NEWS
IN BRIEF
QUICKER SEARCHING
ON HOTELS4U.COM
Hotels4u.com is to launch an
XML version of its booking
system for agents. It will
allow access to 10,000 more
city hotels and new product
in Thailand, Goa, the Gambia,
regional France and Italy, and
provide quicker, more fl exible
searching. For details, email
xmlsetup@hotels4u.com
QE2 TO GET WELCOME
FIT FOR A QUEEN
Queen Elizabeth 2 will be
greeted by a fl otilla of yachts,
boats and leisure craft when
it arrives at its new home,
the Dubai port of Mina
Rashid, on November 26. The
ship will become a luxury
fl oating hotel, owned by
Nakheel Hotels as part of a
larger marina development.
SUNSHINE IS BEATING
THE CREDIT CRUNCH
Online travel company
sunshine.co.uk has reported a
203% increase in sales for the
third quarter of this year compared
with the same period in
2007. Forward sales for 2009
are up by 110% on last year.
The company said 2008 has
been its busiest year to date.
TRAVELTEK TAKES ON
THREE SALES STAFF
Traveltek will almost double
its sales team by the end of
the year, with three new
account executives set to
join its existing sales team
of four. The new staff will
cover London and the south;
Midlands and the north; and
the northeast and Scotland.
STELIOS TAKES STEPS
TO PROTECT AIRLINE
A row between directors and
easyJet founder Sir Stelios
Haji-Ioannou has seen him
increase his stake in the
airline to 27% as he seeks to
curb expansion. EasyJet has
cut capacity growth this
winter from 12% to 2% and
reported a £92 million fall
in profi ts to £110 million for
the year to September.
TORIES WILL STOP
THIRD RUNWAY
Conservative transport
spokesman Julian Brazier
MP has insisted a Tory
government will cancel
plans to expand Heathrow.
He told the Airport Operators
Association: “I do not believe
a third runway will be built,
whoever is in power.”
Agents fi nd innovative ways of beating the credit crunch
The Costas and
a coff ee to go…
Chloe Berman
chloe.berman@rbi.co.uk
Independent travel agents are
looking at new ways to boost
their businesses and beat the
bookings downturn as fears
grow of a long recession.
With the economic doom
and gloom hitting consumer
and corporate budgets,
increasing numbers of agents
are using tactics such as consultation
fees, brochure charges
and even new ventures such
as in-store cafes, to boost cash
fl ow and eliminate time wasters
as they recognise the need
to be more innovative.
Ilfracombe-based Somewhere2travel2
director Diane
Denney has started charging
£50 consultation fees in the
last month.
TW celebrates agents in the southeast
Ten lucky travel agents were
rewarded for their achievements
at Travel Weekly’s Southeast
Travel Trade Ball last week.
Nearly 400 agents and
suppliers attended the
star-studded event at The
Troxy in east London, where
Agent Excellence Awards for
the southeast region were
handed out.
Among the winners were
Ruth Spooner of The
Co-operative Travel, Brackley,
for Best Manager of a Large
Agency, and Dawna Brown, of
Global Star Travel, Bromley,
for Best Manager of a Small
The fee applies to customers
who want to spend more
than half an hour with one of
the company’s agents. The
charge is then taken off the
price of the holiday if the
customer makes a booking.
Denney said: “I’m very happy
with how this is working.
We haven’t lost a single booking
and it has given us a vote of
confi dence that people are
willing to pay for our service.”
Edwin Doran Travel World,
in Twickenham, Surrey, is
about to set up a club for
regular or high-spending
customers. They will receive
special offers, incentives and
invitations to coffee mornings
at the agency.
Retail manager Rosie Doran
said: “Agents need to be more
innovative now and do every-
Agency. Petersfi eld-based
Planet Cruise scooped three
awards – Best Sales Team of a
Small Agency, Best Call Centre
Sales Consultant (Iris Ouzouf),
and Best Cruise Agency.
For a full list and pictures of
the winners and the best
dressed agents see www.travelweekly.co.uk/agentawards.
Sponsors for the event were
Affordable Car Hire, Amadeus,
Andra Pradesh, Traveltek, C&M
Travel Recruitment and the
Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority.
The winners from the
southeast region
4 | Travel Weekly | November 21 2008 www.travelweekly.co.uk
thing they can to encourage
people to keep travelling. The
key is to keep in touch with
customers without bombarding
them and make sure they
know you can add value.”
Departure Lounge director
Lynne Pritchard has set up a
cafe and bar, with an alcohol
licence, at her shop in Abergele,
Conwy to boost her bottom
line. Customers can visit the
shop for a coffee and snack,
without necessarily booking
a holiday.
She said: “I wanted to
diversify so I would not be
totally reliant on travel. We’ve
been doing so well that I’ve
bought the shop next door
to expand.”
>What are you doing to
beat the credit crunch? Email
chloe.berman@rbi.co.uk
One agent
bought the
store next
door and
opened a
coff ee shop,
so her business
is not
totally reliant
on travel
Regional
airports
at risk
Regional fl ights will cost more
from next year and the future of
some UK regional airports will
be at risk as costs rise.
Smaller airports will have to
pay for security policing for the
fi rst time following legislation
to be announced in the Queen’s
speech for the opening of
Parliament on December 3.
Currently only the seven
BAA-owned airports, plus
Manchester and Birmingham,
pay for policing.
Manchester Airports Group
chief executive Geoff Muirhead
warned: “We may see airports
going bust.
“Small regional airports are
marginal businesses and
low-cost carriers pay virtually
no fees. We will see very little
investment and airports may
have to close down.”
Airport Operators Association
chairman Ed Anderson
told Travel Weekly: “We are
very concerned. The costs will
vary, but will perhaps be
per passenger. However,
airports will not necessarily be
able to pass that on. Some are
only just profi table and
they are already fi nding life
diffi cult.”
Department for Transport
security director Niki Tompkinson
said: “The imminent
change in legislation will result
in additional costs to some
airports. The government view
is that the user pays.”
For daily news go to
www.travelweekly.co.uk
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