Topics

Spain's tourism strategy: 'We're finding solutions for all stakeholders'

A new tourism strategy based on “finding solutions for all stakeholders” and a Q&A with a top Tui executive will dominate the Spanish Tourist Office’s presence at WTM London 2025.

Japan's rail news and national park heritage in the spotlight

Updates to its rail offering, a celebration of its historic national parks and shoulder season travel will be talking points for the Japan National Tourism Organisation at this year’s WTM London

G Adventures to make luxury debut: ‘This doesn’t exist on the market’

The adventure touring operator is set to launch a new luxury collection, marking its official entry into the high-end space

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

'Princess is one of my best-selling cruise brands – but I was nervous about sailing on its new Sphere class ship'

What did Ely-based Travel Counsellor Martin Kindred-Langdon, who ranks Princess Cruises among his best selling lines, make of Star Princess?

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'

Three ways to sell Al Ain, Abu Dhabi’s ‘Oasis City’

With a name translating to ‘the spring’, the sprawling desert oasis of Al Ain is just a 90-minute drive east from Abu Dhabi City, but it offers a lot more than abundant date palms.

The UAE’s only Unesco-designated heritage sites are found here, meaning cultural tourists can explore the remains of Neolithic, Iron and Bronze Age civilizations uncovered in archaeological digs.

AE Expeditions recruits Cunard regional sales manager James Atherton as new BDM

Atherton, who started his career in cruise handling baggage at Southampton docks, has also worked in P&O Cruises trade sales team

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

More than a shore excursion: why Gibraltar is worthy of a week-long holiday

A compact British Overseas Territory at the entrance to the Mediterranean, Gibraltar is often thought of as an island, but is in fact a peninsula bordering Spain with a towering rock at its centre.

Its location means warm shoulder seasons. There’s also a calendar of events to help you sell breaks year-round, from Christmas celebrations to a spring food festival and autumn literary festival.

Nick Marks returns to industry with Dolphin Dynamics following demise of Baldwins Travel

Baldwins Travel was wound up in July after a turbulent few years with its highly respected staff moving on to different agencies across south-east England

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

'In a world full of uncertainty and online scams, customers increasingly value the human touch'

Oasis Travel's Sandra Corkin reflects on what it is that makes travel agencies such an enduring feature of the UK's high streets, and why they can – and will – thrive anew

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.

'Travel's just had its annual health check – and the vital signs are good'

The Travel Trade Consultancy's Martin Alcock runs the rule over travel's vitals, finding strength in package demand but worries around consolidation and the increasing dominance of the industry's major players