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Operators praised for snap travel corridor reaction
Agents have hailed various operators and suppliers for their efforts to get the Canaries and the Maldives back on sale within hours of the government’s decision last week to open quarantine-free travel corridors to the two popular winter sun destinations.
"Jet2holidays, again, are at the forefront of trying to get some traction in the market," said one respondent to TTG’s latest Travel Agent Tracker survey, with others remarking on how rival Tui, and the likes of Palladium Hotels and Iberostar, were also able to push out offers promptly following the announcement last Thursday (22 October).
One agent respondent described the efforts to get flights on sale the very same evening and push the news, as well as new offers and discount codes, out on social media and to the trade as an "amazing turnaround service".
Another said: "Iberostar have been excellent and were quickly on the ball when the Canaries opened," while a third added: "Palladium’s reps have constantly been forthcoming with news, and even more since the Canaries went back on sale."
Kuoni and If Only, meanwhile, came in for similarly fulsome praise for the speed at which they reacted to the Maldives travel corridor decision.
"It’s the moment we’ve been waiting for – the Maldives has been added to the travel corridors list and to say we’re excited is an understatement," tweeted Kuoni, along with a link to its Maldives offers, just an hour after the corridor was announced.
If Only also promptly welcomed the news on Twitter, with head of sales south Dom Carrick tweeting the following day: "Busy busy day today for If Only. Indian Ocean team with lots of fresh Maldives enquiries. Great to see a buzz of excitement among the travel agency fraternity #savetravel #babysteps."
Gold Medal, meanwhile, told TTG it saw a 150% increase in room night bookings week-on-week, with Saturday call volumes up by more than eight times, after releasing a number of Maldives offers shortly after the travel corridor decision.
TTG’s weekly Travel Agent Tracker reports are available in full to TTG+ members, along with a range of other membership benefits. Head over to ttgmedia.com/promotion to find out more and sign up from just £1 for the first 30 days.
James Chapple
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