elect will draw more visitors to the US and transform perception of the country
a heralds a new era
the dollar to strengthen.” The
dollar has recently risen in
value from £2 to £1.55, making
oil more expensive.
An ABTA spokeswoman
said: “There has to be a feelgood
factor and there will be
goodwill towards the US as a
destination. But the dollar rate
may hold back the market.
“Some groups have been
put off by the Fortress America
[policy] and people may
feel differently. It will change
perception. How much easier
it will be to enter the US is
another matter.”
One destination that
should benefi t is Cuba. US
citizens are banned from
travelling to the island and
US companies are not allowed
to trade with Cuba. Obama
has said he will relax the
restrictions and a fl ood of
Air travel
demand
is on the
decline
Latest fi gures suggest a sharp
drop in demand for air travel,
with Manchester airport
reporting a near 7% fall in
September passenger numbers
year on year, following a 4.5%
fall in August.
Ryanair reported a near
halving of profi ts for the six
months to the end of September
and chief executive
Michael O’Leary predicted
average fares would be 15%-
20% lower this winter than a
year ago.
One analyst described
Ryanair’s results as “very
negative for all airlines and
tour operators” and warned:
“Airline yield management
systems are struggling.”
A senior airline fi gure
described fare cuts of 15%-20%
as unsustainable and said:
“Demand is not there even with
a fall in fares. If yield falls it will
be terrible for many airlines.”
www.travelweekly.co.uk
American visitors is expected.
But Cooper suggested:
“Overall, his election is not
going to make a huge impact.”
On security, Obama has
promised to withdraw US
troops from Iraq, which may
reduce the threat of terror
attacks. However, he is committed
to the US staying in
Afghanistan and has argued
Jerusalem should be capital
of Israel – an unpopular policy
across the Middle East.
Obama has pledged to
maintain US border security,
including immigration controls
at airports, and has made
limited commitments to cut
greenhouse gas emissions.
The economic impact of his
victory could be mixed, though
fi nancial markets may strengthen
with the end to uncertainty
about the next president.
Maureen From disappearing DJs
to trousers that take fl ight: page 34
This is no
ordinary Joe
Travel Weekly chief
reporter Juliet Dennis
presented agent Joe
Langdell with a bottle
of champagne for his
89th birthday.
Joe, thought to be
the nation’s oldest
travel agent, plans
to take all his staff
at Lancing Travel,
Sussex, out for lunch
at a local Spanish
restaurant on Sunday
to celebrate his
birthday.
“I am getting drunk
for my birthday,” joked
Joe, who is managing
director of the agency.
> See pages 28 and
29 for the full story
of Joe’s 48-year
travel career
IN BRIEF
CARNIVAL PLEDGES
FOR OCEAN VILLAGE
Carnival UK has reassured
agents it will continue to
invest in Ocean Village
despite plans to axe the
brand over two years. Ocean
Village II will move to P&O
Cruises Australia in autumn
2009 and Ocean Village in
autumn 2010. The latter
will operate in the Caribbean
in winter 2009/10 and a
European programme in
2010. See page 10.
BARRASS RETURNS
TO THOMAS COOK
Steve Barrass has rejoined the
Thomas Cook group as
director of Direct Holidays, the
company’s direct-sell
operation acquired as part
of its merger with MyTravel.
Barrass, former MyTravel
UK deputy managing director
of charter tour operations,
left Thomas Cook to work for
XL Leisure Group, which
collapsed in September.
LOWCOST TRAVEL’S
IDEAL PURCHASE
The Lowcost Travel Group
is to buy cruise specialist
agency Ideal Cruising for
an undisclosed sum.
The deal is subject to
shareholder approval but is
expected to complete before
Christmas. The agency will
be kept as a subsidiary
of the bed bank, which
operates lowcostbeds.com.
PREMIER ACQUIRES
TRAVEL CENTRE
Cambridge-based Premier
Group has acquired fellow
independent Travel Centre.
Premier comprises 29
outlets, including franchises
along the south coast and a
tour operation, Premier
Holidays. Travel Centre’s
seven retail branches and
operating arm, Travel
Australia, will continue to
trade separately to Premier.
ISLAND CRUISES SET
TO STAY NEXT YEAR
TUI Travel has revealed it
will retain the Island Cruises
brand for next year. The
company wholly owns the
cruise brand following Royal
Caribbean Cruises’ decision
to sell its 50% stake to
TUI-owned First Choice
Holidays last month.
> Go to www.travelweekly.co.uk
for more on these
stories and other news
November 7 2008 | Travel Weekly | 3
PICTURES: NEWSPICS/REX FEATURES
To view a Ceros magazine you need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser and have the flash player 8 or higher installed. To install the latest flash player, click the icon above, install the flash plugin and then click here to refresh this page.