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Archive for the ‘Client news’ Category
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
AITO represents quality, variety and expertise – exactly what AITO seeks from its Travel Writer of the Year awards. Says AITO Chairman, Derek Moore: “The judges are mandated to mark the articles submitted against three key criteria – we look for articles that are interesting, informative and inspirational.”
AITO has announced the results of its 13th Travel Writer of the Year awards with two additional new categories being awarded for the first time.
AITO Travel Writer of the Year
In third place, Anthony Peregrine’s ‘Gift of the Gab’ article written for The Sunday Times is a fresh take on Paris with “excellent word-play and flashes of Wildean humour.”
In second place is Ian Belcher with his ‘A slow boat to the refuge of the last dreamers’ article, written for The Observer, described as “a joy to read for those tied to their armchairs and giving a clear picture of life along the Mekong River in Thailand and Laos.”
The winner of the AITO Travel Writer of the Year 2009 award is Minty Clinch, writing for the Financial Times’ How to Spend It magazine. Clinch’s piece, ‘High Plains Drifter’, was an account of the first commercial riding expedition through Tajikistan’s High Pamirs. It resonated with the judges as having “exciting and adventurous content, where the style sweeps you along” in addition to being “an honest, scholarly and amusing portrayal of life on the tour.”
AITO Online Travel Writer of the Year
This new category was introduced to recognise much of the excellent work that appears exclusively online. The winner is Chris Leadbeater writing for Mail Online with his article ‘Africa holidays: Mountains, manes and meeting Mr Cheetah in sensational South Africa’. The judges liked its “clearly lively writing” that had “some style” and “carries the reader along easily.”
AITO Young Travel Writer of the Year
The winner of this inaugural award is Matt Bolton writing for Lonely Planet Magazine and his piece ‘The people’s Carnival’ on the Mardi Gras in Salvador, Brazil. It was described as “a joy to read from start to finish” with “lots of delicious detail” and “an electric feature that crackles with all the exuberance of the carnival he describes.”
AITO Chairman, Derek Moore comments: “As always, there was an incredibly high standard of entries in addition to a record number of submissions. We are delighted to have Minty Clinch claim the top spot, a new name for the roll of honour, but also to see the online travel writing community and younger journalists being recognised for their efforts”.
Tags: Add new tag, AITO, Financial Times, holidays, How to Spend It, http://www.lonelyplanet.com/magazine/, Lonely Planet, Minty Clinch, The Boserver, The Sunday Times, travel pr, www.aito.com, www.mailonline.com, www.travelpr.co.uk, “Association of Independent Tour Operators”, “online travel”
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Thursday, October 15th, 2009
The Paul Morrison Guide Awards (www.wanderlust.co.uk) recognise just how important the role of a tour guide can be in the overall holiday experience. The presence of such luminaries as bestselling writer Bill Bryson, wildlife broadcaster Mark Carwardine, Telegraph Travel Editor Graham Boynton, Rough Guides founder Mark Ellingham and co-founder of Wanderlust magazine Lyn Hughes amongst the award judges reinforces this view.
Whether you have a city guide for just one day, or travel with a guide for a month, their knowledge and passion for their home patch makes the difference between just a holiday and a truly inspirational travel experience.
Reflecting on the role played by guides made me think back to my own time as a tour leader some 35 years back. It was then, as it is now, about making the whole trip enjoyable by juggling problems and priorities behind the scenes, so that guests simply enjoyed themselves and weren’t aware of the damage control scenarios enacted on their behalf. But today, with their customers often having travelled extensively, guides have to know so much more. They need an understanding of the different nationalities that they host, a good grasp of environmental initiatives and the political skills of a diplomat – plus a whole lot more.
My congratulations go to all the top three guides at the award ceremony this week – Bronze award winner Tejendra Singh (India, working with Intrepid Travel), Silver award winner Yamaan Safady (Jordan, working with Walks Worldwide) and Gold award winner Diego Torres (Ecuador, working with Explore). Diego himself, nominated four years running for the awards – a testament in itself to his guiding skills - summed up his overall win very sensitively. To paraphrase, he said: “This award is for all guides worldwide - and it is for everyone who cares about our world”. He plans to use his £5,000 bursary to help support a charity (www.proyectodcr.com) working with vulnerable street kids in Quito – “it gives children the potential to take charge of their futures. Instead of having to beg on the streets they can have a life with more dignity.”
 Gold Award Winner Diego Torres speaks at the Wanderlust Awards AITO (www.aito.com) is proud to have supported the bursaries awarded to the winning guides and congratulates all those who were nominated by their customers. The importance of these awards is the fact that they recognise, uniquely – as the only such international guide awards - the unsung heroes of the travel industry. As such, they are a fitting legacy and memorial to Paul Morrison, co-founder of Wanderlust magazine, and to his passion for travel. Derek Moore – Chairman, AITO, and founder-director of Explore
Tags: Adventure, AITO, Bill Bryson, bursaries, charity Proyecto DCR, Derek Moore., Diego Torres, Ecuador, Explore, Graham Boynton, India, Intrepid Travel, Jordan, Lyn Hughes, Mark Carwardine, Mark Ellingham, Paul Morrison, Rough Guides, street kids, Tejendra Singh, The Paul Morrison Guide Awards, The Telegraph, Walks Worldwide, Wanderlust magazine, www.aito.com, www.travelpr.co.uk, Yamaan Safady, “Association of Independent Tour Operators”, “travel pr”
Posted in Adventure, Client news 2 Comments »
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
Study suggests resilient travel industry outperforming downbeat expectations.
With buzzwords like ‘credit crunch’ and ‘recession’ being thrown around in recent times, the travel industry has waited with bated breath for much of the last year, uncertain of the impact that the global economic downturn would have. In light of this, Wanderlust magazine, the UK’s leading travel magazine, and AITO teamed up to conduct a consumer and trade survey to find out what was really happening. During May 2009, over 2,000 consumers and 50 tour operators gave their views.
The results were encouraging and in stark contrast to the UN World Tourism Organisation’s predictions of last November that consumers were likely to travel less often, to holiday in closer destinations, to shorten the length of their trips and to spend less money while abroad in 2009.
- However, 77% of consumers that completed the survey said that they are planning to travel at least as much as they did last year, with 72% expecting to spend at least as much money.
- According to tour operators, bookings are down by an average of 12% on last year (Jan-Mar). This has not destroyed expectations for the second quarter, however, as 44% of tour operators believe their bookings will recover to at least the same levels as April to June of last year.
- 60% of tour operators reported that their lead period had shortened, confirming – as one tour operator said – that consumers are “still cautious” about booking holidays but have “growing confidence.”
- Consumers consider destination to be a more important factor than price when booking trips abroad, suggesting that price-led offers are not the main influence on where consumers decide to travel.
- Suggestions that the British public will holiday domestically in 2009 seem erroneous; only 50% of consumers were planning a one-week or two-week holiday in the UK, compared with over 70% that were planning to travel to Europe.
- Longer holidays in the UK were also less popular; less than 10% of consumers were planning a domestic holiday that lasted more than two weeks, compared with more than 60% for the Rest of the World.
There was more good news for AITO, as consumers also reported that Responsible Tourism – a key requirement for all AITO operators under the AITO Quality Charter – was high on their list of priorities when booking a holiday, ahead even of customer service.
Overall, the message is very encouraging and highlights the importance for everyone in the travel industry to ensure they continue promoting their services to consumers who are still looking to travel as much as ever in 2009.
For details of all 145 AITO specialist tour operators – and special offers and news – visit www.aito.com. Ian Bradley.
Tags: AITO, holidays, travel, travel pr, Wanderlust, www.aito.com, www.travelpr.co.uk, “Association of Independent Tour Operators”, “travel pr”, “travel sites”, “travel websites”
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Friday, July 31st, 2009
Are Britons bored of staying at home and mopping up the garden? Or do bargain prices and swine flu fears mean the great 2009 staycation’s alive and well? Ask tour operators about the late summer market, and you get vastly differing interpretations:
KIRKER HOLIDAYS
Ted Wake, Director of Sales & Marketing, comments: “Holiday booking patterns over the last month offer a real indication that clients are fed up with the weather, and that the last thing on their mind is the prospect of staying at home to mop up the garden. In particular, breaks to Italy are back up to the record levels achieved last year – the main reason being that value for money this year is better than ever. A great number of people have woken up to the fact that, if they have a special occasion to celebrate this year, they should take the decision to book a holiday abroad, and are more definite than ever it will be a wonderful experience that they truly deserve.” (www.kirkerholidays.com)
NB: Bookings made with Kirker Holidays during July for overseas departures this month are currently £100K ahead of budget. Bookings made with Kirker for overseas departures in August are already at last year’s levels.
EXPLORE WORLDWIDE
Ashley Toft, Managing Director, says: “The last two weeks’ trading have been the strongest for us since January, even outperforming the same weeks last year, suggesting that people have indeed decided the fabled British barbecue summer is another Met Office myth. Notably, our October half-term family tours are all but full – and we’re looking at extra departures for that period. These are perhaps families that missed the summer holiday period, banking on balminess, and are now determining to take a later dash for some sun. The apparent death of the staycation certainly pleases us in this sense!
“All that being said, we cant quite hear staycations’ death knell just yet. Introduced for the first time this year, our devoted UK breaks programme has almost completely sold out, including hastily-provided extra departures. Then again, these are staycations with an Explore twist – cycling in the Cotswolds, climbing Ben Nevis, walking in the Outer Hebrides – and perhaps they appeal to a sub-species of staycationers who refuse to be dissuaded by a typically inclement early summer?” (www.explore.co.uk)
SUNVIL HOLIDAYS
Noel Josephides, Managing Director, says: “Sunvil has seen a healthy rise in demand for late bookings to Greece in the past two weeks. Staying in the UK is all very well, but if the Britsh summer lives up to its generally wet expectations, people start to book late deals to the Med where the sunshine is more or less guaranteed. Our last minute late bookings to Greece are currently selling better than last year for this reason.” (www.sunvil.co.uk)
CLASSIC COTTAGES
Simon Tregoning, Managing Director, comments: “We are finding people are booking very last minute holidays this summer, within the next couple of weeks, or dates within the next four to six weeks, which indicates that Britons are still keen on ‘staycationing’ this year. Last week, for instance, bookings were up 31% on the same week last year and the recent poor weather does not seem to be putting people off staying in the UK. Value for money is a key concern and our booking office has also received comments that customers are happy to avoid the risk of picking up swine flu in airports, planes and hotels.” (www.classic.co.uk)
WILDERNESS SCOTLAND & WILDERNESS JOURNEYS
Stevie Christie, Director, says: “While bookings for Scotland at the start of the year were very strong, up to 30% above 2008 figures, they are now more in line with what we had expected. However, at this stage in the summer we have limited late availability and are still receiving plenty of enquiries for Scottish breaks so staycations are still in people’s minds.
He adds: “Having said this, we have noticed a definite increase in bookings for our overseas trips with Wilderness Journeys in the past three months. In particular, we’ve seen a surge in bookings in the last month for European summer breaks such as sea kayaking in Sardinia and mountain biking in Spain, and to destinations outside the Eurozone including Malawi and Kenya. With a barbecue summer failing to appear so far, people may be deciding they need a fix of sunny weather after all. Overall, overseas bookings are on course to be 20% above our target this year, and significantly better than our forecasts in March and April.” (www.wildernessscotland.com / www.wildernessjourneys.com)
AITO (Association of Independent Tour Operators)
Derek Moore, Chairman, says: “It’s fair to say that the British summer has been our best friend once again this year. Back in June, bookings were sluggish such was the fantastic weather in the UK, whereas now our members are inundated with calls from desperate holidaymakers who can’t face any more rain. In saying this, we have a number of domestic tour operators and they are also selling well, the early warm summer encouraged people to book in the UK for their August holidays so it’s generally been a win-win situation.”
www.aito.com
Tags: "classic cottages", "kirker holidays", "late summer", "tour operators", "wilderness journeys", "wilderness scotland", 2009, AITO, bookings, Explore, holidays, kirker, market, staycation, Sunvil, tourism, travel, “Explore worldwide”
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Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
It’s the morning of Wednesday 22nd July 2009 and a very relieved Explore tour leader has just reported in that her group in China was ferried to the right place at the right time to see the incredible solar eclipse – the longest for a century.
Across the densely populated Asian path of this celestial event, there must have been hundreds of millions of pairs of eyes, shielded by pieces of card or dark plastic or funky branded cardboard sunglasses witnessing an event that in various parts of the world is seen as a good omen, a bad omen, potentially harmful to unborn babies, proof of God’s existence or simply a wonderful life-affirming, beautiful and once-in-a-lifetime event.
Once in a lifetime, except of course that there’s another one coming along next year.
It’s going to be a little harder to see the 2010 eclipse, as it races at 1500 miles an hour along a narrow corridor above mostly endless Pacific Ocean; but thankfully, Easter Island, that most enigmatic and tragic of island communities, lies directly in its path, giving a lucky few a truly unique experience. And of course, Explore will be there to see it.
 Explore customers watching the eclipse in China This sort of one-off event provides an adventure operator like Explore with a great opportunity to showcase organisational and logistical skills though. To set up any tour is a highly complex business, involving people in marketing, operations, purchasing, product, tour leader logistics, ground agents, responsible tourism and customer relations departments, with personnel both in the UK and overseas. But to produce a tour whose whole focus is a 6 minute event, totally out of anyone’s control (unless you’re in the “proof of God’s existence” camp perhaps), and often in a remote and inaccessible location throws up a whole extra level of challenge and stress for all involved.
Planning for the eclipse in Easter Island started in 2008 and will not be finalised until airline schedules are confirmed in September this year. By the time the tours depart, the time from original idea to aircraft taking off will have been around two years and will be the result of decisions made by around 50 people. Logistically challenging anyway, Easter Island is likely to be a busy wee spot come July next year, with its hotel and camping accommodation at full stretch. There is also expected to be a world shortage of eclipse experts in July 2010 (actually I made that up) but as having a knowledgeable commentator on hand is de-rigueur at these events, booking the few good ones had to be completed several months ago too.
So, four tours will depart in July next year, carrying a maximum of 24 people each. They will travel around 30,000km, spend upwards of £5000 each, camp in reasonably basic conditions for 3 nights and stare at the sun for a scant few minutes - but all of them will think it worth it for an utterly unique and exclusive experience. With thanks to Explore & International Life
Tags: Adventure, AITO, Chile, China, conservation, Easter Island, eclipse, exclusive experience, Explore, Santiago, solar eclipse, unique holiday, “Association of Independent Tour Operators”, “travel pr”
Posted in Adventure, Client news, Fun stuff, News & comments No Comments »
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009
Les Borjs de la Kasbah, a Hotel de Charme in Marrakech, and one of our clients, has been rightly recognised for its high levels of customer satisfaction and selected as the No. 1 Hotel in Africa and No. 22 in the world in the latest Expedia Insiders’ Select Survey (http://www.lesborjsdelakasbah.com/news.php).
At different times over the past two years, five of us from Travel PR have stayed at Les Borjs de la Kasbah (plus one staff member’s lucky mum and brother) and we all agree that owners Mike and Francoise Bruce-Mitford’s (founders of VFB Holidays) responsible approach to running this hotel sets it apart from the rest. Through our work with AITO and its responsible tourism credentials, we can spot greenwash a mile off and there is plenty of it around, but not in this instance. This unusual cross between a contemporary hotel and traditional riad was created following the guidance of RT consultancy Dick Sisman & Associates to ensure best practice with regards to the local environment, something that is typically overlooked in Morocco.
Only local craftsmen were employed to renovate the former buildings and all the knowledgable hotel staff are local too. The Front Desk Manager, Mohammed is fondly remembered for his helpful manner and dry wit and we ladies will always remember our satisfaction at the amount of dead and dirty skin scrubbed from our bodies by the therapists Hasna Moutih and Fatiha Akhmassi during a two hour hammam in the hotel’s spa. The hotel staff receive regular English lessons, ongoing hospitality training and also, uncommonly in Morocco, the tips are shared fair and square amongst each and every member of staff.
Clearly, the dedication of the team and the pride they take in their work has played a major part in being awarded this latest gong, and long may it continue. Mika Bishop.
Tags: clever, conservation, cool, holidays, Hotel de Charme, Les Borjs de la Kasbah, Marrakech, No. 1 Hotel in Africa, travel, “online travel”, “travel pr”, “travel websites”
Posted in Client news No Comments »
Thursday, July 9th, 2009
Easter Island soil is apparently the source of a compound used by scientists to create a “wonder pill” which will extend lifespans by up to 23 years! A microbe living in the ground of this remote, historic Pacific island is responsible; without drowning you in science, suffice to say said microbe prevents damaging proteins from entering cells. The compound is called rapamycin, named after the island’s Polynesian name Rapa Nui.
Now for the commercial! Many UK operators can get you to Easter Island – but only our client The Traveller offers a devoted tour (ie without time in Chile). It’s guided by Jo Anne Van Tilburg, Director of the Easter Island Statue Project and certainly the world’s leading expert on Easter Island. She shares a strange parallel with pioneering Victorian explorer Katherine Routledge in that her project co-director, Cristian, is a direct descendant of Juan Tepano, Routledge’s own guide. Jo Anne is about to publish work detailing a new, official catalogue of the famous Moai statues on Rapa Nui, and will be then begin a new study into the statues’ future conservation. She also has her own theory on how Moai production was linked to the island’s spooky Birdman cult of yesteryear. Richard Mellor.
Tags: conservation, elixir, moai, soil, travel, “easter island”, “eternal life”, “eternal youth”, “jo anne van tilburg”, “katherine routledge”, “online travel”, “rapa nui”, “the traveller”, “travel pr”
Posted in Client news, News & comments No Comments »
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Viking Hellas launches new service from Manchester to Athens & on to Iraq
Monday, January 11th, 2010Viking Hellas Airlines (www.flyviking.gr), the Greek airline associated with Viking Airlines AB of Sweden, is pleased to announce the launch of a new three-times weekly scheduled service from Manchester to Athens, Greece, with effect from 1st February 2010, with convenient onward connections to three Iraqi cities.
Passengers from Northern England are set to be served with a new direct service to Athens from Manchester. With fares starting from as little as £59 one-way, inclusive of taxes and charges, Greece has never been more accessible. Current flight routes to Athens from the North West require at least one change of aircraft with other European carriers. Viking Hellas has established agreements with Olympic Air and Aegean Airlines to provide convenient connections to their Athens flight networks. This provides passengers with the opportunity to connect in Athens to and from other Greek cities, the Greek Islands, the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.
Also on 1st February, Viking Hellas will commence weekly scheduled services from Athens to the cities of Erbil and Sulaymanyiah in the Kurdish Government Region of Iraq and the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad. Flights are scheduled to provide seamless connections to and from Manchester services, providing passengers from the north of England with the fastest possible journey times between the north of England and Iraq. Fares from Manchester to Iraq, connecting in Athens, start from as little as £545 return, inclusive of taxes and charges.
Roger Gatt, Commercial Director of Viking Hellas, announced the services, commenting: “We are delighted to be launching our first scheduled services from Manchester and expect the Athens route to be a great success. Manchester Airport has welcomed our new services and they are supporting us as we prepare for launch. We also look forward to working with travel agents to improve travel options from the north of England to Greece and beyond.
There is considerable demand for Iraqi services from the UK due to the sizeable expatriate community that currently has very few options to return home; this new service is a lifeline for them. Viking Airlines AB has operated flights from Sweden to the country for a number of years without incident and we are pleased to be providing another option for travellers to Iraq.”
Andrew Harrison, Manchester Airport’s Commercial Director said, “It’s great news that Viking Hellas Airlines are starting their first scheduled service from Manchester Airport, complementing the extensive charter programme already operated. Athens is a strong destination with high year round demand. Viking Hellas will offer a variety of connections ranging from the Greek Islands to several points in Iraq thus giving the North West region an even greater choice.”
Flights will operate from Manchester on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and from Athens to Manchester on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Viking Hellas is planning to increase frequency to four flights weekly by adding a Tuesday departure from Manchester and a Wednesday departure from Athens with effect from March 2010.
All routes can be booked at www.flyviking.gr
Fares include a 20kg baggage allowance, allocated seats and complimentary in-flight meals. Passengers will also be able to purchase snacks, refreshments and duty free from an extensive in-flight bar. Extra legroom seats will be available for a small supplement.
Viking Hellas was established in Greece in Autumn 2009 and has headquarters in Athens.
Viking Airlines AB was established in 2003 and has headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden
Viking Airlines AB operates Boeing B737-800 Next Generation and B737-300 which will be used to launch Viking Hellas scheduled services until its own Airbus A320s are delivered in Spring 2010
Fares from Manchester to Athens start from £59 one way, including taxes and charges
Fares from Manchester to Iraq, connecting in Athens, start from as little as £545 return, inclusive of taxes and charges
Special, low price add-on fares are available with Olympic Air and Aegean Airlines to/from destinations served from Athens
Viking Hellas Manchester Flight Schedules
Manchester - Athens
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays
Depart Manchester VQ701 at 1330 hrs Arrive Athens at 1930 hrs
Athens - Manchester
Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays
Depart Athens VQ702 at 0930 hrs Arrive Manchester at 1130 hrs
Viking Hellas Connections to Iraq
Athens – Baghdad
Mondays
Depart Athens VQ753 at 2100 hrs Arrive Baghdad at 0100 hrs*
Baghdad - Athens
Tuesdays
Depart Baghdad VQ754 at 0300 hrs Arrive Athens at 0500 hrs
Athens – Erbil
Fridays
Depart Athens VQ717 at 2100 hrs Arrive Erbil at 0100 hrs*
Erbil - Athens
Saturdays
Depart Erbil VQ718 at 0300 hrs Arrive Athens at 0500 hrs
Athens – Sulaymaniyah
Wednesdays
Depart Athens VQ735 at 2100 hrs Arrive Sulaymaniyah at 0100 hrs*
Sulaymaniyah - Athens
Thursdays
Depart Sulaymaniyah VQ736 at 0300 hrs Arrive Athens at 0500 hrs
* Denotes Arrival Next Day
Tags: Athens, Baghdad, Erbil, Greece, Iraq, Iraq flights, Manchester, Manchester AIrport, Sulaymanyiah, travel, travel pr, Viking Hellas Airlines, www.flyviking.gr, www.travelpr.co.uk, “online travel”, “travel websites”
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