In this video you’ll hear from Tui’s beach trade training manager Deborah Crannage, and TTG’s content writer Charlotte Cullinan.

Video transcript 

Charlotte: Welcome to our In The Spotlight video with Tui. Deb, let's start by talking about your Tui Blue Hotels. How are you expanding and developing the portfolio?

Deborah: Well thanks for having me Charlotte. So our Tui Blue hotels have really evolved over the past few years, and one of the key areas is our Tui Blue Kids’ Club. So we now offer enhanced support for neurodiverse children and their families, which is absolutely amazing. We're supported by Sennies, who are a specialist in neurodiversity training, and they have provided us with really comprehensive e-learnings for the childcare team. We have visual aids communication tools for the children. So we are really offering that inclusivity and the support that families really want on holiday. 

Another great aspect is five of our Tui Blue hotels actually offer fully equipped sensory rooms. So, for families who need that extra support they're brilliant, they've got lovely soft lights, quiet zones and they do sensory sessions and things like that.

So, we just want to make sure people feel welcome, they're in a safe space and they can have a holiday that works for them. So that's a really great move forward from Tui Blue. 

Charlotte: Brilliant, thank you. And accessibility is a huge priority for you, isn't it? Could you update us on your work in this area?

Deborah: Yeah, so we are really proud of the assisted travel team. They are award-winning. And you know, we've really moved forward with accessibility with the amazing team behind the scenes. One of the great areas that I'd love to share with all the agents out there is our partnership with AccessAble.

So AccessAble are fantastic. They go out, they survey and audit the hotels that we use, and then they put a real detailed, accurate guide on their own platform. So all agents need to do is put AccessAble into their search engine, pop the name of the hotel in there and it will bring up those details at the touch of a button. And for customers wanting to confirm a holiday if they have those accessibility needs, to be able to know how many lifts are in the hotel, if it has an accessible room, what's the accessibility like at the hotel to the bars, the pool area – it's really important. So it's a great way to find the right holiday for your customers and really match them to something that's going to give them the best experience.

Charlotte: That's really useful, thank you. And could you remind us about your third-party flying options as well? 

Deborah: Yeah. So again, our flying programme is so accessible now. So we use the Tui chartered flights of course, but now we've got a range of partner airlines and this has given us regional departure points, different durations, different flight times. So we can now fit around a customer's lifestyle, which is perfect for them. 

The other great thing about the flying programme is just the range of destinations we can now get customers to. So whether they want that last-minute city break or they want the once-in-a-lifetime dream holiday to Japan or Brazil, we've now got the flights to help with that. And for those key beach holidays as well there's more choice on the flying programme. So it's just matching people with what they need in today's busy lifestyle. 

Charlotte: Brilliant. Thank you. And you have some exciting news around city breaks I believe as well? 

Deborah: Oh yeah, I do! So we've now got over 77 city breaks on sale. So it has really grown massively over the past few months. And the latest one – I'll drop this in because I only found out yesterday – is Bratislava. So we've now got a fantastic cultural break, another weekend getaway. 

But the big one I want to talk about is the World Cup this year. So we are a football loving nation, we know that. So why not inspire customers to go and see all of those beautiful iconic sites in the USA and also see the game at the same time?

So we have in our programme, we've got Atlanta, Boston we've got Los Angeles, Miami, and of course New York. So you know, there's so much on offer. Great one for your socials to get customers in the mood. And why not combine a love the sport with the love of seeing the world? So I'm really excited about that, I think it's a great one. 

Charlotte: That's amazing. There's lots of inspiration there, thank you. And you also have an exciting schedule for your World of Tui roadshows this year. So what do agents need to know, and how can they get involved? 

Deborah: Oh, well this has grown from last year. So we've got a full tour going on this year. We're so excited about it. So our World of Tui events start off in Gatwick in March and they are running across the country. So we've got events taking place in Glasgow, in Belfast, we've got Norwich, we've got Bristol, we've got Leeds. And for those who can't make face-to-face events, I do a virtual World of Tui at the end of the year. And so nobody gets to miss out on these. 

So what are they all about? So this is where agents can attend our events and meet the experts of our in-house products. These are the guys who live and breathe these products and they get to obviously share all the amazing information. We do have some key hoteliers invited as well. And there's always prizes up for grabs, and it's a great evening out. We get to meet all those amazing agents. They get to meet us. We get to share what's going on around the travel world. So yeah, absolutely fantastic.  

To find out how to register for those – really important – head on over to the Tui Trade Hub. There's a World of Tui tile on there. Nice and straightforward. Click on events and you can register for the one that suits you. 

Charlotte: Oh, that's brilliant. Thank you so much Deb and thank you for sharing all of that fantastic information, and thank you for watching our In The Spotlight video with Tui.

Deborah: Thanks everyone.