8 | Travel Weekly | July 3 2009
NEWS
Positive start for
Red Sea Holidays
Juliet Dennis
juliet.dennis@rbi.co.uk
Three ex-MyTravel bosses
have set up a tour operator
specialising in Red Sea holidays
to be sold through UK
travel agents.
Red Sea Holidays managing
director Peter Kearns is
former MyTravel product
director for Panorama, Manos,
Direct Holidays and ski. Sales
director Jason Hilton is former
MyTravel head of sales, and
commercial director Andy
Grant is MyTravel’s former
head of aviation.
Red Sea Holidays has been
set up earlier than planned
because of the collapse of XL
Leisure Group last year, said
Kearns. Following IT startup
delays, it went on sale in
March this year with seven
and 14-night packages. It pays
14% commission.
Kearns said: “Originally we
would not have launched until
winter but the time was right
to fi ll the gap in the market. It
seems to have worked – we’re
BROCHURE UPDATE
Cadogan
Ca C
Holidays
H
The Th
Morocco
M
Collection
C
2009/10
20
What’s W new?
Four Fo pages
of the brochure hhave been
dedicated to twin- and
multi-centre tours, some of
which are new. Customers
can also choose between
several itineraries: Colours
of Morocco, Marrakesh,
Mountains and Beach,
Imperial Cities Tour,
Classical Morocco by Rail
and Colours of the South.
Contact: 0845 615 6793
Titan Ti T
HiTours
H
2010 20 Early
Booking
Bo
Savings
Sa
Brochure
Br
What’s W
new? ne The
brochure, which is distributed
doing better than expected.”
The operator, which hopes to
be UK market leader to Egypt
within seven years, is bonded
to carry 16,000 passengers
until September. It expects
80% of sales to come from
agents. “We will have similar
capacity for winter and the
plan is to layer on extra capacity.
We are looking at regional
fl ights,” added Kearns.
If successful, Red Sea
Holidays’ portfolio of 15 hotels
exclusively for customers
wanting to book Titan HiTours
holidays via travel agents,
carries the message ‘2010
holidays at 2009 prices’.
To help guarantee that
clients use the agent, no
direct contact numbers are
included in the brochure
and there is space on the
cover for travel agents to
include their own stickers
and contact details.
Contact: 0800 988 5166
Thomson
Th T
Tailormade
Ta
Worldwide
W
2009/10
20
What’s W new?
First Fi and
foremost fo the
name, na which
has changed from
Thomson
Worldwide to Thomson
Tailormade as part of a brand
relaunch. The brochure
also features free extras on
thousands of holidays including
room upgrades, extra
will double in three years.
Hilton said: “It’s reliant on
getting the UK operation up to
strength to fi ll the hotels.”
The group previously sold
its hotels exclusively through
MyTravel, but this contract
ended as a result of the Thomas
Cook merger in 2007.
Commercial deals have been
signed with The Co-operative
Travel, Worldchoice, and Global
Travel Group. “Our message
is that we’re an independent
nights and transfers. The
campaign also features
a partnership with
Climatecare, through which
the operator pays for the
carbon off set for every fl ight
booked between June 24 and
September 31.
Contact: 0871 664 0273
Hurtigruten
H
Preview
Pr
brochure
br
2010/11
20
What’s W new?
The Th preview
brochure br
contains co
thecruise the cruise comp company’s
largest early booking off er
featuring both the Norwegian
Coastal Voyage route and
Explorer products such as
Antarctica, Greenland and
Spitsbergen. A new Gatwick
fl ight option is also featured,
as is a new UK departure
from Dover called
Norwegian Highlights.
Contact: 020 8846 2666
Heading
up the new
operation
are, from left,
Hilton, Grant
and Kearns
operator for the independent
retailer,” said Hilton.
The operator’s family owners
are major shareholders in hotel
chain Red Sea Hotels , Nile
river cruise business Grand
Cruises , ground handler Cairo
Express and operator Express
Travel International , market
leader for the Red Sea out of
Germany with annual passenger
carryings of 300,000.
❯ For more information, go to
www.redseaholidays.co.uk
Luxury Greek
resort to open
in May 2010
The fi rst phase of Costa
Navarino, a new high-end area
in Greece, will open on May 1
next year.
The development stretches
over the unspoilt region of
Messinia in the southwest
Peloponnese, and will be home
to a cluster of luxury hotels, golf
courses, spas and restaurants.
Costa Navarino managing
director Achilles Constantakopoulos
said: “This is a
series of carefully planned
projects with respect for the
environment.”
The fi rst phase includes two
fi ve-star hotels and a village
centre with restaurants and
shops. The Romanos , part
of Starwood Hotels’ Luxury
Collection, will have 289 rooms
and 32 suites. The second
hotel, a Westin Resort, will
have 445 rooms and suites.
www.travelweekly.co.uk
PICTURE: ISTOCK
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