Hotel Reviews, Holiday Reviews & Travel Guides

Top domestic destinations

2009-09-23T13:04:00.002+01:00

Destinations across the UK saw up to a four-fold increase in bookings over the summer against last year, according to a new study.

Data from online accommodation website LateRooms.com shows a return to traditional favourites despite weather predictions shifting from a 'barbecue summer' to a washout.

The Isle of Wight saw the biggest increase (up 407% on the same period in 2008), East Anglia (up 297%) and the Scottish Highlands (up 219%).

The biggest increases in UK accommodation bookings from summer 2008 to summer 2009:

• Isle of Wight (407%)
• East Anglia (297%)
• Scottish Highlands (219%)
• Yorkshire Dales (102%)
• Bournemouth & Poole (90%)
• Bath (90%)
• Chilterns (62%)
• Northern Ireland (52%)
• Welsh Coast (50%)
• Oxfordshire (47%)
• Cornwall (44%)
• Edinburgh (40%)
• Lake District (40%)
• Cotswolds (40%)
• London (38%)

The company’sAndrew Pumphrey said:“Despite the recession people have remained determined to get away and have a break whether at home in the UK or abroad.

“Either way, we’ve found that people are really making their trips away count and enjoying the benefits of discovering or rediscovering wonderful destinations across the country.”

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The majority to holiday next year despite the recession.

2009-09-04T12:28:00.003+01:00

The majority of people asked in a Thomson and First Choice poll plan to take a holiday next year despite the recession.

The independent online survey completed by almost 1,000 people found that 80% expect to take a 2010 break despite the current economic climate.

Similar numbers said the recession will not lead them to change their holiday plans.
About half of respondents plan to spend the same as this year and almost a quarter (24%) aim to spend more.

Of those people who said the recession had changed their holiday plans this year, around six per cent said they had considered package holidays as offering extra security in the case of an airline collapse – a figure that more than doubles to 13% for 2010.

The proportion of people saying they would consider booking all-inclusive holidays rises from 10% to 16% for next year.

This is a trend predicted by Thomson and First Choice in 2008 which is set to continue.

The operators’ report that many hotels have changed their board basis to satisfy consumer demand for 2010.

Bookings for cruises are also strong with Thomson Cruises now the UK’s second largest cruise company.
Travellers may be going further afield next year as well – more than 23% said they will look to buy a longer flight for the same price as one nearer to home.

A further 18% said they would take up offers on flight upgrades from airlines keen to fill premium seats.
The annual trends report also reveals that the environment and sustainability are now mainstream concerns despite recessionary pressures.

Six out of ten people say they would be more likely to book with a company which showed greener business practices such as employing local people, sourcing local produce and using hotels that don’t waste energy.

Travellers now seem used to the issue of swine flu with six out of ten expecting their holiday plans to be unchanged next year in the event of a pandemic, and only one in ten saying they may change their plans.

One major cloud on the horizon for travellers in 2010 is rises in Air Passenger Duty which come into force in two stages from November this year. These will increase the tax on long haul flights – typically 12 hours or more - from £40 to £80.

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2009-08-17T12:58:00.002+01:00

The number of British people travelling abroad slumped by ten per cent in the 12 months to June, new figures show.

The reduction from 70.9 million to 63.5 million included a ten per cent drop to Europe (down to 50.4 million), a 15% decline to North America (down to four million) and a nine per cent decrease to the rest of the world (down to 9.1 million).

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that for the three months to the end of June the number of visits abroad remained broadly the same as the previous three months at 15.2 million. But spending fell by eight per cent to £7.6 billion.

The number of visitors to the UK was also down in the 12 months to June, with figures showing an eight per cent drop from 33.1 million to 30.5 million.

Arrivals from Europe were down by five per cent to 22.9 million, from North America by 22% to 3.4 million and from the rest of the world by ten per cent o 4.2 million.

Visits to the UK in the April-June quarter rose by four per cent to 7.7 million over the previous three months but spending was pegged at £4.2 billion, the Overseas Travel and Torusim Statistical Bulletin shows.

*Commenting on the British Chamber of Commerce report which said that tourism is ‘poorly regarded’ in government and the UK is slipping behind its competitors as a result, Conservative shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “This is more damning evidence that shows how the government is simply not taking tourism seriously enough.

“The current structures that promote UK tourism are not working well enough. That's why we're looking at creating a tourism minister to give the sector the leadership it so desperately needs.”

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Thomas Cook faces legal action over 'hell hole' hotel

2009-08-10T11:25:00.003+01:00

More than 15 British holidaymakers are taking legal action against four travel companies after a ‘hellish’ holiday in Egypt earlier this year. Legal proceedings have already been started against Thomas Cook, Directline Holidays, Lowcostbeds.com and Ramsey Travel. Investigations are also underway with regard to claims against three other companies.

According to law firm Irwin Mitchell, the holidaymakers described the five-star Egyptian hotel they travelled to as an “insect-infested hell hole”. Travel litigation experts are now investigating the holidaymakers’ claims that the under-cooked food provided at the all-inclusive Hauza Beach Hotel has left them with serious gastric problems. David Harle, from the north east, says his £2,000 all-inclusive trip in June this year was ruined when he and his wife Judith fell ill with severe stomach problems. He is now taking legal action against tour operator Thomas Cook.

Suki Chhokar, a partner at Irwin Mitchell, said: “We have received enquiries from more than a dozen other holidaymakers who travelled with several different travel companies and whose stories are similar to Mr Harle’s. It is simply unacceptable. Why is it that the health and welfare of British tourists is put at risk time and again?

“We can’t stress enough how important it is for travel companies and hotels to take the health and safety of their guests seriously. People look forward to their holidays and it is time they can never get back. “We have now started legal action against three different travel companies on behalf of a number our clients and we would urge these companies to accept liability quickly so that our clients can put this ordeal behind them.”

A Thomas Cook UK & Ireland spokesperson said: “We take all reports of illness very seriously so we were very concerned to hear that Mr and Mrs Harle became unwell whilst they were on holiday.
“As a priority we are undertaking a full investigation with the hotel and our resort team and are liaising with the solicitor representing the couple.”

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Cheap packages the main priority for UK holidaymakers

2009-07-13T23:17:00.003+01:00

Cheap package holidays with free on-site activities are the new priorities for people decided which resort they choose this summer.

This compares with good hotel reviews, star rating and being close to the beach which were top of the list last year, according to online travel agent sunshine.co.uk.

A study commissioned by the company found that 71% of British holidaymakers have either booked a holiday abroad or plan to book a holiday overseas this year.

The research reveals that consumers’ priorities are changing when it comes to booking their 2009 break.

Last year thay claimed that the most important element when booking a holiday was good reviews from previous visitors, the hotel’s star rating and being close to the beach.

But they now admit that value for money and free on-site activities are the deciding factors for this year’s holiday.

The Top 5 priorities when searching for a holiday destination last year were:

1. Good hotel reviews
2. Its star rating

3. Located on/near the beach

4. Value for money

5. Location

When the 1,445 British respondents were asked how they decided which resort to choose for their holiday this year, or what their priorities will be for their holiday choice, the results were:

Value for money

Free on-site activities

Quiet resort

Near the beach

Location
Good reviews from previous visitors and the hotels star rating came in at 6th and 7th position respectively.

The Top 10 holiday destinations so far this year are:

1. Benidorm – Spain

2. Sharm el Sheikh – Egypt

3. Albufeira – Algarve

4. Marmaris – Turkey

5. Palma Nova – Spain

6. Salou – Spain

7. Lloret de Mar – Spain

8. Olu Deniz – Turkey

9. Playa de las Americas – Tenerife

10. Alcudia – Majorca

Company co-founder and managing director Chris Brown said: “We keep hearing that Brits are choosing to stay put this summer, yet our sales figures are getting better month on month and this study proves that people are still eager to get away but their priority is now value for money and not incurring many extra costs whilst away.

“As a travel agent, we feel it is important to highlight that we offer our customers exactly what they want this year; an affordable holiday that doesn’t mean sacrificing their priorities from previous years.”

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TripAdvisor defends reliability of reviews

2009-06-29T15:24:00.003+01:00

Yesterday’s Sunday Times said one hotelier in Spain claimed her ratings tumbled because of a critical review from a rival, while a former West Country hotelier claimed to write their own reviews.But a spokeswoman for Expedia-owned TripAdvisor said: ‘The vast majority of hotels understand the tremendous risk to their reputation and their business if they attempt to post fraudulent information on review sites like TripAdvisor. ‘As such, attempts of this nature are rare on TripAdvisor, but we take serious steps to penalise anyone caught attempting to trick the system.

‘In the event that a review is suspected to be fraudulent, it is immediately taken down, thereby affecting the business’s ranking in the TripAdvisor Popularity Index. 'Further measures to penalise those attempting to trick the system are handled on a case-by-case basis, but can include sending a warning letter to the property owners and posting a notice on TripAdvisor to warn travellers that a particular property is being investigated for potentially fraudulent activity.’

She also said the sheer volume of reviews for any individual property allows travellers to base their decisions on the opinions of many and provides an additional safeguard. TripAdvisor research shows the average traveller reads three pages of reviews when researching a hotel.

Every review is screened before posting and a team of quality assurance specialists investigates suspicious ones.Automated tools help identify attempts to subvert the system and its large community also help to police content.In total, the site features some 25m reviews and opinions.

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Twitter fastest growing website in UK

2009-06-25T11:43:00.003+01:00

Micro-blogging phenomenon Twitter has emerged as the fastest growing major website in the UK in the past year.

Data from online research firm Hitwise shows that traffic to the site has increased 22-fold in the last 12 months.

During May 2009 www.twitter.com ranked as the 38th most visited website in the UK and the fifth most visited social network.

A year ago, in May 2008, it was the 969th most visited website and 84th most visited social network, according to Hitwise.

Research director Robin Goad said: "Twitter has been the fastest growing major website in the UK over the last 12 months, and certainly the most talked about.

"The noticeable thing about Twitter's growth is that the vast majority of it - 93% in fact - has occurred during 2009.

“Media coverage of the site has escalated significantly this year and high profile celebrity endorsements, by everyone from Stephen Fry to Ashton Kutcher, have come rolling in.

“If anything, the service is even more popular than our numbers imply, as we are only measuring traffic to the main Twitter website.

“If people accessing their Twitter accounts via mobile phones and third party applications (such as Twitterific, Twitterfeed and Tweetdeck) were included, the numbers could be even higher."

One consequence of the high level of growth is that Twitter has become a key source of traffic to other websites, Hitwise said.

Twitter was the 30th biggest source of traffic for other sites in the UK last month, accounting for one in every 350 visits to a typical website.

More than half of this traffic (55.9%) is sent to other content-driven online media sites, such as social networks, blogs, and news and entertainment websites.

But only less than ten per cent of Twitter's downstream traffic is sent to transactional websites (i.e. travel, business and finance sites, plus online retailers).

By contrast, Google sends 30.7% of its traffic to transactional sites, while for Facebook the figure is 14.7%.

"Twitter has proven to be a fantastic source of traffic for content driven sites, and the media companies with a strong presence on the service are using it to great effect," said Goad.

"However, with one or two exceptions (most notably Dell, which claims to have generated $3m via Twitter), very few transactional websites have yet used Twitter to drive sales.

“During May, Google UK sent 365 times more traffic to transactional websites than Twitter.

“Given that Twitter has yet to settle on a business model that will take advantage of its huge, loyal user base, this is an issue that needs to be addressed by those running the company if they are to make the service a financial as well as a popular success."

Twitter was the 27th biggest source of traffic to News and Media - Print websites in the UK during May, and all of the main newspaper websites now have multiple Twitter feeds.

Goad said: "The key to having a successful Twitter presence is to engage the community.
“Twitter is a great viral marketing channel, and for many users the aim is to have their story 'retweeted' - i.e. passed on by other users - as many times as possible.

“Although all of the newspapers have multiple 'official' feeds, these tend to be bland and have very low 'retweet' rates.

“Journalists 'tweeting' themselves and engaging with the Twitter community typically have more success in creating viral stories."

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2009-06-08T14:03:00.000+01:00

Hotels in Spain 30% full for July and August

2009-06-08T13:57:00.002+01:00

Falling hotel rates and cheap air fares to Spain and Greece will boost late bookings to these destinations, while others are effectively full or over-priced.
Hugh Morgan, Monarch operations and overseas purchasing director, told a Spanish tourism conference last week: ‘I know hoteliers now in Spain who still only have 30% occupancy for July and August. They are actually coming to us saying, ‘what price do you need to fill this?' ‘I have never seen that in the eons that I have been working in this industry. Normally, July and August are 70-80% sold by now.'

Speaking at 'The Year Ahead – A Year Of Change In The Travel Industry' seminar, part of the 'A Taste of Spain Travel 2009' trade show in London, Morgan said it was hard to predict if the lates market would rescue Spain’s summer – it is about 16% down year-on-year, while the UK market is generally about 11% down.‘It is so price-sensitive. If you get the prices wrong, you will not sell the holiday,’ he explained.

Fellow speaker Paul Evans, chief executive of Lowcost Group, said: ‘There has been a lot of PR spin about Turkey and Egypt. But do not anybody kid themselves – the vast majority of business will end up going to Spain.’He said fares to Turkey are around £300 while Spain is £80-£150 so any savings on hotel accommodation in Turkey are lost on the airline seat.

Evans added that 55% of his firm’s sales on 1 June were for June, reflecting the ‘incredibly late booking window’.He predicted bigger operators will hold their margins but said for online operators, the bed bank market has been ‘particularly brutal and competitive’.

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Regional airline makes Liverpool debut

2009-05-14T11:59:00.002+01:00

Aberdeen and Southampton are to be served from Liverpool by regional carrier Eastern Airways.Three flights a day on weekdays to each destination will run from on July 6.The carrier will also increase the number of flights from Aberdeen to Southampton from two to five services each weekday starting on the same date.

The Liverpool connection means Eastern will be running 13 routes from the Scottish hub.Eastern’s chief operating officer Chris Holliday said: “Launching our first scheduled flights from Liverpool is a major milestone.“We’re providing the fastest links from Liverpool to Aberdeen and Southampton, which are significantly quicker than alternative road and rail journeys.

“By offering three flights each weekday, business travellers will be able to spend a day in Aberdeenshire or in the south of England without the need for overnight accommodation.“We’re also enhancing our services from Southampton to Aberdeen with five flights a day, providing greater flexibility and even more choice for business and leisure travellers.”

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A room a second' sold in Travelodge sale

2009-04-24T15:45:00.002+01:00

Travelodge claims to have recorded the highest ever number of UK hotel rooms sold in one day.The budget chain sold more than 87,000 hotel rooms in its £9 sale in the last 24 hours.
One of the chain’s double or family rooms for four was selling every second for the first nine hours with the rest coming throughout the remainder the day.

At just before midnight Travelodge had sold 36,190 £9 rooms, 23,085 £19 rooms and 27,804 non-sale rooms.

UK managing director, Guy Parsons said: “Our £9 and £19 sales are usually very popular but yesterday was a massive day for us and the UK consumer.

“It is clear that many people are seeking a bargain in these more difficult economic times and we are able to provide it.

“Whilst trade is still challenging for everyone, it is very encouraging to see the UK traveller’s faith in our product and the wider Great British holiday offer.”

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2009-03-30T16:10:00.002+01:00

Avro expands Turkey flying programme.

An additional Gatwick charter to Antalya is being laid on by seat-only firm Avro this summer. The Wednesday departure will run between May 27 and October 18 following increased dynamic packaging demand for holidays to Turkey. The flight will complement a Sunday service and twice weekly flights from Manchester as well as Birmingham departures, where capacity has been increased.Avro will run charters to Dalaman from Gatwick six days a week - up to three times daily - and from Manchester five days a week. Flights to Bodrum will also operate from Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham.

Prices to Turkey start at £139 per person inclusive of 20 kilos of baggage.Avro managing director Michael Vinales said: “Turkey continues to thrive in the DP market as we are able to offer agents the good day time slots that families demand over the summer period.“It’s also a destination which agents feel increasingly confident about booking as many repeat visitors know exactly which properties they want to book, making it easier for the agent to component package.“We have needed to increase our frequency as some families are looking for more flexible durations possibly to fit in more with their reduced budget. They may not be able to take that traditional 14 night break but they still want to travel.”

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Google Street View

2009-03-21T09:23:00.003Z

Virtual walking tours of key UK cities are to be made available on the internet through a tie-up between VisitBritain and Google.The new Google Street View technology will feature 25 cities and towns in Britain and Northern Ireland. Users of Google maps can use the Street View mapping to get an idea of the sights they can see when visiting Britain.

They will be able to take a virtual walking tour of destinations such as London, Cardiff, Belfast and Edinburgh, and from Southampton to Aberdeen, Bristol to Norwich.VisitBritain has worked with Google to create a visual guide - called a maplet - directly in Street View which features sights in London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds and Oxford.

This maplet then links to VisitBritain’s global website, visitbritain.com, where users can access some of its 1,000 destination guides. Each guide further helps them plan their trip with information about where to stay, shop and eat out, as well as the attractions, events and experiences.
This year an extra five million people may consider a holiday in their own country, according to VisitBritain ahead of British Tourism Week next week.

Meanwhile, international visitors can taken advantage of improved exchange rates on their trips.VisitBritain head of online marketing Justin Reid said: "We're very excited to be working with Google on the launch of Street View in the UK.

The internet is an incredibly rich resource for raising awareness of destinations, driving travel to and around Britain. Street View is a real opportunity for us to showcase our destinations to millions worldwide.“Seeing some of our globally-renowned attractions – a mix of old and new – up close, could inspire many more people to visit our shores.

“Our partnership with Google will also mean Street View explorers can find information about the different destinations and attractions, as well as value for money experiences, on www.visitbritain.com."Google’s geospatial technologist Ed Parsons said: “Street View has been hugely popular with our users in Europe and worldwide and we're thrilled it's now available in UK for so many great cities, enabling users to see street-level panoramas of major city roads and look up and print out useful driving directions.”

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Majority of agents failing to offer best value for money

2009-03-16T13:55:00.003Z

Experience and knowledge are things that people appreciate most about travel agents, according to a new study.But only 19% of British travellers believe agents offer the “best value for money”. Although this rises to 29% in Scotland, it drops to only eight per cent in London.
An online poll of 2,220 consumers by YouGov for Stena Line found that 57% thought that agents’ knowledge is a real bonus, while just eight per cent did not find agents knowledgeabl

Almost half of those questioned (43%) valued agents as “someone to talk to”.
With the ongoing credit crunch, agents in Britain will increasingly need to be seen to offer value but people in the capital are more critical about travel agents than the rest of the country.

More than half (51%) of Londoners – over six times the national average - complained of agents’ lack of knowledge, with 43% of those from the capital - over 2.5 times the national average - complaining of pressure from agents to book what suited them best.
Only 37% of respondents in London valued agents for their knowledge and experience.

Nationally, the biggest concern about agents is that they could be too commission-based, a factor which bothers 34% of travellers and an even larger 46% of Londoners.
Stena Line general manager for travel on the Irish Sea Dermot Cairns said: ”We are delighted to learn of the British public’s appreciation of the knowledge and experience agents offer.

“It’s a definite incentive for us to continue the trade training and familiarisation trips that we organise as they are clearly paying dividends.
“We are also acting on the importance that British travellers are attaching to value for money by continuing to ensure that we are offering the best value fares for all our crossings, and great value hotel breaks.”

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Co-op Sales on the up.

2009-03-05T16:12:00.002Z

Sales of half-board holidays are up by over 50%, according to research by The Co-operative Travel. The group says research of over 110,000 bookings shows that half-board holidays are up by 53.6%, while all-inclusive holidays have risen by 22.4%, compared to the same period last year.

The independent agency chains believe this shows Brits are returning to the high street to book traditional package holidays. It believes customers are attracted by the ability to fix costs ahead of travel, rather than organising DIY bookings online. Director of retail distribution Trevor Davis said: “People are making a return to booking their holidays on the high street after the travel chaos of last year.”

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Premier Inn sales slow

2009-03-02T16:10:00.002Z

Like for like sales at budget chain Premier Inn owner Whitbread have slowed in recent weeks, the company said today.
Announcing trading performance for the 50 weeks to February 12, the company’s chief executive Alan Parker said: “The sales trends we reported in December continued and in recent weeks group like-for-like sales have been predominantly negative, particularly due to lower occupancy in Premier Inn.

“Since the start of 2009, it has been difficult to establish any clear trends.”However, he added that full year profits are anticipated to be in line with market expectations.
The UK’s largest hotel and restaurant group said that in the first year of a combined hotels and restaurants business, it has delivered an increase in total sales of 9.1% and like-for-like sales growth of 5.4%.

Parker said: “By the year end we will have 54 new hotels and just over 40,000 rooms in the UK. Eleven of these new hotels are on joint sites with a Whitbread branded restaurant taking the total restaurant estate to 372.

“Premier Inn's Business Account is attracting larger business clients with total accounts up 48% year on year and total sales via this channel up 26% year to date.
“Revpar growth for the 50 weeks to 12 February was 2.9% on a like-for-like basis.
“Within restaurants like for like covers growth increased by 7.7% with spend per head falling 1.5%.”

He signalled a slowing in expansion in 2009-10 with capital expenditure to be halved to around £170 million.
“In these recessionary times operating well maintained, value for money hotel and restaurant brands offers significant opportunities for Whitbread to outperform in our market,” Parker added

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In Flight Mobile Calls

2009-02-20T12:50:00.002Z

An in-flight mobile phone service has become available on board 20 Ryanair aircraft. The move is the first step in fitting the budget carrier’s fleet of more than 170 aircraft over the next 18 months to allow passengers to make and receive mobile calls and texts on all flights. Passengers on Ryanair’s 20 OnAir enabled aircraft, mainly operatng from Dublin, can now make and receive voice calls at (non–EU) international roaming rates (£1.50-£3 per minute) text messages (40p+) and email (£1-£2) using mobile phones, BlackBerrys and other smartphones.

The service is only available to O2 customers and to users of more than 50 other mobile phone operators across Europe. Provider OnAir is working with other UK mobile operators Vodafone, Orange and 3 to have those networks connected. The price tariffs are set by each mobile service provider and are subject to each customer’s individual price plan, according to the airline Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said: “Today’s launch by Ryanair and OnAir is the first step to offering in-flight mobile phone services onboard our entire fleet of over 170 aircraft over the next 18 months.

“This service will allow passengers to keep in touch with the office, family or friends. “We expect customer demand for this service to grow rapidly and hope that customers of all UK mobile operators will soon be able to call or text home from 30,000 feet.”

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New flights from Liverpool & Gatwick

2009-02-05T12:07:00.002Z

Ryanair adds new route from Liverpool

Ryanair will introduce a new route from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to Ibiza on March 30. The new service will operate three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with fares starting from £32, including taxes and charges. Ryanair already operates 45 routes from Liverpool, including Paris Beauvais, Cork and Turin.

Gatwick gains Nordic flights

New routes to Scandinavia are to be operated from Gatwick this summer.
The airline Norwegian is to serve Oslo three times a day, Copenhagen and Tromso twice daily and run daily flights to Bergen, Stavanger and Aalborg. The new services will run from the end of March

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Pontins

2009-02-03T21:25:00.002Z

Six Pontin’s holiday centres are to be re-developed and refurbished as part of an investment of over £50 million. Pontin’s parent company, Ocean Parcs, said the improvements will create over 2,000 jobs. Initially, the group will refurbish entertainment, catering and bar facilities in its holiday centres, launching a re-styled entertainment programme and an enhanced food and beverage offer. Holiday Centres at Brean Sands and Prestatyn Sands will be completely refurbished with the ‘next generation’ of guest accommodation Subject to planning approval, accommodation will be completely renewed and the retail, entertainment, restaurant and bar facilities re-furbished.

Camber Sands and Southport will be completely re-designed and re-built and The Pakefield Holiday Centre near Lowestoft will be doubled in size and capacity. Pontin’s property director Clarke Osborne said: ‘’We have been working on our next generation of Holiday Centres for over nine months and I think that the results of this careful design strategy will be very well received by both our extensive and loyal customer base and new customers that are joining us each year. “We have commenced dialogue with some of our local councils, business leaders and planners and received encouraging responses.

This dialogue will be extended to all our holiday centres as it our intention to submit proposals for planning permission during the year.” Ocean Parcs and Pontins chief executive Ian Smith added: “It is particularly pleasing to note that due to a significant increase in bookings for this year, a number of our holiday centres are already showing only limited availability for the key half term, Easter and Summer holiday periods.”

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BMI Baby

2009-01-29T21:41:00.002Z

Bmibaby is dropping three city routes and replacing them with resort destinations.

Cardiff flights to Amsterdam and Glasgow are being axed along with Birmingham to Cork.

They are being replaced with a service from South Wales to Almeria in Spain between May 22 and October 22 and a Birmingham to Newquay route between May 22 and September 20.

The Almeria flights will run twice a week from Cardiff and the Cornwall connection from Birmingham will operate four times a week.

Passengers booked from Cardiff to Amsterdam and to Glasgow, and from Birmingham to Cork for travel after March 29 will be contacted by the airline and offered an alternative flight or a full refund.

Prices from Cardiff to Almeria start at £41.99 one way, and from Birmingham to Newquay at £13.99 one way, including taxes and charges.
The airline expects to carry more than 13,500 passengers on the Almeria service, and 20,000 on the Newquay route during the summer.

Managing director Crawford Rix said: “The airline industry is currently seeing a weakening in demand from consumers for impulsive city breaks and an increase for typical sun destinations; this is a direct result of the current economic climate.

“In order to meet the demand for more beach routes, we will be replacing two of our city routes from Cardiff - Amsterdam and Glasgow - with the new route to Almeria, and replacing the route from Birmingham to Cork with the new service to Newquay.

“This will enable us to meet the high consumer demand for services to beach destinations.”

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Jet 2 Holidays

2009-01-21T14:48:00.002Z

Jet2holidays.com has distributed its first brochure to 1,300 agents as part of a move to attract more trade sales.
The northern-based operator’s programme covers 20 destinations with flights from six UK airports. A £50 deposit offer is available and holidays in the Balearics and Algarve lead in at £99.

The brochure forms part of a larger 2009 campaign incorporating a greater emphasis on trade sales, according to the operator.

Other destinations featured include the Canary Islands, Turkey, Greek Islands, Croatia, Cyprus and Sharm el Sheikh.

Group trade sales manager Alan Cross said: “This is the first time we have produced a traditional holiday brochure having previously just been an online tour operator for both agents and our customers.

“It has been designed to portray the look and feel for what Jet2holidays.com has to offer – which is a wide selection of holiday options at great value for money.

“Support from the trade has been fantastic so far and having produced this dedicated brochure to complement our online element, we are sure this success will be increased further."

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Lowcostbeds & Resorthoppa

2009-01-13T09:23:00.002Z

Lowcostbeds.com is offering Resorthoppa through its trade web site lowcostbedsagents.com following the completion of a takeover of the transfer company.

Bundled prices for lowcostbeds.com transfers and beds is being made available via the trade web site, enabling lower prices to be offered to agents to increase their margins.

Lowcostbeds.com CEO Paul Evans said the company’s ability to bundle transfers with bed stock meant it was in a “very exciting position to consolidate its position as one of the leading suppliers of independent holiday components to the travel trade”.

“Customers and agents are demanding access to holiday components from a single source and those operators that offer single product will become vulnerable,” he added.

Michael East, who will continue as chairman of Resorthoppa, said: “Despite the difficult trading conditions being experienced by the travel industry, we are seeing a significant increase in activity at Resort Hoppa and the completion of this merger will enable us to build a strong, integrated group offering a one stop shop to enable the trade to create their own, great value, dynamic packages.”

He added: “We anticipate signing a number of new agreements over the coming weeks”.

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Thomas Cook swoops for Medhotels

2009-01-08T21:43:00.002Z

Thomas Cook is strengthening its position in the bed bank sector with the purchase of Medhotels from lastminute.com.
The deal, for an undisclosed sum, will make Thomas Cook the UK leader in accommodation-only following its purchase of Hotels4u.com almost a year ago.

The sale of Medhotels follows industry predictions of further consolidation in the bed bank sector (see previous TravelMole stories).
The Medhotels acquisition, due to be completed next month, includes Hoteltransfers, Holiday Hotels and its German business.
Lastminute bought Medhotels in a deal worth £16.1 million in 2003.

Paul Riches, sales and marketing director at rival youtravel.com, said:“The long-awaited completion of the Medhotels acquisition by Thomas Cook represents a step-change in the accommodation-only sector as another player is taken over by one of the big conglomerates.
“There is now a very clear divide in the industry between those bed banks which are owned by a large corporate parent and those who retain their independence.

“For us, as the UK's largest independent accommodation supplier, Cook’s acquisition of Medhotels represents a great opportunity to work even more closely with independent agents.
“Independent agents are the backbone of the bed bank sector and I don’t believe that they will be happy to push a large proportion of their accommodation-only sales into the hands of one group.
“They will be looking more than ever towards established independent accommodation suppliers to redress the balance of their sales split which will shift as a result of this acquisition.

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2009 is the year of the cruise deal

2009-01-07T13:43:00.002Z

Online cruise review website CruiseCritic has unveiled its predictions for the cruise market in 2009. It believes the current “dizzy” rate of growth will not be sustained this year, but the market should be “robust and resilient, benefiting from a huge boost in capacity and choice”. In 2008, UK cruise passengers grew 14% to an estimated 1.55 million. CruiseCritic believes 2009 will be the year of the 'deal', as cruise lines struggle to fill cabins. “Prices, already pretty low, will be incredibly competitive,” it said.

It said with the weak sterling against the euro, customers will take advantage of cruises, which do not involve currency surcharges that many travel companies have had to add to the cost of a land-based holiday. Other trends identified include: - There will be a rise in sailings from the UK, such as Glasgow, Liverpool and Belfast, as well as the principal ports of Dover and Southampton. - Passengers will pay fewer fuel surcharges but will pay more for extras, like spa treatments, classes, speciality dining and service charges. - Passengers will take more short cruises, particularly those who are new to cruising.

Luxury will be one of the fastest growing sectors, with Seabourn, Oceania and Silversea all getting new vessels. In addition, a handful of big ship cruise lines are creating boutique hotels within large ships, with dedicated restaurants, lounges and pool areas.

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Flyglobespan

2008-12-23T14:50:00.002Z

Flyglobespan adds Turkey capacity

A second weekly flight from Edinburgh to Dalaman in Turkey is being laid on by Flyglobespan for next summer. A Sunday flight will run in addition to a Saturday departure between May and early November. The company had already planned weekly flights from Glasgow and Aberdeen to the Turkish destination. Prices start at £99.99 one way including tax and £195 per person for a seven night holiday in a self catering apartment in Icmeler, including flights, based on two sharing.

CEO Rick Green said: "We are delighted with our sales for Dalaman and are confident that this second weekend flight will prove a great success. "It further reinforces our view that, while consumers may cut back on spending in other areas, the main holiday remains a necessity."

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