Independent

Firms band together to combat modern slavery in travel's supply chains

Defined by the United Nations as ‘an umbrella term covering practices such as forced labour, debt bondage, forced marriage, and human trafficking’, modern slavery impacts an estimated 50 million people around the world

Tui's top tips to help agents cater for the LGBT+ market

’Sometimes people are almost a bit scared of saying the wrong things – but everyone has to start somewhere,’ Tui head of brand marketing Toby Horry tells TTG

G Touring to host £1,000 trade giveaway to mark launch of new agent hub

The hub will allow agents to download window posters, information about Travelsphere and Just You holidays along with copy and images for use on social media

Ross Fagan joins Hays Tour Operating as trade engagement partner

Fagan will focus on increasing HTOL’s visibility, and engaging agent partners across the wider network, including Hays franchisees and its independence group members

Are independent agents ready to take Tui back?

After Tui revealed plans to expand its trade engagement team, are agents ready to forgive and forget?

Tui to expand trade team to work with more independent agents

The 14-strong team will look to improve knowledge of the different Tui products among third-party agents

Westoe boss reveals star turn in new Amazon football series

Graeme Brett is hopeful of a bookings boost once the episode airs

Jamie Gardiner re-elected to Abta board pipping Graeme Brett

It comes after Brett put his name forward to represent principal members with turnovers of up to £50 million, forcing a ballot

Hays IG welcomes three new members and plots further expansion

The new members join more than 100 other independent travel companies in the Hays Travel consortia

John Warr to leave the Travel Village Group after nearly two years

Travel Village Group chiefs Phil and Paula Nuttall pay tribute to former Wendy Wu Tours sales director Warr, who joined the group as managing director in October 2021

Former agency manager Lisa Burnham joins Holiday Extras trade team

Burnham joins the travel ancillary provider from her role as branch manager for Miles Morgan Travel

Fires, rain and rising prices: how an unpredictable summer is delivering a lates boost

Agents continue to be busy with new bookings during the summer peak period

Value message critical as ski market returns to ‘familiar patterns’

Higher prices aren’t putting winter sports enthusiasts off booking for this winter, although ’value’ is proving critical to conversions, agents and operators tell TTG

Windstar to capitalise on strong booking momentum with new agent partnerships

Speaking to TTG, the line’s recently appointed head of sales UK and Ireland Augustus Lonsdale said he will look to grow the company’s sales team as the business expands in the UK

Why it's time to spring clean your marketing... in August

Don’t leave it late, marketing chief Andrew Shelton urges agents in second We Are Llama column for TTG – or risk not being ready for the rush

Agent secures £35k Scenic booking by capitalising on new docuseries

Karen Beagrie, head of operations at Meon Valley Travel, landed the booking after using Discovery’s new docu-series Maritime Masters: Expedition Antarctica, which was filmed onboard Scenic Eclipse

Cunard to target new-to-cruise market ahead of Queen Anne launch

The line will encourage agents to offer Cunard as an alternative holiday option to customers who may have never sailed with the line or cruised at all

Can agents start to draw a line under the Covid crisis yet?

The pandemic was a once-on-a-lifetime shock for travel – so three-and-a-half years after the world was plunged into lockdown, is travel ready to move on? And up?

Why Elite Travel Concierge is hoping to work with more agents

Luxury specialist targets sales growth after celebrating its 5th anniversary

Spend with agents rebounds in July following ‘significant’ dip in June

Airlines also saw a sharp rise in spending growth, with transactions up 35.4% month-on-month in July

Royal Caribbean to reshape trade strategy ahead of Icon and Utopia launches

Director of sales Stuart Byron tells TTG the line will reshape its agent programme to fit the needs of the trade in a post-Covid world

'Chargebacks are here to stay; agents must learn to manage them'

’What started as a method of obtaining a cash refund appears to become muscle memory for travellers seeking a quick and easy way to get their cash back without going through traditional processes,’ writes Outpayce’s Tania Platt for TTG

Tui rolls out accommodation-only platform to Irish market

The group announced on Friday (4 August) Irish customers will have thousands of hotels to choose from, including a four-star hotel in Ibiza or a three-star hotel in Rome.

Panache Cruises kick-starts US expansion with $124,000 booking

Founder and chief executive James Cole said the agency ’didn’t believe’ they had secured the booking in the first instance