Touring and Adventure

Riviera Travel hands Vicky Billing expanded brief after driving 'rapid' trade growth

Billing, who has overseen nearly 50% year-on-year growth through the trade, has been promoted to director of trade and partnerships UK and Ireland

Malaysia relying on UK agents to increase tourist numbers, deputy PM says

Malaysian deputy prime minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced the government’s intention to increase the number of UK tourists to the country to 500,000 in 2026

Intrepid expands hotel portfolio with Morocco and Tasmania properties

The two new additions are part of Intrepid’s strategy to grow its portfolio to 20 properties worldwide over the next three years

Watchdog to probe Kuoni parent Dertour’s deal to buy Hotelplan

Switzerland’s competition authority is to investigate whether the purchase of Hotelplan by Kuoni’s parent company Dertour would create an unfair monopoly for consumers in Switzerland following the announcement of the deal in February

Jules Verne to target 'Queenager' market with new touring partnership

Jules Verne has teamed up with NOON, the online community for women over 45 to offer tours targeted at this age group, saying there is a gap in the market and encouraging other operators to consider it

Ugandan capital Entebbe joins Gatwick's long-haul route network

Uganda Airlines will operate the route four times a week on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays

New Costa Rica specialist seeks agents' help as it targets 'unique' niche

Cecropia Travel offers luxury voluntourism and tailor-made itineraries – and is on the hunt for agent partners

Luxury agent makes £50k booking for unlikely clients – here's how

Sam Cooper of RB Collection teamed up a bespoke tour operator to sell a unique destination.

Spreading the good word: what opportunities does faith-based tourism present for agents?

It’s seen as a niche market, but religious tourism benefits from a huge client base keen to visit the world’s sacred sites. Ilaria Grasso Macola explores the opportunities for agents

Becca Hardy

China is back on travellers’ radars, thanks to the return of Race Across the World.

The latest season takes teams on a 14,000km trek from the Great Wall to southern India, with episode two showcasing a journey to Sanya, China’s southernmost city on Hainan Island. The teams then head inland, exploring less-visited provinces on their way to Shangri-La.

The show has sparked a surge in interest, with China searches up nearly 600% and bookings for China tours 2.5x stronger than last year.

Former Travel 2 tours consultant Heather Hutton to head up Vista's new touring division

Hutton, who joined Vista parent Hays Travel from Travel 2 five years ago, has been tasked with building on the momentum the agency’s in-house tour operator has sustained since rebranding in 2023

Aito to widen membership to start-up SMEs with new associate scheme

Association has launched an associate membership scheme for start-up businesses that do not meet its two-year trading requirement

What's happened to the family market this year? And will it come back?

The family market has long been a staple for many travel agencies, but a drop off in forward bookings for the summer from families has left agents stumped – and concerned

Debbie O'Neill: ‘The first thing I wanted to do as Jules Verne MD was bring the brand to the trade’

O’Neill talks evoking nostalgia and placing importance on both the destination and the journey with TTG’s Gary Noakes

Cox & Kings fixes sights on global expansion under new MD

Agents will play a key role in the growth of one of travel’s most historic brands, new MD Jennifer Charlton said

Intrepid Travel names trade lead Joanna Reeve as new general manager UK and Ireland

’I want to thank the travel trade and our agent partners for their unwavering support,’ says Reeve, who succeeds Hazel McGuire

Brand USA hopes road trip nostalgia will deflect from Trump's trade war

Agents have been trained in the infinite possibilities of the Great US Road Trip, while UK arrivals figures have yet to be impacted by Trump’s foreign policies

Thai tourism operations resume as Intrepid launches Myanmar earthquake appeal

Tourist attractions and transport hubs open as normal in Thailand after devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake in neighbouring Myanmar

Suppliers urged to do more to help agents tell them apart

TTG’s first Agenda event of the year ’unpacked peaks’ and explored some key market trends, including demand for ’differentiated product’ and more long-haul options, as well as the impact of a second Donald Trump presidency

Inside Travel Group creates dedicated agency sales team after record Q1 for trade business

Asia specialist to transition to single point of contact for agents, led by senior team leader Claire Brothers

Syria: Could this war-torn nation return to the tourist map?

On the 14th anniversary of the Arab Spring, TTG’s Ilaria Grasso Macola asks whether Syria will ever come back as a mainstream tourist destination

Perfect weather and epic adventures: meet the summer holiday destination with a difference

Boasting cooler summer temperatures in the mountains, unrivalled outdoor adventures and delicious cuisine, learn more about the Austrian Tirol

‘I knew I wanted to work for Intrepid one day’, says 30 Under 30’s rising PR star

Emme McKay, part of the 2024 class of TTG 30 Under 30, reveals why she is determined to make her mark in the travel industry – one sustainable holiday at a time

'Demand for women-only tours is increasing – and everybody wins if we meet it'

Women-only tours help remove all sorts of invisible barriers, but more women are needed to help promote the benefits of these tours – and to run them, writes Responsible Travel’s Eloise Barker for TTG