Independent

Premier Travel reopens Thomas Cook shop with former staff members

Premier Travel has opened its 27th branch in north Norfolk, taking on staff who worked there under previous owners

Ben Bouldin: 'Agents are getting closer to their optimum fighting weight'

Royal Caribbean International vice-president Ben Bouldin says the UK trade’s pandemic rebound is almost complete ahead of what is set to be another critical year of recovery

Advantage Travel Partnership to merge two major trade events in 2024

The consortium will combine its annual conference in May with its yearly event for international travel marketing companies

Kelly Green joins homeworking agency Club Voyages as head of retail

Green joins from Hays Travel Independence Group, and is a former Tui and Hays Travel retail manager

Tui launches new booking tools to independent agents to boost peaks sales

Ahead of the peaks booking period, Tui is giving agents the tools to sell its products to customers

APT to expand trade sales team amid ongoing company-wide recruitment drive

The APT and Travelmarvel brands plan to hire a national sales manager to support its key accounts

Latin Routes releases first trade brochure in four years

The Truly Individual Holidays to Latin America brochure explores the ’vibrant cultures, breathtaking landscapes and rich cultures of Latin America’

Shortlist revealed for Top 50 Travel Agencies 2024 by TTG

The Top 50 Travel Agencies 2024 by TTG ceremony will be held at Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse in April, where the next Top 50 will be named

Tui River Cruises reveals first new-build ship and Douro entry

Tui River Cruises has commissioned its first new vessel and confirmed plans for a 2025 entry onto Portugal’s River Douro, supported by flight programme

AmaWaterways unveils wave campaign after bumper sales year

Every suite reservation will also be upgraded to business class flights as part of the campaign, which launches on 26 December.

UK managing director Jamie Loizou said the river line’s latest wave campaign “is designed to appeal to luxury travellers”, adding that offers would make it easier for travel agents to sell its products.

AmaWaterways’ UK team has reported record 2023 booking levels and a 78% spike in the number of UK travel agencies booking its river cruises. Bookings are up 46% versus the same period in 2019.

The Big Question: Has the pandemic changed peaks for ever?

Peaks has long been one of travel’s rare certainties, but has consumer, supplier and agent behaviour changed since 2020?

Advantage boss confident current strong booking levels 'to continue into 2024'

Bookings departing between 18 and 28 December are up 44% year-on-year, according to Advantage’s chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said

Trade body seeks ‘greater clarity’ from govt on package travel reforms

The Association of Atol Companies invited members to share their views on proposed changes to Package Travel Regulations

Travel Counsellors holds first World Cup incentive scheme since 2018

Travel Counsellors launches its first global incentive scheme for five years

Solmar Villa Holidays bolsters trade team with experienced hire

Villa specialist Solmar adds new member to its trade team, with expansion plans for 2024

Market Place Travel opens second branch with ‘beat any quote’ pledge

The two-branch TTG Top 50 agency said it will try to beat any holiday quote customers have seen elsewhere

The Homeworker: 'Travel is never "just a holiday", it's precious time spent with loved ones'

InteleTravel agent Sarah Stephens reflects on how travel helped her and her husband Patrick come to terms with, and get respite from, the loss of their daughter Violet, and how her loss has informed her career as an agent

Expedition cruising presents vast untapped opportunities for agents and operators, says ECN

The majority of the Expedition Cruise Network’s agent members saw their expedition cruise business grow or stay the same over the past year, prompting hopes of growth over the coming years. Ilaria Grasso Macola casts her eye over the ECN’s 2023/24 insights report

How TTNG's snow-hit conference delivered pre-peaks positivity

Despite record snowfall causing major disruption in host city Munich, Travel Network Group conference delegates showed their resilience

Louise Rothwell joins Blue Bay's PTCs as business development executive

Rothwell, who has run her own self-employed travel brand for the past 10 years, will work alongside fellow BDE Vikki Griffin to help the PTCs establish and grow their brands with Blue Bay

Agent's cruise incentive car win 'means the world to my family'

Clubworld Travel’s Dawn McCaffrey scooped the grand prize in Royal Caribbean’s biggest-ever trade competition

Former Tui retail manager Sarah Guy to join Perfect Getaways as RSM

Guy returns to travel with the northwest-based agency after leaving the industry temporarily in September 2021 to take up a role with Holland & Barrett

Celebrity to target new-to-cruise agents with 'accessible' wave campaign

New-to-cruise agents will receive a £25 bonus payment from Celebrity Cruises every time they make three bookings during the wave season

Black Friday: What is it really worth to travel agents?

Consumer watchdog Which? says more ’genuine’ holiday discounts are helping drive consumer demand, but are agents feeling the positive effects of the annual bonanza?