Travel industry news

Tui sees switch from Spain to North Africa as cost and capacity deter consumers

Tui has said some consumers are switching away from Spain to North Africa because of cost issues

Shortlist revealed for Top 50 Travel Agencies by TTG 2025

Read more about the travel agencies who are going forward for judging next year

Tui targeting 50% app sales as it puts Ryanair packages on sale

Tui has set itself a target to achieve 50% of its sales via its app, and has pledged to develop technology that already accounts for double-digit figures in the UK

Travel Counsellors, Riviera Travel, Exsus Travel: this week's travel trade people moves

Moves this week include former Seabourn president Natalya Leahy becoming chief executive at Lindblad Expeditions while Travel Counsellors has upped its support team

Package sales through agents still core to our business, insists Tui chief

’2024 has been a very good year for us,’ said Tui chief executive Sebastian Ebel after the group’s earnings soared by a third to €1.3 billion off the back of record cruise performance

Travel's plea to make youth mobility 'a priority' lands with nearly 30 MPs

Some 28 MPs attended a drop-in event at parliament hosted by Abta and UKinbound, part of their ongoing advocacy campaign to highlight the importance of improving youth mobility between the UK and Europe in the absence of posted working post-Brexit

Greenland among eye-catching additions to Intrepid's 2025 programme

The Maldives and the West African nations of Benin, Togo, Senegal, The Gambia and Ghana also feature in the adventure specialist’s new programme, which spans more than 120 countries and 200-plus new experiences

Dame Irene Hays: 'We have to keep finding new ways to make more money'

Ed Robertson caught up with Hays Travel owner Dame Irene Hays and operations chief Jonathon Woodall-Johnston to find out more about the agency’s Budget challenges

Holidays Extras boss says AI can and will make agents' lives easier

Holiday Extras boss Matthew Pack tells TTG the company remains committed to the trade and will test the AI-driven technology on consumers before showing it to agents. The soon-to-be former owner has managed to secure an extra £10 million investment for expansion

Holiday Extras founders pass on ownership after 42 years

The remaining stake in Holidays Extras has been sold by founders Gerry and Carol Pack, in a deal that sees them exit after 42 years, with son Matthew heading up the brand and its management team

British Airways launches direct flights to Finland's most northerly airport

TTG joined a group of agents onboard BA’s inaugural flight to Ivalo in Lapland last week

Doncaster Sheffield airport welcomes first flight in two years

An aircraft has landed at Doncaster Sheffield airport for the first time since late 2022 as talks about its reopening continue

'Seize £2.2bn shovel-ready Gatwick expansion plan,' new transport sec urged

Proposal to bring Sussex airport’s northern runway backed by more than 100,000 businesses

The rise of rail and 'coolcations', and why agents will have to 'work for it' in 2025

Reflections on a strong but challenging 2024, a disappointing Budget and demand for cooler climes were some of the debates waged in the final Agenda 2024 seminar hosted by TTG and PwC

EU to take progressive approach to rollout of new border rules

The EU will now take a phased approach to rolling out its new biometric border checks next year after France, Germany and the Netherlands last month said they weren’t ready to

JetBlue axes Gatwick-New York flights after three years

JetBlue will not reinstate its Gatwick-JFK service next summer, it has confirmed

2025: Should you sell up, take on more staff – or just keep calm and carry on?

What does 2025 have in store for travel businesses? TTG assesses some of the challenges – and opportunities – coming in the new year

Travel Counsellors, Scenic, Wendy Wu: this week's travel trade people moves

Classic Collection has restructured its trade team, while a top agent has joined the cruise sector. Elsewhere, Ambassador Cruise Line has welcomed a familiar face into its trade team

Scottish agents set to miss out on business rates relief again

The Scottish parliament has again denied high street agents help with business rates despite extending relief to the hospitality sector

Louise Haigh, tax hikes and the 'B' word – seven takeaways from Abta Travel Matters

Labour’s approach to travel, Brexit frustrations and the climate crisis were all top of the agenda at the latest Abta Travel Matters this week

Travel experiencing 'exponential growth' in Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales

The Black Friday-Cyber Monday sales window has become a ’relevant promotional’ period for the travel industry, agreed a panel of travel industry experts at TTG’s Agenda 2024 Winter Breakfast

The Adventure People to sell through agents for the first time

The Adventure People is to work with the trade for the first time after designing its own tour itineraries

Crystal Ski reveals full range of shorter duration breaks

Crystal Ski has hailed good early sales as it confirms its full range of shorter duration breaks on the slopes

Lisbon to hold referendum on the future of short-term rentals

The city’s government will put the issue to residents, with questions likely to revolve around whether properties intended for housing should be permitted to be used as short-term rentals