Travel Extra July 2018

RYANAIR LOAD FACTOR DILEMMA ROUNDS OF GULF WINTER KINGS CANARIES SINGING SUCCESS Madeira’s comeback season

Dubin airport daily record

R U YO DE A R R T PE PA

Air show spectacles

IRELAND'S PREMIER SOURCE OF TRAVEL INFORMATION Free

JULY/AUGUST 2018

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Winter Sun What your client should know about the 2017-8 season

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JULY 2018 PAGE 3

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NEWS

Thailand growth

New spotlight on Pattaya for 69,000 Irish visitors

B

rendan Barry of Discover Travel was among the tour operators hosted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand along the relatively unfamiliar south eastern coastline following TTM+ in Pattaya.

Thailand wants to rebrand Pattaya as a family destination, matching the reputation it has among domestic and Asian visitors rather than the seedier reputation it has with European, British and, indeed, Irish visitors.

There are 130,000 beds in the hinterland, including key family hotels such as Centara with a lost world themed theme, and the Cartonnland aqua park.

The group visited some undeveloped local tourism projects which are attempting to bring Pattaya visitors out into the hinterland and high end hotel properties on Ko Samed and Ko Chang. At the event the world’s media were told of the initiative to present Thailand as a romantic destination and disperse visitors from the honeypots of Phuket, Samui and

Shannon 1w from Ryanair, gateway to Daurada.

BEIJING Dublin 4w from Hainan, exciting new route which alternates through Edinburgh.

CARLISLE Dublin 7w from Loganair, Cumbria service.

DALAMAN Dublin 1w from Ryanair, new venture into Turkey..

HONG KONG

from Cathay Pacific,

Dublin 4w

SPAIN Irish visits to Spain were 450,457

to April, up 2.4pc in the first four months 2017.

STR Global reported RevPar across Ire-

land’s hotels rose by 16.1pc for the year to end May, average daily room rates up 12.7pc to €144.55. Dublin up 13.6pc to €146.96, and elsewhere up 18.3pc to €92.70. Occupancy in May was up 1.2pc to 90.5pc, and up 5.3pc elsewhere to 80.2pc.

PREM Group were named as title sponsor for euro pro tour competition at Tufarris hotel and golf re-sort

Brendan Barry of Discover Travel among tour operators at TTM

Chiang Mai. Separately, the media group visited Neeracha Hui Wongmasa and Buranakan Jumbo Chatupornpaisan of the Thai Ecotourism & Adventure Travel Association, a group with 60

members throughout the country and sampled a cycle through a coconut plantation in Takientia and a walk through Naklua fishing village.

Thailand had 68,982 visits from Ireland in 2017.

DESTINATIONS TO WATCH

BARCELONA:

CSO Overseas Travel statistics for April recorded 900,000 trips to Ireland, up 8pc. Britain was up 3.3pc, mainland Europe up 9.5pc, N America up 14.7pc and others up 6.8pc. CSO Overseas Travel statistics for April show trips abroad by Irish were down 2.8pc to 658,000.

KEFLAVIK:

Dublin service from Icelandair to go daily from October, competingwith Wow.

MARRAKESH: Dublin 2w resumed Ryanair route after short interruption.

PAPHOS:

Dublin 2w from Ryanair, joining Cobalt on Cyprus

Aer Lingus

TEL AVIV: Dublin 1w from

Arkia Israel

TORONTO: Shannon 1w from Air Canada, opening Canada to the west.

VIENNA:

Dublin 2w from Lauda, in competition with Aer Lingus.

PARIS: Cork 2w year round ser- ZAGREB vice from Air Framce.

SEATTLE

: Dublin 4w from

Croatia Airlines

Dublin 2w from

EGYPT passed a bill imposing fines on overly aggressive touts. Anyone found pestering tourists “with the intention of begging or promoting, offering or selling a good or service” could be fined up to 10,000 Egyptian pounds (€475).

UNIVERSAL 64 riders found themselves suspended about 30 metres up in the air for two hours while riding the Flying Dinosaur at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka.

GREENHOUSE A paper published in the journal Nature Climate Change suggests that tourism accounts for 8pc of all greenhouse gas emissions, four times higher than previous estimates.

US

border authorities cannot search travellers’ mobile phones without having reason to believe a particular traveler has committed a crime, an American federal appeals court ruled.

JAMAICA Tourist Board launched a new campaign called #JoinMeInJamaica which sees local Jamaicans give an insight into their life on island.

HEALTH An Amarach survey commissioned by Irish online GP service videoDoc shows that one in four Irish Adults have needed to access a GP while on holidays.

SPEND WINTER ON THE BEACH Escape to your favourite winter sun destinations like Canary Islands, Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca.

TUI is a trading name of TUI Ireland Limited and is fully licensed and bonded by CAR T.O.021.

FLY FR OM CORK O R DUBL IN

JULY 2018 PAGE 4

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Travel Extra takes no responsibility for errors and omissions.

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CONTENTS

www.travelextra.ie

3 News Where to go, how much to pay 6 Hotels: News 6 Postcards: News from the trade

10 Morocco: Air Arabia destination 11 La Gomera: Best kept secret 14 Canaries: More and more popular 18 Thailand: 14 hours to heaven 20 Seaview: The verdict

22-24 Flying: Airline and airport news 25 Global Village Inside the travel industry 27 Window seat: Our columnists 28 Pictures: Out and about

Short days longhaul

W

reliably for a good nine or more hours a day, with day-time temperatures reaching about 28C. Sea breezes and low humidity mean it rarely feels too hot. The sea remains at 26-27C throughout the winter.

inertsun holidays all vome with one central problem, where can you get guaranteed susnshin without flying a sector length that defeats the pit of a seven day break?

3.5 HOURS

Madeira: Guide price u1,500 half board. It is mild and sub-tropical year round. Average temperature Jan-Feb about 17C. New, family-oriented and child-friendly hotels are helping Madeira change its image as a destination aimed solely at the more mature traveller.

3.5 HOURS,

Morocco: Guide price

u800 B&B. Constant

winter sun is not guaranteed, Jan and Feb temperatures are about 17C. Agadir is a popular choice, the main reasons for its popularity include its year-round sunshine with just the occasional unpredictable rainy day, its wide sandy bay and the backdrop of the snow-capped Atlas mountains.

3.5 HOURS, Tunisia: Guide price

u800 B&B. Flight time

3 hours. Constant winter sun is not guaranteed: Jan and Feb temperatures are about 17C in the north, higher in the south near Jerba and the desert. Hammamet stretches nearly 10 miles around the bay. Port el Kantaoui is a compact purpose-built resort developed round a neat modern marina. Radiating out from here are a succession of ever more grandiose hotels that

Si Kao Resort & Spa, Thailand

have gradually mushroomed along the sandy coastline.

4.5 HOURS,

Canaries: Guide price

u1,000 half board. Im-

mensely popular because of the high standards through the resorts. Expect about half-a-dozen rainy days each month, seven hours of sun per day and temperatures reaching 22C-23C. Don’t expect the sea to be more than 20C, however, and check that your accommodation has a heated pool. There are escapes to the north of Tenerife and some spectacular walks in Gran Canaria for those who tire of resort life.

4.5 HOURS,, Cyprus Guide price

u800 B&B. Cyprus

has the most reliable winter climate in the Mediterranean and stays warm much later in the year, the average sea

temperature is still 19C at this time of year. Rain is recorded on about 10 days a month), but temperatures normally top 17C and the earlier in the autumn or later in the spring you go, the warmer it is.

5 HOURS,,

Egypt. Guide price u1,000. December days are reliably warm with virtually unbroken sunshine, average peaks in Sharm el Sheikh on the Red sea or Luxor on the Nile are around 25C, with 10 hours of sunshine a day, very low humidity and virtually no rain. Aswan, farther up the Nile, has a similar climate, although fewer sites and a much smaller choice of hotels. Spending more on a top-rank hotel will mean better food, and a better pool.

7 HOURS,, Dubai: Guide price u1,400 room only.

Dubai is fast becoming the new Caribbean,.

Beaches are superb, sun is almost guaranteed, super-sleek hotels are opening. Shopping is not as good value as it as but other ztivities include golf and desert safaris,

9 HOURS,, Caribbean. Guide price (Barbados): u2,400 all-inclusive. The Caribbean winter climate can vary according to the location of each island, but even on the wetter ones, such as St Lucia and Tobago, February is one of the driest months of the year. And when it does rain, it is most likely to fall as a heavy shower towards the end of the afternoon, rather than ruin the entire day. The main attraction of the winter climate is its consistency. The sun shines

9 HOURS, Florida: Guide price u1,400 room only. Theme parks, beaches and keen prices make Florida a favourite winter-sun standby for Irish visitors. Aer Lingus’s Orlando flight runs through the Christmas season this year. By March the American visitors have gone and the weather is still very comfortable. Average maximum temperatures are up to 27C, with nine hours of sun, and only seven rainy days in the month. Evenings can get cool, but the average sea temperature doesn’t drop below 23C. The Gulf coast is more sheltered and warmer than the Atlantic side.

11 HOURS

Thailand: Guide price

u1.400 room only (Phu-

ket) Flight time 11-13 hours (to Bangkok one stop via Dubai or Abu Dhabi. The Thai maritime climate is not as consistent as Goa’s, but it will be hot, 30C or more, and there will be a good nine hours of sunshine a day. The biggest problem is the wind, the north-easterly monsoon wind blows through the winter. This affects east coast resorts such as Koh Samui. Phuket is more sheltered and drier. The sea is 27C-29C.

Air France is now flying

k r o C M O FR t r o p Air ! a l a l Ooh

CORK JUST GOT MORE DIRECT

y, CDG from Ma s ri a P to t h ig With a daily fl le to France, p o e p g in y fl t be e they won’t jus ations on th n ti s e d 0 8 1 but on to the on voyage!

B . rk o tw e n e Air Franc connected re o m n e v e w no Cork Airport is a growing portfolio of ith to the world w t our Aviation c ta n o C . s te u ellent route airlines and ro c x e e th t u o b am a ’s newest d n Marketing Te la e Ir – rk o from C opportunities airport. transatlantic

For growth opportunities, email Daragh Hanratty, Head of Aviation Marketing at Cork Airport: daragh.haratty@daa.ie.

Cork Airport is now serviced by Aer Lingus, Aer Lingus Regional (operated by Stobart Air), Ryanair, Norwegian, Flybe, Swiss, Volotea, Iberia Express and Air France.

09498RO Paris Travel Extra FP.indd 1

05/06/2018 12:29

JULY 2018 PAGE 6

POSTCARDS FROM THE TRAVEL SCENE

R

yan Zhang of Hainan hosted media at an event in Dublin to outline plans for the route.

He said that he expected 80pc of the passenger traffic will be inbound to Europe form China and the two centre Dublin and Edinburgh pattern was chosen to suit Chinese tour operators. Signs in Mandarin and hot water stations have been installed in Dublin Airport in anticipation of direct services Bei-

M

SC country manager Rebecca Kelly hosted key trade on board MSC Seaview in Genoa for the launch party.

Antonio Paradiso says Irish guests appreciate the new ships and the new ships drive volumes and said Seaview is the most sold ship on the Irish market this year.

He said MSC are also considering basing a ship in Ireland, after the initia-

T

eresa Gancedo director of the Spanish Office of Tourism in Dublin, Francisco Martín of the Cantabrian Government, Hugh Bruton of Brittany Ferries in Ireland, Eva Bartolomé Director General of Tourism of the Government of Cantabria, and Catalina Goode the Vice Consul of Spain hosted key travel trade in the Penthouse of The Imperial Hotel, in Cork.

jing-Edinburgh-Dublin 4w, two clockwise and two anti-clockwise.

Hainan started with an A330-300 in 32-260 configuration but are changing to a 787 in September. Dublin-Edinburgh-Beijing service operate on Thursdays and Sundays, departing at 08:00 and arriving in Beijing via Edinburgh at 05:00 the following day. Picture shows Paul O’Kane, Jon Woolf, Ryan Zhang and Siobhan O’Donnell.

tive of Celebrity and Princess who will l homeport in Dublin next year.

Intriguingly he said MSC “will do it in our own way.”

Picture shows Sarah Slattery of The Travel Expert, Tom Britton of Marble City Travel, Sharon Fleming of Thompson Travel in Armagh, Antonio Paradiso of MSC cruises, Dawn Conway of Sunway, Orla Kelly of Clickandgo and front Dominic Burke of Travel Centres

A presentation: “Cantabria Infinita” was followed by a dinner showcasing regional products from Cantabria Region.

Cantabria set up a pop up stand for public in a Merchant’s Quay Shopping Centre ( and are planning a trade presentation in Dublin in the Autumn. Irish people visiting Cantabria have a choice between flying to Santander from Dublin or taking the ferry from Cork.

B

ilal Eksi CEO of Turkish Airlines was in Dublin to talks about extending capacity on the Dubln-Istanbul route.

The plan is to grow capacity beyond the current double daily flight, either with a third daily flight or (more likely) use of a wide body aircraft on the route.

Istanbul’s new airport opens in October.

It is an important year for Turkish.

As well as the opening of the first phase

A

group of Irish travel agents joined Air Canada on their inaugural to sample of Quebec.

The new route will be operated by Air Canada’s newest single-aisle aircraft, the Boeing 737 MAX 8, with four flights per week until 14 October 2018.

John Roxburgh, Senior Trade Commissioner at the Embassy of Canada, Kevin O’Connor, Air Canada Vice President System Operations Control,

R

omania’s EU Presidency in January to June 2018 will feature a summit meeting in picturesque Sibiu.

Romania will use the presidency to boost tourism opportunities and showcase attractions in the country and its four major regions. There will be 17 summit meetings (the average is 12), and 300 separate events they hope will boost tourism to all five of their historic

of the eventually world’s largest 200m capacity airport in Istanbul, the Irish operation have completely revamped their offices in Terminal 1 at Dublin airport and the airline has been continuously pro active with the Irish trade promoting connections.

Picture shows Hasan Mutlu of Turkish Airlines with Bilal Ekşi CEO and Omer Faruk at the CAPA Airline Leaders Summit at Powerscourt,

Bláithín O’Donnell, Sales Manager Ireland and Jon Woolf, Dublin Airport hosted a gate celebration before the departure of flight AC819 to Montréal.

Picture shows Paddy Dunne of American Holidays, Michele Anderson of Sunway and Sharon Harney of Cassidy Travel ziplining at Trembant.

Montreal was previously served by Air Transat in what was largely an in bound operation/.

provinces beyond the current intake of 2.7m.

At a briefing for invited journalists, European affairs minister Victor Negrescu called for funding of Danube and other EU regions.

Picture shows a group of key travel and political writers were hosted by the Ministry in Bucharest and on a brief trip to the Danube Delta in advance of the presidency.

JULY 2018 PAGE 7

POSTCARDS FROM THE TRAVEL SCENE

V

irtual Canada came to Rathgar at an event hosted by the Canadian ambassador to Ireland Kevin Vickers, to mark the Air Canada Dublin Montreal flight.

Vickers has been ambassador for three years and comes from one of the great Irish emigration destinations of the 1820s, Miramichi New Brunswick (a Dublin song goes We’re off to Miramichi We’re off for sugar or tea )

Visitor numbers from Canada to Ireland have increased from 87k to 258k in the past five years as services and frequency grew, membership the Canadian Irish business association has grown from 35 to 95, and trade links have grown from €2.3bn to €3bn Picture shows Bernadette Goldsmith of Air Canada, Blaithin O’Donnell of Air Canada, Rosin Carbery of Tropical Sky at the Air Canada event.

Sail and Stay at Alton Towers 2 night short breaks with Stena Line

T

our America were the Irish country winners of the IPW Chairman’s Circle award at IPW in Denver.

The Chairman’s Awards have become a highlight of the Saturday evening of IPW, where national awards are dispensed to tour operators from the various source markets. Tour America have now won the award for six years in a row.

On park accommodation Soon after her return from Denver Kathleen Maher was back on the podium to the Best Use of Social Media Award at the Social Media Awards 2018, held in the RDS in Dublin.

Picture shows Chris Thompson chair of Brand USA, award recipients Liz Wright and Kathleen Maher of Tour America and Roger Dow of Travel USA, Chairman’s circle awards event, pre-IPW 2018 in Denver.

3* Splash Landings Hotel 3* Alton Towers Hotel Enchanted Village Lodges

from €799 per family* from €799 per family* from €869 per family*

Off park accommodation 3*+ Quality Hotel Stoke-on-Trent 3* Holiday Inn Express Stoke-on-Trent

from €599 per family* from €639 per family*

Prices include: • Return Stena Line ferry travel from Dublin to Holyhead or Rosslare to Fishguard with your car.

• Accommodation for 2 nights for 2 adults & up to 2 children sharing same room • One day Alton Towers Resort entry ticket for 2 adults and 2 children under 12 (upgrade to a 2 day ticket from just €10 extra per person!)

B

ack story of the 2018 CAPA aviation leaders conference in Powerscourt, Co Wi8cklow, concerned the suitcase of Johnny Thorsen of Mezi.

His luggage was lost in Toronto and not delivered until he was due to return.

Johnny used his panel appearances as a panel member and as a moderator to update delegates on his messages form Aer Lingus and it became apparent that

the luggage was unlikely to catch up with him u nil; his return to Canada.

Never one to miss a trick, Peter Bellew of Ryanair stepped in to present him with a shirt to replace the increasingly decrepit one that he had been wearing at the conference.

Picture shows Kenny Jacobs photographing Johnny and Peter in McGill’s bar in Powerscourt prior to the aviation dinner.

Wicker Man – new for 2018

Book via Sembok online or call reservations on 01 907 53 99

JULY 2018 PAGE 8

DESTINATION SOUTH AFRICA

I

t sounded like something from a Hollywood movie, John van Rooyen of The Tsogo Sun hotel says. Day Zero was the well-publicised threat to turn off Cape Town’s water supply.

The idea was to scare the locals into conserving their water. It turned off something much more substantial: the inbound honeymoon and leisure tourist market right in the middle of the peak booking season in January.

The scare worked.

Water consumption in Cape Town has been cut from 1.2bn litres a day to 500m litres a day.

Tourists were unaffected by the drive to conserve water among the local population, unless they wanted a bath.

Swimming pools remain open, using salt water. Hotels removed bath plugs from baths and brought in shower regulators that slashed average consumption.

Directives for the length of a shower were reduced to ninety seconds, they have since been increased to two minutes.

Importantly, outside of Cape Town water remained in plentiful supply on the wine and garden routes.

The water was never going to run dry, Rob Peters of Wesgro says.

The local economy worries that the tourism taps were turned off.

Bookings are down by

Fat tyre bicycle experience on De Kelders dunes in Gansbaai,

After day zero

Cape Town tourism flows again after water scare

6pc and had still not recovered at time of going to press.

I

t does not help that Ireland’s tourism to South Africa is so heavily dependent on the Western Cape. In all 85pc of our bookings are to the region, driven by word of mouth referrals, reasonably priced access through London, Am-

sterdam, Paris, Istanbul and Addis Adaba, and a favourable currency differential.

It helps Cape Town that Mauritius has not recovered its share of the honeymoon market, meaning that the Cape is a tried and trusted honeymoon referral for Ireland’s travel trade.

“The lesson we learned,” South African tourism CEO Sisa Nt-

shona, “is how difficult it is to manage a message in a globalised society. Day zero was news worldwide. Tourists consume a tiny proportion of the water, and they still cancelled bookings. ”

T

he sea is never far away. Dave Caravias and Al-

marie Leimecke loaded us on fat tyred bicycles to cycle over the dunes over De Kelders dunes in Gansbaa.

The bikes prevented us sinking in the sand and we sailed over the dunes with all the grace of a Mister bean sketch.

Dave found the route on Google Maps and treated

it like a ski terrain, a baby slope to train us in, a few hair raising ones to rest our mettle an d a big finish along the spectacular sculpted coastline, white elephant rock and cashing waves around us.

South Africa’s south west corner has a character all of its own.

The famed Cape doctor, the cooling south east breeze from Antarctica controls the temperature. The waves against the rocks release more ozone. The older vines are resistant to drought.

Cape Town’s signa-

Eoghan Corry was hosted in Western cape by the South African Tourist Board. he flew to Cape Town with SAA via Heathrow same terminal transfer from Aer

Clockwise: water shortage notice at public toilets, Grootbos resort and game drive at Grootbos resort

JULY 2018 PAGE 9

DESTINATION SOUTH AFRICA

ture attraction, the table Mountain and characteristic tablecloth of white mist, has seen a few droughts come and go in its time.

Ten cable car to the top rotates as it climbs, giving the 64 passengers an equal view of the city and the crevices of the hill. Queues mount in the morning.

A dassie jumped on to a sign about himself and posed for the tourists.

W

hatever about the water, the wine still flows. Beyond the city limits, water is not scarce, and the vineyard owners manage water supplies with the attentiveness of a sommelier’s stepmother.

“We keep the older varieties alive, not as a museum project, but as a celebration of diversity,`” Andre Morgenthal of Old Vine Project says. “At tines of water shortage we find that the vines that have been through drought before are valuable in helping us to understand what is happening.”

Kevin Arnold of Waterford Wine Estate is one of the participants in the programme. The name has nothing to do with the Irish county.

Indeed, Waterford Glass prevented him marketing his wines in America for a number of years.

South Africa’s wine

Dassies pose for tourists on Table Mountain reputation has soared over the past decade, light as a feather pinot noir, fruity Cabernets and the signature Pinotage. The intricacies of the wines became apparent on a wine safari conducted by Frieda Lloyd of Heramus wine safaris. They do the driving, guests do the tasting. “The region was not known for its wine,” Peter Finlayson hosted us at Bouchard Finlayson says. “We had to build it from scratch.”

Philip Mostert brought us through 14 tastings at

Creation wines. It was a long lunch, capped with a Syrah 80pc Grenache 20pc finish “our crowd pleaser, Grenache lifts up acidity in wine.”

What can you do to make the wine taste even better? Carl van der Merwe of De Morgenzon vineyard has the answer.

He plays classical music to the grapes.

He cited some European research to justify the expense of laying speakers and putting on loops of Mahler and Beethoven to his crops.

He turns it off at night to give their ears a rest.

M

ichael Litzeyer was driving in the countryside when he first set eyes on the farm that was to become Grootbos.

It started life as self-catering accommodation but since then has grown to become a five start luxury lodge with a ration of 150 staff to 50 keys with its own farm suppling nearly 20pc of its restaurant requirements off its own farm.

The resort has 11 species on the red danger list in its care, 393 species in all or which six were discovered by Seán the kayaking botanist when they surveyed the area.

Michael spoke with pride of the connection with the local community as we consumed a 2011 Creation Pinot Noir.

Jono Durham took us on a tour of the mountain terrain, showing us Heather banana shrimp Erica and Succulent sour fig and watching the sun set as the warm breeze from

the sea ruffled our hair This was a country drive with a difference, no lions or faux-wilderness as can be found in private reserves but a celebration of the landscape.

Kader Asmal, the adopted son of Dublin who returned to serve as a Government Minister in South Africa in 1994, opened a horticultural school here in 2003.

“Conservation in isolation is not helping anything,” says Jono.

The water diviners of the Cape would agree.

Clockwise: the dassie on a sign about himself on table Mountain, Carl Van der Merwe of De Morgenzon, view to Table Mountain,Kevin Arnold of Waterford Wine Estate and Jono Durham of Grootbos resort

JULY 2018 PAGE 10

DESTINATION MOROCCO

T

he lure of guaranteed winter sun for over 300 days a year (the temperature only plummets from 31 degrees in peak season to a fairly acceptable 22 degrees in December) is reason enough to take the less than four-hour flight to the well established Moroccan seaside retreat of Agadir.

Factor in Air Arabia Maroc’s twice-weekly direct flights from Dublin Airport (Saturdays and Wednesdays) and it’s a hard combination for the Irish sun-seeker to resist.

Irish visitor numbers reached an annual high of 7,500 back in the early 1990s when Air Lingus was flying there. Since the carrier cut the route it has been served by Sunway charters. Sunway wil now use the Air Arabia service.

Air Arabia’s confidence in the development of the holiday destination should help boost Irish holidaymakers from 2,500 per year.

Magical Morocco

Aileen O’Reilly finds the sun with a new direct flight from Dublin View of Marrakech

Laila Nechbal, Air Arabia’s CEO, feels that the flights will encourage more Irish tourists to visit Agadir in search of guaranteed winter sunshine.

“We have made Agadir far more accessible with the two flights and with prices starting from

€60 it is very affordable – you can go from Wednesday to Saturday or Saturday to Wednesday if you just want a short break. You aren’t at the mercy of a once a week flight any more and it’s not far to fly directly for winter sun and longer,

WHERE TO STAY AND WHAT TO DO

n ATLAS KASBAH ECOLODGE - set in the Berber countryside near Agadir, this ancient fortress has been restored to its full glory and is now an award winning hotel which sources everything from the local area and gives work to the local Berber community. It is known for its “check in - tune out” weekend retreats. No wifi, no alcohol, no interruptions.......and lots of yoga. B&B for two is from 76 Euro per person. n HOTEL PARADIS PLAGE SURF AND YOGA SPA RESORT (5 star) - Located 55 kms from Al Massira airport, this beachfront destination offers the perfect combination of pursuits for the ultimate exciting and chilled out break. The layout of the hotel offers an almost “village feel” where one can wander down to the sea to ride the surf and stop en route for a Yoga class (from 96 Euro per night stay) and indulge in spa treatments throughout your stay. n LE GOLF DU SOLEIL - Inezane, Agadir. Year round golfing with an average temperature of 25 degrees - Florida essentially with no jet lag and less than 4 hours travel time from Dublin. Coupled with this there is a 5 star hotel on site, a golf academy and a spa for all those golf widows. Green fees - from 54 Euros for 18 holes. n SOL HOUSE TAGHAZOUT BAY SURF - the absolute dream destination for surfers is located just 11 miles from Agadir and comes complete with gleaming surf bungalows (from 50 - 60 Euros per person per night) surfing academy, large outdoor pool and access to over 5 beaches depending on your surfing skills.

Regular nighttime surf parties are also included.....it’s already a hit in wintertime with the Irish surfing community (Shauna Ward has wintered here 5 times). n VILLATE LIMOUNE FARM, HOTEL AND WILDLIFE RESERVE - this combination of hotel, animal reserve and farm is located over 50 kms from Agadir and features an al fresco lunch experience in an outdoor orangery which keeps its patrons revived in the baking heat with a cooling mist. It is the current holder of the Clef Verte award for responsible and sustainable tourism. n SOUK EL HAD D’AGADIR - no trip to Morocco would be complete without a visit to the local souk where you can buy everything from fruit and spices to leather goods and carpets. Your guide will no doubt bring you to his “chosen” stalls for leather goods and jewellery but be prepared to haggle and you will get a good deal. The green mandarins alone are worth going for....

sandy beaches coupled with the cultural experience that is Morocco.”

But it’s not just the sunshine and the allure of a direct route to it which Air Arabia are banking on to get Irish sun-seekers filling their very affordable seats.

T

he current buzz word in Agadir is Taghazout – the once sleepy fishing village situated only 12 miles north of the bustling town of Agadir, home to hippies, camper vans and hedonistic holidaymakers back in the 1960s and ’70s is undergoing a metamorphosis where the signature scrub land is erupting in a blaze of gleaming five-star hotels and lush sprawling golf courses (home to the world class Kyle Phillips golf destination) presenting an oasis of greenery surrounded by an arid landscape.

It is now exploiting its reputation as a surfer’s paradise – but again with a five-star approach which allows tourists to view the rustic Berber countryside whilst retiring later in front of a wide flat-screen TV and reclining in spacious air

conditioned rooms with world class cuisine and restaurants. Essentially one is being afforded the option of enjoying Morocco from an ivory tower of sorts. Worries about tourist safety are countered by reassurances that there are no attacks, there is a very strong police presence with continual investment in security.

This rebranding/ reinvention of the traditional holiday experience one would until now have associated with Agadir is all part of the Moroccan National Tourism Strategy “Vision 2020” which aims to provide 8,000 beds overall, including 2,800 hotel beds in Taghazout, by the end of the next two to four years (since the strategy’s inception in 2007).

The development of Taghazout Bay, a 615 hectare zone chosen as the investment site for this tourism initiative, will see between five and nine four and five-star hotels stake their claim on the landscape – the Hyatt Place already basks like a modern chrome and white palace in the unending sunshine and is

a one stop destination for golfing and surfing and yoga.

The Kyle Philllips 18 hole golf destination, which adjoins the hotel and opened in 2014, will soon be joined by a new 9 hole course and by 2020 the Hyatt Place will be flanked by the five-star grandeur of the nearby Hyatt Regency, RIU, Fairmont and Marriott all looking out over the lengthy (4.5 km) sandy stretch of Taghazout Bay with its rolling waves.

However, for those fearing that this will sound the death toll for the “real Moroccan experience” as the culture is sacrificed to uniform European “resort” standards, Taghazout Bay aims to become Morocco’s first eco resort which will promote environmentally friendly tourism with sustainability and conservation of the area’s rich cultural heritage.

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he development actively promotes participation in the socio-economic plan for the region, integrating community operatives, hosting sporting and traditional events and introducing a new Medina with crafts, markets and restaurants.

It is already taking full advantage of its surfing origins with a surf themed village in the guise of Sol House – Taghazout Bay Surf which runs a surfing school and offers hotel accommodation as well as individual private bungalow accommodation only a stone’s throw from the beach.

The largest and most popular beaches in Agadir, apart from Taghazout include Tamawanza (12 km), Aitswal Beach, Imouran (17 km), Du Ikhmiss (20 km), Bouyirdn (21 km), Timzguida allal (22 km), Imiouadar (27 km) and Aghroud (30 km).

Aileen O’Reilly flew to Agadir from Dublin with Air Arabia Maroc. Book on www.airarabia.com

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DESTINATION CANARIES

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olcanic islands, all of them, have a prehistoric feel. The trees and plants looked like extras from a Jurassic park sequel.

The volcanoes on La Gomera last erupted between seven and 12 million years ago, but they have never lost that jagged ready for action feel.

Throughout the national parks there are curious tall stacks, chimneys of solidified lava, the Roques Ojila, Zarcita, Carmona and Las Lajas, with nicknames such as the Sombrero or the Lion, and folk tales to match.

“We cannot offer a lot of beaches, lazing in the sun,” says tour guide Gordo Wenke. “What we can offer is nature.”

Roque de Agando in Garajonay National Park was the sacred rock of the indigenous people.

Young boys had to climb to the top to show thier virility. “The young beauties waited below for them to come down so they could show them what matters in life,” Gordo says.

Nature’s crater

Eoghan Corry in La Gomera

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Trek to Abrante through characteristic red landscape

very rock and animal seems to have a story to tell.

At another stop Gordo picked up a small white bubble on a prickly pear.

He squeezed it between his thumb and forefinger and maroon blood flowed ghoulishly

out. “The cochineal louse,” he says. It was the source of immense wealth for the island, when it was the only source of carmine and royalty from all Europe sought the dye it produced La Gomera was Chris-

THINGS TO DO PLACES TO SEE

n Garajonay National Park a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its unique forest ecosystem, terrific location for walks and hikes with stunning views. Information Center Juego de Bolas is a good place to start.

Tina Excursiones whale and dolphin watching, good food is served on board and you can swim off the boat in the clear blue water. +34 922 80 58 85 www.excursiones-tina.com

n La Iglesia de la Asuncion, beautiful church which serves as focal point of the community in the capital n Bosque del Cedro, ancient woodlands, green and lush n Torre del Conde, watch tower against the indigenous people, Columbus stopped here before his voyage of discovery in 1492, home to an exhibition of original historic maps, plans and documents.

topher Columbus’s last port of call before he crossed the Atlantic in August 1492.

The small square tower in the island’s capital and main port, San Sebastian de la Gomera, is the only mark of his presence. A map on the pavement sets out his journey. A small collection of historic maps is inside.

And a love story;. He had planned to stay four days, to take on provisions, but fell in love with the island’s governor,

Beatriz de Bobadilla.

Legend holds it was she who gave him cuttings of sugarcane, to take to the new world. from that La Gomera sapling grew an industry.

Menus are adorned with local produce. The local wine is distinctive, fruit of the black volcanic soil. We dined on maruso perch and watercress soup at a clifftop restaurant surrounded by red sand. Teide loomed at us from across the channel.

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a Gomera is the most easily accessed of the Canry Islands that did not make La Liga of four.

You fly to Tenerife south and transfer by local bus to the harbour. The ferry ride is 30 minutes, the channel crossed by two ferry lines every hour.

Take a excursion from Tenerife, rather than book separately. excursion was €65 for coach transfer, ferry, coach and guide around island and lunch and drinks.. ferry on its own is €60 from Tenerife.

There is one tourist resort, Valle Gran Rey, and another aspirant, Playa de Santiago. You get the feeling this is a place to pack hiking boots with the suntan lotion.

“All the little villages were connected with ancient pathways that criss cross the country, up and down the hills, through the forests and along the ravines. That was how people communicated.

The old pathways are still there. You can walk for two weeks and never retrace your steps.”

The people who come usually come to walk.

You do not need to fear any rustling sounds in the undergrowth. La Gomera has no snakes and almost no insects.

n Eoghan Corry flew to Tenerife with Aer Lingus and was hosted by the Spanish Tourist Board. Aer Lingus fly daily to Tenerife South, the airport nearest the La Gomera ferry crossing.www.aerlingus.com n He stayed at the cliff top Hotel Jardin Tecina, www.jardin-tecina.com

Clockwise: Torre del Conde, dockside tavern, flowers and terraced fields, view to Teide, the view down to farmlands

JULY 2018 PAGE 12

IRELAND'S PREMIER SOURCE OF TRAVEL INFORMATION

INTERSUN 2018-9

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ong haul destinations, both east and west are featuring in the agendas of the Irish travelling public next winter.

Reasons for this include the decline of the traditional charter model and the increased prices to the winter favourites of the Canary Islands, Madeira and north Africa.

Better access has also driving a change of focus. The appetite of the Irish traveller has been whetted by more one stop options. Daily flights to Dubai, ten times weekly flight to Abu Dhabi, daily flights to Turkey and connections through London, Paris and Frankfurt.

The appetite for long haul has also been helped by a breakdown in the differences between the length of summer and winter holidays. The fortnight in summer is all but dead. A whole day has been shed off average holiday length every three years during the noughties. People who were reluctant to do more than one sector or a flight of more than four and a half hours for a one week break are now taking in two sectors and eight hour flights.

Connections to the Caribbean have also improved greatly with BA and Virgin’s services through England, the Aer Lingus JetBlue tie up through JFK and the services from the two US carriers who fly year round.

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s far as the Caribbean is concerned the Dominican Republic is leading the bunch, with the preferred access route the Air France Boeing 777 to Punto Cana.

Wholesale rates for the key resorts are available for $80.

There is 1,288 km of coastline, the major resorts such as Secrets, dreams and the big American all-inclusive

Winter wanderlust

An increasing number are going long haul for wintersun Dominican Republic resort consortia are well established, and the customer is familiar with what to expect. White sandy beaches, diving attractions nature reserves all around the island, championship golf along the north coast of Playa Grande and, for the few who venture out of the all inclusive resorts, exotic dishes such as known as ‘la bandera’ (the flag) consisting of white rice, beans, meat, vegetables and fritos verdes (green plantains fritters), sancocho prieto, made of seven different local meats, pescado con coco (fish with coconut sauce), chivo de Azua (goat dish from Azua), chivo liniero (goat dish from the north western region) which has an exquisite, peculiar taste because the goat eats wild oregano daily, Johnny Cakes and mangú, and Dominican Locrio. This native preparation of rice is the missing link of Valencian paella (Spanish rice with seafood and meat).

There is, unusually for this region a discernible history. The first residents were exterminated in a 50 year period, artefacts such as the hammock and the macuto (wicker bag) give us a small insight into the

treasure of their culture.

The Euro-Spanish history is as old as much of Europe, it is not for nothing that Santo Domingo is called First City of the Americas.

Dominican Republic has an online training for agents accessible for agents in Ireland: www. domreps.com

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or the traditional destinations the story has been of the decline of the charter market (see page 3).

SATA’s service to Madeira is back, a weekly service that has never prospered but at least survived with the support of the leading tour operators and agents. Both Ryanair and Aer Lingus are loading all four Canaries on to their winter schedules as we go to press, despite rumours of a row between Ryanair and Fuerteventura.

Morocco was dropped for the pre-Christmas period in 2011. It remains in play as negotiations continue between Sunway and Aer Lingus, but the scenario of two Saturday flights to Agadir, one Sunway charter and one Aer Lingus schedule, that we had in 2008 is unlikely to return this season.

The rest of North Africa will be as it as with a charter service that will remain at last year’s levels to Tunisia and Egypt as much of the former market of both countries returns to the Canaries instead. Falcon and Thomas Cook are continuing to support Egypt, as discerning passengers realise that Sharm is 510km from Cairo, a stretch further than Dublin is from London.

The history of the charter market is that it grew and prospered on routes that the scheduled airlines were reluctant to fly of found uneconomical.

History may be about to repeat itself.

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hailand remains the big holiday option in the East, and a considerable number of the Irish who travel there are winter customers using the middle east one stop options through Doha, Dubai, Istanbul and Abu Dhabi, or the more traditional services through London, Paris, Frankfurt and even Copenhagenand Helsinki which providea a route to Bangko.

The four Eastern European and middle Eastern airlines now each provide

services to Phuket from Abu Dhabi but Bangkok remains the gateway of choice.

Thailand reported a record 67,273 visits from Ireland in 2016, up 3.9pc and overtook Australia for the first time as Ireland’s most popular long haul destination.

Thailand’s disadvantage is the flight time of 13 hours, before you factor in a layover time of between two and nine hours, depending on which hub you use.

Aviation technology may help a new generation of Irish winter holiday makers here. Smaller aircraft can travel longer distances nowadays, with the advent of winglets and the arrival of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

TUI have a large delivery of these craft on the way. Chris Lee of the Tourism Authority of Thailand says that these aircraft are perfectly suited for routes that scheduled carriers find too thin to sustain at the moment.

The Mexican Tourism Minister Gloria Guevara told Travel Extra something similar in march, that Pacific Coast resorts were now within reach of the big European charter groups which had

previously only served Cancun, such as TUI, Martinair and Excel.

Charters with longer reach can transform our winter holiday options.

Two of Ireland’s three big long haul destinations, South Africa and Thailand, are within reach of the 787 and the Airbus equivalent, the A350 when it comes on stream in 2015-6. Oslo can sustain a daily service to Bangkok in winter. Why cannot Dublin sustain a weekly one?

Are you listening Norwegian?

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lorida is a favourite holiday spot in summer of Irish people, when the heat and humidity are high and the queues to key rides at the big theme parks are long.

Winter access was never as rich as summer access, with fewer connections but Aer KLingus have now extedned their Orlando servce and the Irish have been finding their way there in increaisng numbers. The airline statisticians think that wide-bodied craft don’t work to Orlando in winter.

Their successors might have another idea.

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WINTERSUN 2018-19

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wo generations of Irish holiday makers associate the Canary Islands with some of the most memorable and pleasant days of their lives, a European destination with duty free cigarettes, year round sunshine and some of the best tourist nightspots on the trail.

The islands have long been secured in their position as capital of Europe’s wintersun market.

The guaranteed sunshine options are limited, Malta, Cyprus, Tunisia, Morocco, Madeira and the four islands. Otherwise holiday makers are flying for eight hours, and often through more than one airport.

Th Irish like to go in summer as well. Last year 24pc of the Irish visitors to Spain ended up in the Canaries for at least one visit, some many times.

If any of the individual Canary Islands was a country they would be among Ireland’s top ten most popular outbound destinations.

Irish visits to the Canaries were up 8pc last year to 520,000 and the islands report an increase on top of those figures in the first months of 2018. The figures are the second highest in the history of Irish tourism to the Canaries, ahead of the of 2008 peak.

Irish people are more familiar with Puerto del Carmen than with some of our own provincial towns. It is the most popular among Irish holidaymakers having overtaken Santa Ponsa in recent years. In Lanzarote 271,687 Irish Trips represent 9pc of total tourist to the island in 2014 In Fuerteventura (31,592) they are 2.3pc of total, Gran Canaria (72,349) 2pc and in Tenerife (118,393) 2pc.

Playa del Inglés was one of the first towns to come into existence solely for holidaymakers: it tells us everything we

Canary Islands had second best year from Ireland in 2016 Signature sand dunes in Gran Canaria

520,000 Irish can’t be wrong

need to know that Mulligan’s is the most prominent of the social venues there.

Most Irish people would name Puerto Rico as the resort on the southwest coast of Gran Canaria. 10 miles west of Playa del Inglés, than the Caribbean island.

They attract three times the number of holiday makers that Greece and her islands does. Lanzarote and Gran Canaria, the two most popular, each attract more visitors than Turkey.

“The Irish have a special welcome here,” Tobias Pujol on Gran Canaria says. “They like to party.”

The love affair, as love affairs do, goes deeper than that. Juana Rosa Aleman says the Irish are the best clients to the island of Gran Canaria. “We receive a lot of

visitors: the numbers are astonishing in comparison with the population of the country.” Only Norway compares with Ireland in the proportion of people that come to Gran Canaria.

Urs Rohrig hosts many of them at the Hotel Marina Suites in Puerto Rico. He has the needs of his Irish guests down to a tee. The Irish spend more money on holiday than any other nation, he says..

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veryone knows there are more than four Canary Islands without being sure of the names of the others: most people get La Gomera and stop at that.

There are seven, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Fuerteventura in order of visitor arrivals from Ireland,

La Gomera – beautiful but a tad expensive to get to, the mountainous La Palma and the diving idyll of El Hiero.

Canary Islands history was defined by their geography. Fuerteventura was the first island to be “discovered” and conquered by the Spanish, leading to an almost pre-ordained squabble over the islands between the Portuguese and the Spaniards and eventual extinction of the indigenous people who had welcomed St Brendan, the Guanches, after they lost their unequal battle against more technological opponents in 1495.

Within decades the new world had been discovered and the Canary Islands became the first meg-hub of trans-Atlantic travel and commerce, at the heart of the trade

herited by his successor as Aer Lingus CEO, Michael Dargan.

Exactly 50 years ago, on May 30 1967, they sent it to Madrid, with the combination of optimism and the descending feeling that nobody was going to Franco’s capital on holidays.

The advertisements throughout the empire on of the time are full of which the sun never set. promise and possibilities, reland’s association especially the possibility with the Canaries of Iberia connections to came about, as these the south of Spain and the things do, by accident. Canaries (Iberia was then The Canaries was an the fastest growing airline impoverished backwater in the world). when the first charters One clever advertising started arriving campaign visualfrom Sweden IRELAND’S ised what was hapin the 1960s.

VISITORS pening on a Spanish It was too disbeach in December tant for Irish 2006 431,000 “just three hours minds, what 2007 422,000 from Dublin.” few tourists 2008 474,000 Irish travel travelled there 2009 424,279 agents knew better. arrived on a 2010 353,506 They started adver£110 cruise.

2011 395,871 tising Tenerife for Back i n 2012 375,234 90 guineas. The C o l l i n s t o w n 2013 407,666 price came down Aer Lingus 2014 422,195 to 76 guineas in were trying to 2015 442,583 1970, and by 1973 work out what 2016 465,203 the travel industry to do with one 2017 520,000 had combined to of their new offer the first direct Boeing 711s flights, a joint effort ordered in a fit of expan- to fill one of the new Aer sionist exuberance by Lingus 747s, for £66.

Jeremiah Dempsey a few The love affair was years earlier and now in- born.

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Seychelles: The place for families The beauty of the Seychelles Islands is legendary – all 115 of them.

Accessible and affordable as never before, Seychelles is a great place to spend quality time with the family. Firstly, there are no visas required from any nationality and you can stay up to a month without extending your visit. Then there’s the fact that Seychelles is considered as the ‘land of perpetual summer’, providing day after day of balmy weather with temperatures rarely descending below 24° or rising above 32° centigrade.

A good time for the family is waiting around every corner.

The range of accommodation is vast and if you go for the ultimate in tropical pampering at any one of our 5-star resorts or exclusive island hideaways, no effort will be spared to cater to your every whim, including those of your children, as most top hotels offer Kiddies Clubs and programmes of entertainment for the young.

The Seychelles Secrets portfolio has now expanded to take in a total of 67 properties spread among the islands, making a Seychelles holiday accessible in terms of budget, authentic in terms of the diverse experiences it offers... and the adventure of a lifetime. Even many smaller hotels and self-caterings offer adjoining rooms and other amenities that are convenient for families.

Seychelles also offers excellent swimming and snorkeling in the crystal, welcoming waters just offshore and where you can discover the beauty which lies just beneath the waves. There is also great fishing to be enjoyed in the waters around the island or even a cruise aboard a traditional schooner, catamaran or motor yacht from where you can discover the real beauty of Seychelles – by sea.

When it comes to meal time, there is a host of hotels and restaurants to tempt the family palate, with many offering special menus for the young and Seychelles is just the place to indulge in some of the freshest seafood you will find anywhere.

Far as it is from the madding crowd, Seychelles is just the place to treat your family to a once-in-a-lifetime holiday, where welcoming, friendly smiles, a safe, pristine environment and entertainment galore will give you memories that will never leave you.

Seychelles Tourist Office - UK & Ireland Ground Floor, 130-132 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 9SA Tel: +44 (0) 207 730 0700 seychelles@uksto.co.uk www.seychelles.travel Images: © Denis Island

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WINTERSUN 2018-19 LANZAROTE

the favourite, is the most volcanic of all, the Isla de los Volcanes, It measures just 40 miles from north to south and 13 miles east to west.

The landscape is stark and stony, peppered with 300 volcanic cones, a moonscape that leads to lush valleys full of vegetation.

Unesco declared the entire island a biosphere reserve in 1993. New development must be balanced against the need to preserve the island’s heritage and environment.

That means that the tourist resorts, noisy and boisterous as they are, are easy to escape. The best trip is to Timanfaya the so called Fire Mountains to have lunch cooked by the volcano. The lava slopes and craters can be ascended by camel.

Cueva de los Verdes (Jameos del Agua) is a memorable system of volcanic caves extending some 3 miles to the sea; they are the home of blind albino crabs, usually only found at 200 metres below. One cavern is used as a nightclub.

Montañas del Fuego.

You can also take sea trips by schooner to Arrecife to Papagayo beaches. Mirador del Rio in the north is a famous viewing point from which the island of Graciosa (the graceful one) can be seen.

Malpais en Tinguaton_55 Yaiza village wins the “Best Kept in Spain” award year after year for its pristine white painted houses. Each Sunday there is a market in the old inland town of Teguise from 8am. Some operators offer a day trip to Marrakech, a short flight away.

Marina Lanzarote opens in Arrecife this year. Claiming to be the first Luxury Refit Centre in the Canaries, sailors can make use of its 820tonne hoist and repair services, in addition to shore side leisure facilities.

Cruising expert Jimmy Cornell has set up the Atlantic Odyssey non-competitive rally. The inaugural event will take place in the newly-opened Marina Lanzarote, Ar-

recife, November 9 to 15. Visitors can participate in ecological activities in conjunction with UNESCO. Highlights of the event include talks and seminars for visiting cruisers.

The Jameos del Agua will reopen for winter.

Set on a volcano cave, the auditorium can hold 600 people for concert and dinner events.

The Tapas Fair takes place in Puerto del Carmen, September 26-27.

Visitors can sample products and wines f r o m local restaurants in one location. The event coincides with International Tapas Day Teguise village hosts the Tasting Lanzarote Food & Wine Festival on November 28 and 29. Chefs from Spain and the rest of the Canary Islands will host cooking

set (the Hard Ride, 1975) now turned into a Wild West theme park open 6 days a week, with evening shows. The capital Las Palmas, a sizeable city and port, offers the best shopping opportunities, with some good duty-free bargains. La Vegueta is the historic quarter where Columbus called en route to the New World and in G CANARIA the eccentric 18-room second most popular, has Hotel Madrid the clocks a circular coast road with are stopped at July 17 a number of steep moun1936, when Franco was tain roads striking inland governor and invited by to the central mountains, English supporters to go which reach fight for an altitude of fascism in FAVOURITES 6,400 feet.

Spain.

In the north Lanzarote 227,680 T h e are green val- Tenerife 100,800 m o s t leys, pine trees Gran Canaria 71,800 famous and abundant Fuerteventura 57,000 beaches sub-tropical are in the crops and south, flowers. The where the south is dry and deMalpalomas sand dunes sert-like. Its 538 square do a good impression of miles can be explored by Africa. Puerto Mogan tour bus, jeep safari or has a wide range of water hire-car. sports including jet ski Sioux City, just outtrips and paragliding. If side Playa del Inglés, is you propose somewhere a spaghetti western film demos and prepare more “avant-garde” dishes using local ingredients.

Visitors can experience the food market or attend exhibitions in the Taste Room. Other attractions include a food-inspired film series.

The Royal Ocean Racing Club transatlantic race starts at Puerto Calero in November.

above water-level, it is also the only place on the island you can get married.

If you want to escape the crowds go west to Playa de Guigui, a two hour hike through a roadless landscape, or the slightly more accessible Playa de Tasarte, with its single bar, which has an asphalt road to the last kilometre.

Gran Canaria’s winter temperatures average 19 degrees. Evenings can be chilly, but still average 14 degrees.

The chances of rain peaks during winter, coming in two or threeday bursts. The island gets about two day of rain each month during summer, increasing to six days between October and March. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that locals class a rainy day as any day where there is a shower.

The upside of the rain is that the winter showers bring out the greenery, which makes for an attractive landscape for winter walking. Visitors are encouraged to rent a car and search for “waterfalls” in the barrancos.

Gran Canaria invites LGBT visitors to Maspalomas for the Winter Pride festival, November 9 to 15.

Fiesta del Charco takes place mid-September, with fishing and other water competitions.

Fiesta de la Naval , a maritime festival com-

Clockwise Lanzarote burnt landscape, Malpais en Tinguaton, Playa Famara, Eoghan Corry paragliding in GC, terraced fields in GC

JULY 2018 PAGE 17

WINTERSUN 2018-19

memorating the 1595 attacks by Francis Drake, takes place early October in the La Isleta district.

Atlantic Rally for Cruisers takes place November 29. The yacht rally departs Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Fiesta de Santa Lucia takes place in December.

TENERIFE is the old maiden, largest of the Canary Islands at 795 square miles just slightly smaller than Louth, so there is plenty to explore.

It has a great variety of subtropical and high altitude landscapes, flora and fauna which reflect its volcanic origins and proximity to Africa. It was the first big destination in the islands for Irish holiday makers but for a period was regarded as the preserve of newlyweds and retired.

Some theme parks, Sky Park Tenerife, and two expansive waterparks Aqualand Costa Adeje and Siam Park have gone some way to changing that and reimposing its family appeal. There are also half a dozen animal parks.

There is no escaping the outstanding excursion here: Mount Teide (El Pico), the 12,402 foot volcanic mountain which dominates the island was once accepted as the tallest in the world.

Visitors can also day-trip south to see Las Cañadas National Park with its

lush verdant scenery in the Oratava valley and moody deserted volcanic landscapes.

There is a 3,000-yearold dragon tree at Icod.

There are medieval shows at San Miguel (a “Knight” to remember) and a variety of water based experiences.

The Singha waterslide opens at Siam Park this winter. No launch date has been announced yet.

The slide is 200 metres long with lots of bends to hurdle thrill seekers over small jumps at high speed.

Adrián Hoteles launched an online shop to allow guests to prebook experiences at any of the group’s three hotels in Costa Adeje, including gastronomy experiences, spa treatments and private tennis lessons. The group launched the Babymoon Package for parents to be — a last holiday before the baby arrives. The package includes a romantic dinner, couple’s massage and spa treatments.

Fuegos del Risco takes place August 2. The event takes place every five years to commemorate the Treveljo volcano eruption of 1706.

There will bonfires and fireworks on the Bay of Garachico, with the nearby mountains serving as a backdrop.

The Professional Windsurfers Association World Championships comes to El Médano

Paragliding in Gran Canaria

beach, August 3 to 9. If FUERTEVENyou’re not into watersports, there will be con- TURA has almost certs and family activities guaranteed sunshine, supposedly only 15 days on the beach as well.

Tenerife celebrates the of the year without, and is the 125th anquietTHE MARKET niversary est of of Agatha 50pc the Christie’s With partner birth at Partner and children 14.1pc four 8.1pc bigthe Agatha Other family 7.8pc gies.

C h r i s t i e Friends 5.5pc International Travelling alone 1.6pc Festival in Single w children 0.3pc Puerto de Work colleagues la Cruz, November They claim 3,000 9 to 15. The full programme has yet to be hours of sunshine announced, but there will throughout the year, with be films and plays cele- temperatures sustaining brating the crime novelist throughout the winter. who visited Puerto de la The lowest sea temperCruz in 1927 and wrote atures will drop is 19 The Man from the Sea degrees, offering good conditions for surfing, while she was there.

diving, fishing and other water sports.

There are 150 beaches, some considered among the best in Europe, with clear waters ideal for snorkelling and diving, miles of soft, light sands, rising to wind-blown dunes in places, sloping down to clear waters.

At Nuevo Horizonte they constructed Lagos de Antigua, a sea-water swimming lake with restaurants and shops nearby.

Acua Water Park is open until November 10, and Oasis Park will remain open during the winter season.

Rainbow Fuerteventura, the island’s winter gay pride festival, takes place in Corralejo this December, final dates to

be announced. There will be a host of events including volleyball tournaments, concerts and parties.

The International Kite Festival takes place November 6 to 8. Day one starts with a free-fly on the beach and is the day to collect your commemorative t-shirt. All day Saturday, kite flyers will demonstrate their skills right until sundown. Sunday is the big day though: 150 kites are distributed to visiting children who are invited to colour the kites. Parachuting teddy bears will drop sweets from the sky and there will be raffles. The final event is a kite combat, where stunt kites battle it out in the sky. Last man flying wins.

Clockwise: Puerto Rico- GC, Playa Blanca Lanzarote.Teide under snow, Fuerteventura-La Oliva, Teguise-Fundación César Manrique

JULY 2018 PAGE 18

DESTINATION THAILAND

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hi Phi Island is one of those familiar names when travel people converse. How is it faring? Is it losing the magic? Is the wind behind it?

Three decades or more ago Phi Phi embarked into the tourist game as a backpacker magnet. Now it is as top shelf as you can get, honeymooners and even junketing tour operators will find much to impress them here.

We joined the tour operators to find out how impressed they would be. Tourism Authority of Thailand chose the itinerary: n La Vela hotel in Khao Lak, avant garde white triangular design with long dark corridor approach to the spa and a centre piece pool, spectacular beach and rock lobster on the menu for lunch n Le Coral Hideaway Beyond Phuket, lazy pools and a bridge over the river estuary to the beach, Travel Extra lay flat in the pool in the dark looking up at the moon n speedboat transfer from Royal Phuket Marina n Zeavola eco resort on Phi Phi Island, an eco resort built on the edge of an aggressive jungle which has to be managed a cooking course lunch n a tour and snorkel of Maya Cove, picture postcard Phi Phi, iconic and crowded n longtail boat transfer

Eoghan Corry at Paradise Koh Yao

The honeymoon islands of Thailand Eoghan Corry swims Phi Phi and its neighbours

n Phi Phi Island village, luxury pool villas layered into the hillside to offer beach views, the nearby bars offer a counterpoint between the honeymoon and back-

packer cultures n another boat transfer to the Racha on Koh Racha, via Chalong Pier on Phuket, a smaller island with more pool villas and a signature

lighthouse suite n overland to Yacht Haven Marina n boat on to the se-

cluded Paradise Koh Yao to see the tree house villas due to open in November, built to enhance

the beach lodges and unencumbered beach resort n boat to Cape Kudu, n Santhiya Koh Yao Yai with the best poolside party n boat from Santhiya Koh Yao Yai to Ao Po Grand Marina Pier in Phuket.

But first, the journey there took us through Phuket, Thailand’s biggest island, a place of once pristine beach areas that has come under pressure from the scale of development that has put infrastructure under pres-

n Eoghan Corry travelled to Thailand as a guest of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. He flew with Etihad Airways via Abu Dhabi.

Clockwise: Signature lighthouse at Racha on Koh Racha, view from Le Coral Hideaway beyond Phuket, overcrowded Maya Bay, karst outcrop

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DESTINATION THAILAND

sure, not least the roads that get tourists to and from the place.

The ferry from Phuket to the island cluster of Ko Phi Phi takes nearly two hours along the warm Andaman Sea, past the iconic giant limestone karsts that give this seascape its distinctive feel, some of them reaching 100m or more into the air. These are a classic of south east Asia, James Bond used one in one of the franchise moves, and it never loses the knack of seducing backpacker, honeymooner, tour operator or wizened travel writer alike.

L

ike Cape Clear and Sherkin, Phi Phi is an archipelago of two halves, Ko Phi Phi Don, and its neighbouring smaller sister, Ko Phi Phi Le. Most visitors have come to see Maya Bay, that picture-perfect cove where Leonardo DiCaprio and others were filmed in The Beach in 1998, acting out the story of a backpacker community that sought an untouched, off-themap tropical island all to themselves.

You could find that here in 1998, but when the boat finally pulls round the high cliff (in low season) we find the cove congested. I count 23 boats, some speedboats, some smaller boats, some large passenger boats and one of the crew tells me there can be twice this number in high

Ferry port at Phi Phi season.

This is stadium tourism, but what a product.

It really is green like the movie, given the Everyone is offered a snorkel and we are given half an hour to swim in the tepid water before the boat will leave for the main pier at Ko Phi Phi Don. There is another, less crowded s, scenic spot to swim before we return.

The water is like creme de menthe, it is so green, and the dive or snorkel is through colourful fish to the coral below.

The next stop ashore, the one we did not take, is a selection of bars, restaurants and shops

serving the large throng of backpackers, not quiet Bali, but given time this could turn into a Magaluf of the Andaman.

The director of The Beach, Danny Boyle, said: “We got a chance to speak for Thailand, to tell these westerners to go home and stop treating it like a playground.”

That is not going to happen anytime soon.

T

he key to Phi Phi is that it today’s backpacker is tomorrow’s luxury tourist.

The people who came here for their post Leaving Cert runaround will be back on their honey-

moon. They don’t want the backpacker experience when they come.

There is no shortage of high end hotels to give them something more luxurious instead.

Getting there is now suddenly easier. All four airlines operating over Eastern Europe and the Middle East from Ireland offers services to Phuket with the arrival of the Turkish airlines service in July. It means no messy transfer through Bangkok.

Thailand’s already burgeoning visitor figures from Ireland, a record 67,273 visits from Ireland in 2016, up 3.9pc

and overtaking Australia for the first time, should be enhanced by this development. And what about direct flights? Chris Lee of the London office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand is optimistic.

One of my only concerns is that we have great one stop services form Dublin with Emirates, Etihad, Qatar and Turkish. I would love to see a direct service but it has to be sustainable.

What we have seen in another source markets, one particular case is South Africa where we have had some frustration, is that direct carriers have come and gone, come

and gone, three times. It leads to frustration and it does not reflect well on the destination as well as the airline.

“If we are going to get an airline partner that is looking to fly Dublin to Thailand, that’s great.

“As long as we think we have a truly long term relationship model that is going to work, we will back them all the way

L

e Coral has an executive lounge at Phuket International Airport complete with a 15 minutes massage. It makes for a great finish to a great trip.

Clockwise: Tree House Villas at Paradise Koh Yao, beach at Koh Racha, pool view at Phi Phi Island Village, and tractor operating at low tide

JULY 2018 PAGE 20

AFLOAT DUBLIN PORT Pat Ward of Dublin

Port said work is ongoing to improved the passenger experience at Dublin Port, with embarkation already improved with a giant marquee area for checking-in passengers for Celebrity Eclipse’s mini-season of sailings from her Dublin homeport to the Norwegian Fjords, Iceland and Britain.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN Cruises is to acquire a 66.7pc majority stake worth $2bn in privately-owned ultra luxury line Silversea Cruises

STENA Line were announced as title

sponsor of 2018 Dublin Horse Show on August 8-12 in the RDS.

MSC revealed that its new Alexa-like personal digital assistant will be called Zoe after a member of the company. The service will be launched on MSC Bellissima in Southampton next year.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN

is to add longer cruises – seven or eight nights – to Cuba. Starting next year, the sailings onboard Empress of the Seas out of Miami will call on Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba, in addition to Havana. Singer Queen Latifah, godmother of Carnival Horizon, celebrated the new vessel, pouring Champagne over a bell to officially christen the ship.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN opened

bookings for its Perfect Day at CocoCay offerings for sailings that visit the island starting May 2019 with prices ranging from $39 for half day’s entry to the Thrill Waterpark at certain times of year to $1,599 for full-day rental of an overwater cabana for eight.

HONDIUS , a new polar expedition

ship for Oceanwide Expeditions, was floated out at the Brodosplit shipyard in Croatia. The ice-rated Polar Class 6 ship is scheduled to launch in June 2019.

WOLLONGONG

has been announced as a turnaround port for the 2020 MSC Magnifica world cruise.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN The first in Royal Caribbean’s Quantum Ultra class, the 4,246-passenger Spectrum of the Seas will sail a 51-night Global Odyssey from Barcelona to Shanghai via 13 countries when it debuts in April 2019, From June 2019 the new ship will then offer 27 itineraries feature 23 destinations with departures from Shanghai, Tianjin, Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China. Among new ports of call are Hakodate and Niigita, Japan; Ilocos, Philippines; and Vladivostok, Russia. In winter 2019, the ship then repositions to Hong Kong to offer holiday cruises to local festivals.

Viking Ocean Cruises took delivery of its fifth cruise ship today at the Fincantieri shipyard in Alcona, Italy. The 930-passenger ship is identical to its fleetmates, Viking Star, Sea, Sky and Sun.

MSC held a triple ceremony at the STX shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, to mark the float-out of Bellissima, the coin ceremony for Grandiosa and the steel cutting for MeravigliaPlus- Class II.

Michael Doyle of the Irish Sun, Sharon Fleming of Thompson Travel in Armagh, Rebecca Kelly of MSC Cruises, Dominic Burke of Travel Centres, Mary McKenna of Tour America, Tom Britton of Marble City Travel, Sarah Slattery of The Travel Expert, Shane Cullen of Killiney Travel, Orla Kelly of Clickandgo and front Eoghan Corry editor of Travel Extra, MSC Seaview naming ceremony in Genoa

Seaview serenade MSC’s latest comes with copious outdoor facilities

S

he comes with five waterslides, two ziplines, 10 restaurants, including the first at-sea eatery for Michelin-Starred chef Ramon Freixa as well as the popular Asian Market Kitchen by Roy Yamaguchi, 20 bars and lounges; seven new production shows and an entertainment complex with bowling, a Formula-One simulator and 4D cinema.

The second vessel in MSC’s new Seaside Class, Seaview also offers the highest ratio of outdoor to indoor space seen on any vessel by Travel Extra.

There are two large buffets offering the same eating options, the second with copious outdoor space on the eighth deck, which encourages passengers to enjoy the outdoors via alfresco dining.

There is also a boardwalk, a glassfloored viewing platform over the ship’s wake and even a ropes course for kids, which makes sense as the ship is headed to Brazil at the end of

this year.

The Panorama Beach Pool/Bar is similar to the bar on Seaside, names have been changed for the casino (from Miami Casino to Platinum Casino), theatre (Metropolitan Theatre to Odeon Theatre) and French eatery (Bistrot La Boheme to L’Atelier Bistrot).

Names of the main dining rooms have also been changed to Silver Dolphin and Golden Sand instead of Seashore and Ipanema, and the main buffet is Ocean Point Buffet, a departure from Seaside’s Biscayne Bay Buffet.

Rebecca Kelly of MSC hosted key Irish travel trade at the naming ceremony in Genoa.

Performance artists at a lavish ceremony included actress and singer Lorella Cuccarini, Italian blues musician Zucchero Fornaciari, chefs Ramon Freixa and Roy Yamaguchi, Spanish model and actor Jon Kortajarena, Brazlian presenter

and actor Giovanna Ewbank and French television personality Ariane Brodier.

In addition to a performance by Matteo Bocelli -- son of singer Andrea Bocelli, who sang at the christening of MSC Seaside last year -- during the officer’s parade, children’s choir Piccolo Coro Dell’Antoniano also sang.

A gala dinner followed, and the night was capped off with a sky full of sparkling celebratory fireworks.

Another MSC ship, Divina, left at the same time as the christening was taking place and sounded its horn a few times and flashed its deck lights as it pulled away.

MSC plans to launch 11 more ships over a nine-year span in an effort to double the size of its fleet. Upcoming ships include MSC Bellissima, MSC Grandiosa and Meraviglia-Plus-Class II, a currently unnamed sister ship to Grandiosa..

SEAVIEW SHOWS STRENGTHS

M

SC’s second ship in the Seaside class is the most sold ship from the cruise line on the Irish market this year, according to Antonio Paradiso.

Pierfrancesco Vago chair of MSC says that MSC is now the market leader in Ireland. Seaview offers some significant differences from its sister ship, lauyn ched last year:

CHEF’S COURT VENCHI There are Butcher’s Cut steakhouse and Asian Market Kitchen by Roy Yamaguchi and an Ocean Cay restaurant in the collective area known as Chef’s Court, with the menu redesigned by Michelin-Starred chef Ramon Freixa, known for his seafood dishes. Try the tuna tartare.

two offerings from Italian chocolatier Venchi on Seaview, selling gelato, chocolate by the gram and a variety of drinks, with and without alcohol. The giant chocolate fountain wall which stood behind the counter on Seaside has been replaced by a display of ice cream cones.

SHOWS The seven new shows are different from the offering on Seaside, “Bizarre” and “Fantasia,” both of which combine singing, dancing and stunning, colourful costumes and makeup with acrobatics, feats of strength and talents like juggling and pole dancing.

JULY 2018 PAGE 21

AFLOAT

STENA

Line confirmed the first of its new E-Flexer RoPax ferries under construction in China will serve Holyhead-Dún Laoghaire early in 2020. The new ship smaller than Irish Ferries Ulysses or its two new vessels with capacity for 1,000 passengers, 120 cars as well as 3,100 freight lane metres delivering two daily round trips.

QUARK Expeditions have ordered a new 200-passenger expedition ship from Croatia’s Brodosplit shipyard to launch in the third quarter of 2020, To speed up the process of getting to shore for excursions, the ship will have four embarkation points for its fleet of 20 Zodiacs.

It will also have two helicopters. The ship will be designed to go longer without having to stop to refuel, with a 40-day operational capacity ROYAL Caribbean Cruisesis to buy a majority 66.7pc stake in luxury cruise operator Silversea Cruises in a $1bn deal.

WB Yeats in January, before delays caused havoc with the schedule.

Delayed again

Yeats schedule disarray after subcontract screw-up

I

rish Ferries moved rapidly to re-accommodate a further 19,000 customers affected by the further delay in delivery of their flagship ferry WB Yeats.

The first two week delay in delivery of the ship will cost the ferry company u2m, the second will add u7m to the cost of the operation.

A delay caused by an electrical subcontractor meant the ship could not be delivered in time to serve the peak summer season. There are 900km of electrical cable on the ferry which was on schedule when visited

by Irish ferries executives on January 19 this year.

In a written statement, Irish Ferries said: Because of the uncertainty caused by this additional delay, Irish Ferries has no option but to cancel all the planned sailings to France for WB. Yeats this Summer, with the ship now likely to commence sailing with Irish Ferries on Dublin / Holy-

head as scheduled in September. Irish Ferries is contacting affected customers this afternoon to inform them of the cancellations, offer them alternative travel options, and apologise for the disruption to their travel arrangements.

Approximately 6,000 bookings will be impacted by this issue. Customers affected are being offered a number of alternative travel options e.g. alternative direct sailings on the Oscar Wilde, or a ‘land-bridge’ option i.e. sailing to the UK (from either Dublin or Rosslare) and then to France (Customers who choose the land-bridge option, will also be reimbursed the cost of their fuel requirements from the port of arrival in the UK to the port of arrival in France).

If alternative travel arrangements do not suit, customers will, of course, be entitled to a full and immediate refund of all monies paid.

Irish Ferries was previously forced

to cancel July sailings for the WB. Yeats when they were informed in April by FSG, of the initial delay.

Approximately 2,500 bookings were impacted by the earlier cancellation, however, 95% of those chose to switch to Irish Ferries’ other cruise ferry, the Oscar Wilde.

Irish Ferries very much regrets the inconvenience these cancellations cause our customers and hopes that as many as possible will choose to be accommodated via the company’s alternative arrangements and continue with their holiday plans. As valued customers of Irish Ferries, we are offering each affected customer a €150 voucher which can be used on any of our Ireland-France routes next year.

Irish Ferries is contacting customers directly, however, any customers who wish to contact Irish Ferries can call +353 (0) 818 300 400 or email customer support@irishferries.com.

PRINCESS REFURBS THE CROWN

C

rown Princess has returned to service after an extensive 10-day April dry dock in Freeport, Bahamas.

The cruise line’s selfstyled Come Back New Promise will see more than $450m million invested in

the fleet, The refurb of Crown Princess sees the Salty Dog Grill, Club Class Mini Suites and the Camp Discovery Youth & Teen Centre added to Crown Princess Among the changes,

four top-deck outdoor dining offerings were revitalised and renamed.

Salty Dog Grill :replaces the ship’s previous Trident Grill. Slice former Prego Pizzeria was updated and renamed Slice. New menu items include deep dish Fo-

caccia layered with marinara, meatballs and cheese; Coffee & Cones:replaces the Sundaes Ice Cream Bar. The Mix poolside bar, previously known as Mermaid’s Tale, was refreshed during the refurb.

VIKING Astronaut Anna Fisher christened Viking Cruises’ newest ship, Viking Orion, in Italy.

MSC Cruises and shipyard STX France are to build a fifth Meraviglia-class cruise ship for delivery in 2023.The ship takes MSC Cruises’ order book to 13 new ships over 10 years and will cost €900m MSC ’s second Meraviglia Plus-class vessel will be called MSC Virtuosa.

HALOprah Winfrey has been named godmother to Holland America’s forthcoming ship, Nieuw Statendam.

SPECTRUM The first in Royal Caribbean’s Quantum Ultra class, the 4,246-passenger Spectrum of the Seas will introduce the line’s first private area for suite passengers, new cabin categories, new dining options and a karaoke venue called Star Moment.

P&O Cruises said its new ship will be

named Iona after a public naming competition. The 5,200-passenger ship will be launched in 2020.

CARNIVAL Corporation is to acquire White Pass Railroad, cruise port and retail in Skagway, Alaska.

U BY UNIWORLD the first cruise line created with millennial-focused programming --- has teamed up with “The League,” a dating app that was created, its founder and CEO says, for ambitious people striving to be half of a power couple.

LE LEPERNOSSE, the first

cruise ship in Ponant’s new Explorer class of ships, completed its first sea trials at the Vard shipyard in Alesund, Norway. Ships in the Explorer Class will feature a reinforced hull for polar exploration, a fleet of Zodiacs for excursions, an aft marine for water sports, a 118-person theater, infinity pool, two restaurants and the unique-in-the-industry Blue Eye Lounge.

Located within the hull, the Blue Eye Lounge features two large windows that look out to the underwater scenery outside.

JULY 2018 PAGE 22

THE FLYING COLUMN

Aviation with Gerry O’Hare

ICAO joint ICAO-OHCHR Guidelines for Training Cabin Crew on Identifying and Responding to Trafficking in Persons was issued. Aer Lingus has incorporated this topic in its cabin crew training.

RYANAIR’s Polish charter subsidiary Ryanair Sun has expanded its operation from a single B737-800 to five aircraft as four additional aircraft from the parent carrier are now operating from Katowice, Poznan and Warsaw on behalf of Ryanair Sun. ITALY’s competition authority fined

Ryanair €1.85m fine for mass flight cancellations late last year and failing to adequately inform affected passengers of their rights.

AER LINGUS passenger numbe4rs

were 14.0pc up on May17 with a passenger load factor of 79.9pc, up 0.3 points. Cargo carried was down 7.1pc. For IAG as a whole, passenger traffic was up 10.0pc with a 9.1pc increase on International European routes and a 14.5pc increase on North American routes.

The average passenger load factor was 82.7pc, up 2.2.

ONEWORLD has launched a new

platform that will link smaller airlines to the group’s 13 full members

RYANAIR CEO Michael O’Leary told ATW “If we need more than €100m for LaudaMotion, we are happy to pay it because it is worth it”. LaudaMotion’s fleet is expected to grow faster than planned, to 10 A320 family aircraft this winter and maybe 12, 30 by summer 2019 and 50 by 2020,” AER LINGUS chief corporate affairs officer Donal Moriarty said: “Whilst Airbus is experiencing some production delays on the A321neo LR aircraft, we will work with our leasing partner and with Airbus to minimise any delays to deliveries to Aer Lingus. We do not expect our first deliveries to be delayed to the third quarter of 2019. Similarly, we expect there to be no impact on the timing of any announcements of new routes.”

BREXIT English and US negotiators

have agreed that major transatlantic airlines must be covered in a post-Brexit Bilateral Air Agreement despite them being foreign owned.

Flights from Virgin, Norwegian Air and British Airways owner IAG, all majority-owned outside the UK and US, will continue after Brexit.

London has also offered in principle to include its overseas territories in the agreement, something not covered by the current EU-US open skies’ deal.

AER LINGUS says the response to its request to US and Canadian airports offering commercial support for new summer 2019 routes, mainly using the new A321LR, was stronger than anticipated.

SMBC Aviation Capital reported record

profitability for the year to end Mar18 alongside large scale sale and leaseback deals and strong numbers of aircraft sales. Profit before tax was $319.4m, up 2.2pc and year-end aircraft related assets stood at $10.3bn.

Alexandre De Juniac, Akbar Al Baker and Alan Joyce at IATA Congress in Sydney

A job for a man

Qatar CEO comment raises aviation gender question

A

l Baker provided the key entertainment for the folks in the press trenches at the IATA congress in Sydney.

“That lasted all of ten minutes,” Tallaght born Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said of Baker’s promise when, at the final press briefing, where he was acting as IATA’s incoming board chairman, Baker responded to a question on gender equality in the airline industry, he declared that he was CEO of Qatar because, ``of course it should be led by a man because it’s a very

challenging job.”

The following day he tweeted, `I would like to offer my heartfelt apologies for any offence caused by my comment yesterday which runs counter to my track record of expanding the role of women in leadership throughout the Qatar Airways group.”

One of the responses to the tweet by `Paddy from New York’ went, ``You need to apologise for what you said, not for any offence caused. Ya daft plonker.”

Christine Ourmieres of Flybe and formerly Santry based Cityjet, told the Aviation Club in London that the storm Al Baker’s comment sparked at least created awareness for the need to do something about the inequality facing women in the industry.

“During IATA, I don’t know how many times people asked me: ‘How did you get the job?’ I was really trying not to answer rudely, but I thought, ‘Would they ask that question of a man?’”

CITYJET TO EXPAND FLEET BY 7 CRJ-900s

C

ityjet is to expand its fleet by up to 7 CRJ-900s as part of a US$100m deal to expand its wet leasing operation, says executive chairman Pat Byrne. The aircraft will be leased to Cityjet by its part-owner and leasing company, Falko.

The aircraft are currently

T

undergoing maintenance and C-checks.

Two of the CRJs will be used by Cityjet as part of its current operation with SAS. CityJet has recently won a second contract with Air France to operate an unspecified number of Bombardier aircraft on behalf of AF Orly-based

subsidiary Hop. Falco recently acquired 11 SAS owned CRJ 900 aircraft previously operated by Cimber Air. Up to 4 of these aircraft are to be sold on, with 2 already sold to Estonian carrier Nordica.

Pat Byrne

IAA CONTINUED GROWTH

he Irish Aviation Authority Annual Report for 2017 claimed top quartile status for civil aviation and safety maturity.

It claimed customer satisfaction rating of 90pc, lowest customer en route charges in Europe, 2017

revenue of €193.4m up 0.8pc, overflights up 0.8pc to 344,000, licences issued up 6.1pc to 12,233 and aircraft on the Irish Register up 8.1pc to 1,340 with 8,600 registered drones.

They report a rather apocalyptic 666 employees. Revenue was

€193.4m up 0.8pc), pretax operating profit of €33.5m (-15.1pc), net assets of €212m and a dividend to be paid to the State of €19.5m for 2017 (of which €12m is a onceoff special dividend.

Average cost per employee was €138,400,

up 3.9pc. The IAA has an outstanding equal pay claim, initiated in 1998, from a union representing clerical staff. This claim has been referred to the Labour Court and is being vigorously opposed by the IAA.

JULY 2018 PAGE 23

THE FLYING COLUMN

Aviation with Gerry O’Hare SMBC CEO Peter Barrett warned that the aircraft financing industry was entering new territory after the EU confirmed it planned to target €2.8bn of US products in retaliation for the US decision to introduce levies on European steel and aluminum imports.

RYANAIR appointed Carol Sharkey as Chief Risk Officer. Carol, who is currently Ryanair’s Director of Safety and Security, will assume responsibility for all of Ryanair’s operational risk assessment and will report directly to the CEO. She has worked at Ryanair since 1995 having previously held roles in inflight, flight operations and in recent years has overseen the flight safety department.

STRATOS Aircraft investment spe-

Ryanair may be selling off aircraft second hand for more than they paid for them new

u30m per aircraft

Ryanair accounts indicate real price of B737 purchase

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yanair says 50 aircraft were added during the year bringing the fleet to 430 units.

Capex was €1.471bn. Ignoring the timing of payment, that indicates an average price of the order of €30m per aircraft as compared to a $100m price used in Ryanair PR statements.

The airline said 1,300 new jobs were created and over 600 promotions. Ryanair is willing to consider basing aircraft where crews want to

work. But not in Sweden, Norway with high air transport taxes. It is likely to re-open a Copenhagen base with Union cooperation.

Ryanair Labs stimulated record ancillary spend (up 4pc per passenger, mainly on seat selection and/ or boarding priority). It has three development offices in Dublin, Wroclaw, and Madrid, and employs almost 600 highly skilled digital professionals. Ancillaries now deliver

28pc of revenue and Ryanair says it is well on track to achieving a five year goal of 30pc.

Ryanair Rooms penetration is rising steadily, albeit from a low base, helped by commission on sales being translating into user credit travel credits on Ryanair. On-time performance has declined by 2pc from 88pc to 86pc. All of the decline was accounted for by increased ATC delays due to strikes and staffing.

DAA CEO TO FOLLOW LOW COST MODEL

D

AA CEO, Dalton Philip told Future Travel Experience FTE Europe in Dublin to explain how he intends to enforce a low-cost model at Cork and Dublin airports to ensure they continue to attract new airlines and new passengers.

Philips is an advo-

cate of what he terms “more humble capital expenditure” at airports.

Emphasizing that airport costs are passed onto airlines and ultimately passengers, he argued “We’re building infrastructure, not art,” and continued on to say that Dublin Airport’s north runway– which is due

to begin construction during 2018 Q4 – would cost less than Manchester Airport’s £400m redevelopment.

However, that isn’t to say daa isn’t investing in making its operations more efficient, which is good for both the business and the passengers. The company is

N

Departs 14.40 Arrives 17.25 John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport to Dublin Airport Daily – Flight D81841 Departs 19.45 Arrives 07.30 (+1) Fares start from €189

CITYJET

replaced SSJ100s with Avro RJ85s on routes it normally operates on behalf of Brussels Airlines. Technical problems and a lack of spare parts is keeping several SSJs grounded, resulting in numerous flight delays and cancellations. Jota Aviation has been operating an RJ85 on behalf of CityJet to help cover some of the latter’s capacity shortfalls.

CSO Aviation Statistics for Q1 show an increase of 3.9pc to 6.94m passengers for the 5 main airports, Dublin up 4.2pc which puts it on course for an estimated 30.8m if the growth is sustained throughout the year, Cork up 2.4pc (2.36m), Shannon up 2pc (1.78m), Knock down 1.3pc (740k), Kerry up 10.8pc (371k).

According to the CSO, 62 more flights arrived than departed and the excess aircraft are all in Dublin.

AER LINGUS IAG CEO Willie

Walsh said Aer Lingus has the “ambition to grow beyond the traditional European and North America markets” and said growing trade “will justify Aer Lingus flying to some destinations in Asia”. Delivery may be slightly delayed for the A321LR.

PRIMERA Scandinavian low-cost

Dalton Phillips

NORWEGIAN TO FLY TO HAMILTON

orwegian is to launch Dublin to Toronto Hamilton daily with a B737 Max from March 31st.

Dublin Airport to John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport Daily – Flight D81840

cialist and advisory firm Stratos is to establish a base at the International Aviation Services Centre run by the Shannon Group.

one way and are available to book.

The 189 seats will be in a single class cabin.

Hamilton is 50 minutes from Toronto and an hour from Buffalo New York and Niagara Falls It was previously served from

Shannon by Flyglobespan.

The surrounding area offers travellers the ‘Art Gallery of Hamilton’, housing the third largest permanent art collection in Canada, to the ‘Festival of Friends’ held in August over three days.

carrier Primera Air confirmed the suspension of all flights from Birmingham to New York and Toronto this summer. Chief executive Andri Már Ingólfsson said: “The plans for the transatlantic routes have been in the making for over a year and both Primera Air and Birmingham Airport have put a lot of effort into promoting the new routes which were welcomed by the region. Unfortunately we did not anticipate such severe Airbus delays and the hold-up has meant we are forced to make this difficult and disappointing decision.” Stansted services are not affected.

RYANAIR expects to receive its British AOC by end of 2018, a slight delay from previous September 18 date.

JETEX is to open a FBO adjacent to the main terminal at Dublin Airport

NORWEGIAN’s Gatwick-Austin

route is suspended between October 28 and February 28. Gatwick-Buenos Aires is to be daily from February 4.

JULY 2018 PAGE 24

THE FLYING COLUMN

Aviation with Gerry O’Hare

WILLIE WALSH told the London

Guild of Travel Management Companies’ conference in Dublin: that IAG will not be making all fares available through the GDS and will follow the Aer Lingus model of only using GDS where it adds value.

BELFAST CITY Airport an-

nounced that Born and Bred will open in the departures lounge this Summer as part of their £15m refurbishment.

IASA Career Expo 2018 will take place September 19th at Crowne Plaza, Northwood.

AER LINGUS vacancies include a

Head of Training to join the Maintenance and Engineering team.

SHANNON based Eirtech Aviation Services, established a centre for repairs on commercial aircraft in Belfast under a new limited company, Eirtech Aviation Composites.

DATALEX said it is targeting the Travel Loyalty market and it is confident it will again deliver double digit growth for the full year.

VIRGIN Atlantic CEO Craig Kreeger will

step down at the end of the year and be succeeded by Shai Weiss.,

ALCOCK and Brown 100 Festival will

take place over five days from June 12.

STOBART Air is negotiating a three-

year extension to its 10-year contract to operate the Aer Lingus Regional service to push the contract out to 2025.

MOODY’s warned that Avolon’s credit

rating is being held back by its troubled parent company, HNA Group.

WINGS

Club Foundation will honour Willie Walsh, with the 2018 Distinguished Achievement Award.

FLYBE

confirmed that the arrangement it has with franchise partner Stobart Air for the [Isle of Man- Liverpool and Manchester] routes will end next year. After March, both routes will continue on Flybe’s own 78-seat Bombardier Q400 aircraft from a newly-established IoM base. Stobart Air has been operating the Flybe routes to and from the Island for several years

AIR CANADA

and Air China entered a joint venture on Wednesday, with the Canadian carrier saying the deal would significantly increase its presence in the Chinese market which is set to be the world’s largest by 2022.

BA

is suspending Heathrow-Calgary for winter 2018/19.

ETIHAD

is to reduce Abu Dhabi-JFK from 2 daily A380 to 1 from October 1 Norwegian is to offer daily B737 MAX 8 flights from Shannon to New York Stewart to Edinburgh and Shannon from 28Oct18.

DUBLIN The number of connecting sectors at Dublin Airport Jan-May 2018 rose by 14pc to 567,000 (283,000 connections).

Kenny Jacobs and Bobby Healy tag team on the future of technology at CAPA summit in Powerscourt

Future shock

Bobby and Kenny outline what happens next in travel

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he CAPA Airline Leader Summit 2018 in Powerscourt, Co Wicklow brought together aviators and suppliers form around the world.

Focus of the summit was “Airlines making money: a vision of the future”, with the underlying theme of disruption and change.

WILLIE WALSH: ownership and control regulations being revisited under more stringent Brexit laws “risks triggering a global crisis’.

Mr Walsh said if someone were to challenge the ownership structure of IAG, “I’m going to start challenging others”. Mr Walsh does not “seriously believe” that a country would inhibit a carrier from operating between the UK and EU based on ownership and control. He cited Cathay Pacific as an example, noting the Hong Kong based airline has a range of investors including in the UK, Qatar and Hong Kong. “We have turned a blind eye to these issues for years”, he said.

BOBBY HEALY CarTrawler CTO: customers “won’t be typing to you in ten years, they’ll be talking”. Mr Healy said airlines must decide to either “operationally pivot” to facilitate this or to outsource it to another company. He reasserted conversational commerce is already “huge” in Asia, “massive” in China and is “coming to Europe”.

PAT BYRNE

CityJet CEO: “The next best customer is the one I already have”.

Mr Byrne stated he wants to reward loyalty and encourage customers to

“stay loyal”. As a figurative example, he added: “I want everyone in the cabin to know [a person] has flown 17 times this year”. He believes the travel industry is “ignoring… a massive amount of data that is waiting to be mined,” and believes the tools and technologies “are there” but they “aren’t sexy”.

WILLIE WALSH

full service carriers establishing LCC subsidiaries “tend to fail”. Mr Walsh said LCCs in IAG are able to operate because IAG itself is not an airline, meaning the group is impartial to where success comes from and wants all group airlines to be efficient. Mr Walsh stated Aer Lingus is the most “financially successful” of IAG with a 26% return on invested capital (ROIC) on average. He reported British Airways’ ROIC at 16%.

JOHNNY THORSEN

Mezi VP: in the future, customers will be less inclined to view web pages for information. Mr Thorsen expects to eventually “move into a phase where a website will be irrelevant”, with customers instead seeking to use tailored offers and conversation based AI technology for information.

JUHA JARVINEN

Finnair CCO expects loyalty programmes to evolve into more of a “lifestyle partner”. Mr Jarvinen stated for airline frequent flyer programmes (FFPs) to achieve this and be relevant in more day to day services for consumers, more partnerships are required. He cited retail partners

as a potential avenue, adding there is a need to “increase relevance at least in home markets” for FFPs. Additionally, he added that every airline’s board “has to realise how important the data is”.

CUONG CHU

VietJet Air director Vietnamese airports are usually state owned. He said data is “our asset” and airlines should be able to share data with airports, however at their own discretion. Mr Chu asserted the need to control what data is shared, stating the circumstances change based on state owned and private operators.

“Today in principle we are happy to cooperate with airports in Vietnam”, he said.

BRIAN AMBROSE

of Belfast City Airport: the passenger experience is “not that complicated” and airports and airlines “should be making it easier and less painful to get through the airport”. Mr Ambrose said passengers are “only relaxed when they’re air-side”, and that’s when Belfast City Airport offers the most spending opportunities.

OLIVIER JAGER

ForwardKeys CEO: the reason data is valued is because “we’re are assuming there are cases… to make the right decisions”. Mr Jager however said for airlines and airports to collaborate, they need to adapt and realise what information is meaningful for collaboration. He asserted airlines and airports usually have data sets “that just don’t speak the same language”, meaning it

JULY 2018 PAGE 25

THE FLYING COLUMN

Aviation with Gerry O’Hare DMS Governance, a professional fund governance firm, Cayman Islands, Dublin Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg, New York, Sao Paulo, Singapore, has recently acquired Aviation Corporate Services in Cashel, Co Tipperary, and is to create 50 roles there for highly-skilled financial service professionals and qualified accountants.

RYANAIR Share of passenger numbers in each country shows little change except an increase in Germany from 7pc to 9pc, in which the demise of Air Berlin was a factor. Other shares shown were Ireland 48pc, Belgium and Poland 29pc, Italy 28pc, Portugal 20pc, UK and Spain 19pc, Greece 10pc, France 7pc.

Unit costs and average revenue per passenger (€51.4) remain far below other carriers.

BA obtained regulatory approval to wetlease three A330s from Qatar Airway between June and September, in order to overcome schedule disruption caused by RR Trent 1000 engine maintenance on its B787s STOBART ’s Carlisle Lake District

The bright red light on this Airbus A321neo signals to all around that this is the left, or port side, wing

A321 neo options Aer Lingus reports strong interest from US airports

I

AG CEO Willie Walsh said Aer Lingus has received a “stronger than anticipated response” to the Request for Proposals it issued to US and Canadian airports seeking commercial support for potential summer 2019 network development opportunities, mainly using the new A321LR. He said that Aer Lingus will be making its network announcements “in the months to come” and the airline has the “ambition to grow beyond the traditional European and North America markets,” He noted that Aer Lingus previ-

ously flew to Dubai, a market he described as seeing “a strong customer demand” but which was “not a financial success” as “having a relationship with a hub carrier was important” for beyond traffic.

Growing links between IAG and Qatar Airways may make Doha a suitable alternative, but Mr Walsh sees an opportunity to perhaps fly direct into Asia as growing trade between Ireland and Asia “will justify Aer Lingus flying to some destinations in Asia”.

Airbus has confirmed it is looking at a further stretch of the A320neo

family, but is unlikely to make a fast decision.

Airbus has been studying its options in case Boeing goes ahead with the launch of the new 797 Mid-market aircraft.

High on the list is a larger version of the A321neo that is also more capable in terms of range and industry.

Sources say Airbus is looking at a lower risk, minimum change option as well as a more fundamental redesign. Studies include a composite wing, the first Airbus would develop for a single-aisle aircraft.

CAR CUTS 15m OFF AIRPORT PLAN

T

he Commission for Aviation Regulation published its decision to provide an allowance of €269.3m instead of the requested €284m for 23 capital projects.

The projects are in the Dublin Airport passenger terminals, on the apron, and on the airfield, collectively the Programme of Airport Campus Enhancement.

Aer Lingus said the projects did not go far enough or urgently enough

to address the severe capacity constraints prior to the delivery of the new runway, especially the hub requirements of Aer Lingus and other airlines that wish to connect through Dublin Airport, who are seeking a new Pier 5 in the South Apron perpendicular to Pier 4 and relocation of cargo and service facilities by 2022.

Etihad noted increasing transfers of passengers and bags between T1 and T2.

Ryanair said the cost of projects to be “vastly over-expensive,” and said growth should not increase cost per passenger and claimed growth was due to charges reductions.

Stobart Air complained about bussing and the distance between gates at T2 and aircraft parking adjacent to T1. The IAA worried that projects are evolving in a reactive manner.

Airport postponed the start of Loganair flights to Dublin, Belfast, and London, due to start on June 4 until September 3, due to a shortage of air traffic control staff. Passengers will be offered refunds or alternative transport from Manchester or Glasgow.

WESTMINSTER

approved the third runway plan for Heathrow, subject to conditions on cost and air pollution and reserving 15pc of new landing slots at the airport to facilitate regional connectivity. MPs will be asked to vote on the expansion plan by 11Jul with mixed views across party lines.

RYANAIR

Labour inspectors in Belgium carried out inspections of Ryanair staff at Charleroi Airport in an investigation into possible breaches of employment law.

EMIRATES grounded 20 aircraft during Ramadan as the timing exacerbated a seasonal slump in demand. The aircraft started returning to service in late June, with the fleet reaching peak capacity by October. The aircraft are a mix of B777s and A380s.

AER LINGUS

launched its 2018 Aircraft Engineer Apprenticeship in conjunction with SOLAS.

REGIONAL Transport minister Shane Ross announced grants under the Regional Airports Programme to Donegal, €326,700 Knock, €2.3m, and Kerry, €1.2m. The Department has engaged Ernst & Young to carry out a review of the future options for Waterford airport to be completed in June.

DUBLIN AEROSPACE Pretax profits at Dublin Aerospace are up 17pc to €4.3m in the year to September 30 2017. Revenue is up 4.4pc to €47.34m and employment increased from 245 to 264.

STOBART Andrew Tinkler, Executive

Director of Stobart Group said that he will be voting against the re-election of chair Iain Ferguson as a director at the AGM on June 28.

JULY 2018 PAGE 26

GLOBAL VILLAGE

Inside the Travel Business

TOPFLIGHT’s final winner in their travel agent incentive was Kerry McCarthy from Lee Travel who won a holiday to the four star Majestic Palace in Malcesine, Lake Garda. Previous three winners were Sonia Fitzpatrick from Timoney Travel, Anna May Gannon from East West Travel and Lorraine Fuller from J Barter Travel.

CONOR Deane, ex Sunaer, Inbound and Aer Lingus holidays has died.

HAINAN have appointed Ryan Zhang

as Country Manager Ireland, Hainan Airlines launched a 4w service Beijing-Dublin from June 12 with A330-300.

FLYAWAY Pamela Brownlee, MD of Ballina’s Fly Away Travel and Cruises for You said she is changing her business model, getting out of bricks-and-mortar retail. She said the company is “changing to a more bespoke business model that will allow them to provide a more tailor-made service for their clients”.

Pat Dawson CEO of the ITAA, Sharon Jordan of The Travel Corporation, John Spollen of Cassidy Travel president of the and ITAA Eilish President Wall of The Travel Corporation at the Irish Travel Industry Show in the ITAA CEO Pat ITAA Dawson, John Cassidy and Jean Maxwell of the ITAA RDS, Dublin, Apr; 12 2018

America bound

TRAVEL FOCUS Lynn Demp-

sey of Newbridge Travel won a holiday for two people in a Travel Focus trade incentive, in association with Emirates, whereby every booking made using Emirates as the carrier was entered into a draw to win a holiday to South Africa. Flying with Emirates the prize includes 5 nights accommodation in the Southern Sun Waterfront Hotel and transfers

TRAVEL CORPORATION Brian Hynes is rejoining the Travel Corporation as sales manager,

MARCH SLUMP

It is not just the travel trade. CSO reported a poor increase in the Retail Sales Index for March can be explained by the severe weather which meant the loss of several shopping days.

HALF of Irish people plan to spend more on their main holiday this summer than last year, according to AA Travel Insurance.

ITAA

has written to CAR to investigate four cases of illegal trading.

CLICK&GO , employing 58, is

celebrating its eighth birthday tomorrow. Cofounder Paul Hackett said it’s celebrating with eight days of flash sales and added that the company, which has been the official holiday partner of Aer Lingus since 2011, is now set to take over FlyShannon.ie.

CRUISE ship visits in recent weeks

included MSC Meraviglia, Queen Victoria, Silver Muse, Royal Princess, Independence of the Seas, Viking Sun and Holland America’s MS Zuiderdam

JOSE RAMOS Tributes poured in for Jose Ramos who passed away He was Director of the Portuguese Tourist Board in Dublin from 2005 to 2013 and a great friend of the Irish travel trade. Travel partners remembered his kindness, and all the moments of crack over the years. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dilis.

SELECTIVE Travel Management won an Aer Lingus excellence award in London.

T

Places fill for ITAA Conference in November

he ITAA conference in the x Philadelphia Marriott Downtown in November has nearly reached its maximum of 120 places.

Julie Coker Graham of Philadelphia CVB publicly welcomed the decision to the ITAA to hold their conference in the USA for the first time at a press conference at IPW in Denver as did Joseph Messina of

Philadelphia airport.

Christopher Thompson, CEO of Brand USA, who was born in Philadelphia, told Travel Extra of her personal pride in bringing the Irish travel agents to Philly.

American Airlines and Aer Lingus are to offer capacity with attractive add ons from American Airlines.

Many of the delegates have al-

ready decided to extend their stay.

Some are going cruising from Miami, others are skiing in the Rockies while others are engaged in family visits .

Some ground arrangements are still to be finalised.

The conference in Philadelphia was secured by Greg Evans, a great supporter of the Irish trade.

MSC UPGRADES IRISH SALES OPERATION

R

ebecca Kelly has been promoted to Head of Ireland at MSC Cruises.

The move marks an upgrade of the status of MSC in Ireland to full country status.

The MSC team has been boosted following record sales last year with the addition

of Alana Byrne from Newbridge Travel.

Kelly has worked for MSC in Ireland for 10 years and has been instrumental in building the brand into one of the top two I market leading cruise lines, competing with Royal Caribbean.

She will re-port to Steve Williams Director of

Sales in London.

Antonio Paradiso, said “she has always been a great ambassador for our brand and has gone from strength to strength in her journey with MSC Cruise. Her passion and commitment to MSC is exceptional.”

Rebecca Kelly

IAG PLAN: 20pc OF FARES ON GDS

I

AG CEO Willie Walsh told the London Guild of Travel Management Companies’ conference in Dublin: that IAG will not be making all fares available through the GDS and will follow the Aer Lingus model of only using GDS

where it adds value.

“We want the cheapest cost of distribution. We’ll provide relevant fares through the GDS Global Distribution Systems. But we are not going to make all fares available.

A lot of transactions are

simple, point to point and chosen on price. Customers don’t need an intermediary to do it. There is a role for the GDS. There are bookings where price is not a concern. There are things the GDS can do that we can’t. We want a re-

lationship, but it can’t be based on a model that was right for the 1990s. It has to be based on a changed industry. Aer Lingus uses the GDS only where it adds value, then they’re happy to pay the GDS rack rate.

About 80pc of Aer Lingus

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JULY 2018 PAGE 28

WINDOW SEAT Last month in numbers

132.1m Number of passengers carried by Ryanair in the twelve months to May.

12.5m Number of passengers carried by Ryanair in May.

195 Number of destinations served form Dublin

with completion of summer schedule.

96 Ryanair’s load factor in May 80 Aer Lingus load factor in May. 70pc Proportion of seat capacity at Belfast

International Airport served by Easyjet.

56 Number of airlines flying from Dublin airport this summer with completion of summer schedule.

14 Number of new routes served

from Dublin with completion of summer schedule.

THE SANDS OF TIMELESSNESS

D

eserts to William Atkins are dad forsaken places. He loves them for their austerity, and the clarity of thought they grant. The desert brings into stark focus the relationship between water and sand, wet and dry, life and death.

Atkins’ deserts also offer him allegories of humanity’s mistreatment of the planet. When he walks the desicated sea floor of the Aral Sea, “its emptiness as starkly alarming as a socket deprived of its eye”, he reflects on how the Amu and Syr rivers were diverted to boost Soviet cotton yields, poisoning the river basins with weedkiller and fertiliser

The Immeasurable World

by William Atkins is published by Faber

in the process.

“A desertified landscape is not a desert landscape but rather a zone of human making and often the result of our inability to reconcile ourselves to the arid.”

The USA gives him the most familiar cultural references, and for his English speaking readers.

At a gambling arcade in Reno, “the whole flashing, beeping, chiming arena was on the brink of something hysterical, violence or sobbing or orgiastic sex.” In Utah he attends

Burning Man, the desert festival, with a ticket that warns him of the risk of serious injury or death by attending.” “We had to be watched like toddlers on a beach, stoned toddlers.”

For his big finish, Atkins hikes to the church of St Antony in Egypt, an “illuminated page concealed in a blank manuscript”. “The desert leaves you dazed,, and yet it quickly becomes apparent that, just as the desert is not silent, it is far from being still.”

Boardwalk in Kota Kinabalu at dusk and Bak Bak beach in Kudat

Busman’s holiday: Peter Bellew

Every month we ask a leading travel professional to write about their personal holiday experience. This month: Peter Bellew CEO of Malaysia Airlines.

I

go on my holidays in Kerry. I am from Meath but it is my spiritual home in Ireland.

M

In Asia the states of Sabah and Sarawak in Borneo are quite incredible. There is walking, cycling, hiking, fishing, beaches amazing food, incredible music and a great welcome. That is the place I liked the most in Asia. I could pass on Bali and some of those

places. I could pass on Bali and some of those places.

There is a coast that starts at the town of Kota Kinabalu and goes up from towards the Philippines. If you travel as far as a town called Kudat where more than half of the people are of Chinese origin.

I will defy anyone to find me a place that has nicer beaches than there are at Kudat or better food or more amazing mix of everything that is going on. If

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

ore detail is emerging about the marquee new routes opening from Ireland to China this summer.

Hainan expects 70pc of the passengers on the route to be inbound to Ireland from China, a figure that could be 80-20 in the initial stages of the route.

There are now 56 airlines operating from Dublin with the arrival of Cathay Pacific and Hainan. Brand recognition will be stronger for

these airlines in their source markets.

Which begs the question, are Aer Lingus leaving money on the table by concentrating all their forces on westbound routes. Thailand with 68,982 annual visits and South Africa, with 31,510, would be the first places to look. The short lived Dubai route and the Cape Town service that was aborted before it started were the last efforts to look East and south.

IAG might want to keep Aer Lingus looking west to protect BA’s suite of south and east bound routes, but Irish people have a distaste of transferring through London.

For the time being it make sense to leave all the action for Asian carriers, but changes in technology and demographics of Ireland’s immigrant and expat populations should be the inspiration for something more visionary.

you go to any small village in Malaysia the welcome is unreal and the food is great. It is a place for hanging out too.

Things don’t move too fast. People are quite happy to hang out with you for a cup of tea for two hours.

Tourism is only starting in most of the countries too and particularly Malaysia.

They have had some tourism for a long time but most of the country is still ripe for development.

IN YOUR NEXT TRAVEL EXTRA: Available to Travel Agents or online August 20 2018

TECH ISSUE Aer Lingus Astral uturn BEDBANKS Dynamic Packaging THE GDS REVOLUTION

JULY 2018 PAGE 29

MEETING PLACE

agh, ompson Travel in Arm Sharon Fleming of Th of lly Ke la Or d an ay Dawn Conway of Sunw Clickandgo,

Dawn Conway of Sunw ay and Orla Kelly of Clickandgo,at the MS C Seaview naming cer emony in Genoa,

Out and about with the Travel Trade

Ray Scully and Frank Kelly of American Holidays Olivia Byrne and Bladhanna Richardson of American Holidays at the am at the ambassador’s Air Canada event bassador’s Air Canada event

Emer Thomas and Mary Oman of American Holintres with Rahcel days with Trish Luff of CWT at the ambassador’s Dominic Burke of Travel Ce Clickandgo at the of lsh Wa ll Wi Air Canada event McAnapsie and da event ambassador’s Air Cana

Tara Magee and Jennife a can Holidays, Bladhan r Callister at AWTE Dee Burdock of Ameri Holidays, Jessica Jack- Ricardo Garvao and Andrea Scarpelli of klox with Rhys Powell of Destination Quebec at the amcan eri Am of on ird Richards and Isabel Conway Th bassador’s Air Canada event son of Hayes and Jarvis r, May 19 2018 nve De in 18 20 IPW of y da

Mary McKenna of Tour America and Sharon Fleming of Thompson Travel Portadown Co Armagh in Nice, aftermath ceremony in Genoa, Jun of MSC Seaview naming e 10 2018

Adriian Griffin of SNC-Lavalin and Barry Barker of Dublin Airport at the ambassador’s Air Canada event

egg can Holidays, Aoife Gr d Dee Burdock of Ameri an ca eri Am ur To her of of United, Kathleen Ma ca, PW 2018 in Denver, eri Liz Wright of Tour Am

CormacO’Connell of Dublin airport and Cathal rde/Joe Walsh Tours Cormac Walsh of Conco Rafter of Aer Lingus, O’Connell of Cityjet at the CAPA aviation leaders ny with Bill Byrne and Jen in Denver, May 21 2018 summit in Powerscourt, Co Wicklow 18 20 IPW of y Second da

Dawn Conway of Sunw ay, Clickandgo, Dominic Bu Orla Kelly of Mary McKenna of Tour rke of Travel Centres, America, Sharon Flemin of Thompson Travel Po rtadown and Tom Britto g of Marble City Travel, MSC Seaview in Geno n a,

Lynne Casey Fahy Tra vell Alan Lynch of Cruisescapes with Am y O’Toole and Clodagh Connolly of Corrib Tra vel at Travel partners in Ballinasloe

Önder Gençer, Hasan Mutlu, Sean Alper Kanburoglu and Onur Basak of Turkish Airlines at CAPA in Powerscourt

port Digital and Mike Cormac Reilly of Travel the CAPA Airline Leada Webster of Visittrtavel ourt, Co Wicklow, May ers Summit at Powersc 17-18 2018

JULY 2018 PAGE 30

MEETING PLACE

the dy Travel President of John Spollen of Cassi of Air Canada, At the ll ne on ITAA, Blaithin O’D da event ambassador’s Air Cana

Martina Coogan of Un ited Airlines and Roisin Carbery of Tropical Sk y at the ambassador’s Air Canada event

rs and Willie Walsh Victoria Bryan of Reute rscourt we of IAG at CAPA in Po

CEO

Clare Dunne of The Tra vel Murphy of Air France/KL Broker and Teresa M at AWTE

kDublin Airport, Kevin Vic of Cormac O’Connell of ollen Sp n Joh d an da na Ca ers Ambassador of At ent of the ITAA at the Cassidy Travel Presid nada event Ca Air r’s the ambassado

Rebecca Kelly of MSC Cruises, Dawn Conway Sunway and Orla Kelly of of Clickandgo, MSC Se view naming ceremon ay in Genoa, June 10 20 18

Out and about with the Travel Trade

Anne Marie Reid and Kenny Jacobs of Ryanair, Johnny Thorsen of Bernadette Goldsmith o Mezi, Wendy Ward of UATP and Peter Bellew of Canada at the ambassador’s Air Canada eve f Air nt Ryanair

Brian Hughes of United Airlines with Sinead McEovy and David Beggan of Swissport, at the ambassador’s Air Canada event

Dublin Airport and Pat Cormac O’Connell of PA in Powerscourt Byrne of Cityjet at CA

Edmund Hourican and Maureen Ledwith of Bu Sean Ryan of Air Canada, Anne Marie Reid of Air ne isss Exhibitions with Rh Canada and David Farrell of Air Canada at the Quebec at the ambassa ys Powell of Destination dor’s Air Canada event ambassador’s Air Canada event

Aoife Gregg of United meets Liz Wright of Tour America, Fourth day of IPW 2018 in Denver, May 21 2018

can Holidays, and Liz Dee Burdock of Ameri At IPW B&I event ca, Wright of Tour Ameri

Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus, Henrik Hololei European Commissioner and Peter Bellew of Ryanair Dawn Conway of Sunway and Orla Kelly of Clickandgo, At MSC Se CAPA Airline Leaders Summit aview naming ceremon in Genoa y

Adriian Griffin of SNC-Lavalin and Barry Barker of Dublin Airport at the ambassador’s Air Canada event

vel Counsellors and Janet Whittingdon of Tra ises, At MSC Seaview Cru Rebecca Kelly of MSC noa naming ceremony in Ge

JULY 2018 PAGE 31

Out and about with the Travel Trade

sd Sandra Mooney of Ca Suzanne Reynolds an Canada Air r’s do ssa ba am sidy Travel at the event

David Ward, Jon Woolf and Air Canada event mark inaugural Dublin to -M adian Ambassador’s res ontreal flight at the Canidence in Dublin,

al Sky, Kevin Vickers Roisin Carbery of Tropic and Maureen Ledwith. da Ambassador of Cana at the ambassador’s Air of Business Exhibitions Canada event

Blaithin O’Donnell of Air American Holidays, Ke Canada, Olivia Byrne of vin Vickers Ambassado Canada and Mary Om an of American Holida r of ys

Caitriona Toner of American Airlines, Ciara Foley Claire Doherty of Tra vel Department chair of of Platinum Travel,James Sweetman and Clare USA Ireland and To ny Lane Executive Offi Visit cer of Dunne of The Travel Broker at AWTE Visit USA,

erCaitriona Toner of Am James Sweetman with gee and Brenda MorMa Eimear Hannon of Eimear Hannon Travel and ican Airlines and Tara Helen Fyfe of Lufthansan at the ambassador’s Air gan of BA at AWTE Canada event the

Sandra Gildea of Club Travel, Andrea Swift of Open Hydro, Anthony Efinda of Club Travel and Ciara Bellew of State Street Global Advisors at the ambassador’s Air Canada event

Leila McCabe of Falco

n Holidays at AWTE

Aer Edmund Hourican of Business Exhibitions, Roisin r and Ivan Beacom of y Bill Byrne, Jenny Rafte Ma r, nve De in Carbery of Tropical Sky, Cormac O’Connell of 18 20 IPW Lingus, Second day of Dublin Airport and Maureen Ledwith.of Business 18 20 21 Exhibitions at ambassador’s Air Canada event

len Caroline Kerr, Donna Feeney, Emma McHugh l, Galligan Travel and He John Galligan of John r’s Evelyn McClaffertyl, Mary Toye and Moya Mcdo ssa ba am the at s lor Kelly of Travel Counsel Crossan of Atlantic Travel Air Canada event

Stephen O’Reilly of Du blin Airport and Hugh Aitken of Skyscanner at CAPA in Powerscourt

MEETING PLACE

Hasan Mutlu of Turkish Airlines with Barry Barker Cormac O’Connell and Louise Bannon of Dublin Airport, CAPA Airline Leaders Summit

Bladhana Richardson of Travelopia and Aoife Gregg of United at

s Canada, Kevin Vicker Anne Marie Reid of Air and David Farrell of Air Ambassador of Canada dor’s Air Canada event Canada at the ambassa

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Maureen Ledwith Sales Director

Paulette Moran Sales Manager

Angela O’Rourke Business Development Manager

t: +353 (0)1 291 3700

t: +353 (0)1 291 3702

t: +353 (0)1 291 3705

e: paulette@bizex.ie

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