NEWS FEATURE
THE MAIN
EVENT
2009
Next year’s awards ceremony
takes place on January 19. Book
your tickets online at www.globetravelawards.co.uk/register
VIDEO: PREVENTION OF
FRAUD IN TRAVEL GROUP
LAUNCHED
February: The launch of PROFiT
represented a concerted effort
by the trade to stamp out fraud.
Set up by Teletext head of compliance
Barry Gooch, and ABTA head
of finance Mike Monk with Travel
Weekly as media partner, the group
aimed to stop fraud by encouraging
the industry to work together.
SWINE FLU HITS MEXICO
April: TUI UK and Ireland and
Thomas Cook pulled flights and
itineraries to Mexico as swine flu
took a hold of the country. Cruise
14 | Travel Weekly Active | December 18 2009
companies also stopped visiting
Mexican ports as fears of a global
pandemic swept the world.
THE ABTA CHAIRMAN
ELECTION BATTLE
May: Advantage Travel Centres
chief executive John McEwan
stood against Britaly Travel director
Daniele Broccoli in the battle
to become ABTA chairman, a role
that was replacing the president’s
position. McEwan won the race
and was elected in June.
HARVEY WORLD TRAVEL GOES
INTO ADMINISTRATION
June: In a sign of tough times on
the high street, Harvey World
Travel went into administration.
The agency had 57 shops and
although some were sold to rivals,
28 branches were closed with the
loss of 155 jobs.
VIDEO: CELEBRITY EQUINOX
LAUNCH CELEBRATIONS
July: Celebrity Equinox arrived in
Southampton before its christening
on July 29. More than 5,000
agents, travel industry professionals
and consumers visited the
ship during the two-week-long
launch celebrations.
BRITISH AIRWAYS LOSSES
July: British Airway’s annual
general meeting (AGM) confirmed
the airline was in dire straits. The
AGM was lobbied by Unite officials
and some of the airline’s 28,000
members following BA’s loss of
£401 million for the year ending
March 2009. The airline lost a
further £292 million in the six
months until the end of September
and in November, announced
1,200 job cuts. At the time of going
www.travelweekly.co.uk
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