News

Strikes force Aer Lingus to cancel Manchester long-haul services

Members of the carrier's UK-based cabin crew will walk out next week, forcing the airline into pre-emptive cancellations

Scenic Group's third Discovery Yacht 'firmly on schedule' and will debut in Venice in 2028

The 270-passenger Scenic Ikon vessel will feature 135 all-verandah suites ranging from 34 to 250 square metres over five decks

Heathrow gains two new routes, including Cancun, and three new airlines

Start of winter timetables brings new services and carriers to Mexico, India, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia

Dame Irene Hays honoured for 'exemplary leadership and unwavering dedication to careers in tourism'

Hays Travel chair and owner awarded 2025 Tourism Society Award in recognition of her 'outstanding lifetime contribution to the development and success of UK tourism'

Ireland: 'No one does Halloween better than us'

From the origins of Jack O’Lanterns to the first trick or treaters, Halloween is tied to Ireland’s folklore and the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. This heralded the coming of winter, a time when light turned to darkness and the veil between this world and the next was thinnest, allowing ghosts, fairies and demons to pass through and menace the living.

AT WTM London, Tourism Ireland (stand N8-210) will be introducing eight Halloween hubs around the country – where visitors can have a frightfully good time at spooky trails, haunted experiences and hair-raising events.

WTM London to host largest-ever ministers' summit this year

Last year's summit, WTM London's 19th, brought together more than 50 tourism ministers

The Paddington bounce rolls on for Peru

Hot on the heels of Paddington's third movie comes Paddington the Musical – and Lima's new airport is now up and running too, with expanded capacity

Beachcomber's Gary Bagnall reveals 'daunting' decision to jump into homeworking after 25 years with specialist

Gary Bagnall confirmed he built both the Baggers Travel and The Mauritius Club websites over several months although he is yet to make a booking through either brand

Industry rallies around agency team as brand shuts its doors after more than 60 years

'Covid took much away from us... [and] left a financial burden that was becoming more and more difficult to manage,' said director Gavin Morton

Celebrity Cruises partners with TTG to launch interactive virtual training for home-based agents

Taking place between November 2025 and April 2026, the Xcelerator Programme aims to support home-based agents in running stronger businesses, connecting with like-minded peers and gaining the practical tools and confidence to grow their sales.

Malta succeeds in cutting peak traffic to Blue Lagoon

Introduced on May 1 this year, a new online booking system has succeeded in reducing visitor concentration at the popular yet fragile beauty spot by 68%.

Last year up to 12,000 visitors were recorded at Comino’s Blue Lagoon at any one time during peak hours, and the new free booking system allows a maximum of 4,000 visitors at any one time. Bookings generate a QR code, and wrist bands are issued at entry points.

The average number of visitors at the Blue Lagoon at each of the three daily time slots introduced this summer is 1,979.

Mauritius: 'Come to us for high-end curated experiences'

Tourist board realigns its strategy with the global trend that has travellers seeking out more meaningful cultural experiences, as well as restorative and sensory-rich activities

Agency takes to the streets with cabin trolley full of fizz and snacks to celebrate 10th anniversary

The team at Olive Lounge Travel, which was named TTG Top 50 Top Agency in Yorkshire earlier this year, said they wanted to bring 'a touch of travel magic' to the town and make it 'a community celebration'

Cayman Islands: 'Holidays are broken, but we can fix them'

“Welcome to vaCay” is a new platform and campaign that offers travellers the antidote to over-scheduled, exhausting holidays. It’s been conceived off the back of new research, commissioned by the tourist board, which shows the vacation (or holiday) is broken.

Jet2 matches Tui with earliest summer programme launch, putting 2027 on sale

Operator joins Tui in seeking to capture ultra-early 2027 business amid concerns about the UK economy

'New-to-cruise – let's go!': agents told market ripe for new business, plus nine other Advantage cruise conference highlights

Is now the time for agents to grow their cruise customer databases? Why a cruise holiday can give customers peace of mind financially? And why if staff are loyal to agencies and cruise lines then customers will keep coming back for more?

Tui launches summer 2027 early offering free kids' places on long-haul trips

Operator puts summer 2027 on sale, which features free child places in Mexico and the Dominican Reublic, and new touring options – including China

Explore teams up with Incredible Journeys to offer bespoke packages

Agents will now be able to package up the adventure specialist's trips through dnata's touring brand under one commissionable Atol booking

Marrakech to become easyJet's first African base in spring 2026

EasyJet will station three aircraft in Marrakech from next spring as the Moroccan government targets becoming a global top 10 tourist destination

Richard E Grant to bring WTM London to a close as keynote speaker

Actor and writer will address the event on Thursday 6 November on 'storytelling beyond the screen'

'We're always trying to think outside the box': Advantage to trial new one-to-one meetings concept for cruise members

Advantage is hopeful its Cruise One-to-Ones trial will help members – either new-to-cruise agents or 'seasoned retailers' – to build their knowledge

Expect new EU border checks to be rolled out 'very, very slowly', parliament told

Just three countries implementing EU Entry-Exit System in full from 12 October launch

Cyber expert flags EU visa waiver data worries ahead of launch next year

Poor data from the EU's newly launched Entry-Exit System could cause difficulties when travellers register for Etias

Jet2holidays brings amendments into online self-serve capabilities for agents

Operator to direct more agents away from its call centre with enhanced Manage My Booking platform