Travel Extra May 2018

CANADA A GUIDE TO A BIG COUNTRY THEME PARKS EUROPE’S COASTERS CHINA 2 ROUTES COME TOGETHER IATA bonds and agents

Irish Ferries WB Yeats delayed

Children’s passports

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U YO DE A R R T PE PA

IRELAND'S PREMIER SOURCE OF TRAVEL INFORMATION Free

MAY 2018

Big Country

What your client should know about Canada 2018

VOLUME 23 NUMBER 5

MAY 2018 PAGE 3

www.travelextra.ie

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NEWS

Not before time

European Claims Centre strikes off timeshare sellers

he European Claims Centre say 380 former timeshare owners have had their contracts relinquished for mis-sold timeshares and 425 customers are awaiting completion of documents or legal rulings.

Currently ECC has approximately 1,300 files in the hands of legal teams on-going or being prepared in Ireland, Spain, Portugal and England.

According to Spanish Court rulings on timeshare law, a cooling off period must be given about which clients must be informed and it must be in the contract, no money should be taken during that period, complete technical and descriptive information showing exactly what is being bought must be provided and property deeds must be filed with land registry; Contracts for timeshares sold after January 5th 1999 cannot be in perpetuity and must be for no more than 50

SCHENGHEN Visa procedures have eased but the visa has become more expensive

THAILAND Irish visitors to Thailand in 2017 were up 2.2pc to 68,982. In contrast visits from England were down 0.98pc.

In perpetuity does not always mean that

years. The Centre has been working with clients at home and abroad, and has already helped many people who were wrongly told their contracts were to be renewed “in perpetuity” and could not be broken.

HONG KONG

New from

2w after commencing winter

Cathay Pacific 4w

with Hainan,

Ryanair, joining Lingus and Lufthy

BEIJING 4w from June 14

CARLISLE Daly Saad340 service from Loganair.

CYPRUS Year round access from Cobalt to Larnaka and Ryanair commenced Paphos at Easter.

DOHA Marquee new destination for last summer now visa-free.

Council said USA was the biggest travel and tourism economy in the world in 2017 followed by 2 China and 3 Germany. Europe’s performance was better than expected with 4.8pc growth as long-haul demand recovered strongly. Ireland ranked 50th in terms of size, 150th in size, 81st in growth and 107th in long term growth. The Council noted the recovery of North African tourism with 22.6pc growth, three times faster than any other world region

MAYO’s Céide Fields heritage site has been awarded the Carlo Scarpa international landscape award for Gardens. Every year the Italian Fondazione Benetton Studi Ricerche awards the prize to attract attention to a site rich in natural, historical and creative values.

They are eager to hear from timeshare owners who believe they have been mis-sold packages anywhere in Europe - but especially in Spain, where it is felt the new legislation is long overdue.

NEW SUMMER DESTINATIONS 2018

AGADIR Air Arabia are back

WTTC The World Travel & Tourism

FRANKFURT Daily from

ICELAND New flights from Belfast and increased from Dublin.

LUXEMBOURG

Ryanair’s second new route for 2018 in competition with Luxair.

MARRAKECH Ryanair

resumed at Easter after brief hiatus.

NAPLES Ryanair service

continued through summer.

PAPHOS New from Ryanair for summer 2018.

PHILADELPHIA Aer

LIngus service commenced March.

SEATTLE Direct route from Dublin to commence May.

TORONTO Marquee launch from Shannon with Air Canada

FRANCE tourists in France spent

€44.3bn in 2017, while tourist spending in Italy – the world’s sixth-largest travel economy – grew 6.5pc to €39.6bn.

ALLIANZ A survey by Allianz Global

Assistance Ireland suggested 44pc of travel insurance claims made by Irish holidaymakers in 2017 were due to a cancellation of their holiday, with illness or family bereavement the most common reasons why they couldn’t travel.

GERMANY Ireland overnights to Germanyin January and February were up 14.1pc to 37,742 compared to January last year.

NETHERLANDS 200,000 Irish

visited the Netherlands last year - its 10th most important market. The overall number of guests staying in overnight accommodation in the country rose to 42m – up 9pc.

TUNISIA The number of Europeans

visiting Tunisia in the first three months of this year was up 52pc. Overall inbound revenue also rose, up 23pc.

SUMMER 2019 NOW ON SALE! Now featuring Dalaman & Paphos as well as handpicked hotels from our Holiday Villages, Splashworld, TUI SENSIMAR, TUI FAMILY LIFE & TUI SENSATORI ranges.

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

NE W

TURKE Y & C Y PRU S

MAY 2018 PAGE 4

IRELAND'S PREMIER SOURCE OF TRAVEL INFORMATION

THE KNOWLEDGE

Travel Extra Clownings, Straffan, Co Kildare (+3531) 2913707 Fax (+3531) 2957417

Managing Editor: Gerry O’Hare gerry@travelextra.ie Editor: Eoghan Corry eoghan.corry@ travelextra.ie Publisher: Edmund Hourican edmund@bizex.ie Sales Director: Maureen Ledwith maureen@bizex.ie Accounts and Advertising: Maria Sinnott maria@bizex.ie Picture Editor: Charlie Collins pix@travelextra.ie Sunday Supplement & Online: Mark Evans markevanspro@gmail.com Chief Features Writer: Anne Cadwallader anne@travelextra.ie Contributors : Eanna Brophy eanna@travelextra.ie Marie Carberry marie@travelextra.ie Carmel Higgins carmel@travelextra.ie Cauvery Madhavan cauvery@travelextra.ie Sean Mannion sean@grafacai.ie Ida Milne ida@travelextra.ie Catherine Murphy cathmurph@yahoo.com

Travel Extra takes no responsibility for errors and omissions.

Distribution Manager: Shane Hourican shane@bizex.ie Origination: Typeform

Printer: WG Baird Limited Caulside Drive Greystone Rd Antrim BT41 2RS

Contact +353872551675 if you have difficulty getting Travel Extra.

CONTENTS

3 News Where to go,h ow much to pay 6 Postcards: News from the trade

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www.travelextra.ie

8 Canada: Access all areas 16 Theme Parks: What’s new 20 Afloat: IWB Yeats delayed 22 Flying: Ryanair’s connecting flights

26 Global Village Inside the travel industry 28 Window seat: Competition winner 29 Pictures: Out and about

One for the theme

lanning a theme park visit can be a bit of a rollercoaster. How can you make your clients’ theme park trip a better experience for adults and children alike? Here are a few hints.

deals. Offers include May reductions for those who don’t need to take children out of school.

TURN RIGHT

Most people gravitate to the left when they enter a theme park. By going right and taking in your attractions anti-clockwise, you will beat the queues to the rides, particularly if you go early.

GO EARLY

Theme park queues lengthen and shorten in cycles. The early comer gets to do five or six extra rides because the queues are shorter.

Something as simple as a baseball hat can gain you valuable midday time in the hotter parks such as Orlando and Portaventura.

BREAKFAST

Food in theme parks can be exorbitant, so eat well before you set out.

Most theme parks won’t allow you to bring food, so work out the prices in the various restaurants in advance so that you won’t be ripped off.

Very often the most expensive are strategically placed to capitalise on lunch breaks or the exact moment teenies are hit by the munchies.

FAMILY

Tickets can save a surprising amount of money. A family of two adults and up to four children aged between six and sixteen can save around $30. The same applies to Duchas attractions at home. Visiting in a group of two or three

Getting the right ticket can be a roller coaster

families is usually better value than just with your own. At some parks, a group of twelve or more qualifies for a ‘passport’ ticket offering savings of up to 30pc.

SUNDAY Evening. This is when the resorts empty, as everyone returns home for work on Monday. When planning your trip stay an extra day and take advantage of the empty theme park and the short queues on Sunday evenings, particularly in parks that stay open late. Sunday evening in February is the best time ever to do Disney Paris, Ireland’s favourite theme park destination.

FAST-TRACK

when and where you have the option. The time saved makes it well worthwhile for the small outlay, particularly as the sun climbs or, in Orlando, humidity soars.

It saves queuing time and makes everyone less grumpy, and if you are paying for a day ticket, gives you an extra couple of rides for time spent queuing. There is a snag: Disney’s fastpass locks you into a particu-

lar ride. You cannot get a fast pass for another ride until a stated time.

So gather fast passes for the most crowded rides early in the morning, and use the transport system to travel between them to do your rides. Tickets are multiple entry and the monorail is air conditioned, so it doesn’t take as much time as the queue would in the first place.

BOOK in advance and online if you can.

Ticket specialists such as Attraction Tickets Direct can offer big savings. In Europe, most big attractions now offer internet booking deals, typically offering savings 10pc.

Tickets are cheaper if booked at least 48 hours in advance. If you have internet access, you can pick the least crowded times. Note that tickets are not refundable or transferable and subject to availability.

CALCULATE

Price systems can be complicated, and to make sure you are going to get maximum benefit, you need to do your sums and plan your time.

There’s no point buying

an expensive multi-visit pass, only to find that you use it once before it expires.

COMBINE

Many of the attractions within a region or within the same parent group also team up with one another to offer combined entrance at reduced rates.

LONG -Term The

Americans stay for shorter periods than Europeans at the major Orlando theme parks, so the owners offer us five day passes which can be incredibly good value.

PROMOTIONS These are a favourite device in theme parks, as with hotels and airlines, to boost low season capacity. Arrive in a big European theme park outside of school holidays in shoulder season you will not only enjoy shorter queues but lower prices too. This is a big advantage for anyone with pre-school kiddies or who have unusual discretion days, such as the traditional Punchestown closing for Kildare schools. Checking websites is the easiest way of finding one-off, seasonal

AGE -specific theme parks can save money and stress. Legoland is the best for teenies, Disney for middle children and white knuckle specialists such as Universal, Cypress Gardens, Knott’s Berry Farm, Portaventura or Alton Towers keep the teenagers happy. But don’t be put off, every park has a teenie section, and Disney has a spectacular under sevens for free offer. The best rides are often found in lower profile legacy theme parks such as Knott’s Berry farm in Anaheim or Six Flags parks around the USA. STRESSFUL

Surveys show that maximum pressure on parents is exerted by children between six and nine years of age.

Once you know you can prepare. Set limits in advance.

BEWARE Beware of prices of up to $250 for a ticket if you haven’t taken up one of the discount schemes.

There are over 75 different types of ticket types to Disney, so buying them is a complicated business. Watch out for places that have no-child discount like Discovery Cove. And be wary of attempts to up-sell.

Merchandise can make a theme park visit very expensive indeed. After every ride you can purchase a photograph of yourself looking terrified for u6-u15. T-shirts at u15-u24 are close to rock-concert rates.

MAY 2018 PAGE 06

POSTCARDS FROM THE TRAVEL SCENE

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hiladelphia here we landed. Aer Lingus B757 direct route to Philadelphia, 4w until May and then daily, was the marquee route launch of the month.

To celebrate Jenny Rafter of Aer Lingus and Julie Greenhill of Philadelphia CVB hosted members of the Irish travel trade at an event in Dublin.

Jenny promised more new routes to come and more capacity on existing

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SC Cruises event in Searcy’s in the Gherkin on Wednesday was essentially the cruise line’s 2019/2020 brochure launch.

In September 2019, Meraviglia will be doing a Southampton, Belfast, Iceland, Canada, New York 14 night relocation cruise with a possible option to embark in Belfast.

By end of 2017 MSC have 14 ships rising to 17 by the end of 2019 and then

A

ustralian Tourism Exchange will return to Perth in June 2019.

South Australia hosted 400 travel trade and 84 media, including Travel Extra, on a series of fam trips this week in advance of next week’s Australian Tourism exchange, which returned to Adelaide after seven years.

Tourism Australia CEO John Sullivan itemised the $18bn investment in

routes at the event, saying selling the US has never been more important for Aer Lingus and thanked the trade for their support, connecting 21 European cities via Dublin. She mentioned the 12 A320neo long range coming on stream from 2019 and said Aer Lingus would be the leading carrier across the Atlantic. Aer Lingus is to make an announcement in May on 2019 north American destinations.

an extra ship every year to 2026 to reach 24. MSC Seaview, a Seaside class ship, will launch next November. An All Stars event is taking place the day after the Christening and with guests from the Irish travel trade. Picture shows Dominic Burke of Travel Centres, Antonio Paradiso of MSC cruises, Rebecca Kelly of MSC Cruises, Deirdre Sweeny of Sunway, Gianni Onorato CEO of MSC and Paul Hackett of Clickandgo

tourism and, finally, inroads being made into the sub-continent’s dire shortage of hotel beds.

Picture shows Stephanie Lang of Seashells Hospitality Group and Dublin born Gerry Lyng of Perth Bell Tower, recently named made Perth’s top tourist attraction at the 2017 Perth Airport WA Tourism Awards,with Eoghan Corry of Travel Extra.

S

usana Cordoso is the new director of Portugal’s tourism office in Dublin and she stopped by to meet the Irish travel trade at Sam’s Bar. It also indicates that the Irish office has been upgraded again to full status, having been run from London since the departure of Jose Ramos and serviced

by China Tavares, product director now promoted to director of Portuguese tourism in the USA.

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ravel Counsellors Irish and England teams decamped to the decadent leafy confines of Powerscourt Resort and Spa The past year alone has seen the company swell its ranks significantly with 12 new travel counsellors in attendance and September 2018 will see the Irish team celebrating 13 years in business.

The two day event featured extensive networking sessions, pow wows and

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ennifer Callister and Michaela Banks hosted 200 members of the Irish travel trade on board Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas as it finalised its series of pre-inaugural cruises before its summer home-porting out of Barcelona.

The ship is designed to capture the family market and continue a pattern of recent years where Royal Caribbean’s publicity blitz led to a bounce in overall

Antonio Padeira, who was responsible for the Irish market base din London. Ireland is the fifth biggest market into the Algarve and the eight biggest in to Portugal.

Picture shows Antonio Padeira of Portuguese Tourism office in London, Susana Cardoso Director of Portuguese Tourism office in Dublin, Celina Tavares Director of Portuguese Tourism office in USA.

sponsor pitches with the 64 travel counsellors (there are now 75 in total) joined by potential new recruits as well as sixteen airlines, six DMCs, six cruise lines, two tourist boards, two bed banks and nine tour operators with 49 companies represented and 152 attendees.

Thirteen awards were handed out to the most dedicated, hardworking and deserving travel counsellors (pictured) at the glitzy black tie awards dinner

cruise sales across the fleet, and, indeed the industry. Symphony is already following the pattern of generating more revenue than all its predecessors. Picture shows Peter Cullen of Clickandgo, Rachel McAnaspie of Clickandgo, Ciaran Mulligan of Blue Insurances and front row: John Booty of Wendy Wu, Karen Whyte of American Holidays, Mairead Keegan of Clickandgo and Gillian Wilkie of Clickandgo

MAY 2018 PAGE 07

POSTCARDS FROM THE TRAVEL SCENE Save up to

€175!

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ophia Valdivia of Visit Huntingdon Beach and Brendan Croft of Visit California hosted select members of the travel trade st Balfe’s in Dublin to promote tourism to Huntingdon Beach, During the course of the event she emphasising its surfing product, iconic evening beach bonfire culture, new allsuite hotels and proximity to LAX airport (40 minutes), served by Aer LIngus

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he fourth Irish Travel Industry Trade show continued its year on year growth with 370 travel agents in attendance.

The event was linked to the AGM of the ITAA and meetings of Travel centres and Worldchoice There were 38 new exhibitors. The show, organised on behalf of the ITAA

by Business Exhibitions Limited, is offering free registration here to all Irish

and Ethiopian.

Sophia also itemised the new hotel product in the region, fine dining options and surf and beach based events calendar.

Myth holds that the ocean waves approaching the H 9.5-mile (15.3 km) stretch of sandy beach are enhanced by a natural effect caused by the edge-diffraction of open ocean swells around Santa Catalina Island.

travel professionals. The 120 exhibitors include 20 airlines and 31 national and regional tourist organisations Picture shows John Spollen of Cassidy Travel president of the ITAA and Maureen Ledwith of Business Exhibitions at the opening of the show with Joe Tully, Pat Dawson, Teresa Gancedo, Marta Farrero and outgoing ITAA President Cormac Meehan.

It’s not too late to book your summer holiday!

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Sounds too good to be true?

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urkish Airlines sponsorship of the Leinster rugby team has indeed proved fortuitous as they eased their way past highly rated opponents on the way to the European Champions Cup final in Bilbao.

Turkish hosted 40 agents at the Leinster v Scarlets European Cup semifinal at the Aviva Stadium. Picture shows Onur Gull, Julie Curran and Alper Kanburoglu in the hospitality

It gets even better – book now and save up to ¤175 off the cost of your holiday! area before the match. Agents who won tickets for the match were Mags Hardiman of Independent travel, Matt Corcoran of King Travel, Cara Morris of SAYIT, Stephen Fuery of PAB Travel and tours, Louise McMahon of BCD Travel, Sharon O’Donoghue of RCSI Travel, Tom Walsh of Tristar Travel Worldchoice, Dawn Nolan of O’Leary Travel, Will Walsh of ClickandGo and Jim Tobin of FCM

But hurry, don’t miss out! Book quick and save big!

agent.stenaline.ie Terms and conditions apply, see website for details.

MAY 2018 PAGE 08

IRELAND'S PREMIER SOURCE OF TRAVEL INFORMATION

DESTINATION CANADA

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eyond those aviation gateways, Canada has a lot to offer.

The Atlantic Provinces (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island) are known for its history, particularly during the formation of Canada as a sovereign state. Atlantic Canada is well-known for unique accents, the origin of Acadian culture, natural beauty (particularly around coastal areas), the historic beauty of Halifax, and a huge fishing and shipping industry. It is also home to the distinctive culture of Newfoundland and Labrador, which was simultaneously the first part of what is now Canada to be explored by Europeans and the last part to join the confederation.

Originally settled as part of New France, Quebec is culturally distinct from the rest of Canada.

French is the dominant language, unlike the rest of the country, and the province is known for great cultural sites like Quebec City’s Winter Festival, Montreal’s classic architecture, and maple syrup and poutine (two staples of Canadian cuisine). Montreal is also the second largest French-speaking city in the world, though through centuries of in-

Notes from a big country More routes to Canada than ever before Improved access to Canada has long moved interest beyond Toronto fluence from both the British and the French, its inhabitants have developed a distinct sense of identity.

Ontario. Canada’s most populous province is also quite geographically vast, allowing for endless activities to partake in. Toronto, Canada’s largest city, is eclectic and vibrant, and prides itself on its multiculturalism. The province is also home to Ottawa, Canada’s charming, bilingual capital, as well as Niagara Falls,

and the untapped natural beauty of the Muskoka and beyond. All these things and more make Ontario showcase a lot of what is considered quintessentially Canadian by outsiders.

The prairies (Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan) are known for their vast open spaces and plentiful resources, the Canadian Prairies are a dynamic set of provinces with some of the most stunning natural beauty in the world. On the western edge of the

CANADA THINGS TO DO IN THE REGIONS

n Vancouver VanDusen Botanical Garden Museum of Anthropology Queen Elizabeth Park n Quebec City Old Quebec Montmorency Falls Park Rue du Tresor n Montreal Old Montreal Montreal Botanical Gardens Mont (Mount) Royal n Toronto St Lawrence Market Distillery Historic District Edge Walk at the CN Tower n Victoria Inner Harbour Royal BC Museum Beacon Hill Park

n Niagara Falls Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory Queen Victoria Park Skywheel n Whistler Peak 2 Peak Gondola Whistler Blackcomb Lost Lake n Ottawa Canadian War Museum Rideau Canal Peace Tower n Calgary Glenbow Museum Heritage Park Historical Village The Calgary Zoo n Halifax Halifax Public Gardens Maritime Museum of the Atlantic Point Pleasant Park

Prairies, in Alberta lie the mountainous national parks of Banff and Jasper, and on the eastern edge in Manitoba, lies the beginning of the Canadian Shield, which contains some of the oldest rock on the surface of the earth. The major cities of Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg are modern cities with everything from massive rodeos to high-class museums.

British Columbia prides itself on being beautiful. From cultured Vancouver, to charming Victoria, to the iconic ski slopes in Whistler, to the wineries of the Okanagan, B.C. is filled with wonder, both natural and man-made. The province also has the mildest winters in Canada on average (though often cloudy), especially in coastal regions, making it popular with Canadians who are less enthusiastic about winter.

The North (Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon) are some of the most remote regions on Earth and constitute most of Canada’s landmass. Though more known for their unique fauna and landscapes,

the Territories also have some interesting human settlements, including Dawson City, a city that looks nearly untouched from the gold rush of 1898, and Iqaluit, Can-

ada’s newest territorial capital, which is home to some interestingly adaptive architecture to the harsh climate of the North.

CANADA 30-SECOND GUIDE n Getting there 33 flights per week from Dublin Montreal 3w (Air Canada) St John’s 7w (Westjet ) Toronto Pearson 24w (Air Canada 7, Aer Lingus 7, Air Transat 3, Westjet 7 via St John’s) Vancouver 3w (Air Canada Rouge) n What to buy Maple syrup from Quebec. Indian crafts ranging from the horn carvings of the west coast Haida to the soapstone sculptures of the Northwest Territories’ Inuit peoples. n Currency a euro buys approx. 1.56 Canadian dollars n Timezone Six zones, ranging from GMT -3.5 in the east to GMT -8 in the west. Daylight saving time (timezone +1) from April to October. n Related literature Girlfriend in a Coma, Generation X and other titles

by Douglas Coupland.

Surfacing, Margaret Atwood A young divorcee returns to the remote island of her childhood in Northern Canada to investigate the mysterious disappearance of her father.

In the Skin of a Lion, Michael Ondaatje A mid-western Canadian farm boy leaves the backwoods for Toronto, where his life becomes linked to the building of the city’s waterworks.

The Deptford Trilogy, Robertson Davies Three 1970s novels tracing the lives of three men from a small Ontario town, connected and transformed by a single childhood event.

The Shipping News, E Annie Proulx. Celebrating frozen, unforgiving, desolation of Newfoundland.

Route

Frequency

Effective dates

Dublin – St. John’s

5x weekly Daily 6x weekly

April 30 - May 27, 2018 May 28 - October 7, 2018 October 8 - 27, 2018

MAY 2018 PAGE 10

IRELAND'S PREMIER SOURCE OF TRAVEL INFORMATION

DESTINATION CANADA

F

rom a seasonal service to Montreal, Canada has grown to a 33-flights a week destination from Ireland.

The growth shows no sign of abating. This year there are new Air Canada routes from Dublin to Montreal and from Shannon to Toronto.

Aer Lingus fly daily to Toronto and Air Canada upgrade their Tonto Pearson service form Rouge to full service. Air Transat continue their Toronto service. Rouge will continue to serve Vancouver.

Westjet fly daily to St John’s and onwards to Toronto Pearson.

There are also myriad connections through the USA with United, American and Aer LIngus Jetblue.

The only casualty amidst all this growth is the ASL service to Halifax which will not run in 2018.

T

he spread of destinations is serving the Irish traveller well.

Visiting Canada all in one trip is a massive undertaking.

At the launch of the Westjet route, the Canadian ambassador noted that Dublin is closer to St John’s than Vancouver.

Over 5000 kilometres (3100 mi) separate St. John’s, Newfoundland from Victoria, British Columbia (about the same distance separates Dublin and Kuwait, or Tokyo and Kolkata).

To drive from one end of the country could take 7-10 days or more (and that assumes you’re not stopping to sight see on the way).

A flight from Toronto to Vancouver takes over four hours.

W

hen Brendan Behan was asked why he visited Canada he said that he had looked out the window of the Irish Press office in Burgh Quay and

Rockies roads

Flights to regions the key to coping with Canada

Jasper National Park: Within easy access of the Air Canada Rouge Vancouver route seen a big sign; Drink Canada Dry. “So I said to myself, why not?”

There are 49 more reasons to visit each week this summer. A vast country of unexplored open spaces, Canada is a mixture of ultra-modern cities and forests, rivers, mountains and valleys that date back millennia.

Signature attractions consist of natural treasures such as Niagara Falls in the east and the Rocky Mountains in the west.

The edginess in the relations between Canada’s indigenous, English and French traditions give the country a unique feel.

Canada is the second largest country in the world after Russia, a vast expanse of forests, lakes, snow-capped mountains and prairies.

The tourist board promotes Canada as a four season destination offering a selection of adventure holidays (hiking and skiing to climbing and whitewater rafting), city breaks, winter activities, touring holidays by car, coach and train, and wide open spaces.

T

oday’s Irish visitors to Canada appreciate the ease of access, the friendly, English speaking locals, the affordability with a favourable Euro-dollar ratio, the safety and the variety of products to suit all ages.

Canada is a land of huge contrasts - from the rural prettiness of Nova Scotia to the bustling cities in Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe, to the spirit

of the west in the Prairie Provinces and the dramatic seascapes and maritime traditions of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland are all more accessible this year with 29 flights per week from Dublin to Canada.

Officially bilingual, the main languages are English and French. French is mainly spoken in the Quebec region although you will find the language across the entire vast country. Indigenous languages have also survived in pockets and can be discovered through folk music and interpretative centres.

A

s befits the world’s second largest country, the climate of Canada varies widely. The west

CANADA TOP TEN PLACES TO SEE

n 1 Notre-Dame Basilica Montreal, n CN Tower Toronto, n Capilano Suspension Bridge Park North Vancouver, n Parliament Hill and Buildings Ottawa, n Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto, n St John’s Anglican Church, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

n 7 St Joseph’s Oratory of Mt Royal, Montreal, n 8 Swallowtail Lighthouse, Grand Manan, New Brunswick n 9 Signal Hill, St. John’s, n 10 Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse, Nova Scotia Source: Tripadvisor

coast is the most temperate, with temperatures in Vancouver averaging 3-17C. The east coast has long, humid summers and heavy winter snowfall; Montreal temperatures average from -10 to 20C. The Prairies region, between the Rocky Mountains and the Great Lakes, has hot summers and cold winters, with little rain. The northern icecaps are permanently frozen.

Canada’s multicultural society means a variety of cuisines are available in most cities. French, Greek, Italian, Indian and Chinese restaurants abound.

Quebec has its own gastronomic tradition based on traditional French cuisine. On both coasts seafood is plentiful and affordable.

C

anada’s big hotel opening of 2018 is in Sparks Street promenade, the dual branded Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites by Hilton, Ottawa Downtown will be the first Hilton property in downtown Ottawa.

The project features the redevelopment of two existing towers that will be transformed into a 17-storey Hilton Homewood Suites for extended-stay accommodations and a 10-storey Hilton Garden Inn for short-stay accommodations. Radisson is to open its first hotel in Atlantic Canada, Radisson Kingswood Hotel & Suites, Fredericton, 15 minutes from the Fredericton International Airport.

The hotel offers 121 guest rooms and suites.

The newly constructed hotel features modern interiors, stylish furnishings and spacious guest rooms and suites. Guests can enjoy the spectacular views of Kingswood Golf Course, The hotel also has an onsite entertainment centre that includes bowling, laser tag and arcade games with plans to open an indoor waterpark in summer 2018.

Travelodge Canada opened Travelodge Whitecourt Conference Centre & Suites in Alberta, and Travelodge Welland in Ontario.

Canada starts here

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Available to book via the GDS Price is per person based on selected dates between May and October 2018. Prices for other routes may vary. Correct at the time of going to print and can change at any time. See online for details and prices.

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2018-03-27 10:44 AM

MAY 2018 PAGE 12

DESTINATION CANADA

W

ith so much outdoors to explore, it is no surprise that Canada offers an astonishing range of activities.

Polar bears With tens of thousands of beluga whales in the Hudson Bay and polar bears making their way off the ice, Churchill, Manitoba, is a fantastic place to visit in the summer for anyone with a passion for wildlife. The town offers many ways to catch a glimpse of these creatures, from guided walks to boat trips, and all adhere to strict conservation guidelines.

Spirit bear Found only in British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest, the Kermode bear – also known as the “spirit bear” – is a unique white subspecies of the more common black bear. Prime view-

CAN-do’s Things to do in the world’s second largest country Bear necessities

ing time is September and October, when the local mammals feast on spawning salmon (with luck you’ll see wolves and grizzlies, too).

Moose safari What could be more ironically

Canadian than a moose?

And where better to see them than in Ontario’s stunning Algonquin Park? Take an early morning or evening paddle along Hailstorm Creek, or drive through the park

along Highway 60 in the spring, when these magnificent beasts are drawn to the salt spread on the wintry roads.

Caribou migration Walk with the caribou and get a sense of what

wildlife on the North American continent must have been like before European settlement.

The incredible spectacle of the mass migration of tens of thousands of caribou some 1,200 miles

across Nunavut’s Arctic tundra occurs twice a year, in late spring and early autumn.

Orcas, belugas On the east coast you can find up to 20 different species of whale in the waters of the Atlantic.

Humpbacks and minke the most common, but finbacks, pilot whales and even blue whales might make an appearance. On the Pacific coast, look for humpbacks and grey whales, but orcas (the distinctive black and white killer whales) are most plentiful. Meanwhile, off Manitoba in Hudson Bay, you’ll find belugas, their ability to sing earning them the moniker “canaries of the sea”.

Shellfish season and PEI Shellfish Festival Prince Edward Island is a culinary treasure trove at harvest time, but the

bounty of the sea takes some beating. The annual Shellfish Festival (14-17 September 2017) features oyster-shucking competitions, celebrity chefs, an “all-you-can-eat” oyster bar and the world’s longest lobster roll. Party all night to some of the best good-times music on this side of the Atlantic. A short hop from London by air, you could leave in the morning and make it to the bar well before the final encore.

Ice wine festival Ice wine is a highly prized, sweet dessert wine made from grapes picked while frozen on the vine – and a specialty of vintners in both of Canada’s main wine-growing areas, Ontario and British Columbia. Niagara Icewine Festival takes place over the last three weekends in January, with tastings, dinners and cocktail competitions, ice skating

MAY 2018 PAGE 13

DESTINATION CANADA

Lights with latitude and winery tours. Niagara, Ontario, also hosts a traditional wine festival in September.

Out west, the Vancouver International Wine Festival attracts top name wine-producers from around the globe and, in 2018 (24 February-4 March), the festival celebrates its 40th anniversary.

Maple syrup Can-

ada’s finest contribution to breakfast dining, maple syrup is sap tapped exclusively from maple trees. Quebec accounts for 75pc of the world’s output, but you can find sugar shacks (cabanes à sucre) and festivals that offer their sweet bounty alongside hearty fare, sleigh rides, and other wintry delights across eastern provinces through

March and early April.

Breweries – and enthusiasm for their hopfilled products – are in plentiful supply from coast to coast. This summer festival offers the chance to taste upwards of 300 different brews, both Canadian and international, while taking in live bands, beer-school sessions, and dozens of food options, from

the classic poutine and burgers, to more gourmet offerings. On the west coast, Vancouver’s micro-brewery scene has exploded in the past five years, offering opportunities to cycle-crawl the East Vancouver tasting rooms (and food trucks parked outside) and Craft Beer Week in spring (25 May-3 June 2018).

Northern lights The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are one of the most spectacular sights in nature, a shimmering nocturnal radiance. Your best bet for this glimpse of transcendence is in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, between December and March. In the daytime, try your hand at dog-sledging and your feet in snowshoes.

Ski Whistler Blackcomb is 90 minutes north of Vancouver. It boasts more than 3,230 hectares (8,000 acres) of terrain

and 200 marked runs to suit all ski and boarding abilities. If there is a way to have a good time on snowpack you’ll find it at Whistler, along with the best in après-ski, yearround zip-lining, and the record-setting Peak2Peak Gondola. The summer season brings hiking and mountain biking, bungee-jumping and rafting.

Iceberg Alley – the stretch of coast between Labrador and the northeast of Newfoundland – offers iceberg hunters the chance to view these 10,000-year-old sparkling giants from late May to early June. The best way to get up close is, of course, by boat (or kayak), though landlubbers can also experience the thrill of seeing them from the shore, along with gannets, puffins and, possibly, humpback whales.

CANADIAN SUMMERS S TA RT H E R E Introducing our new non-stop summer-long service between Dublin and Montreal and Toronto and Shannon.

Our Dublin–Montreal and Shannon–Toronto routes, which run June through October, 2018, adds to our existing non-stop service between Dublin and Toronto and Dublin and Vancouver.

Learn more at aircanada.com, or contact trade support at 01-9446170 or salessupport.ie@aircanada.ca

MAY 2018 PAGE 14

DESTINATION CANADA

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he ice melts on Hudson Bay in July, transforming it from the world’s biggest skating rink back into a living sea with astonishing speed.

This is the signal for scores of Beluga whales move with their young from the estuary of the Churchill river on to the bay. They are easy to find.

“We will move. That should draw them,” says Mike Macri and starts up the throttle of the zodiac water craft. Most whale watching experiences tell you to keep the engines down, to whisper and not to point.

B

elugas are different.

They are curi-

Belugas & Bears

Eoghan Corry in Churchill, Manitoba

ous.

They like the sound of the motor and the motion of a zodiac on the surface. They come to see Observing polar bears from custom fitted vehicles in northern Manitoba

C

MAY 2018 PAGE 15

DESTINATION CANADA

Clockwise: Tundra vehicle, man versus mosquito, beluga whale spotting, polar bear alert and driving the tundra vehicle what visitors they have.

There are teams of them, swimming past, below and beside, turning and looking up at me with those winsome eye. This is nature viewing on nature’s terms, like being let into someone’s living room

O

ne mother whale nuzzles my toes and then guided her calf to do the same, snow white with puppy eyes, leaving us looking at each other wide-eyed in a way it was impossible to tell who was the tourist and who was the attraction.

You cannot claim to have completely experienced whale watching

or any diving experience until you hit the cold water of the Hudson and see these magnificent animals.

There are 57,300 surviving beluga whales, and 3,500 of them in western Hudson. The 600 in the Lawrence River have a higher profile, but these guys are worth coming to see.

Mike loves his whales, and has been taking visitors to see them for 35 years. He revs up and springs into action when the report comes in of a two year old male polar bear near the coast. The bear is wandering out to the headland near the ancient fur-trading fort.

The bear is oblivious to his aquatic viewers, and this is as good a sighting as we could imagine.

hurchill, Manitoba is a Hudson Bay port so far north there are no roads.

Tourists can stay safe here from the roaming Polar Bears that have just come off the ice.

According to Duane Collins the Canada parks interpreter co-ordinator there were 1300 polar bears in the western Hudson 40 years ago. Now there are 950, a significant proportion of the 1,400 who survive in Canada.

Churchlll is the only place on the planet it is illegal to lock your car.

The reason is there are 950 polar bears around the Western Hudson and they cluster here because it is last place to freeze and first to ice up again.

It has two must-do

experiences. The first a polar bear safari in a bus on giant tractor wheels, a huge tundra buggy invented here for the experience.

There can be injuries. A local nurse told me of the photographer who lost an arm when he leaned out of the buggy, oblivious to the bear that was directly below.

With global warming there are three weeks less ice a year than was the case in the traditional cycle.

Every week affects the weight of the polar bear by 10 kilos. Bears are hungrier, and hungry bears are dangerous.

I

t was not a bear or a beluga that savaged my arm, but bugs.

Millions of them. Up here the caribou can lose a pint of blood a day.

At first the mosquitoes, the really dominant animal up here on the fringe of the treeline, seemed not as bad as we suspected.

A few minutes in the boreal forest was enough to finish that delusion and show us they had menace. They found us and descended on us, so much that the bussing sounds and the attack flight path comes to dominate the whole experience. They call it the Churchill Wave, the hand flicking as you walk through the street.

I wore my Coghlan’s bug jacket. The net keeps mosquitoes out but not their proboscis, and I soon have the scars to

prove it.

We travelled for a mile with a small sub-pack of Qimmiqs, which apparently are Canadian Eskimo Dogs, very different from the Alaskan Huskies.

D

avid Daley of Wapusk Adventures has spent his life working with these dogs and speaks their language.

His favourite, Storm, broke his choke chain to protect another dog when a wolf came in to the kennels and died in the process.

David is a classic musher, closer to the dogs than his own family.

He puts deet on them, which sounds bad idea until you think of the alternative.

DISCOVER CANADA FROM COAST TO COAST www.viarail.ca

For more information about VIA Rail visit www.viarail.ca or contact info@viarail.co.uk

MAY 2018 PAGE 16

THEME PARKS 2018-19

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t is going to be a standout year for coasters in Europe.​ Blackpool, Energylandia and Phantasialand are all adding record-breaking rides, and Alton Towers, Toverland and Europa Park also offering promising additions.​ For the littlies, Peppa Pig arrives in Gardaland in northern Italy.​Close to accommodations popular with the Irish market, Gardaland’s new Peppa Pig Land sits next to the park’s popular Fantasy Kingdom, as well as other top attractions including Prezzemolo Land and Kung Fu Panda Academy.​ It offers three new themed attractions as part of the venture; visitors can sail on a thrilling pirate ship, fly up high in the clouds in colourful balloons, visit Grandpa Pig and enjoy a ride on his train.​ At a Meet and Greet area visitors can say hello to Peppa and her friends and explore Peppa’s colourful house.

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t Alton Towers a £16m million Wicker Man rollercoaster, the first wooden rollercoaster to be built in 20 years, has been two years in the making, and is an attraction of ‘wood and fire’ inspired by the 1973 cult classic.​Legoland Windsor Resort open the new LEGO Reef, a digital aquarium where kids can create colourful sea creatures using virtual bricks, and two new Minilands, one with a USA theme and another offering kids the chance to ‘Explore the World’ and see landmarks across India, Russia, Australia and China . ​ B lackpool Pleasure Beach’s highly-anticipated Icon rollercoaster will ‘interact’ 15 times with the park’s other popular rides, powering through, over and around major attractions including The Big One. Riders will experience the same levels of acceleration that Formula 1 drivers feel, as the rollercoaster will

Year of the pig Peppa comes to Gardaland Family favourite meets Irish tourism icon reach speeds of up to 80 miles per hour.

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alt Disney World is opening a Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland is retheming California Adventure’s Paradise Pier to Pixar.

Walt Disney World and Disneyland will open Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, their Star Wars lands in 2019, which could entice fans to delay their trips until next year.

Universal Orlando is opening a stand-alone Fast & Furious encounter, first seen on the Hollywood Studio Tour, as well as the Aventura Hotel, the resort’s sixth.

In 2019 they will a new family-friendly “coaster experience” to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure.

Super Nintendo World is likely to follow in 2021 or 2022.

P

ixar Fest commenced in mid April at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, a nighttime extravaganza will feature fireworks, projections, w a t er screens and Buzz Lightyear flying over Sleeping Beauty Castle.

The show tells the story of the special bonds of friendship formed between a bunch of fan-favourite Pixar characters.

A brand-new parade in its park this year!

The parade kicks off with the famous Pixar lamp. Characters from “Up” and “Inside Out” will make appearances.​ A new Pixar Pier comes to Disney California Adventure in 2018.

This permanent addition to the park takes over what was previously known as Paradise Pier.

New neighbourhoods including characters from “The Incredibles,” “Toy Story,” “Inside Out” will surround the new addition. ​ D isneyland’s new “After Dark” series of late-night events will continue to go until the early morning and feature different themes.

Classic attractions including the Matterhorn Bobsleds, Peter Pan’s Flight, Pirates of the Caribbean will be opened while live bands, DJs and other entertainers. This is a ticketed event and costs $95.

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utside the main Florida and California parks, Cedar Point’s Steel Vengeance ,the world’s first hyper-hybrid, with a

200-foot, 90-degree drop and a more than a mile of track.

For littlies, Legoland California is adding a Lego City Deep Sea Adventure, a submarine ride with live sea animals and whimsical Lego creations.

The park also is opening its second hotel, the Legoland Castle Hotel, and is debuting a new Ninjago 4D movie, as well.

Other regional park openings include Time Traveler at Missouri’s Silver Dollar City — the world’s fastest, tallest, and steepest spinning coaster, and Battle For Eire at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (nothing to do with Ireland: Team up with the last fairy guardian, Addie, and set out to rescue the sacred Heart of Eire. Hang on tight as you soar above the lush landscapes and mystifying powers of the Otherworld. Prepare to battle the dark forces).

This is the first major theme park virtual reality simulator ride. HangTime at Knott’s Berry Farm is the US west coast’s first dive coaster.

T

his year’s big new attraction worldwide will be the opening of Warner Bros.

World in Middle East stopover Abu Dhabi, a 1.65m square foot indoor theme park with 29 attractions across five themed lands, all featuring Warner Bros. animated franchises, including DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera, and Looney Tunes.

The park will open on Yas Island, which also is home to Ferrari World, and isn’t too far away from the recently-opened IMG Worlds of Adventure, and Motiongate Dubai, Bollywood Parks Dubai, and Legoland Dubai in the Dubai Parks & Resorts complex.

Across Asia, 2020 looks to be the next big year on the horizon, with Super Nintendo World opening at Universal Studios Japan and a new Beauty and the Beast dark ride headline expansions at Tokyo Disneyland.

U

niversal’s major opening last year was themed water park Volcano Bay which replaced Wet ‘n Wild as Universal Orlando Resort’s water park. The park is themed around a 200-foot-tall (61 m) artificial volcano named Krakatau.​The volcano houses three drop capsule slides including

the 125 feet Ko’okiri Body Plunge, which, uniquely, travels through a pool full of guests and the Kala & Tai Nui Serpentine Body Slides which travel throughout the midst of the volcano winding around the Krakatau Aqua The big EuroCoaster.​ pean opening of 2017 was the €100m Ferrari Land in Salou, adjacent to PortAventura Park’s Ferrari main entrance. ​ Land includes recreations of Venice’s Piazza San Marco and Rome’s Colosseum, and i a 112 m tall signature vertical accelerator coaster that surpassed Shambhala: Expedición al Himalaya as the tallest and fastest coaster in Europe. ​At Efteling in Eindhoven the Loonsche Land and trackless dark ride Symbolica opened in 2017.

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verall there are 100 new roller coaster and theme park rides planned to open in 2018, 75 of them in the USA. Many of the advances are in the technology sphere, enhancing the story-telling that accompanies so many new attractions and rides, allowing parks to transport guests to immersive lands or destinations.

Theme parks are using apps that allow guests to pre-order their meals, or to hold a space in queue.

Universal Orlando led the virtual queue initiative at Volcano bay in 2017, and after some glitches, it has been sorting itself out.

The TapuTapu wristbands used for virtual queueing can be used to interact with environmental features, set off water springs, or illuminate lights.

Enhanced ‘virtual wallets’ allow guests to not have to worry about carrying cash or credit cards and instead can save everything to a wristband.

F O D L R A WO S E C N E I R E P X E UN I QUE

* New Kids’ Area in Ferrari Land opens 20 April 2018.

PortAveNtuRa PARK

Caribe Aquatic PARK

FERRARI LAND

PortAveNtuRa HOTELS

www.portaventuraworld.com

1284 - POSTER UK TRAVEL EXTRA IRL_2.indd 1

6/4/18 13:28

MAY 2018 PAGE 18

IRELAND'S PREMIER SOURCE OF TRAVEL INFORMATION

THEME PARKS 2018-9

T

wo and a half major theme parks opened for summer 2017 to create excitment across the industry.

Ferrariland roared into action in Salou, sharing an entrance with Portaventura.

Volcano Bay is Universal’s new water park, with innovations such as virtual queueing.

‘We researched the water park extensively before we opened it,” Dave Cole of Universal told travel agents on a recent visit to Dublin. “We wanted to know what people hate about water park, rather than what they like about water parks. They hated queueing. They hated carrying rafts up the stairs.”

Volcano Bay was more advanced than Wet ‘n Wild, the Universal-owned water park which was located across Interstate 4 from the main resort until it closed in December.

Unlike many water park attractions, its signature 200-foot volcano it won’t have staircases for people to climb. Instead, riders board inflatable canoe-shaped rafts with metal plates built into the bottom. Magnets then pull them up to the top.

Visitors received wristbands on which they can reserve times so they don’t have to queue.

The signature rides

Selling dwell time

Excitement generated by big openings of 2017 Irish Travel agents visit Disney’s world of Avator

included Ko’okiri Body Plunge, a 70-degree fall through a drop door and 125 feet, Kala & Tai Nui Serpentine Body Slides, Punga Racers competitive slide, Punga Racers splash slide and Maku Puihi six-person rafting

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adventure. isney opened “Pandora: The World of Avatar not exactly a new theme park but half way there, a 12-acre land this summer at Animal Kingdom

THEME PARKS TOP 20

1 Magic Kingdom At Walt Disney World 2 Disneyland, Anaheim, Ca, U.S. 3 Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo, Japan 4 Universal Studios Japan, Osaka, Japan 5 Tokyo Disney Sea, Tokyo, Japan 6 Epcot At Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, Fl, U.S. 7 Disney’s Animal Kingdom At Walt Disney World, 8 Disney’s Hollywood Studios At Walt Disney World, 9 Universal Studios At Universal Orlando, Fl, U.S. 10 Islands Of Adventure At Universal Orlando, Fl, U.S. 11 Disney’s California Adventure, Anaheim, Ca, U.S. 12 Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, Hengqin, China 13 Disneyland Park At Disneyland Paris, 14 Lotte World, Seoul, South Korea 15 Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal City, Ca, U.S. 16 Everland, Gyeonggi-Do, South Korea 17 Hong Kong Disneyland, Hong Kong Sar 18 Ocean Park, Hong Kong Sar 19 Nagashima Spa Land, Kuwana, Japan 20 Europa Park, Rust, Germany

. -0.5% -1.80% -0.40% 4.30% -1.00% -0.70% -0.70% -0.50% 4.30% 6.50% -0.90% 13.20% -14.20% 11.5% 13.9% -3.0% -10.3% -18.8% -0.3% 1.8%

20,395,000 17,943,000 16,540,000 14,500,000 13,460,000 11,712,000 10,844,000 10,776,000 9,998,000 9,362,000 9,295,000 8,474,000 8,400,000 8,150,000 8,086,000 7,200,000 6,100,000 5,996,000 ,850,000 5,600,000

Imagineers recreated an elaborately themed, fantastical land, which is home to the blue Na’vi extra-terrestrial race.

The land included Flight of Passage, which gives people banshee rides over Pandora, and Na’vi River Journey, in which visitors take journeys through a bioluminescent rain forest in canoes.

The extensive Avator zone is Disney’s answer to rival Universal Orlando’s richly detailed, interactive Wizarding Worlds of Harry Potter.

Both are meant to increase dwell-time among visitors. A water park directly on resort property, should mean that Universal can keep visitors from wandering off to International Drive or Disney.

Similarly, Disney wants to extend visitors’ stays at Animal Kingdom, viewed by some as a half-day park.

To give people reasons to stay into the evening, Disney has been developing the “Rivers of Light” waterfront show with lights and music. Disney originally intended to launch the production in April 2016. But it has been delayed by technical difficulties.

For 2018 Disney is promising Star Wars Land. Game on.

T

he big European opening which took pride of place was the €100m Ferrariland, covering 75,000m2, themed to the Italian sports car brand in the PortAventura resort (but separate from PortAventura Park).

It features new rides, a 250-room hotel, designed

by PGAV Destinations, with restaurants, shops and car racing simulators.

The entrance is ad-

jacent to PortAventura Park’s main entrance.

The Mediterranean theme is common to both entrances, with Ferrari Land also inspired by Italy, including recreations of Venice’s Piazza San Marco and Rome’s Colosseum.

The main ride of Ferrari Land is Red Force, a 112m tall vertical accelerator coaster that surpasses Shambhala: Expedición al Himalaya in Portaventura as the tallest coaster in Europe and also be the fastest coaster in Europe.

Other attractions include Ferrari Drop, Gran Prix and a flying theatre.

A

popular partner with the ferry companies form Ireland, Alton Towers big 2016 opening was virtual coaster Journey beyond on Galactica, based on the Galactica

MAY 2018 PAGE 19

IRELAND'S PREMIER SOURCE OF TRAVEL INFORMATION

THEME PARKS 2018-9 flying rollercoaster, where technology integrates the twists, turns and drops of the ride in taking riders into another dimension and space, with G-forces greater than a space shuttle on Nemesis, Oblivion’s vertical drop, the Smiler’s 14 loops and speed on Rita.

Alon Tours has been developing its attractions for younger guests and new attractions come to CBeebies Land in 2017.

-At The Furchester Hotel Live Show they can join Phoebe, Funella, Furgus, Elmo and Cookie Monster; or take the controls in a Vroomster on the Go Jetters Vroomster Zoom ride.

The two new attractions joined a line-up of attractions at CBeebies Land including Postman Pat Parcel Post, Mr. Bloom’s Allotment, Jus-

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Irish travel agenrts at Volcano Bay tin’s House Pie-O-Matic Factory and the In the Night Garden Magical Boat Ride.

Alton Towers Resort now offers 50 rides and attractions including a Rollercoaster Restaurant.

Chessington World of Adventures Resort offers 40 rides and attractions in 10 themed lands, a

Zoo and Sea LIfe centre with over 1,000 animals and guests can come face to face with the Gruffalo new for 2017, The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure take riders on a riverboat journey with Mouse through the deep dark wood. As you splash down the lazy river, the story of The

Gruffalo* unfold in front of their eyes with twists and turns along the way,, a world first Four fully themed Gruffalo hotel rooms opeed at the Chessington Safari Hotel, The Gruffalo Gift Shop, The Gruffalo Bites food outlet, character Meet and Greets and film showings

at The Gruffalo Arena. he trend in theme parks has been a move away from smaller attractions to the giant conglomerates. Of the top 25 theme parks in the world, seven are located in Florida, three in California, four in Japan, three in China, two each in Hong Kong and Korea, and four in Europe.

Disney dominates market share, accounting for half of the total industry’s revenue in the US. The market can be volatile. Disneyland Paris has seen attendances fall by 9.5pc to 13.4m in 2016, a drop of 16pc from the 16m peak in 2012. Disney have been fighting back with a series of promotions, of which the most popular is the free to eat offer that has been revived to drive early bookings in 2017.

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t Disney World Orlando, the $400m Avatar land opened featuring: Avatar Flight of Passage, a flying augmented reality simulator attraction where guests learn to fly with a mountain banshee (did the originators of bean-sí ever think that the Irish for female seer would become a theme park attraction). Na’Vi River Journey takes riders past “native” fauna and flora of Pandora.

DisneyQuest closed to be replaced by NBA Experience.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios is to get an entire Star Wars Land in 2019 featuring attractions that send guests on a customised secret mission, and places them in “a climactic battle First Order vs the Resistance.

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MAY 2018 PAGE 20

AFLOAT NCL

Norwegian Cruise Lines hosted 32 members of the Irish trade on Norwegian Bliss pre-inaugural cruise from Bremerhafen to Southampton.

UNIWORLD Boutique River Cruise

Collection announced at the launch of its latest “super ship” SS Beatrice that it is to upgrade all of its current fleet to a similar standard, starting with River Empress and River Royale next year.

CELEBRITY Cruises has cancelled the November 21 and November 24 preview sailings of its newest ship Celebrity Edge,weeks after it announced the cancellation of the ship’s December 3 preview. Two other previews are still on EMERALD River cruise line Emerald Waterways opened booking for its first ocean sailings, along Croatia’s Dalmatian coast, between April and October 2019.

Jennifer Callister and Michaela Banks on board Symphony of the Seas pre inaugural

ROYAL Caribbean’s looking at designing a more “value-based” ultimate family cabin - depending on passengers’ reaction to the Ultimate Family Suite on Symphony of the Seas.

Irish Ferries has announced details of a Spring sale on its Irish Sea sailings that sees a 20pc reduction on all motorist fares between Ireland and Britain from April 1 to December 18.

SILVERSEA will offer complimentary unlimited wifi to all passengers from this month.

CORK Port of Cork CEO Brendan Keating says Ireland is at significant risk of isolation following Brexit and will need EU funding to shore up the lack of connectivity to major European routes.

SLVERSEA Cruises’ Silver Whisper will undergo a major refurbishment in December 2018 to prepare it for its 2020 World Cruise to Antarctica.

MSC Cruises revealed it will christen MSC Bellissima in Southampton on March 2, 2019. The 4,500-passenger ship, the second in Meraviglia class, will head from the STX shipyard in France to Southampton.

MARELLA Cruises’ latest ship,

Marella Explorer 2, will launch in May 2019 and be its first adults-only ship.

FRED OLSEN All cabins on Fred

Olsen Cruise Lines’ 880-passenger Boudicca will be totally refurbished in an extensive refit that will also see upgraded public rooms and new dining facilities.

AZAMARA Sarah Fowler has been

appointed as Head of Marketing and PR for Azamara Club Cruises.

RIVIERA’s MS Dylan Thomas is to be renamed as MS William Wordsworth.

SEABOURN’s newest ship, Seabourn

Ovation, has completed its final round of sea trials off the coast of Italy. It debuts in late April 2018.

Royal bounce

Bookings climb in wake of Symphony pre-inaugural

T

he revived solarium area, the boardwalk and the width of the ship were the chief takeaways for 200 members of the Irish travel trade who were hosted by Jennifer Callister and Michaela Banks hosted on board Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas as it finalised its series of pre-inaugural cruises before its summer home-porting out of Barcelona.

There were 200 key Irish trade par-

ticipants from Ireland and 400 from Britain on the trade pre-inaugural cruise out of Barcelona. They Royal Caribbean talk about Royal’s commitment to the family market. The ship has three water slides and the longest dry slide at sea.

There is a new sports bar and signature fish restaurant. Reintroductions include a Starbucks and borrowings include the robot bar form the Quantum class ships. staterooms

have been re-calibrated to give more seafront lodgings with balconies. An extra flow rider has been added.

The cruise line says that bookings have reflected the tsunami of prelaunch publicity, echoing the experience with harmony of the Seas last year. Harmony generated more revenue than the entire Celebrity cruise fleet. Symphony will be based in Barcelona for summer before repositioning to the Caribbean for winter.

BRITTANY CELEBRATES SANTANDER LAUNCH

C

hristophe Mathieu, CEO of Brittany Ferries, was in Ireland to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the company’s first sailing from Cork to France in 1978.

The anniversary also celebrated the launch of their new service from Cork to Santander, with

S

the inaugural Cork-Santander crossing on Monday, April 30.

Speaking about the relationship over the years Monsieur Mathieu noted how in the early days the route had opened up France as a holiday destination for many Irish families. “The new route is already at-

tracting a great deal of attention in both holiday and freight enquiries particularly at this time of Brexit uncertainty for exporters/importers.

An additional weekly return-sailing from Cork to Roscoff, will add capacity to our existing line to France.”

Christophe Mathieu

PETS NOW GO FREE ON STENA

tena Line introduced a pets go free scheme on i Irish Sea sail-

ings.

The ferry line cited research that 61pc of all Irish households own either a dog or cat and one study showed that having a

pet significantly impacts where most owners choose to go on a break, in fact up to 45pc of owners say that their dog completely influences their choice of destination.

Diane Poole said: “being a key member of

the family, pets are a great addition to any trip, adding bundles of fun and company when you’re holidaying.

You won’t have to worry about whether they are in safe hands back at home or not and it won’t feel like

you’ve left an important part of the family behind.

Not having expensive kennel fees to worry about or having to ask friends or family to look after your pet whilst you are away are reasons why more pet owners choose to take their

MAY 2018 PAGE 21

Delayed departure

Irish Ferries move to accommodate Yeats passengers

I

rish Ferries is confident that all passengers affected by the delay in delivery to the WB Yeats can be transported on the ferry line’s other ship, the Oscar Wilde.

The ferry line has moved to offer refunds, rebookings and 150 vouchers to 10,000 affected passengers.

The new 1,800 passenger ship was delayed by a fortnight from July 12 to July 26. Affected passengers are covered under EU regulation 1177-2010.

Passenger facilities will be spread over 4 decks and will offer a choice of 435 cabins to include suites with their own private external balconies, along with deluxe and standard class accommodation.

Bars, restaurants (to include both á la carte and self-service options), will serve passengers with special provision for premium Club Class passengers, with a dedicated lounge featuring private access direct from

AFLOAT ROYAL Caribbean is putting Turkey back on 2019 cruise itineraries after suspending service for two years due to security concerns.

MARELLA Cruises’ newest ship has

entered a four-week dry dock as TUI’s former Mein Schiff 1 ready to emerge in May as Marella Explorer, the largest vessel in its fleet.

Broadway star Rachel York has been named godmother of Crystal Debussy, one of two Crystal River Cruises ships launching spring.

IRISH FERRIES chair John McGuckian told shareholders in the group’s new annual report that, despite the uncertainty regarding Brexit next year, “the economic outlook in our sphere of operations continues to improve. We look forward to another year of volume growth in our markets of operation.

MSC Meragivlia will visit Dublin on May 5 from Glasgow before continuing her route through Cork and Southampton, and finally returning to her homeport of Hamburg.

Irish Ferries WB Yeats in the shipyard in Germany the vehicle decks. A choice of state of the art entertainment options and cinemas, dedicated facilities for freight drivers, as well as retail outlets and

FRANCE

onboard facilities for pets, will ensure that all our passengers will be comfortable and engaged throughout their journey.

CROISIEUROPE launched Renoirin Paris before an audience that included representatives form the Irish travel trade.

NCL Norwegian Cruise Line is raising

automatic gratuities charged to customer accounts from $13.99 to $14.50.

DAILY SAILINGS SUMMER 2018 DUBLIN & ROSSLARE

M746

Follow the sun to France this summer!

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Book with a €100 deposit minimum 43 days before travel. Final balance payable 42 days before departure. New bookings only. Subject to availability. Daily summer sailings commence with introduction of WB Yeats July 2018. See irishferries.com for details.

MAY 2018 PAGE 22

THE FLYING COLUMN

Aviation with Gerry O’Hare

NORWEGIAN’s Shannon to Stewart NY will grow from 2w (winter) and 3w (summer) to 4w.

AER LINGUS is to operate Shan-

non-JFK year-round 6w in January and February 2019 at the expense of Shannon-Boston which will be suspended January and February.

DUBLIN rose from 9th to 5th at Amsterdam Schiphol in the ranking of passengers by route in 2017, up 15.4pc) AER LINGUS

is to add Cork-Lisbon 2w year-round, starting November 2018.

RYANAIR seats sold were up 6pc to 10m in March, load factor was 95pc up 1. Passengers for the 12 months ASL

Aviation Group CEO Hugh Flynn, which acquired TNT Airways and its fleet of cargo aircraft in 2016, said he would establish closer ties with Amazon.

T3 Trade unions said there is no need for T3 at Dublin Airport and oppose a terminal not run by DAA. ETIHAD Airways is expected to end its three-year-old route between Edinburgh and Abu Dhabi this October after it proved less popular than expected.

AER LINGUS withdrew from the

2016 Internal Dispute Resolution Board claiming it had become a “tool to frustrate and slow down normal business change which the majority bypassed and the few abused, had been bypassed in favour of the Workplace Relations Commission, and had not met for a year.”

RYANAIR cancelled plans to commence Rhodes-Athens in June and scaled down domestic flight schedule in Greece and closing its base in Chania, Crete, citing high airport charges. Ryanair issued new route announcements from Cagliari, Palermo and Pisa.

IAA Forsa trade union said the Irish Aviation Authority needs to hire 20pc more air traffic controllers to address staff shortages, bringing numbers from 290 to 350.

INDONESIA is to sign a double-tax-

ation treaty with Ireland to boost the aircraft leasing industry. Ireland has more than 70 such agreements, but not with Indonesia.

BRITISH AIRWAYS

is temporary suspending its B777 3w Gatwick-Oakland in winter 2018/19 season.

AMERICAN Airlines ordered 47 new

B787 widebody aircraft, 22 B787-8s to begin arriving in 2020 and 25 B787-9s to begin arriving in 2023, to replace American’s B767300ERs, A330-300s and older B777-200s. to end March were 130.3m, up 9pc.

SMBC Aviation Capital r shareholders,

Sumitomo Mitsui and Sumitomo Corporation finalised a joint leasing partnership

VISAT opened a new office in Dublin for 100 staff currently on site, to grow to 250, developing wireless in-flight entertainment and the AeroDocs paperless flight deck.

Alan Sparling, GSA for ANA in Ireland, Yuji Hirako CEO of ANA, Hiro Miyagawa, Director Global communications and Julie Murphy two country sales manager for Britain and Ireland and Yoshitaka Harada Executive Secretariat accepting the ATW arline of the year award in Dublin.

Dublin champions

A

ANA CEO picks up aviation award in Dublin

NA CEO Yuji Hirako accepted the Airline of the Year at the ATW awards in Dublin, hosted by GSA for Ana Alan Sparling. Air Canada won Eco-Airline of the Year, AirBaltic the market leader award and Norwegian Air International value airline of the year.

Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr won the leadership in Excellence Award.

Hong Kong won airport of the year.

SITA won the Technology Achievement Award for its development of

a biometric technology that allows passengers to board aircraft without a boarding pass or device.

Cross Border Express won the passenger experience award for developing and operating a passenger bridge that makes transiting across the Tijuana-San Diego border easier and much faster.

Lessor award winner Aengus Kellys aid AerCap buys, leases or sells an aircraft every 24 hours.

“One of the great challenges for

us as an owner of airplanes is trying to work out which airplanes actually make money, of which there aren’t that many, and which lose money, of which there are plenty.

And so it comes down to the very hard work of all the people in AerCap and the tremendous effort and dedication that they give to the company every single day, 24 hours a day, that I am here to receive this award.

AERCAP SIGN 83 LEASE AGREEMENTS IN Q1

G

us Kelly-led AerCap Holdings will release first quarter 2018 financial results in May Major business transactions during the first quarter 2018 include signed lease agreements for 83 aircraft, including 15 widebody and 68 narrowbody, signed

financing transactions for $2.9bn, seven aircraft purchases, including 2 Airbus A320neo Family aircraft, 2 Airbus A350s and 3 Boeing 787-9s, sales of 24 aircraft, including 11 Airbus A320 Family aircraft, 4 Airbus A330s, 1 Airbus A340, 1 Boeing 737 Classic, 1 Boeing

737NG, 2 Boeing 777200ERs and 1 Boeing 787-8 from AerCap’s owned portfolio, and 2 Airbus A320 family aircraft and 1 Boeing 737 Classic from AerCap’s managed portfolio.

Aercap continue to manage 12 aircraft that were sold from their owned portfolio.

Aengus Kelly

COMPENSATION FOR WILDCATS?

T

he European Court of Justice ruled that airlines will have to pay compensation to passengers whose flights have been delayed due to some wildcat strike.

The court ruled with a case made by TUIfly

that airlines are exempt from paying compensation if they can show there were “extraordinary circumstances” which they could not have reasonably avoided.

The Court said such circumstances were only

applicable if they were not part of the normal activity of the airline and were beyond its control.

AirHelp, which deals with compensation claims for passengers affected by delays and cancellations, estimates that Portuguese

flag carrier TAP Air Portugal could be asked to pay€5.2m in claims.

It said Ryanair could also suffer, and be asked to pay out just under €2m because of stoppages which occurred over three days.

MAY 2018 PAGE 23

THE FLYING COLUMN

Aviation with Gerry O’Hare

Why the delay?

BA and Aer Lingus tie up is THREE years behind sched

S

tephen Kavanagh told a Wings Club event in New York that Aer Lingus will complete its transatlantic joint venture with British Airways in the next 12-18 months.

He said this step was obligated to take when Aer Lingus was purchased

by IAG”and has applied for the necessary antitrust approvals to join American Airlines, BA, Iberia and Finnair.

“Our entry into the joint business has allowed us is to really retain that level of historic cooperation with businesses and partners, such as JetBlue. We are confident that the DNA that is everything within Aer Lingus can be protected and harnessed within the JV.” Kavanagh mentioned JetBlue and the carriers’ partnership. Aer Lingus’ membership in the transatlantic joint venture was not supposed to take this

DUBLIN AIRPORT The Depar-

tures Road at Dublin Airport’s Terminal 1 will be temporarily closed from April 17 until the end of May at night time.

CSO aviation statistics for 2017show

Kerry up 3pc to 335,480, Donegal up 5.3pc to 46,517 and Connemara up 23pc to 9,335.

AER LINGUS is showing daily service Dublin-Philadelphia up to Christmas on the booking engine.

ICELANDAIR B737 MAX Kefla-

vik-Dublin is delayed due to late deliveries.

The route will be operated by B757-200.

DUBLIN Airport reported 2.3m passen-

gers in March, up 3pc. Britain was down 5pc, Europe up 5pc, transatlantic up 24pc, other international routes, mainly Middle East up 30pc and domestic up 12pc. The number of connecting passengers was up 9pc. Dublin Airport will have four new airlines and 14 new routes/services this summer.

Stephen Kavanagh and Willie Walsh

long. Both IAG chief executive Willie Walsh and Kavanagh said separately in early 2016 that they expected the necessary agreements to be in place shortly.

“That’s the subject of negotiations between the joint business partners,” said Walsh in February 2016. “That is ongoing. We would expect that to conclude in the next few months.”

Free th nking ble independent

EMIRATES and Keogh’s Crisps announced a deal at Marketplace International, Bord Bia’s annual food buyer event in Dublin, that the north Dublin crisps will be served onboard Emirates flights around the world as part of the airline’s First Class Hot Sandwiches and Snacks service with drinks.

The USA on our doorstep

With full US Preclearance at Shannon Airport, there is no need to waste precious time in a queue when you land in the USA. Just pick up your luggage and walk out the door to the time of your life!

Declan Power declan.power@shannonairport.ie

Isabel Harrison isabel.harrison@shannonairport.ie

shannonairport.ie

MAY 2018 PAGE 24

THE FLYING COLUMN

Aviation with Gerry O’Hare

NORWEGIAN is to suspend its

routes to Providence RI from Cork, Shannon and Edinburgh and from Belfast to Stewart International next winter: “the services will continue through October and we will continue to assess our transatlantic route performance as we confirm the route schedule for next summer.” Cork senator Jerry Buttimer and Labour TD Alan Kelly said Chief Executive of Norwegian Bjørn Kjos ‘must appear before the Oireachtas Transport Committee to explain why the airline scaled back the flights so soon.

RYANAIR welcomed the Paris Com-

mercial Court ruling against Lastminute – which operates the Lastminute.fr website – ordering the immediate cessation of its unlawful selling of Ryanair flights, subject to a daily fine of €1,000. The Court also ordered that Lastminute pay Ryanair €50,000 for “free riding” without Ryanair’s consent on Ryanair’s website, and that Lastminute contribute €10,000 towards Ryanair’s costs in the case.

NORWEGIAN’s Nordic routes at Dublin will shortly move from T1 to T2.

ERA The European Regions Airline Asso-

ciation called on members to take advantage of European Investment Bank funding for new aircraft purchases.

ACUMEN passenger numbers was selected by CDB aviation to provide key asset management service AER LINGUS has vacancies for

catering assistants in the flight kitchen in Dublin (fixed term, full-time) and for cabin crew in Cork.

AER LINGUS passenger numbers

were up 12pc up on March, load factor was up 3.2 to 80.5pc. Cargo carried was up 6.7pc.

For IAG as a whole, passenger traffic was up 9.0pc, up 11.3pc on International European routes and up 8.6pc increase on North America.

RYANAIR in England’s median hourly pay rate for women is 71.8pc less than men.

Only 8 of 554 pilots are women.

AIR CORPS cadetships and other

defence forces applications for 2018 have opened. The Department of Defence proposed loyalty payments to Air Corps pilots.

VIRGIN Atlantic will offer 20,000 seats from Belfast International Airport with Belfast to Orlando route to run for 28 weeks peaking at 2w during June and July using a B747-400.

LANGUAGE A lesson for An Bord

Gaeilge. Passengers flying Hawaiian Airlines may soon get a complimentary language lesson as the company amplifies efforts to preserve traditional Hawaiian by incorporating it into everyday business.

AIR ASIA X Tony Fernandes said the

A350 is too expensive and AirAsia X may cancel or convert its order for 0 A350-900s, with deliveries due to start next year

QATAR will provide gate-to-gate internet connectivity onboard.

Stephen Kavanagh and Yvonne Muldoon launching the Seattle service which commences May 18

Routes of May

Aer Lingus seeks proposals from American airports

A

er Lingus launched a Request for Information for Commercial Support for Transatlantic Network Development.

This offers what the airlines calls a unique opportunity for North American airports and their local communities to invest alongside Aer Lingus in the introduction or expansion of Aer Lingus service.

Multiple studies have shown the economic multiplier benefits of international air service.

Aer Lingus would operate to Dublin, Europe’s fastest growing transatlantic hub, offering both US Customs and Border Protection pre-clearance and extensive onward connectivity throughout Europe.

A

The process is extended both to airports not yet served by Aer Lingus for new route opportunity and those already served by Aer Lingus, for increased capacity/frequencies. The process applies to both the A321LR aircraft as well as existing A330 aircraft, as wide-body capacity may become available by substitution with the new A321LR aircraft.

Airports along with local government, business and tourism bodies are invited to submit information to assist in building the commercial and operational case to operate a new direct route by April 6.

Shortlisted airport meetings will take place at the end of April at Routes Europe, followed by an offi-

cial announcement of 2019 destinations in early May.” Greg Kaldahl, Aer Lingus Chief Strategy and Planning Officer said: “Aer Lingus has a proven track record in developing new and profitable transatlantic routes. Having doubled the scale of our transatlantic operation over the past five years we continue our mission to be the leading value carrier on the North Atlantic.

This is a great opportunity for economic growth through tourism and commercial links for regions and airports in North America, and we are confident that many communities will choose to engage with us in this exciting process.”

ALASKA AND LINGUS TEAM UP

er Lingus and Alaska Airlines announced a broad partnership that will provide Mileage Plan members more ways to earn and redeem miles to Europe.

The carriers will begin interline availability across

their respective networks starting in April. Alaska Mileage Plan members will be able to earn and redeem miles on Aer Lingus flights and Aer Lingus AerClub members will also be able to earn and redeem miles on Alaska,

starting at a later date.

“We’re pleased to join with Alaska Airlines. It’s a meeting of like-minded, service-oriented carriers bringing attractive propositions to their respective travellers,” said Greg Kaldahl, Aer Lingus’ Chief

Strategy and Planning Officer. “Our Aer Lingus guests will now be able to connect onwards to destinations up and down the West Coast, Alaska and Hawaii; while Alaska flyers will gain the opportunity to fly transatlantic

WATERFORD’S RUNWAY NEEDS

W

exford County Council CEO Tom Enright said €10-12m is required to restore Waterford Airport as a commercial entity.

Conor McCarthy of Dublin Aerospace said the absence of a runway at

Waterford Airport capable of catering for jet-engined aircraft effectively rules Waterford out of servicing a London slot “when the competition are all flying fast jets such as the A320 although it “was fine when we had a dysfunctional road transport net-

work. Waterford, without jet capability, is not going to have any possibility of success.

It has been tried and tested and clearly doesn’t work. A lot of the core infrastructure is there but you still need significant investment to get a 2,500m

by 40m runway operational. The Government can’t/won’t do that on its own and that’s the challenge.

Even with that done, you still have no guarantees you will attract an airline.”

MAY 2018 PAGE 25

THE FLYING COLUMN

Aviation with Gerry O’Hare NORWEGIAN will continue the

twice-daily Dublin-Stewart NY and daily Dublin-Providence RI continuing throughout next winter. Shannon-Stewart is to increase to daily throughout the winter while Shannon-Providence is suspended for the winter.

Stewart-Edinburgh increases from 4w to daily for the winter.

PILOTS in England and Italy, its two largest markets, have reached agreement and Ryanair say that a deal was close in Spain.

Progress is slow in Portugal and Ireland.

RYANAIR announced a new three year Premier Corporate Partnership with the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin.

DUBLIN A €40m aviation fuel farm

opened at Dublin Airport bringing efficiencies to the aircraft refuelling operation. The fuel farm has six times the capacity of the original facility with three new aviation fuel tanks capable of storing 15m litres of fuel.

Nevan Visset of Skynet before its operation from Shannon and Dublin came to an end in 2004

R

Aeroflot jetsam Timely return of Dublin to Moscow rumours

eports have re-emerged, for the third time in eight years, that Aeroflot are planning to resume a Moscow-Dublin service.

Aeroflot started regular transit operations at Shannon 1975 as a charter and in 1976 as a scheduled operator and ended in October 2002.

There were occasional turnaround local services, some designed to feed Aer Lingus transatlantic services.

There was a brief suspension for 60 days from September 15 1983 in an Irish government protest over the Soviet shooting-down of Korean Air flight 007, a B747, as it strayed into Soviet airspace near Sakhalin Island.

SkyNet, an Irish airline, operated B737s Shannon-Dublin-Moscow

T

from March 2003 to May 2004 when the aircraft were repossessed by the lessor.

Aeroflot, which had been operating occasional charters to Dublin, started a scheduled service from Moscow from May 21 1987, using Tupolev Tu-154s and, occasionally, Tu-134s.

The service continued until September 13 1996 when it was suspended as part of a programme of cutbacks.

It resumed in summer 1997 using Tu-154s, and in the latter part of 1998 Boeing 737-400s were used on the service.

The route was discontinued at the end of the summer 2003 schedule and thereafter Aeroflot’s presence in Dublin was limited to a code-share

arrangement with Irish carrier Skynet which ceased operations in May 2004. Aeroflot chose not to return to Dublin at that stage.

S7 has been operating seasonal Moscow-Dublin 1w since 2007.

Ryanair is the designated Irish carrier to Moscow & St Petersburg since 2013 Michael O’Leary originally claimed the delay in launching the routes to Russia was because tourism funding support hadn’t been forthcoming, then instead he blamed crew visas, and handling of disruptions.

Ryanair attempted to develop Lappeenranta in Finland as an access point to St Petersburg,two hours from St Petersburg by train.

AER LINGUS 16th T/A CARRIER

ransatlantic seats will reach 3.35m per week this summer, up 5.9pc on 2017, analysis by Ralph Anker’s Anna Aero suggests..

Delta Air Lines will offer the most, followed

by British Airways, which finished second in the rankings. The European carriers that made the top 20 include 2 from each of the UK, Spain and Iceland.

Aer Lingus is 15th.

Heathrow will offer the most departing seats on transatlantic services, 250,000 on 912 departures, 167 more than the second placed airport JFK ahead of 3 Paris CDG, 4 Madrid, 5 Frankfurt, 6 Amsterdam and Dublin in 16th place, 8th in Europe, and is higher if South American routes are excluded.

Eleven carriers will offer scheduled transatlantic services from Heathrow, BA

offers 361 departures.

New York JFK is the highest placed non-European airport. European and US hubs represent 10 each of the top 20 transatlantic origin points. Eight of the 10 North American hubs are located in the US, but there are also two from Canada (Toronto Pearson and Montreal).

Heathrow-JFK is by far the largest route based on available seats.

The US big three (Delta, United and American) occupy three of the top four spots in the transatlantic airline rankings. Between them they will account for 23pc of all weekly seats in this market during S18.

Delta will account for 8.6.

In all, five of the top 20 airlines are based in North America (3 in the US and 2 in Canada), with the remaining 15 based in Europe.

CAR The Commission for Aviation Regu-

lation slot coordination parameters for the winter 2018 season at Dublin Airport implemented a set of demand-led adjustments to the runway limits, and to bring the terminal limits in line with those declared for summer 2018.

SHANNON Airport Group Strategy

Director Patrick Edmond said 737 MAXs and A321LRs could not only reach the US east coast, but the US Midwest as well and low cost carriers could use Shannon as low-cost hub just as airlines did in the 1950s..

EIRTECH says an unnamed Asian and a South American airline have selected its Cargo Loading System product for installation on their A319 and A321 aircraft.

BELFAST International introduced a bus service to Antrim train station for rail connections to/from Derry, Bellarena, Castlerock, Coleraine, Ballymoney, Cullybackey and Ballymena.

HEATHROW One in five BA passengers departing Heathrow now use T3, equating to over 7m annual passengers.

IAG takeover talks with Spanish carrier Air Europa ended without a deal.

CANARY Islands tourism promotion

company Promotur launched a selection process for 20 routes.

AIR ITALY opened reservations for additional long-haul capacity next winter with a new route, Milan Malpensa-Mumbai with A330-200 5w, and Malpensa-Lagos-AccraMalpensa increasing from 2 to 4w with B737 MAX 8 replacing B767,

AEROFLOT may be denied the possibility of flights to the US which require crew overnights from Jun18 due to a 250 day lead time for the issue of crew visas following the closure of US Consulates in Moscow and St Petersburg. Russia agreed to extend by six months overflight approvals for US airlines, hours before an agreement on overflights was due to expire.

u

MAY 2018 PAGE 26

GLOBAL VILLAGE

Inside the Travel Business

TOUR AMERICA

Mary McKenna of Tour America was one of 24 finalists in the Entrenur of the Year Ireland competition, the first travel agent to be nominated.

Ciaran Mulligan of Blue Insurances was the last person form the industry to be nominated back in 2011.

ADAMS & BUTLER Siobhan

Learat Byrne of Adams & Butler features among 46 entrepreneurs and businesses in Sean Gallagher’s‘Secrets to Success – Inspiring Stories From Leading Entrepreneurs’.

Other tourism interests include Deirdre McGlone’s Harvey’s Point, Kelly’s Rosslare, Ray Coyle of Tayto Park, and Mary McKenna of Tour America. Siobhan Learnt B yarn has been listed among Virtuoso’s most innovative advisors.

GETABED represented in Ireland by John McKibbin, and roomsXMLare to be combined under new brand, Stuba to be officially launched during Arabian Travel Market, April 22nd to 25th. The group says Stuba will be significantly larger in scale to what roomsXML and getabed were individually,

CELEBRITY Valerie Murphy has joined Celebrity cruises as strategic account manager for Ireland ahead of Celebrity Eclipse arrival in Dublin later this month to be based in the city until June.

QATAR Matthew Tarrantis the new

Commercial Manager for Qatar Airways to head up the airline’s Dublin operation. He previously worked with Travel department and then Flight Centres.

TRAVEL DEPARTMENT ap-

pointed Deirdre Burns as chair and completed their MML investment. Deirdre was previously the Managing Director of Boots Ireland, .

TOPFLIGHT are offering a holiday to Italy with a partner and up to 2 children to four agents in a selection of their flagship properties including the 4* Majestic Palace Hotel in Malcesine and the Fattoria Castiglionchio in the idyllic Tuscan Countryside. Agents who book a Topflight Summer 2018 Italian holiday departing from Dublin, Cork or Belfast during the applicable booking before May 11 swill be entered in a draw. Agents whose clients book one of Topflight’s great for kids properties double their chances.

TPG Travel Partners Group new Table Quiz format roadshow and will be in Sligo on May 9th with spot prizes.

FLEXIBLE Autos delivered the Easter Hamper to Centre Travel,.

EXPEDIA TAAP released a new dy-

namic commission model. The new model giving TAAP agents flexibility to optimise their sales and earn more.

LOS ANGELES Tourism & Convention Board launched ‘L.A. Insider,’ online training tool for travel trade.

AIR FRANCE -KLM group signed a private channel agreement with Amadeus.

ITAA 2018 board: Joe Tully of Tully’s Travel, Pearse Keller of Keller Travel, Des Abbott of Des Abbott Travel, Pat Dawson CEO of the ITAA. Front row: Martin Skelly of Navan Travel, Clare Dunne of The Travel Broker, John Spollen of Cassidy Travel president of the ITAA, Valerie Metcalfe of FCM.

ITAA board elected

h

New ITAA board can have memebr co-opted

e Irish Travel Agents Association elected a new president and a new reduced board at their AGM in conjunction with the Irish Travel Trade Show in Dublin.

John Spollen, Director of Cassidy Travel, was elected President of the Irish Travel Agents Association at the Association’s AGM, which took place as part of the Irish Travel Trade Show in Dublin today.

Des Abbott, of Des Abbott Travel, was re-elected as Treasurer. Appointments to the board, mamximum of ten mmbers with the president having an option to co-opt one were: n Pearse Keller, Keller Travel, Ballinasloe, Galway n Martin Skelly, Navan Travel, Meath

n Clare Dunne, The Travel Broker, Clontarf, Dublin n Valerie Metcalfe, FCM, Dublin n Paul Hackett, ClickandGo.com n Joe Tully, Tullys Travel, Carlow n Angela Walsh, Corporate Travel Management, Cork John Spollen has been director and shareholder of Cassidy Travel, Ireland’s leading independent travel agency group which has been in business 32 years, John is responsible for Marketing Strategy and Direction.

He believes in the continued role of the travel agent within the travel trade, based on their ability to invest, adapt and deliver cost effective solutions to clients.

In a written statement to the AGM, John Spollen, said “the continued

success of our industry has been down to travel agents collective ability to evolve and meet the changing market place.

There are a number of challenges facing us over the next 2 years including GDPR, the EU package holiday directive and of course Brexit.

However, there are also big opportunities for the travel trade as more destinations and products come on stream, the economy continues to grow and consumers take more and more holidays each year.”

The AGM took place in the RDS today as part of the Irish Travel Trade Show. The one-day event is the official trade show of the ITAA and Ireland’s largest ever travel trade show with 120 exhibitors,

PHILADELPHIA DEAL IS DONE FOR NOVEMBER

T

he 2018 ITAA conference in Philadelphia on November 23, will be held in the Philadelphia Downtown Marriott.

Getting the 100 agents and suppliers there is the next step with Aer Lingus and American Airlines are both likely to

offer preferential rates.

Greg Evans, a huge supporter of the Irish travel trade, was responsible for getting the details of the conference over the line overcoming some considerable obstacles along the way.

Des Abbott of Des Abbott travel visited

Philadelphia in advance of the announcement and further details are being firmed up in the coming weeks.

The conference is likely to return to Spain to Cordoba in 2019 and to Portugal in 2020..

Greg Evans

A big THANK YOU to our Sponsors and to the Trade for making the Show such a success.

GETTING

BIGGER AND BETTER ises; Uniworld River Cru ght Vacations and o, Visit Portugal; Charlie McNally,, Insi dos Car ana Sus ions. sident of the ITAA; John Spollen, Pre an, Business Exhibit and Edmund Houric Maureen Ledwith

EVERY YEAR

Maureen Ledwith, Business Exhibitions; Joe Tully, Tully Travel; Pat Dawson, CEO of the ITAA; John Spollen , President of the ITAA; Teresa Gancedo, Spanish Tourist Board; Marta Munoz, Costa Daurada Tourist Board; Cormac Meehan of Meehan Travel.

Sharon Jordan an, Insight Vacations and Uniworld River Cruises; John Spollen , President of the ITAA Eilish Wall, ; l Insight Vacations and Uniworld River Cruises .

Eira Mogas,, Catalan Tou rist Office; Kathryn McDonnell,, Spanish Tourist Board; Maria Santiveri,, Cata lan Tourist Board.

ions.

sident of the ITAA

John Spollen, Pre

ibit with, Business Exh with Maureen Led

Nolan, ITAA; Cork Airport; Sinead Daragh Hanratty, k Airport.

Brenda Roche, Cor

nes, VisitFlanders.

s and Andrew Dai

A; Lisa Thoma Sinead Nolan, ITA

tz.

Jason Kearns, Her

Gerard O Panga, Phil ippine Department of Tourism; Sinead Nolan, ITAA; Gladys G Evans, Philippine Department of Tourism; Filippo Rocchi , Emirate s; Jean Maxwell, ITAA .

117732 TE MAY_ ITTS 2018.indd 1

An initiative of the ITAA supported by Travel Centres, Worldchoice and Travelsavers

www.irishtraveltradeshow.com

l picking up her prize from Francis Grogan of Grogan Trave & Entertainment.

Michaela Gray of SeaWorld Parks

4/20/18 12:11 PM

MAY 2018 PAGE 28

u

WINDOW SEAT Last month in numbers

130.3m Number of passengers on Ryanair in the twelve months to March, a record

2.3m Number of passengers who used Dublin airport in March, up 3pc despite blizzard Emma

51,550 Number of Irish visitors to Australia in 2017, up 27pc but still behind Thailand.

135 Number of ‘game changer’ Boeing 737 MAX options exercised by Ryanair, up 25

86.9 Metres, the height of the new air traffic control tower at Dublin, tallest building in Ireland.

14 Number of new services at Dublin airport involving four new airlines this summer.

5 Number of rotations by Celebrity Eclipse from Dublin port, the first major cruise line to do so

ROOMS WITH A POINT OF VIEW

C

orporate style histories do not often come as well-written as this one.

The story of the Irish Hotels Federation is about pressure-group politics, give and take, deals and compromises, and the slow sluggish journey of a conservative and often divided industry body of eclectic and wide-ranging personalities towards the goal of offering higher standards in an expanding touchpoint industry.

That could be a drab and grey story, like the suits worn by the key personnel included in the pages.

But this is where Frank Corr comes in, with his eye for detail

History of the Irish Hotels Federation

by Frank Corr

and ear for an interesting twist on a familiar yarn.

He delights in the colourful, depicting the fáinne and pioneer pin-wearing civil servants fresh form a from country upbringing, engaging with the often flamboyant hoteliers whose job was to represent sophistication and extroversion in not long-independent Ireland.

Inspectors, we are told, arrived, often on bicycle, took a look around, had a cup of tea and a scone, and then disappeared back from whence they came, muttering

darkly under their breaths.

The twain, when they met, did not always agree. How they got there in the end is an interesting tale in itself.

Do not be put off by the fact that this is an official history. It is an engaging read. Don McMonigle’s photographs illustrate the story, and that of the haunted castles, mansions and hotels, dragging the reader rapidly through what the walls have seen. It is a heavy task handled with a light touch, and a credit to all concerned.

Young travel writer: Oisín Carolan

Travel Extra ran a secondary school travel writing competition at Holiday World in January.

The winner was Oisín Carolan, 5th Year, Virginia College, Virginia, Co Cavan (17 years old)

T

uscany is often described as a world of its own, and that it is.

With its vast, hilled countryside of ethereal beauty, the quaint yet breath-taking hilltop villages and the magnificent, regal cities of Florence, Siena and Lucca, it would take five lifetimes to fully grasp this gem.

Our extended family have retreated to the Tuscan countryside for the last two years. It is a summer holiday like no other.

Having previously experienced the built up, heavy nature of the Costa del Sol; the activity-filled campsites of Northern France and the historic, beautiful capital cities of Europe; I can honestly say that Tuscany is the epitome of perfection in every way.

The province of Tuscany has the ability to cater for the many wants and ideas of a perfect holiday.

T

Calafuria: The Tuscan countryside inspired Oisin Carolan from Virginia Our two families make up ten people who can sometimes find it hard to agree on what the day will hold but we have no trouble finding a balance. Many mornings the mothers would head down to our villa’s pool with their books and spend hours lounging in the heat and going for the occasional dip.

The father and kids would head of, in our glorified minibus, to a local hilltop town and explore the walled citadels and compete to find the most tasteful little café where we would begin the day with a coffee and the local pastry of choice. The steep, winding hills provide the perfect opportunity for the lads to tear into, either on foot or with a bike

under them.

The exercise provides a chance for the men to blow off a bit of steam and possibly discover another hidden beauty for the troops to visit the next day. Upon return, we would launch ourselves into the pool to cool off, before collapsing on the sunbeds to enjoy the splendid heat of the raging Tuscan sun.

The grand, magnificent cities of the province provide another opportunity for discovery. The minibus would be loaded up every few days and we would head off to Florence, Pisa, Siena or Lucca and spend the day touring the city, marvelling in the urban architecture and breath-taking monuments,

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

he financing and leasing of aircraft is a peculiarly Irish business.

Irish firms manage in excess of 5,000 commercial aircraft, worth over $130bn, half of all leases and a quarter of the global fleet. All but one of the world’s 15 largest aircraft lessors have operations here.

When Tony Ryan signed the deal to send Aer Lingus’s second 747 to Siam. A star industry as born.

Previously, airlines owned all

their aircraft. Leasing allows them to finance rapid expansion or contraction without taking on debt.

Only 2pc of aircraft were leased in 1980. Now the figure is 40pc.

Ireland remains the industry’s global hub. Dublin has a ready supply of workers trained to manage and finance aircraft. It is home to the international registrar of aircraft that enables owners to gain swift repossession of their aircraft if an airline defaults, The tax re-

gime leavens the industry’s otherwise famously tight margins.

A survey by Deloitte in January showed that 38pc of aircraft finance executives think Brexit will damage Ireland’s leasing industry.

Hong Kong and Singapore are aggressively trying to attract lessors with lower tax rates and other incentives. A third of aircraft-finance executives say that they could move operations if thing change. It is a sobering prospect.

learning about the culture and tucking into the delicious cuisine.

The Italian food is something else.

Bruschetta covered in newly picked tomatoes, dipped in olive oil; freshly baked pastas and pizzas; and homemade gelato just to top it all off. All freshly made and bursting with flavour.

The people of Tuscany don’t seem to be affected by the influx of mass tourism to the area. Where the citizens of other areas affected by tourism may have become irritated by the tourists, the people of Tuscany have maintained their charm and their warm, helpful nature.

On both occasions when we arrived at our residence, the owners have been present to welcome us, along with an array of food and a helping hand. The locals in many of the towns we visited were always more than happy to lend their recommendations.

Their spirit and genuine friendliness are what sticks in your mind when you return from this piece of paradise.

The delicious food, amazing architecture and overall serenity of the province don’t taint the memory either.

IN YOUR NEXT TRAVEL EXTRA: Available to Travel Agents or online May 21 2018

AMERICAN ISSUE More choice than ever PHILLY & SEATTLE NEW ROUTES

MAY 2018 PAGE 29

MEETING PLACE

o rter Travel, Lucia Cesar at George Barter of J Ba sm uri To se ea gu rtu Po and Antonio Padeira of meet and greet the Portuguese Tourism

Clare O’Dwyer and Bre nd Travel at the Irish Travel an Barry of Discover Industry Show

Out and about with the Travel Trade

Antoinette Young of Falcon Holidays and Clare Dunne of The Travel Broker at the Aer Lingus Philadelphia launch

Philip Airey of Sunway, Jeff Collins of Best4Travel and Paul Hackett of Clickandgo at the Aer Lingus Philadelphia launch

dy Travel and Aidan Bernard Nolan of Cassi e Turkish Airlines Aviva Eilish Wall of The Travel Corporation and PaulTh ette Moran of Business Exhibitions at the PortuCoughlan of WTC at at guese Tourism meet and greet rugby semi-final

Carol Hurley, Charlie Mc of The Travel Corporat Nally and Marissa Beck ion at the Irish Travel Industry Show

h Airlines and Audrey Hasan Mutlu of Turkis presentation at at The Headon of Headon Re by semi-final rug iva Av Turkish Airlines

Antoinette Young of TU I Spanish Tourist Board and Sara Rivero of the at the Irish Travel Indust Show ry

Sharon Sheridan of Na van Foley of Platinum Travel Travel and Ciara Beeach event in Dublin at the Huntingdon

ente writer and Daniela Vic Margaret Ward travel ssy at the Portuguese ba of the Portuguese Em et gre d an et me sm Touri

Sharon Menzies of Clu b Cullagh and Martin Ch Travel with Kieran Mcurchill of USIT at at Th e Turkish Airlines Aviva rugby semi-final

Cormac Walsh of Concorde/Joe Walsh Tours, Aidan Coughlan of WTC and Ken Masterson of Skytours at at The Turkish Airlines Aviva rugby semi-final

apes/Travelesscapes Alan Lynch of Cruiseesc the ITAA at at The of asnd Pat Dawson CEO by semi-final rug Turkish Airlines Aviva

Barry Barker and Cormac O’Connell of Dublin Airport with David O’Grady of E-travel at at The Turkish Airlines Aviva rugby semi-final

Audrey Headon of He ad Alan Lynch of Cruiseescon Representation and at The Turkish Airlines apes/Travelesscapes at Aviva rugby semi-final

Celina Tavares, Des Abbott of Des Abbott Travel, Susana Cardoso of Portuguease Tourism and Pat Dawson at Portuguese TB meet and greet

ry ssic Collection and Ma Niall McDonnell of Cla Portuguese Tourism the Denton of Sunway at meet and greet

MAY 2018 PAGE 30

MEETING PLACE

Out and about with the Travel Trade

inn Jenny Rafter and Julie Greenhill at the Aer Lingus Polly Bond of Tour America, Sharo Travel and Grainne Qu n Harney of Cassidy Travel and Jim Gerry Bergin of COGO oup Tours at the Aer Lin- Philadelphia launch Gr the Aer Lingus PhiladelpVaughan of Justsplit at of Budget School and hia launch gus Philadelphia launch

Bernie Burke of Travel Centres, Mary Denton Sunway and Dominic Burke of Travel Centres of the Portuguese Tourism at meet and greet

Celine Buckley of E-travel and Jill Maguire of American Sky at the Aer Lingus Philadelphia launch

usa Ambassador of Miguel de Almeida e So rdoso Director of PorCa a san Portugal and Su ce in Dublin at the Portu tuguease Tourism offi d greet guese Tourism meet an

Thomas O’Donohue of s Bladhanna Richardson of American Holidays and Julie Curran and Onur Gul of Tu Philip Airey of Sunway, rkish Airlines wit Thomas O’Donohue of Curran of Turkish Airline Strand Travel at at Th h Strand Travel and Julie Aviva rugby semi-final Ray Scully of Travelopia at the Aer Lingus Phila- Turkish e s Airlines Aviva rugby sem delphia launch at at The Turkish Airline i-final

Diane Bowman of Tra vel Blaithin O’Donnell of Air Counsellors with of United at Travel Co Canada and Aoife Gregg unsellors conference

an/Breakaway.ie and Elisha Bernie, of Neen vel Counsellors at Tra of Yvonne Lomasney land conference Travel Counsellors Ire

Sophie Phelan, Carol An choice Ireland, Mary Kin ne O’Neill of WorldDarren Hutchinson of g of Travelsavers and Strand Travel

Paulo Mendes, Anthony Petrucci , Yashad Deshmuch of Innstant Travel at the Portuguese Tourism meet and greet

Counsellors with Mary Cathy O’Sullivan, Travel ylor Sunway Travel at Ta Denton, and Jeanette land conference Travel Counsellors Ire

Andrea McHugh of Tully’s Newbridge and Caitri- Rachel Dearden of Hotel Botan ico with Linda ona Doyle of Tully’s Newbridge at the Irish Travel Harte and Caroline McDermott of O’Hanrahan’s Travel, at the Irish Tra Industry Show vel Industry Show

Tom O’Donohue of Strand Travel, Holly Best of Virgin Atlantic and Olwen McKinney of Amadeus at the Irish Travel Industry Show

thy Burke, Travel Coun Bernie Whelan, and Ca at Travel Counsellors sellors Ireland pictured Ireland conference

MAY 2018 PAGE 31

Out and about with the Travel Trade

Travel and Barry HamSinead Devine of Club Aer Lingus Philadelphia the at mond of Sunway launch

Jean Jolley of AE Consu Camino Ways at the Po lting and MarianGolpe of rtuguese Tourism meet and greet

Denton and Deirdre Jeanette Taylor, Mary ry the Irish Travel Indust Sweeny of Sunway at , Show in the RDS, Dublin

Shauna Kelly, Top flig ht Manager, Kevin Smith, Reseller Development Ac Atlantic and Holly Best, count Manager, Virgin Account Manager, Vir Atlantic at Travel Coun gin sellors Ireland conferen ce

ependent Travel, Alan eill Alan O’Doherty of Ind vel and Carol Anne O’N elTra an Neenan of Neen at the Aer Lingus Philad of Worldchoice Ireland phia launch

Teresa Gancedo of the Spanish TB, John Spolle of Cassidy president of the ITAA and Antoinett n Young of TUI at the Iris e h Travel Industry Show

MEETING PLACE

Dee Burdock of Ameri can Holida Angela Walsh of CTM and Pat Dawson CEO of of American Sky and Holly Be ys, Jill Maguire st the ITAA at the Aer Lingus Philadelphia launch at the Huntingdon Beeach eve of Virgin Atlantic nt in Dublin

Martin Penrose of Ifonly and Fabio Santos of Joe Walsh Tours at the Aer Lingus Philadelphia launch

Torok of Shripa Sheth and Edina ow Sh ry Travel Indust

GTI at the Irish

John Keogh of Aer Lingus and Mark McGrath of Sarah Revelle, Rocky Mountaineer, Becky Sk Flightcentre at the Aer Lingus Philadelphia launch HAL and Val Gunn, Travel Counsellors at Tra ipp, vel Counsellors Ireland con ference

Cormac Meehan, Hasan Mutlu and Onur Gul of Turkish Airlines and David O’Grady of E-travel at at The Turkish Airlines Aviva rugby semi-final

Paulette Moran of Business Exhibitions and Susana Cardoso Director of Portuguease Tourism office in Dublin at the Portuguese Tourism meet and greet

Patricia Grealish, Reservations Manager, Breakaway.ie and Aisling Kutay, Travel Counsellors at Travel Counsellors Ireland conference

unsellors and Barry Mary Foyle of Travel Co Walsh Tours at Travel e /Jo Walsh of Concorde ference Counsellors Ireland con

Left Barbars Miran an d Travel at the Irish TravelMarian Benton of Map Industry Show

h ear Hannon Travel wit Eileen Doherty of Eim Kane’s Travel Longford of Mary and Rose Kane ry Show at the Irish Travel Indust

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Maureen Ledwith Sales Director

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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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