


Where Am I?

Capital city located on the banks of the Mekong River.

Fill in all the squares in the grid so that each row, column and each of the

3 x 3 squares contains the digits 1-9.Once you have completed the puzzle, simply identify the numbers that relate

to the letters, A, B, C and D then e-mail the solution, with your name,

company name, and full postal address plus phone and ABTA number if

applicable to:

[email protected]

Closing date for entries is Thursday, March 1st. Solution and new puzzle will

appear next week.

The winner for 10th February is Vanessa Welch, Rapid

Travel in Southhampton.

February 10 Solution: A=5 B=8 C=4 D=3

➠A

➠B

➠C

➠D

Number: 053

Travagrams

Across 1. Specialist holidays operator offering a Nordic

Only brochure (5)4. Indian state, famous for tea (5)6. Popular winter sun island destination (9)8. Aussie actor, Geoffrey (4)9. Prince who is duke of a British city (6)11. Italian holiday isle (6)13. Former X Factor contestant, ___ Lloyd (4)16. Tours operator, sounds like a

famous Square (9)17. Male only Greek Mount (5)18. Lancashire resort, Lytham St ___ (5)

Down 1. Bafta winning movie, tipped for an Oscar (3,6)2. Worldwide holidays operator (5)3. Known as the Biggest Little City

in the World (4)4. Helicopter, sounds like a native

American tribe (6)5. Capital of South Korea (5)7. Asian river (9)10. Spend them in Tunisia (6)12. TV reality show, ___ Tour (5)14. One of the Great Lakes (5)15. Home of India's most impressive landmark (4)

Where Am I?

Fill in the crossword to reveal the mystery location highlighted by the green squares.

For the solution to the Crossword, Where Am I? and Travagrams, please see page 26

Crossword

Su DokuWin a £50 M&S voucher in the travelbulletin Su Doku prize puzzle

Num

ber:

053

This city is the namesake of a famous 1940s film

This capital features this garment in its name

Canal Cab As

Pecan Two

Can you solve the following anagrams to decipher the destination & tour operator?


AIR CANADA has announced that it plans to increase thenumber of daily services from Heathrow to its Torontohub from four to five non-stop flights daily, commencingJune 2.

The airline is also offering daily non-stop servicesfrom the UK to seven other major Canadian citiesincluding Montréal, Calgary, Vancouver, Ottawa,Edmonton, Halifax and St John’s. For more information visit www.aircanada.com or call 0871-220 1111.

TOURISM AUSTRALIA has partnered with Flight Centre tolaunch an integrated campaign that aims to encourage agentsto sell Australia and motivate consumers to choose Australiaas their next holiday destination. The ‘Discover Your Australia’campaign will promote competitive lead-in airfares and willtarget affluent travellers aged 50 to 69 across print, online, in-store and direct to consumer marketing.

The campaign will encourage people to explore beyond themain cities and discover the wildlife and wine of otherdestinations such as South Australia and Tasmania.

New European launch from CarnivalCARNIVAL CRUISE Lines has announced the launch of newEuropean itineraries with Carnival Legend, offering achoice of options starting in spring 2013.

The programme introduces the line’s first Norwegianfjords itinerary, an extended programme of ex-UK cruisesfor the first time, as well as cruises to the Baltic,Mediterranean and British Isles.

Legend’s schedule will encompass 12-day voyages toNorway/Western Europe, the British Isles and the Balticdeparting from Dover, along with 12-day Mediterraneancruises offering departures from the ports of Venice,Barcelona and Dover.

In total, Legend will offer 17 European cruises betweenApril 22 and October 31, 2013, visiting 34 ports across 18countries. For details see www.carnivalcruise.co.uk or call 0845-351 0556.

Tourism Australia partners with Flight Centre

Toronto five times daily with Air Canada


newsbulletin

TTA Worldchoice agent, Katy Savvides of Sabra Travel in

Middlesex, offers her views on current industry topics.

A HAPPY New Year to everyone. I know we are alreadywell into February but never mind. I wonder what 2012has in store for us all? January seems to have got offto a fairly sluggish start and I’m sure we all have somecrucial questions we would like a crystal ball for, suchas how precisely are the changes to ATOL and flightsplus going to affect us small independents?

Will there be anyone who can explain clearly andconcisely the rules?

Will we benefit from the troubles of Thomas Cook orbe dragged down by them?

Will the booming cruise market be adverselyaffected by sinking of the Costa Concordia?

Mind you, judging by the number of people who havecome in to ask us if there are any deals on cruises itwill surely be a great year! I think everyone who askedthat question thinking it was funny thought they werethe only one.

London Airports has been in the news again with theprospect of a new airport in the Thames Estuary.Goodness knows how much that will cost.

Since we already have airports surrounding London,Heathrow West, Gatwick South, Luton North andStansted East, not to mention London City bang in themiddle, I really don’t understand why they don’tapprove an additional runway for Stansted andHeathrow when the infrastructure is already in place.Why start from scratch? Does Boris Johnson readTravel Bulletin do you think?

I attended the ACE river cruise convention inAmsterdam in November and found it really useful. Iwas amazed at the standard of the ships, the cabinsand the cuisine particularly UNI globe.

I must admit I didn’t expect the standard ofaccommodation to be as high as the luxury end cruiseships, but it most certainly was and the attention todetail was impressive. Much as I enjoy ocean cruising Ican certainly see the advantages of river cruising.Although there is nothing like the level ofentertainment and activity enjoyed on a cruise ship it isso much more relaxing and the advantage of sailingright into the centre of town or city cannot be equalled.

Going back to ATOL/flights plus - if anyone has aflash of clarity on the subject please write to TravelBulletin and explain it for us all.

To respond to any of Katy’s views [email protected]

by TTA Worldchoice agents



newsbulletin

BOTTOMS UP...Joanne Colchester (left)from Classic Collection Holidays andSandra Bruce from Yades Greek HistoricHotels toast a successful cooking session.

TASTE TEMPTATION...Andrea

Elwell from Holiday Autos and Ellis

Cain Jones from Travel Network

Group sample the goods.

THE WRIGHT STUFF...Mandy

Kalliontzi (left) of Aldemar Hotels &

Spa and Frankie Wright of Traveltime

World cook up a storm in the kitchen.

AGENTS WERE treated to a taste of Greece at a cooking class recently, part ofan annual Sympossio Greek Gourmet Touring event. The third annual eventkicked off in London for the first time, organised by a number of Greek tourismcompanies and the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO), including theCrete Region and Greek food producers. Aldemar Hotels' chefs, IannisRodokanakis and George Hatzopulos plus pastry chef Marisa Churchill fromYades Historic Hotels, taught 50 agents how to make traditional Cretan dishes.The UK event was supported by Classic Collection Holidays and Holiday Autos.

£365 savings on Cape Townshopping break from Table Bay AT THE Table Bay Hotel, part of the Sun Internationalcollection of hotels and one of The Leading Hotels of theWorld, visitors can book a shopping short break getting afourth night free next month.

Savings of up to £365 come with the ‘Four for Three’package which includes four nights' accommodation in aluxury twin room with breakfast and flights with VirginAtlantic.

Prices for the break lead in at £1,559 per person withVirgin Holidays, based on two adults travelling and sharing aroom for departures on March 5. To book or for more information call 0844-557 3859 or visit www.virginholidays.co.uk

ABERCROMBIE & Kent has launched anew brochure to reinforce itscommitment to supporting theconservation of animals and areas ofoutstanding natural beauty across theglobe.

The operator, which haslongstanding links to conservationorganisations and national parks, will

continue to contribute to thepreservation of unspoilt wildernesses,supporting local communities andprotecting vulnerable flora and fauna.

The low-impact experiencesoutlined in the new brochure havebeen designed to raise awarenessabout the pressures on wildlife todayand the venerable and often complex

web of ecosystems which supportthem.

Trips are led by conservationistsand animal experts and the brochurealso includes a range of tailor-madetrips selected to showcase therelationship between responsibletourism, unusual locations andwildlife.

Brazil e-learning launched for UK agentsVBRATA HAS launched a new online training coursedesigned specifically for UK travel agents.

The bite-size course contains information on how to sellBrazil including sections on carnival, food, culture, theWorld Cup in Brazil in 2014 & Olympic & ParalympicsGames in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

The course launches with an additional modulededicated to the state of Pernambuco, one of VBRATA’s‘destinations of the year’.

Agents completing the course will be entered into aprize draw to win one of four fam trips to Brazil. There arealso four runner-up prizes of dinner for two at a traditionalBrazilian restaurant.For more information visit www.brazilonlinetraining.com

New wildlife brochure from A&K


personalitybulletin


Who is your ideal travelling companion?Peter Kay. He is so funny, he would keepme entertained throughout any journey.

Where was your last work-related trip?A ski educational to Bulgaria last yearwith 18 travel agents, which proved quiteeventful as one of the agents ended upbreaking both her wrists on the last dayof skiing.

If you were a celebrity who would you choose to be and why? It would have to be Lady Gaga toexperience her crazy lifestyle.

What three words would yourfriends use to describe you? Fun, hardworking and untidy!

What have your travels taught you? The world is a beautiful place.

What is the best advice you recall?Always listen to your parents!

If you could change three things in the industry, what would they be?Travel is a fantastic industry to be in and Ihave worked in it since I left school. Iwould like to see less price wardiscounting going on between bothagents and operators as the only personthat wins in the long run is the customer.I would also like to see fewer traffic jamsand queues on the roads so I can get tosee more travel agents in a working day!

Who has been the biggest inspiration/influence in your career?My parents have been so supportiveof my career since I left school at 16and have always inspired me to workharder to achieve my goals.

What's your favourite city and why? It has to be Hong Kong. It is such avibrant city and there is so much tosee and do.

What is your motto in life?Everything happens for a reason!

What is your favourite mode of travel?The bus. I fall asleep on them all thetime and find them really relaxing.

If you had a super power what would it be and why? I would love to be able to fly so I cantravel around the world withouthaving to pay for the cost of anairline ticket!

Tracey BurkeThe senior sales executive of Balkan Holidayshas a skill for recalling the dialling codes of

most UK cities

What was your nickname at school and why? Burkey (by name, not nature!)

What item do you always takewith you when travelling? Has to be my iPhone - I cannot livewithout it.

How do you deal with stress? Have a bottle of wine - or two.

Is there anything that you dislike about the travel industry?Flight delays have got to be the mostfrustrating, especially when waitingfor a flight home.

What special skill do you have?I have a great memory forremembering useless facts andinformation and being able to recalldialling codes for most cities in the UK.

Career path● May 2008- present: Senior sales

executive, Balkan Holidays

● December 1996 –May 2008:Worked for Thomas Cook Signaturein various roles - from sales centreteam manager to assistant productmanager

"I would liketo see less price

war discounting goingon between both

agents and operators asthe only person thatwins in the long run

is the customer"


A FTER A testing 2011, tour operators to Bermuda have reported a positive start for 2012, with most up year-on-year. As examples, specialist operator, Prestige

Holidays, reports a 30% increase and Classic Collection is up18% in Bermuda bookings from last year. Both operatorsproduce a dedicated Bermuda brochure and the reservationstaff have good knowledge of the hotels and destination.

Other operators such as Cox and Kings and CompleteCaribbean have included Bermuda in their programme for thisyear, while Kuoni is promoting the destination in several of itsnew retail High Street agencies this month. Meanwhile, luxuryoperators, Lusso and Elegant Resorts, continue to workclosely with high end agencies promoting the destination.

Tourism plans for 2012

Bermuda will increase its visibility in the UK market to tradeand consumers, with live radio broadcast from the island;plans for outdoor advertising on taxis, trains and buses; plusparticipation in a number of consumer events throughout theyear.

Clients may be researching holidays on the internet,however sales in the High Street are still on the increase,particularly for luxury bookings, where agents' knowledge andexperience is key.

The luxury market is still strong as the resilient British holdtheir annual holiday as high priority. Quintessentially British,Bermuda’s friendliness, sophistication and laid back eleganceproves to be a popular choice for the discerning traveller,whether they are looking for culture, rest and relaxation orthrill-seeking activities. BDOT will also attend several agentroad shows to ensure agents have the knowledge to sellBermuda.

Stay in style

Accommodation in Bermuda ranges from five-star to boutiqueand family run hotels and typical Bermudian cottage colonieswith a high level of service. Many hotels have currently addedvalue offers and free nights, that when added to our

“Compliments of Bermuda” makes the destination veryaffordable and competitive. As examples, a $500 discount isavailable for every five nights booked until April 15, valid fortravel up to May 31, while a saving of $1,000 is available on aten-night stay.

Emerging trends

With an increase in twin-centre holidays and sales to NewYork from the UK reportedly up 35%, agents shouldrecommend Bermuda as an ideal add-on to this city break.

Ideas include working with a local dive or golf club to offerniche holidays to their members. Bermuda has seven PGAchampionship golf courses and with more than 400 historicalwrecks in the surrounding reefs, the destination offers some ofthe best wreck diving.

Where clients are time-pressured, there is a growing trendfor two five-night breaks during the year, which Bermuda fitsin perfectly, with only seven hours flying time direct withBritish Airways.

Also more couples are expected to marry abroad this yeardue to pressures on budgets. Whilst the cost of a UK weddingincreases, one in five couples will marry overseas, saving anaverage of £12,500 on a UK wedding. And as a British territoryit couldn’t be easier to get married in Bermuda.

Agent opportunities

Agents can complete the Bermuda Specialist online trainingwith Travel Uni and log your bookings to win prizes eachmonth.

Specialist operators such as Prestige and Classic Collectionare offering M&S vouchers per Bermuda booking, whileagents also have several opportunities to win a fam trip placein September to Bermuda. ✦

For more information visit www.GoToBermuda.co.uk and toarrange training, assistance with an event or to requestbrochures and posters, [email protected]


bermudaEmerging trends give agents new

opportunities to promote the

destination to clientsby ANABELLE MARSHALL, Bermuda

Department of Tourism (BDOT)

S04 TB2402 Bermuda_Layout 1 22/02/2012 13:43 Page 15

● At approximately seven hours on a direct flight from Gatwickwith BA, Bermuda is closer than you think. Daily flights arein the summer and five times weekly from November toMarch. The flight departs around 15:00 and arrives just after18:00, in time for a pre-dinner Dark & Stormy, Bermuda’snational drink.

● Located in the Atlantic Ocean, less than two hours from theUS, Bermuda is a perfect combination with New York for abeach and city break.

● Bermuda is a year round sub-tropical destination withtemperatures averaging 65-85 degrees and only twoseasons – spring and summer (or as we like to call them -Beach and Sizzle) from April to September and 'golf andspa' from October to March.

● Famous for its stunning soft sandy pink beaches, Bermudahas countless beaches dotting the coastline, some with easyaccess to the surrounding reef, ideal for snorkelling.

● Bermuda is a safe and clean destination, covering 21sq.m. Itis easy to explore by foot, public transport and ferry. Suggestto your clients that they hire a moped, go on a Segway touraround the historic Royal Naval Dockyards or hop on a ferryto see a different side of the island, which is ideal for youngfamilies, couples or thrill-seekers.

● Bermuda is full of fascinating culture and history to exploreas Britain’s oldest colony and home to the New World’soldest Church.

● Featuring more golf courses per square mile than anywhereelse in the world, with courses designed by top golfarchitects such as Robert Trent Jones, makes Bermuda agolfer’s paradise.

● The wreck dive capital of the world, the reefs are home to400 shipwrecks, and the diving is suitable for both beginnersand experienced divers.

● Bermuda has a variety of accommodation to suit all tastes,from luxury resorts to intimate cottage colonies andcharming boutique hotels.

INDEPENDENT TRAVELagents are responding wellto Classic CollectionHolidays' recentinvestment in thepromotion of Bermuda,according to the operator'sdeputy managing director,Matt Rice.

The Sussex-basedoperator has redesignedits dedicated Bermudabrochure, added new hotelproduct for this year,introduced stopovers inBoston and has had adedicated sales andmarketing resource on theroad promoting Bermudato the trade.

Rice said: "We aredelighted and very gratefulthat independent agentsare backing and sellingour Bermuda product. Thishas been reflected in vastlyimproved year-on-yearsales for the destination.

"Bermuda is a uniquedestination with lots tooffer including pristinebeaches, world classhotels, sophisticatedhospitality and charm, andit deserves to succeed onthe British market.However, hoteliers and thetourist board would bewise not to underestimatethe competition from othermid- and long-hauldestinations in this marketsector. In the current

climate of aggressivepricing, destinations suchas the Caribbean andDubai are perceived asoffering better value formoney, not only in theinitial purchase, but alsowithin the destinationitself.

"Promotional offers andreduced rates fromhoteliers and subsidisedoffers from the touristboard are helping, but acampaign raising publicawareness of Bermudaand aimed at addressingthe perception thatBermuda is an expensivedestination could proveparticularly beneficial."

New for this year theoperator has introducedthe Newstead BelmontHills Golf Resort and Spaand Rosewood Tucker’sPoint.

Prices for five nightsstart from £1,411 and£1,472 per personrespectively. Stopovers arefeatured in New York atThe Mark Hotel, alandmark building onMadison Avenue, and atthe Fairmont Copley Plazaor Fairmont Battery Wharfin Boston. Complimentarylounge passes are alsooffered on all Bermudabookings. For more information call0800-008 7288.

Bermuda bookings under pressure from rival destinations

Top tips for selling Bermudaby Bermuda Tourism


bermuda

FAIRMONT HOTELS in Bermuda is offering guests every third night free at either The Fairmont Southampton or The Fairmont HamiltonPrincess. Rates start at $249 per night at both hotels, available until March 31 at the Southampton and March 15 at Hamilton Princess. For details visit www.fairmont.com


Prestige Holidays can tailor-make the perfect holiday in beautiful

Bermuda - one of the most romantic places in the world with huge savings until

May 2012, with free nights and discounts.

Prices start from as little as £1069 per person for 10 nights at Grotto Bay in

March, saving £964 per couple.

Why not fly home Club World from as little as £1299 per person one way.

We have many other special offers to tempt during the summer, why not add a

few nights in New York, Boston or Toronto, we can easily arrange that too!

Don’t forget you will receive Marks & Spencers vouchers for each booking made.

Prestige Holidays on 01425 480400 www.prestigeholidays.co.uk

BERMUDA



bermuda

THE REEFS Hotel & Club in Bermuda isrenovating the bathrooms in the Poolside andCliffside rooms at the 62-room resort.

The work will be carried out in phases,with the first phase running to March 15,during which time the majority of theCliffside bathrooms will be renovated. Workis scheduled to be completed by March nextyear.

Plans for the new bathrooms include alarger, more open floor plan and large walk-in tiled rain showers.

During the renovation, the resort isoffering special rates at its 19 two- andthree-bedroom Club Condo suites.

The Club Condos offer luxuryaccommodation including two master suiteswith ocean views and luxury bathrooms,spacious living areas with ocean views,verandas with private hot tubs and fully fittedkitchens complete with a washing machineand dryer.

Guests have access to all of the Clubamenities such as the infinity pool, fitnesscentre, concierge and rooftop putting green. Inaddition the property's spa will remain openthroughout the renovation. All other resortfacilities including restaurants and bars will beclosed.For more information visit www.thereefs.com

PRESTIGE HOLIDAYS has issued its 2012Bermuda brochure featuring a newdesign and a lead in price of £1,015 perperson for seven nights at Grotto BayResort including two free nights and aspecial offer saving £605 per person.

The package includes Economymidweek flights with BA from Gatwick,room-only accommodation and privateVIP airport taxi transfers and is valid forholidays started and completed betweennow and April 15.

The operator's chairman andmanaging director, John Dixon, said:“Bermuda is looking strong for 2012 withbookings 25% up on this time last year. Iam confident that our range of earlybooking offers, combined with free hotelnights and added value deals will ensurethat business remains buoyant to theisland this year."

The operator is also actively targetingthe family market by offering a range ofsavings and second room discounts at theFairmont Southampton Resort, GrottoBay Resort and Elbow Beach. Bothproperties feature pink sand beaches anda choice of activities for children.

At the Fairmont Southampton childrenup to 18 stay free when sharing a roomwith two adults and the operator is alsooffering second room discounts forfamilies. Children aged 12 or under areeligible for free meals on the same mealplan as their parents.

A week’s stay for a family of four at the

Fairmont Southampton costs from £1,289per adult and £850 per child based on afamily of four sharing a room on a room-only basis. The package also includesmidweek flights from Gatwick and airporttransfers.

Meanwhile, 'Shop and Flop' breakscombining Bermuda with a city stay inNew York, Boston or Toronto are alsofeatured for this year.

A two-centre stay with three nights'room-only accommodation at the HolidayInn Midtown in New York and sevennights at the Grotto Bay Resort inBermuda, costs from £1,319 per personin March. The package includes flightsfrom Heathrow, a flight from New York toBermuda and back to Gatwick plus

transfers in Bermuda and savings inBermuda of £605 per couple.

For clients travelling from outside ofLondon, the company is offering regionalconnecting flights to Gatwick fromEdinburgh, Glasgow, Jersey andManchester and to Heathrow fromAberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow,Manchester and Newcastle at specialrate of £25 return.

The new brochure features seven- andten-night stays at 13 properties on theisland ranging from small hotels totraditional Bermudian cottage coloniesand resort hotels. For more information call 01425-480400 or visitwww.prestigeholidays.co.uk/bermuda

THE BERMUDADepartment of Tourismhas unveiled its freeBermuda Travel andVacation Guide iPhoneapp.

The guide features aninteractive location/Wi-fienabled map to helpusers navigate the island,while a search tool allowsusers to browse theisland's most popularactivities, golf courses,beaches, hotels, shops,restaurants and nightlife. For more informationcall 0800-883 0857 or visitwww.gotobermuda.co.uk

Free iPhone appfrom BermudaDepartment of Tourism

Prestige offers £1,015 for seven nights at Grotto Bay Resort plus new family deals

Rosewood Tuker’s Point

Infinity pool at The Reefs

The Reefs Hotel & Club offers special rates during renovations bathrooms



TABER HOLIDAYS has added a Stavanger city break in Norway toits portfolio. A three-night stay leads in at £576 per person fromMay 1 to September 30 and includes flights, transfers andbreakfast accommodation based on two sharing. For details call 01274-875199 or visit www.taberhols.co.uk

HOSEASONS IS offering savings on winter short breaks at162 lodge and holiday parks throughout the UK, with breaksstarting from £75 for four people based on a four-night stayin March.

The company's vice-president for lodges, parks, boatingand apartments, Pali Badwal, said: “In many holidaymakers’minds, the winter period stretches up until Easter, which iswhy we are running our special winter breaks offer right upuntil the end of March. Families are still looking for valueshort breaks in locations where there is plenty to do,whatever the weather.

“We are finding that these kind of short breaks are beingbooked very last minute, which is why we are offering thesegreat deals now, to help travel agents offer excellent valueto their clients to tempt them to book that extra shortbreak.”

Around 162 of the company's holiday and lodge parks stillhave availability for short breaks in March, with savings ofup to £150 available. The parks range from peaceful, get-away-from-it-all locations to full-entertainment, lively parks.

As an example, Brynteg at Llanrug, Caernarfon, one ofthe operator's 14 flagship ‘Go Active’ parks, offers a widerange of activity breaks and facilities including an indoorheated swimming pool, sauna, steam room and Jacuzzi,adventure play park and ten-pin bowling. Activities includearchery, fencing, trampolining, indoor climbing wall, fishing,tennis, inflatable canoes and disc-golf.

Accommodation is in luxury caravans and timber lodges,some with games consoles and private outdoor hot tubs. Afour-night break in March for a family of four costs from £99.For more information visit www.hoseasons.co.uk/agents or call 0844-847 1222.

Winter break promo from Hoseasons offers savings across 162 lodges & parks

WARNER LEISURE Hotels is invitingguests to celebrate the Queen’s DiamondJubilee this June with special three- andfour-night breaks.

They include a drinks reception whereguests can toast the Queen and her 60years on the throne, a British AfternoonGarden Party with food and drink, games,outdoor activities and entertainment anda Royal Variety Show style eveningfeaturing live music, comedians and otherartists.

The company's head of retail sales,Allan Lambert, said: “Many of our guestsare huge fans of the Royal Family and arealready looking forward to celebratingsuch a momentous event with family andfriends - old and new – so we wanted to

mark the occasion by giving them aspecial experience to remember."

The Jubilee breaks are available forthree nights from June 1 and four nightsfrom June 4 at the company's 13properties.

As examples of prices, a three-nighthalf-board stay at Lakeside on HaylingIsland, Hampshire costs from £172 perperson, while four nights are availablefrom £269.

Prices are based on two people sharinga standard room on a half-board basisand include the special celebrations forthe Diamond Jubilee.For more information visitwww.bourneleisuresales.co.uk or call 0808-141 1111.

Warner Leisure Hotels celebrates the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Get engaged onLeap Day to win aPark Plaza stay PARK PLAZA Hotels &Resorts across London isoffering a proposal of its ownfor future fiancées. Anywoman that proposes to herpartner (and is accepted)while dining at one of thecompany's five Londonproperties on this year’s LeapDay (February 29) will receivea complimentary stay withdinner for two on the nightprior to their honeymoon. For more information seewww.parkplaza.com/leap-year-proposal

shortbreaks

S05 TB2402 Short Breaks_Layout 1 22/02/2012 13:26 Page 19

Intrepid Travel adds Okavango togrowing range ofshort breaksINTREPID TRAVEL hasadded a short break inBotswana's Okavango Deltato its range of holidays forthis year.

The Okavango Delta isthriving with wildlife, and onthe four-day break guestscan expect to see the BigFive on game drives, hippossoaking in their naturalmud-spa and crocodilessliding through the water.

Departures are fromMaun and prices start from£1,650 excluding flights.

The company, whichoffers 148 short breakadventures in 35 countries,reports that almost 60% ofUK sales come from agents.

The operator's generalmanager of global sales,James Thornton, said: "UKconsumers are looking forgreat value for money andholidays that are jam-packed with experiences,and short breaks fit the bill.We have a high repeatbooking rate of about 45%,so selling someone a shortbreak is an investment forthe future. They're also agreat add-on to longer tripsfor people who want to stayon and explore a place inmore depth." For more information visitwww.intrepidtravel.com

Titan launches new UK shortbreaks brochureTITAN TRAVEL has launcheda new programme of UKshort breaks with a dedicatedtrade friendly brochure,available to travel agents forthe first time.

The programme offers theopportunity to explore thelength and breadth of the UK,from The Best of Scotland tothe Lake District (with anincluded ‘World of BeatrixPotter’ excursion), shortbreaks from Cornwall andDevon to the Isle of Wight.

A Sense of Occasionitinerary combines a journeyon the British Pullmancarriages of the OrientExpress with a two-night stayin a luxury London hotel.

Every break includes thecompany's VIP HomeDeparture Service, whichcollects and returns clientsfrom their home.

The operator's agencysales manager, EdwinaCoppock, said: “Our UK shortbreaks programme has beenvery popular for many years.Clients enjoy the ease of ourVIP transport service, qualityhotels, included excursionsand the fact they are fullyescorted with an expert tourmanager throughout. Inresponse to customerdemand, we have added anadditional 14 new tours forthis year.”

Five-day breaks lead in at£535 per person.

Enjoy life in the fast lane with Premier Holidays

PREMIER HOLIDAYS is offering holidaymakers the chance toexperience the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix, whichtakes place from March 23-25, from £1,099 per person.

A four-night stay at the three-star Hotel Capitol in KualaLumpur leads in at £1,099 and includes room-onlyaccommodation, two-day tickets to the grandstand, directMalaysia Airlines flights from Heathrow and private transfers.

The price is valid for travel from March 21-26 and transfersto the F1 circuit are excluded.

Guests can also add a seven-night Penang trip to thepackage from £150 per person based on accommodation atthe Copthorne Orchid.For more information call 0844-493 7542 or visitwww.premierholidays.co.uk

shortbreaks

THE SAVOY, a Fairmont managed hotel is offering a packagethat enables guests to benefit from a second night for £20.12.The Savoy 2012 Suite Promotion offers accommodation from achoice of a River View Junior Suite, one-bedroom EdwardianSuite, one-bedroom Art Deco Suite and one-bedroom RiverView Deluxe Suite. The offer is available until May 8 and ratesstart from £1,170.12 for the first night. For details see www.fairmont.com



ABTA No. Y0662

shortbreaks

ATTRACTION WORLD ishighlighting a selection ofshort breaks - both in the UKand short-haul destinationsfor agents to promote toclients.

As examples, a three-hourCelebrity Tour of Londonoffers guests travel in an eco-

friendly, chauffeur drivenhybrid vehicle as they take ajourney through London'scolourful pop-culture history.The tour visits London’sgreatest celebrity homes,famous film locations,musical landmarks, celebrityhangouts and tourist

attractions and leads in at£86 per adult and £69 perchild aged five-15. Highlightsinclude the London homes ofMadonna, Simon Cowell andWinston Churchill plus theHQ of super-spy James Bond007 and the Abbey RoadStudios.

In the Czech Republic, aPrague By Night dinner cruiseis available for £38 perperson. The cruise venturesdown the River Vltava andincludes a buffet dinner.For more information visitwww.attractionworld.com orcall 0871-700 8888.

Attraction World promotes selection of UK & short-haul options for agents to sell

WENDY WU Tours, in partnership with Etihad Airways, hascreated a short break to China. Utilising the new Etihad route toChengdu, the capital of the Sichuan province in central China,the four-day break takes in the key site of the Grand Buddhaand gives travellers a chance to get up close to the endangeredPanda.

Prices lead in at £995 per person including flights, transfers,accommodation, meals, visits and guides.

Departure dates are from May 31 to June 4 (from £995 perperson); August 16-20 (from £1,290); October 4-8 (from £995);and November 15-19 (from £995).

For clients who have longer to spend there are two extensiontours available; Dinosaur Discovery and the Nine Village Valley.

The Dinosaur Discovery leads in at £590 per person andtransfers from Chengdu to Zigong where there is a tour of theDinosaur Excavation Site featuring dinosaur fossils in a sandy

layer of the Meso-Jurassic period, from around 160millionyears ago. The excursion is exclusive to the operator in the UKand is followed by an overnight stay in Zigong and a visit to theSalt Museum over a two-day period before travelling back toChengdu to pick up the return flight to Heathrow.

A Nine Villages Valley extension includes an internal flight tothe Nine Villages Valley for a full day tour of the vast mountainranges inhabited by only a handful of Tibetan and other ethnicvillages. Back in Chengdu there is a chance to explore the Wideand Narrow Alley, an area of ancient streets preserved from theQing dynasty (1616AD-1912AD), before returning to the airport.

Prices are based on twin rooms and include flights,accommodation, taxes, meals as stated, touring with guides,entrance fees and visa fees. For more information visit www.wendywutours.co.uk or call 0844-875 2436.

Wendy Wu capitalises on new Etihad route to offer short breaks to China


shortbreaks


Shearingsintroduces newFrench breaks

SHEARINGS HASintroduced new Frenchshort breaks for thisyear.

Itineraries include afour-day ChampagneWeekend from £269,where guests stay in agenuine French chateauin the forest of Chantilly.

Highlights of the tripinclude a guided tour andtasting session at theMercier Champagnecellar and a trip toChantilly chateau.

The price includesthree nights' breakfastaccommodation, twoincluded excursions andcoach travel. Departuresare available from Marchto September.

A five-day Normandyand Remembranceitinerary is also new andleads in at £449. The tripcombines the coastaltowns of Normandy withtrips to the D-Daylanding beaches andhighlights include a visitto Deauville, trips to thebeaches and the CaenMemorial.

The price includes fournights' half-boardaccommodation, twoexcursions and coachtravel. Departures areavailable from May toSeptember.For more information call0844-824 6351 or visitwww.shearingsagent.com

DERTOUR IS promoting the Hamburg Dom Festival to agentsas ideal short break packages.

The festival takes place between March 23 and April 22 andis one of the largest funfairs in Germany, featuring rides, beertents, musical events, family entertainment as well as specialattractions.

Highlights include a medieval fort and a witches' villageduring the spring DOM, cowboy action in the western townduring the summer DOM, and Advent magic in medievalcostumes during the winter DOM.

The history of the DOM Festival dates back to the 14thcentury, when St Mary's Cathedral (St Marien Dom) offered

refuge to traders and craftsmen as well as travelling playersand quack doctors when it was cold, wet and windy outside.

The worldly merry-making later moved from its originallocation at the St Marien Dom to the Heiligengeistfeld, but stillcarries the name "DOM Festival" today. Hamburg's Dom offerscolourful booths, nostalgic carousels and high-tech-rides.

Dertour is offering two-night packages to the HamburgDom with prices leading in at £219 per person staying at thefour-star Maritim Hotel Reichshof including flights fromGatwick.For more information call 0203-131 2895, [email protected] or see www.dertour.co.uk/travel-agents

Dertour encourages agents to promote Hamburg Dom Festival as an ideal short break

ICELAND IS encouraging agents to highlight the benefits of a short break to Iceland to theirclients, particularly those looking to take in the Northern Lights. The best time to view theNorthern Lights is until the end of March. Clients can fly with Iceland Express, which flies dailyfrom Gatwick, from £79 one-way including taxes.For details visit www.icelandexpress.com or call 0118-321 8384.

BUTLINS HAS announced its line-up of musicbreaks and festivals this year.

Country Music Festivals are taking place atMinehead resort from March 2-5 and fromMarch 16-19 at Butlins Skegness.

Meanwhile, 60s star Lulu headlines theIcons of Music Big Weekend at Bognor Regisfrom March 23-26 and joining her over theweekend will be Alvin Stardust, The Searchersand Brotherhood of Man.

Prices for the three-night Icons of Musicweekend start from £88 per person based onfour adults sharing a standard self-cateringapartment.

The Great British Alternative Festival takesplace at the company's Minehead resort fromApril 27-30, with big names from the world of

alternative music, such as The Beat,Boomtown Rats, Eddie and the Hot Rods, FromThe Jam, Derek Forbes and Brian McGee fromSimple Minds, Hazel O’Connor and SHAM 69.Prices start from £80 per person based on fouradults sharing a Silver self-cateringapartment.

Minehead is also hosting the Here and NowThe Very Best of the 80s - from May 25-28,where artists include Toyah, Dr & The Medics,Rick Astley, Belinda Carlisle, Curiosity Killedthe Cat and Musical Youth.

Prices start from £110 per person based onfour adults sharing a Silver self-cateringapartment.For details see www.bourneleisuresales.co.uk or call 0845-070 4742.

Butlins launches new music weekends and festivals from £80

Superbreak promotes 'X Factor Live' breaks from £99.75SUPERBREAK IS offering packages to see the X Factor Live show, including hotelaccommodation and tickets to see a matinee performance of the show at London’s O2 arena.Prices lead in at £99.75 per person including second price lower tier seats to see the afternoonperformance on either March 31 or April 1 and overnight accommodation in a selection ofLondon hotels.For more information call 0871-221 4444 or visit www.superbreak.com/agents



BEEN THERE, done that, bought the t-shirt - or so Ithought. More than 300 transatlantic crossings laterand some 40-plus years in US travel, there are still

plenty of things for me to do when I visit North America. Attractions and tours are so important to travel agents; the

commission earned can be the equivalent of an extra personon a package holiday. Agents should review the manyattraction sites available to them and tell their customersthat pre-planning their trips can save money and avoidunexpected bills in resort.

The capital of family entertainment

Orlando takes first prize as the capital of familyentertainment, and with so much to do it requiresconsiderable planning. First time visitors are advised not totry to cover everything. Disney rules the roost with its fourhuge parks and to put it into perspective, Universal Studio'sHarry Potter land fits into a Disney car park at least fivetimes over, while Legoland is the new kid on the 'building'block, vastly popular with three-12 year olds.

For Orlando we recommend families to choose a combopackage on offer from the various UK attraction siteoperators - they save money and are designed to maximisethe visits. I see no sense in buying a two-week holiday thenbuying a two-week Disney and a two-week Universal pass.Conversely, do not try to cover all the parks in a matter ofdays, it's not possible! If your clients plan to return to Orlando(90% of people do) advise them to save some attractions fornext time. Clients can then fill in those spare days withshopping and smaller parks such as Gatorland or an airboatride. Don't forget there's also Kennedy Space Centre, SilverSprings, Wet n Wild, Busch Gardens, Wonder Works, Ripley's,Balloon Rides, ATV off road drives, water skiing, parasailing,boat rides, mini golf, URA pilot flight instruction and lotsmore. Soon the Orlando 'eye' and Madame Tussauds will partbe of the Orlando landscape. Phew, getting tired?

Utilise the power of knowledge

All across the USA there are attractions and tours. If it is yourclient's first time visit there is nothing better than a local citysightseeing tour by Gray Line or another operator. Agentsshould research the cities being visited to pick out potentialattractions that would suit the needs of their clients. Whywait for the customer to discover it locally, lose thatcommission forever and be told upon his return, 'you nevertold me about that'!

Las Vegas of course is not far behind, plenty of adultentertainment and plenty to do if you leave the city. Ofcourse everyone knows you can visit the Grand Canyon, bybus, plane, helicopter and by jeep (even by train fromFlagstaff) with all varieties of itineraries to boot. There arehalf-day, full day and multi-day tours. There are tours toDeath Valley, Red Rock Canyon, Zion and Bryce andHoover dam. There's river rafting, kayaking, ballooningand again the list goes on, all in addition to the night lifeentertainment of Las Vegas with the shows and casinosand city attractions. For those with the budget, there iseven a fighter pilot air combat experience and a top gunflight in a real fighter jet. Clients can saddle up and gohorseback riding too with Cowboy Trail rides, a fantasticexperience and a must according to one of our staff whojust returned from Las Vegas.

Go west

Further west is San Francisco, one of my favourite citiesand one I thought I knew so well after so many visits. Notso! I recently took a bicycle tour with Bike n Roll,mastered those giant city hills, albeit with motorisedassistance. Quite an experience. I also took the DuckTour, riding (and quacking) through the historicneighborhoods before splashing down into the Bay. It'sgreat fun and even kids would not be bored. They have theDuck tour in Philadelphia and Seattle too, where theChristmas theme puts a new slant to christmas quackers!By the way, you can even tour the city by Fire Engine -how cool is that?

Also fun is the GO CAR, the world's first computer-guided storytelling car. The clever talking car navigatesfor you, but that's not all. As you drive, it points out thesights and tells you the stories that bring San Franciscoto life. Last but not least and a revelation to me, CaliforniaAcademy of Sciences – the only place on the planet withan aquarium, a planetarium, a natural history museum,and a four-storey rainforest all under one roof. It’s astunning architectural achievement with hundreds ofunique exhibits and nearly 40,000 live animals - and itcosts around £20 - well worth it. Of course, San Franciscohas its boat tours too, the sightseeing excursions withRed and White fleet or the dinner cruises with Hornbloweryachts. I could write pages on just San Francisco alone.

How to maximise yourclients' time in the USby offering the bestdeals and advice

● Continues on next page

by PETER MACKNESS,managing director, NAR UKLtd & Travel Trade Ticketsand Tours

themeparks

S06 TB2402 Theme Parks_Layout 1 22/02/2012 15:17 Page 23

LEGOLAND WINDSOR has introducednew characters to its Miniland. Theminiature landscape, which has beenrenovated in preparation for the newseason, now features Star Wars Legominifigure heroes and villains including200 storm troopers invading Londonover Tower Bridge and Darth Vader andObi-Wan Kenobi doing battle on the faceof Big Ben. The Star Wars ‘royals’ arealso taking residence in BuckinghamPalace.The new additions mark the opening ofthe park's new fully-themed resort hotelthis March and the new Lego Star WarsMiniland Experience.

The new indoor fully themed Star

Wars Miniland recreates seven of themost famous scenes from the Star Warsfilms, including a scene from theanimated series, Star Wars: The CloneWars, using around 1.5million bricks.

The park will be holding a specialthemed weekend from March 24-25 tocelebrate the official opening of the newMiniland. Guests will be able to meetStar Wars characters in the park, takepart in a Jedi training camp and tryDroid building workshops, among otheractivities.

The event is included in the normalticket price and is free for both childrenaged three and under and Premiumannual pass holders.

Tickets cost from £38.88 per adult and£30.78 for children aged three-15.

Meanwhile, opening on March 17, theLegoland Windsor Resort Hotel offers150 rooms (themed to pirates, kingdomor adventure), creative entertainment andleisure facilities plus extensive meeting,conference and event spaces for up to320 delegates.

Overnight stays cost from £247 in lowseason and £337 in high season for athemed family room, which sleeps twoadults and up to three children. The priceincludes breakfast and park tickets fortwo days, with early bird access. For more information visitwww.legoland.co.uk

Legoland unveils new Star Wars characters in Miniland experience & new themed hotel


themeparks

The big apple

Mentioning the SFO Academy and education brings to mindNew York; again there are plenty of new and different thingsto do here, the Bike n Roll bicycle tours, Uncle Sam's walkingtours, Harlem gospel tours and plenty of fantastic museumsthat cost absolutely nothing. New on offer are the boat tourswith Manhattan by Sail, New York's only tall ship experience.There's also the Shark speedboat thrill ride and even theWater Taxis. All can be pre-booked and will earn valuablecommission for agents. Search and research should be thetravel agent motto. Look up the websites made available toyou, they are full of information on what to sell to yourcustomers.

It would be hard to cover the entire USA and Canada insuch a short article. Canada has its own attractions andtours, the spectacular Rocky Mountain rail trip, the boatexcursions to Victoria, then there’s the Polar Bear tour out atChurchill, and whale watching tours on the St Lawrence inQuebec, this huge river boasting 12 species of whale!

The list and fun in visiting the attractions is endless, so toothe commission you can earn from pre-selling. I sold my firstattraction tickets in the early 70's when Trailways buspioneered travel to North America. The fun is still there! ✦

● Continued from previous page

STENA LINE is offering a range of short breaks to some of the toptheme parks in the UK from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Irelandand Holyhead. As an example, M&D’s, Scotland’s Premier theme park,features more than 40 major rides and attractions plus an indoorentertainment complex that houses a kids' soft play area, themedfood court and bowling alley. Prices start from £99 per adult per nightbased on two adults sharing including sailings from Belfast toCairnryan.To book or for more information see www.stenaline.co.uk or call 0844-570 7070.

UNIVERSAL PARKS and Resorts has announced a newattraction at Wet ‘n Wild Orlando, scheduled to open thissummer.

Covering an acre and featuring a new sandcastle-themedwater playground, the new Kids’ Park is expected to be thelargest of its kind in Florida.

The park's vice president and general manager, MichaelBlack, said: “We are excited to offer a new experience forfamilies and children of all ages. As the waterpark recognisedfor shared thrills and multi-person attractions, we wanted toadd new thrills for the kids to share with their families.”

The interactive water playground will have two levels,span more than 60-feet in height, expand across two pools andhave more than 85,000 gallons of water for guests to enjoy.

The sandcastle playground itself will encompass more than15,000sq.ft and will feature 17 slides and more than 100soakers, jets, waterfalls and water cannons.

Built on the site of the park's current kids’ park, the new

attraction will feature a beach-themed area and will includededicated seating in tropical landscaping.

Tickets start from £27 per adult and £22 per child.

An artist’s impression ofthe new Kids' Park

Wet 'n Wild Orlando announces new summer attraction


THIS MONTH, Universal Orlando Resortwill debut new experiences, with guestsbeing treated to a new Blue Man Groupshow, new animation and effects in TheAmazing Adventures of Spider-Man, aSuperstar Parade and memorablemoments from Universal Pictures mostbeloved films during the night time showUniversal’s Cinematic Spectacular – 100Years of Movie Memories.

Also new, and debuting this summer, isan adventure inside the new Despicable MeMinion Mayhem attraction. Guests aretaken on a 3D adventure with theirfavourite characters from the hit film –Gru, Margo, Edith, Agnes and themischievous minions. The experiencebegins when guests enter Gru’s home,where they learn that they are beingrecruited to become minions and undergo“minion training.” Things don’t go asplanned, and guests find themselves on ajourney with Gru and his daughters. Onceguests make it through training, they joinan interactive, minion-inspired dance partywhere they can show off their best moves.

Other new experiences opening this yearinclude Hollywood Drive-In Golf - a 36-hole

miniature golf experience at UniversalCityWalk; a new immersive retailentertainment experience that will becomehome to SpongeBob SquarePants; and anew interactive family water play area atWet ‘n Wild water park. For more information visitwww.universalorlando.com

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem

New Cars Land atDisneyland set

for summerORLANDO'S DISNEYLANDResort is pumping$1.4billion into thetransformation andexpansion of DisneyCalifornia AdventurePark.

The project, which isscheduled for completionthis summer, will add anew land — Cars Land, a12-acre section of thepark based on the movieCars. It will feature threenew attractions: Luigi'sFlying Tires, a spinning,bumper car-style ride;Mater's JunkyardJamboree; and thethrilling Radiator SpringsRacers, a ride thatincludes fun encounterswith many of the Cars'characters and ends witha race to the finish line.

* Terms and Conditions apply. Please visit www.tttandt.com/incentives.aspx for details ** Terms and conditions apply. Please visit www.tttandt.com/incentives.aspx for details. Travel Trade Tickets and Tours is a trading name of NAR UK Ltd, an ABTA bonded tour operator established 1981.

themeparks


New entertainment experiences from Universal Orlando


May half-term Europa packages from DertourDERTOUR IS promoting May half-term packages for a family of twoadults and two children to Germany's Europa Park.

Prices lead in at £369 per person including flights between Gatwickand Basel, transfers, two nights' breakfast accommodation at the HotelColesseo and three-day family entry tickets for the park.For more information call 0203-131 2895 or visit www.dertour.co.uk

Harry Potter studio tour from Superbreak AFTER TEN years and eight feature films, Harry Potter fans will soon beable to learn how the magic is created on a new Warner Bros Studio Tour‘The Making of Harry Potter’, which opens on March 31 in Leavesden,Hertfordshire.

The tour takes place at Warner Bros Studios, where the films were inproduction for more than a decade. Guests will tour the original sets andsee costumes, animatronics, special effects and props used in all eight ofthe films. Spread over 150,000sq.ft the tour takes in two sound stages andwill include recognisable sets such as the Great Hall, Dumbledore’s office,the Gryffindor common room and Hagrid’s Hut.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to see animatronics in a CreatureEffects workshop, including Buckbeak the Hippogriff, Aragog, the giantspider, Fawkes the phoenix and the Basilisk head.

Superbreak has packaged tickets for the tour with accommodation tomake new family short breaks. They lead in at £181 for a family of four,based on two adults and two children staying one night in a family room atthe Travelodge Watford. The price includes breakfast for the adults(children pay locally) and the studio tour and is valid throughout April. For more information visit www.superbreak.com/agents

We asked our staff thefollowing question this week:

What's your favouritequote?

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Editor: Lauretta [email protected]"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow" - Albert Einstein

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Crossword:Across: 1. TABER, 4. ASSAM, 6. LANZAROTE, 8. RUSH, 9. PHILIP, 11. ISCHIA, 13. CHER, 16. TRAFALGAR, 17.ATHOS, 18. ANNES. Down: 1. THE ARTIST, 2. BALES, 3. RENO, 4. APACHE, 5. SEOUL, 7. EUPHRATES, 10. DINARS, 12. COACH, 14.HURON, 15. AGRA.

Highlighted Word: SANTIAGO

Travagrams: (top) Casablanca (bottom) Cape Town

Where Am I?: Phnom Penh

puzzlesolutions


Audit Bureau ofCirculations -

Business magazines

THIS YEAR sees Disneyland Paris celebrate its 20th anniversary and the park'sbiggest party starts on April 1 when it is transformed to offer visitors new magic,new lights and new colours. Attraction World is offering the chance for families tomeet and mingle wih the likes of Mickey Mouse, the Disney Princesses, Peter Pan,Alice and many other characters. Various ticket options are available to suit alllengths of stay and requirements. As an example, the two-day, two-park HopperTicket costs £109 per adult and £98 per child (aged three-11) and entitles holders tohop between Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park.For details see www.attractionworld.com or call 0871-700 8888.

©Disney


+Offer valid on all bookings made during February for 2012 departures. *3-Park Bonus Ticket entitles ONE (1) guest admission to Universal Studios Florida®, Universal’s Islands of Adventure®, AND Wet ‘n Wild® Orlando plus the paid entertainment venues at Universal CityWalk® for up to fourteen (14) consecutive calendar days which includes the fi rst day any theme park or CityWalk® portion of the ticket is used. Guests utilizing self-parking pay a parking fee only once per day with the presentation of that day’s paid parking receipt and valid ticket, regardless of how many parks are visited in one day. Both the 2 and 3-Park Bonus tickets are not valid for separately ticketed events, concerts or venues such as AMC Universal Cineplex 20 or the Blue Man Group show in any of the theme parks or CityWalk. Some venues require ages 21 or older for admission. Valid photo ID required. Additional restrictions apply and benefi ts are subject to change without notice. Universal elements and all related indicia TM & © 2012 Universal Studios. All rights reserved.

Claim your FREE £5 Love2Shop voucher for

EVERY 3-Park Universal Bonus Ticket booking made!+ Simply email

[email protected] with your booking reference

Florida’s booked so... What you gonna do when you’re there?

Get your 3-Park Bonus Ticket and don’t miss out on Orlando’s favourite water

park. Wet ‘n Wild gives you more multi-person rides than any other waterpark around. Highspeed, seriously twisted, multi-person family adventures that let you feel the fun and Share the Rush!

Also enjoy admission to Universal Studios Florida® and Universal’s Islands

of Adventure® all with theUniversal 3-Park Bonus Ticket*

Get Wet! Go Wild!HAVE FUN!


Best advice We believe that there is no substitute for experience and local knowledge. That’s why our travel advisers regularly visit our resorts and hotels to ensure they can answer your questions with facts, not guesses.

Best value We only sell holidays to Egypt. That lets us build strong relationships which we can use to get the best deals for you; not just better prices, but better quality too. Our holidays also include more in the price, with free transfers, in-fl ight meals on many fl ights, and a generous luggage allowance as standard.

Best accommodation Our hand-picked selection of predominantly 4 and 5 hotels has been vetted personally by our team for quality, service, location and value.

Best experiencesIn relaxing surroundings and with all inclusive service, it’s all too easy to forget about life beyond the pool. But Egypt can offer so much more. Our extensive range of excursions, cruises, tours, and cruise and stay holidays ensure you get to experience Egypt’s many treasures.

Best operator to North Africa We’re not just saying that: we were voted it in the 2011 British Travel Awards, plus a silver award for best small tour operator of the year. Try our award winning service for yourself.

ABTA No.Y2507

Experience Egypt with the Egyptian experts

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Enjoy the many faces of Egypt with Red Sea Holidays. We only sell holidays to Egypt that’s why we’re the Egyptian experts.


Documents

Travel Bulletin 24th February 2012