Travel extra nov 2014 5mb

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CRUISE PRICES AND OPTIONS 2015 WHICH SHIP SUITS YOU? WIN A ROYAL CARIbbEAN CRUISE Munich Oktoberfest

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NEWS

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The great ski fraud Some resorts overstating lengths of runs by 300pc

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n initiative in Austria has shown that ski resorts have been overstating the length of their piste.

Some resorts, particularly in Austria, have responded to national guidelines by slashing their claims – one area, Hochzillertal, cut its claimed extent from 181km to 88km.

Other resorts have responded by explaining how they arrive at their figures, and publishing a realistic total alongside the inflated figure they prefer to publicise.

The authors of Where to Ski and Snowboard 2015 claim many resorts are ignoring the problem, and some are sidestepping it. Top resort Ischgl, for example, still claims 238km, but explains helpfully that the real figure is 172km.

“The most amazing response,” said Chris Gill, “is that of the French resort Les Deux-Alpes. We’ve always believed that the resort’s figure of about 200km was way over the top, and the German report we publicised a year ago reckoned the resort was overstating its extent by 70pc. Now the resort publishes no piste length

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has opened up membership to veterans of the J1 visa programme. To avail of cultural, political, business and educational events with US and Irish speakers. 's tourism minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said she wants all foreign visitors to wear ID wristbands and eventually tracking devices.

Holidays has asked its suppliers to pledge not to receive dolphins and whales that were captured from the wild after February 14, 2014.

Tourist Board will mark Ringstrasse boulevard’s 150th birthday next year. Institutions including the Wien Museum, the Vienna Jewish Museum, the Austrian National Library, the Museum of Natural History and Kunsthistorisches Museum will be paying tribute with exhibitions and guided tours.

A glass-bottomed bridge has opened in Pingjang, southern China. The bridge stretches 300 metres between two rocky peaks 180 meters above a valley.

Light Festival takes place from November 27 to January 18. Light sculptures by international artists will be lit up throughout the festival.

Governor Andrew Cuomo launched the year-round I Love New York bus service to a range of upstate destinations. The schedule will connect passengers to wine, beer and cider trails and seasonal festivals around New York State. and Beaches will introduce free Wi-Fi across its resorts from Dec 1. & Co said the theme of this year’s Village Halloween Parade in Greenwich Village is ‘The Garden of Earthly Delights’. The parade takes place on 6th Avenue from Spring Street to 16th Street on Halloween night. ’s government is to end tax levied on golf courses and spas. celebrates 150 years since it became the 36th state to enter the USA on October 31.

Bible museum plans to open in 2016. It will feature eight floors with over 400,000 sq feet of exhibit space and will include 44,000 biblical artefacts. The project was created by Steve Green, president of craft store chain Hobby Lobby. Green presented a temporary Bible exhibition in Israel last year. Construction is hoped to be begin next month.

THAILAND

VIRGIN

VIENNA

CHINA

AMSTERDAM

Austria’s Skiwelt has asked for a re-evaluation of piste lengths figure at all – it publishes the area of its prepared runs (in hectares), instead, making comparisons with rival resorts impossible.”

Many resorts arrive at their inflated figures by making arbitrary assumptions about the route skiers take down the mountain, adding a certain percentage to allow for turns. “We think

that’s ludicrous,” says Gill. “But in the end what matters is that resorts should measure their pistes in a standard way, so that you don’t get one resort adding nothing to the directly measured length, another adding 57% and a third adding 120%..

TEN UPCOMING DESTINATIONS

hailand has moved quickly to reassure the trade that it is not a dangerous place even after the murders of two tourists in the quiet island of Koh Tao. One reason Thailand has a reputation for safety is the speedy and over-whelming response to any incidents which threaten its u31bn tourism industry,

USA

The combination of safety and security, and the ability to serve up an action-packed itinerary for the backpacker market, as well as more sedate honeymoon, golf and nature holidays, is one of the reasons it is Ireland’s leading long haul holiday destinations: with 63,000 visitors a year.

Of our long haul destinations, only Australia gets more visitors.

The authorities there are treated with respect by the international criminal community. It has been well publicised that young back packers have landed in prison for the possession of relatively small amounts of drugs, something that adds to the appeal of the place for those with more legal pursuits in mind.

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THAILAND NEVADA

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THE KNOWLEDGE Travel Extra Advertising & Subscriptions 6 Sandyford Office Park Dublin 18 (+3531) 2913707 Fax (+3531) 2957417 Editorial Office Clownings Straffan Co Kildare 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: Conor McMahon conor@travelextra.ie 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

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CONTENTS 3 News Where to go how much to pay 6 Hotels: News 8 Postcards: News from the trade 10 Dominican Republic: Winter warm

15 Competition: Royal Caribbean 14-17 Cruise: Winter guide 19 Cruise: Behind the scenes 19 Cruise: Ship off the old block 22 Tanzania: East Africa’s treasures 24 Afloat: Quantum sails backwards

26-30 Flying: Ryanair ditches kitchen 31 Ireland: The Eden winners 32 Ireland: Bus Eireann holiday break 34 Global Village Inside the travel industry 36 Window seat: Our columnists 37 Pictures: Out and about

Selling a cruise break

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cabin on a lower deck in the centre of the ship. You can reassure them that safety onboard is of the highest standard, you are surrounded by like minded people, it is ideal for teenagers.

ruise companies have gone into overdrive to educate travel organisers about the merits of their various cruise brands and what they can offer to suit each individual.

So how do you translate that into sales?

BUDGET It is all about budget. This needs to be established at the very beginning of the conversation along with finding out their expectations of the trip. Spend time on expectations before you offer advice. If in doubt, sell from the top down. Customers will soon tell you if that is not in their budget.

DETERMINE

the client's requirements. if the destination the most important criteria a larger ship may not be able to navigate the likes of the fjords in Norway, missing the best parts of the itinerary and destination. Some ocean going vessels are small enough to navigate rivers like the Fred Olsen Braemar (which has a selection of river cruises in 2015, offering the best of both worlds).

EMPHASISE.

value and price. Show just how much prices of traditional cruises are dropping, the per-day cost all inclusive works out at u50 on some Caribbean cruises.

Check the price of a land based all inclusive or full board week holiday and then price a cruise.

CHANGE their

perceptions that cruising is for older travellers, that you spend all your time on the ship, that

TIPPING most

cruise companies now allow you to pre book gratuities or include them in prices. Be sure to tell clients about these so no surprises at end of week if they haven’t pre paid.

Drinks packages are all the rage sea-sickness is an issue, and most of all that cruising is expensive.

When people often say that cruising wouldn't interest them as they don't spend long in a por, a good selling tip is that it's a great way to find out where you want to go back to,

LUXURY Sell the

dream. Point out all the luxury options for special occasions such as anniversaries. On all of the newer ships in the past 10-15 years, there is no such thing as steerage. All staterooms are well above water, and have all the mod cons of 4 and 5 star hotels. The proportion of rooms with balconies is rising.

DRINKS packages

are all the rage. The top end ships include drinks in their all inclusive prices but most lines do pre-paid packages. Fred Olsen offer drinks package at €12 per day which includes beers, good house wines and spirits and 50pc discount on a la carte wines and premium brands. MSC’s Allegrissimo is cheapest

of the big ship brands at €26pp per day (5pc commissionable to the agent) allowing unlimited beer, wine, cocktails, spirits, ice cream, tea coffees etc.

REPEAT Keep

customers up to date with new facilities, new ships, new routes, and direct pick ups from Ireland. Establish an ongoing elationship.

Encourage your customers to discuss their next cruise with the 'future cruise consultant' on board there are lots of extras and you can come back to your travel professional to discuss adding on flights /hotels and tours afterwards.

Loyalty cards entitle the client to 5pc off the next cruise booked with Travel Agent. With most lines, commission goes back to the agent if the next cruise is booked on board.

LINK consecutive

cruises: tag one cruise onto another to see more especially in Asia.

FOOD Culinary

standards on board continue to exceed expecta-

tions. While cruises are know for their food, some clients can be very fussy eaters with unusual dietary requirements, cruising can remove all the hassle of finding somewhere to dine every day, while still offering great food. Healthy food options are becoming more and more apart of the cruise lines fare.

There are speciality restaurants on the bigger ships and some cruise lines are seeking Michelin stars for the chefs..

ONBOARD

accommodation is all mod cons with lots of options up to the suites with hot tubs, pianos etc

CHILDREN

Point out how child friendly many cruiselines are with kids clubs, facilities, babysitting, menus, dedicated pool areas, and Dreamworks characters. Some cruise lines offer allow 18 year olds cruise for free.

FEARS about sea

sickness can be assuaged by telling them modern ships are well stabilised but if you are concerned choose a big ship and a

DUTY FREE

Point out the duty free shopping available onboard many ships.

SHORE Cruises

try to allow passengers as much time ashore as possible, sailing at night and waking up in a new port. Many cruise lines are offering more overnights in destinations which is a great way to see many beautiful cities at night with the cruise ship acting as your hotel. Warn that teh cruise company’s own shore excursions can be expensive (although many cruise lines are offering these as commissionable extras) and that they can explore on their own.

SUGGEST un-

usual destinations. The big cruise lines are going to Asia, Africa and Australia. Try Hurtigruten for Antarctica and Star Cruises for Asia.

SWITCH SELL: Agents don’t get many clients walking through the door with a cruise brochure so they have to try to switch-sell.

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HOTELS

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IHF Irish Hotels Federation, 87pc of hotels and guesthouses in Ireland have increased their business this year. 73pc of hoteliers have hired additional staff, which 83pc plan to begin refurbishment projects over next 12 months. IHF Chief Executive Tim Fenn noted that recent tourism gains are not spread evenly across the country, particularly in rural areas. Another concern is overhanging debt in the sector, which is estimated at €5.3bn. The survey found that 43pc of hoteliers are concerned about the viability of their business over the next 12 months, down from 63pc in 2013.

MONART Two Shaolin masters from Henan province in China, Master Zheng and Master Shixuan, returned to Enniscorthy for a three-month residence at Monart Destination Spa. The two masters will be offering intermediate Kung Fu classes and Warrior Massage treatments from now until December 14.

NAMA

sold the Malton Hotel in Killarney to hotelier Joe Scally.

JAMAICA Demand for hotels in Ja-

maica on Expedia and Hotels.com rose by almost 20pc in the first half of 2014.

MINIBAR The Mandalay Bay Hotel &

Casino in Las Vegas is threatening to fine guests $50 if they store personal items in the minibar.

HAYES’S HOTEL

Fethard native Jack Halley, proprietor of the Robot Pub in Chelmsford in London, bought Hayes’s Hotel in Thurles. The billiards room was where the GAA was founded on November 1, 1884 by Michael Cusack and Maurice Davin.

HARVEY’S POINT

Hotel won their third Best One Day Carvery in Ireland award in succession at the Great Irish Carvery Awards from a vote by members of the public and adjudication by a team organised by sponsors Unilever Food Systems.

DALATA group bought the three-star Tower Hotel in Derry for €5.5m. The hotel will be re-branded under the Maldron label. Pat McCann of Dalata said the group intends to buy a further 20 to 25 Irish hotels over the next three years. Group sales are up 31pc for the first half of 2014.

POWERSCOURT celebrated their third place award from National Geographic in their list of the world's top ten gardens. Picture shows Sara Waldburg, Marketing Manager of Houses, Castles and Gardens, Aoife O’Driscoll Marketing Manager of Powerscourt Estate, Ruth Andrews CEO of the inbound Irish Tour Operators Association and Eoghan O’MaraWalsh of O’ Mara Consultancy.

UNIVERSAL

Orlando announced a new hotel, the destination’s fifth. The 1,000room Sapphire Falls, including 77 suites, will bring the number of on-site hotel rooms at Universal Orlando to 5,200.

NH

Two hospitality brands have joined forces as Madrid-based NH Hotel Group selected Preferred Hotel Group as its exclusive partner for the launch of NH Collection, a brand of 14 hotels and resorts in Argentina, Italy, Mexico and Spain.

Madrid: Prices rose in September in one of the best value captials for hotel rooms

Bring on the fall

September prices down across Europe but up YOY

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adrid saw the second highest month-on-month increase with prices increasing 74pc to €127 in the Tirvago monthly index.

Trivago say this is largely due to events being such as the Arnold Europe bodybuilding conference (Sept 26-28) and the final of the FIBA Basketball World Cup (Sept 14).

Elsewhere other European cities showed high monthon-month increases, including Seville (up 56pc to u100), Berlin (up 54pc to u134) and Paris (up 48pc to u217).

Prices have also risen in Munich in the run up to Okto-

berfest, up 74pc tto €231. Dring the fhe festival Sep 20 – Oct 5, the average will rise further to €272.

Just three cities show an increase in hotel prices when compared to August 2014. However, average hotel prices did not rise significantly in these locations (prices in Limerick have risen 6pc to an average of u88, Dublin up 1pc to u132, Donegal up 1pc to u177).

Sligo saw the largest decline in prices this month with a decrease of 26 per cent to u101, while large drops were also seen in Galway (down 23pc to u112), Kinsale (down 23pc to u117) and Athlone (down 20pc to u84).

As a result, the national month-onmonth average dipped by five per cent, meaning a standard double room will cost an average of u117 throughout September in Ireland.

Despite month-on-month prices falling across Ireland, significant yearon-year increases have been seen in Donegal (where prices have risen 32pc) and Kenmare (up 22pc).

The comparison website compares rates from 730,700 hotels on 175 booking sites worldwide.

Trivago claims to integrate 120m hotel ratings and 14m photos for their 75m visitors per month. Trivago claims users save an average of 35pc per booking.

Ttrivago was founded in 2005 in Düsseldorf, Germany and currently operates 47 international country platforms in 28 languages. It was bought by Expedia in 2012.

EUROPEAN HOTEL PRICE INDEX u275

u172

u141

u127

u110

u98

u86

u265

u170

u140

u125

u109

u97

u83

u231

u168

u139

u124

u108

Venice

Geneva

Munich

u219 London

u217 Paris

u188

Amsterdam

u185

Edinburgh Milan

u178 Florence

Stockholm Oslo

Copenhagen

u161

Glasgow

Hamburg

Manchester

u135

Madrid

Killarney Istanbul Prague

Liverpool Marseille Athens

u104

Brighton Frankfurt

u122

Cannes Rome

u134

u117

Cork

u144

u133

u115

Tralee

u143

u132

u114

u131

u112

Bercelona

u155 Nice

Cologne Vienna

Berlin

Lisbon

Dublin

Salzburg

Brussels Belfast Bilbao Lyon

Galway

Turin

Derry

Kilkenny Leipzig

u94

Dresden Granada

u103

u93

u102

u90

u101

u89

u100

u88

Sligo

Seville

Toulouse Malaga Budapest Waterford Limerick

Riga

Valencia

u76

Bucharest

u75

Warsaw

u60

Sofia Zaragoza Source: Trivago.ie

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PUNTA HAS CANA IT

Email: uk@godominicanrepublic.com • Visit: www.godominicanrepublic.com Study: go-dominicanrepublic.eu

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POSTCARDS FROM THE TRAVEL SCENE

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DS supplier Amadeus hosted 64 members of the trade, agents and suppliers in Con Horgan’s Castlerosse hotel.

Overall winners were Miriam Skelly of Navan Travel and Paul Dawson of Dawson Travel both for the first time in a major industry related competition.

Volker Lorenz told guests he would soon have spent more time in Ireland than in Germany. He said the trip to Kil-

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here was a big win for Dublin Airport at the World Routes conference in Chicago.

Dublin won the 20m-50m passenger category, presented at the Field of Museum of Natural History.

Dublin Airport defeated the other shortlisted airports nominated in the 2050 million passengers per year category - Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, Munich and Seattle Tacoma – to win the award.

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orld Travel Centre, in partnership with British Airways and the Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau hosted a group of agents from across Ireland on a fam trip to Santa Monica, California.

The group flew from Belfast via London and sampled the 38-inch pitch Club World (Premium Economy) cabin on board the new British Airways A380.

They sampled the Santa Monica

lareny was so successful they might do it again next year.

Peter O’Hanlon led the singing in his own inimitable style. For many it was their second successive night to continue the celebrations through the night. Easrly risers were up at 7.45am to watch the Ryder Cup. Picture shows Trish O'Leary, Volker Lorenz and Olwen McKinney of Amadeus.

The Awards ceremony was attended by 3,000 delegates, representing 300 airlines, 800 airports and 200 tourism authorities.

Shannon also won a major award for best marketing of airports in the world under 4m passengers. Picture shows Daragh Hanratty, Lorraine Costello, John Hurley, Cormac O’Connell, Vincent Harrison, Jon Woolf and Stephen O’Reilly accepting Dublin’s award.

beaches with butler service, the famous pier, hotels, shopping and Beverly Hills and Hollywood sights.

Picture shows the group in the BA Lounge at Belfast City: Sharon Eadie of Getaway Travel, Brendan Mallon of WTC. Front row: Brenda Morgan of British Airways, Linda Millar of Bryan Somers Travel, Julie-Anne Vaughan of Oasis Travel and Claire Picknell of Mahlatini Travel.

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ave Conlan of Travelport was one of two prize winner at Turkish Airlines world cup qualifier for the trade staged at Killeens golf club in Dunsany, Co Meath.

He is pictured accepting the award with Murat Balandi and Ann Marie Dalton of Turkish Airlines. Dave and Shane Taggart won the prizes of a place in Belek in the Grand Final which takes place on November 9-16.

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en Bouldin of Royal Caribbean launched a trade loyalty programme for agents, a prepaid card which it says offers agents a simple, fast and flexible way to earn rewards for bookings.

Royal are targetting 10,000 frontline agents who can qualify by becoming a captain under the revised training scheme and make four bookings with two bookings back to back counting as

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our America hosted their 14th Annual Sale Day at Red Cow Moran Hotel.

The 35 exhibitors at the event includes key tourist boards NYC, Orlando and Philadelphia and hotels such as Fitzpatrick Hotels in NYC. The cruise section has grown over the years, with Royal Caribbean emphasising their New York sailings as well as the traditional Fort Lauderdale product.

The winner of the Grand Final of the Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup will have the opportunity to play in the ProAm at the Turkish Airlines Open with a leading European Tour professional.

Murat Balandi, Ireland manager for Turkish Airlines, told the guests “we want to give you and your clients the chance to try Turkish Airlines to experience the unique experience to 260 destinations all around the world.”

two bookings, and who register on myroyalclub.ie.

The prepaid card they will get was established in partnership with Mastercard. Ben Bouldin lauded the simplicity of the scheme with £5 for every booking which translates into u6 for Irish agents.

He says his target is that Ireland would make up 15pc of the cruise company’s regional business, up from 12pc.

It came with all the paraphenalia associated with this annual event, gifts, a children's area, and a scrum for bookings aorund the Tour America stand.

Guest speakers provided updates and additional information on all the destinations available to book in the USA. Picture shows Niamh Doherty, Mary McKenna, Ross Waters, Linda Ryan, Alice Carrick and Saruna Zerauskaite of Tour America.

The Monarch butterfly flaps, flutters and flies 2,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean to get to a special place For the Monarch butterfly, that ‘special place’ is the warmth of Mexico.

But for you, we really believe that it’s here, with us, at Travel Counsellors. You want more flexibility, a better work-life balance, a chance to earn what you’re worth.

But we also know it’s one of the biggest decisions you’ve ever faced...

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Find out more at www.travelhomeworking.ie Email the team at careers@travelcounsellors.ie Have an informal, confidential chat on 0818 332 003

Join in

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POSTCARDS FROM THE TRAVEL SCENE

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hat are the odds of three replays in a row for the All Ireland hurling final? 1573/1 according to Paddy Power.

Having introduced a double daily service to Abu Dhabi this summer Etihad’s entertainment for the trade at the All Ireland hurling final also had to go double.

For the third year in a row, their entertainment budget had to stretch.

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er Lingus transfer times at Heathrow have been drastically reduced, especially for connections to the Star Alliance airlines that are its partners in terminal 2, including Air Canada and United with whom Aer Lingus have important codeshare agreements.

The new Gold Star lounge has 50pc more space, offers shower facilities, meeting rooms and a quiet area. and is

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ryphavana Cross of Ceelbrity Cruises together with Alan Lynch and Celine Kenny McGibney of Cruisescapes hosted several of Cruisescapes key clients on board the Celebrity Infinity when it came to Dublin.

Celebrity Cruises hosted 40 agents on-board the Celebrity Infinity for a ship visit including a tour and lunch in the main dining room. Picture shows

Aubrey Tiedt, Etihad’s Dublin-born Abu Dhabi-based vice president of Etihad’s guest services, was home for the occasion and talked about the suites in the sky and upgrades to other Etihad products.

Ireland manager Beatrice Cosgrove (pictured above), talked about the new double daily services and the relationship with the GAA, GAA President Liam O’Neill.

fitted out by an Irish company Glenbeigh Construction with Irish stone, Irish wood and other home-sourced furnishings. Aer Lingus use Gates 21 to 26 in the new terminal, remarkable for the amount of natural light that designer Luis Vidal assured would flood into his creation.

Picture shows Don Shearer of Worldchoice with Catherine McDonnell and Lisa Meehan in the lounge.

Tryphavana Cross of Celebrity Dublin enjoyed a record number of cruise calls. Cork had three ships in on Thursday August 21, MSC Magnifica with 3,000 passengers, Aida Cara with 1,300 and Sea Cloud 2. Galway wants to upgrade its harbour to join the cruisecall party after the Artania called with 1,800 passengers but had to leave early.

Overall 220 cruise ships will have called to Irish ports by season’s end.

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tudent travel is set to overtake business travel in economic performance in three years time.

So delegates to the WYSTC World Youth and Tourism conference were told in Dublin this month. CEO David Chapman saidthat youth travellers spend longer in a destination and spend more in a destination than business travellers.

Ranulph Fiennes spoke about becoming the first person to visit both the

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t was not without its challenges but the inaugural Swahili International Tourism Exchange in Dar Es Salaam has established a platform for future growth.

The Exchange intends to beocme the major regional travel fair for outbound travel but also for inbound Africa specialist tour operators. As Lazaro Nyalandu, Tanzania’s Minister for Tourism said when interviewed by Travel Extra,

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s the J1 visa comes under threat from America’s Republican Party, the American embassy in Dublin organised a J1 connect event at the RDS. It was designed to highlight the social and economic impact of the 53 year history of the J1 Visa at the RDS. Since the Fulbright–Hays Act of 1961 enabled the first groups of teenagers, 150,000 have been issued.

North and South Poles by surface and the first to cross Antarctica on foot.

Pictures shows Filip Filipov of Skyscanner talked about the future of travel, with driverless cars transporting passengers to the airport to be checked in by a hologram.

The World Youth and Student conference was held in the conference centre in Dublin and brought together 650 delegates from 120 countries.

he intends this wil become the new Indaba. Highlights included a stirring opening speech by Jakaya Kikwete where he declared “until lions have their own historians, the history of the jungle will always glorify the hunter.”

Picture shows Kambona Mollel, the Kilimanjaro mountain guide who has ascended the famous peak 130 times, and who visited Ireland some years ago, with Eoghan Corry.

The US embassy in Dublin issued 7,000 J1 visas this summer. There were 11,000 issued to Irish citizens last year, including those domiciled abroad and the year long J1.

Picture shows Colleen Dube, director of the Fulbright Programme in Dublin and first generation Clare woman, speaking about the opportunities for post graduate studies for Irish students in American colleges.

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DESTINATION REPUBLICA DOMINICANA

Bite sized

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ention the words all-inclusive and you get different reactions from different people.

Travel companies love them, they have helped sell holidays through four years of recession. While the traditional family holiday went into decline, all-inclusive grew.

Go to the Caribbean and you find an entire archipelego has been stained by the onward march of all-inclusive.

Stay in the compound with the five pools and 17 themed restaurants and bought—in entertainment and you are miss the best bits.

The original tourist playgrounds of the Dominican Republic were at Cabrera, Samana and Puerto Plata. Most of the original tourists were prisoners in holiday factories, wearing wristbands rather than handcuffs, but just as confined within the resort walls.

Now it appears more than half of them are venturing out to see the countryside around.

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hat to see? I tried a boat trip to one of the Caribbean’s best beaches at Playa Rincon, Mangrove swamps are among the most beautiful places on the planet. The mangroves themselves are special, with great stork feet, standing tall, promise oozing from the bits we barely see below the murky water line even more enticing, the darkest and brightest of life forms living close together, camouflaged and colourful in turn, a bright red crab stalking in the tentacles, the big long saplings hanging like hanging baskets and the red mangrove stretched like a carpet everywhere. If an artist or a furniture designer designed this they would be lining up the awards. Except you don’t have the sound of the

Eoghan Corry renounces his wristband to find the real Dominican Republic

For real bite, you have to venture beyond the buffet of the all inclusive resort Quervos in your ears at a furniture awards Now I know I am in the tropics.

And best of all, everything was dripping, because it was rainy season in the Republica Dominicana.

Drip, drip, drip.

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t is rainy season. So we get a spectacular thunderstorm at dusk every day.

It is the destiny of a travel writer to see everywhere off season. We go skiing when the snow is melting, we go to the sun resort in spring and the golf course in winter. It could be worse. Hurricane seasons starts July 1st.

That makes most places MORE interesting rather than less.

It starts with a conversation in Spanish with the guard at the checkpoint, they drive me to the front

door and accompany me to check-in. They tell me how they individualise the experiences of all 3,000 guests. They tell me about their restaurants and standards of care.

They tell me it is not Cancun, for Cancun is the byword in the worst excesses of holiday factorydom.

When you arrive they don’t delouse you, or put you in an orange jumpsuit, they give you the wristband at the check-in desk. It is part passport, part handcuff, the currency of planet all-inclusive.

It delivers unqueried access to a wonderland of multiple bars, entertainment spots and pools.

It is worth taking time to practice the half raised arm salute, the sort of semi-wave you use to get a small dog to sit. Use it casually, as if you are not quite aware the wristband is there. But you know

itis, and the 1,500 or so employees in your resort can spot it at 300 metres.

It gets you past the security man through the wicket on the sandy route back from the beach. It gets the barman to open the generic red wine canister and pour a refill. It works at the buffet line for the prawns.

As you trek the kilometre and a half from the pool to your bedroom, (and the bedrooms are enormous by European standards) you pass like minded internees from all nations, Americans, Spanish, lots of Russians (there are eight charters a week).

This is stadium tourism, all wristbands and cheap generic rum: 3,000 beds in the Riu Palace hotel Bavaro,

2,000 in the Barcelo, 4,000 in the Bavaro Hotel, 2,000 in the Hard Rock in Macao (Madonna’s limo in one of the lobbies).

They all have 4-6 pools, 6-8 restaurants, 34 bars, evening entertainment of lip-synching dancers in glittery costumes on a stage and a slice of palm fringed beach to call their own.

I collect my room key and having worked out where I belong in the labyrinth (when your room number is 16206 you know you are in trouble), and arrive in some of the largest hotel rooms in the industry.

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t works. Dominican Republic played the numbers game, and

won big. The rapid growth has been driven by giant all-inclusive resorts that sprawl along a coastline of narrow white sand beaches and ubiquitous palm trees.

Over the years I said that it is very pleasant place, it has the palm trees and the white sand, but is filled with holiday factories, portly Americans, wrist-banded to indicate they are handcuffed to their accommodation provider.

The travel trade say that focusing on the big resorts misses the point about the Dominican Republic.

There is lots beyond the wristband, a swim with the turtles in a fresh water reserve, hikes and horse rides through a nature reserve.

■ Travelling to Punta Cana with Air France offers a chance to fly in an aviation rarity, eight hours and 15 minutes on a comfortable Boeing 777300ER configured for leisure traffic, 422 economy seats with 32 inches legroom, 32 premium economy (four inches extra pitch) and 14 angle-flat business class seats.

Page 012 Dominican republic 07/10/2014 14:22 Page 2

NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 13

DESTINATION REPUBLICA DOMINICANA They brought me to Tortuga Bay, a chic beachside hotel with rooms designed by Oscor de La Reata that is so close to the airport they have a VIP service from the steps of the plane.

They feed me in La Palapa restaurant on the seashore.

Then they brought me back to an all inclusive.

This is stadium tourism.

These places a model in crowd management, filled with portly Americans in the queue for the camorones counter.

I still love it, every naff bit of it. They put a towel heart with flowers on my bed and rose petals around the bath, drink dispensers over the coffee maker, awful bourbon and worse gin.

I arrived untroubled, with no mobile number for whoever was collecting me and no hotel name, so just as well they showed up (late). I wrote “Beaches Punta Cano” on the immigration form so as not to arouse suspicion.

I feel like I am the Jason Segel character in a scene from forgetting Sarah Marshall. “Are you on your own? Are you with a magazine?”

Being on your own means more conversations. I spent two nights immersed in the company of Argentineans and befriended many Americans and Canadians, swapping Clancy Brothers songs with a retired Ontarian.

Caribbean colours

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herever holiday factories go, a parallel excursion industry will follow. A small army of local tour operators are installed in the lobby attempting to sell their wares to the wrist-banded internees. The standard stampede excursion here around is Saona Island, a bounty-bar destination to which 500,000 excursionists travel by boat annually.

My day trip is led by a highly entertaining tour guide, A Bit Of A Character.

ABOAC: My name is Franklin, and I am your

daddy today. Who’s your daddy?

TOURISTS: Franklin.

ABOAC: Okay in America, who is the boss, the mans or the womans.

(The men look at their shoes and the women all shout) WOMEN TOURISTS: The Women.

ABOAC: Good, because if the bus breaks down we need the woman’s to push Our bus bounces over unpaved roads to convey us to local farmsteads and plantations, sugar cane, rum and cigars in production by bemused looking elderly men and women, Leonardo Pena Duran and Griselda Santos rolling the cigars and the farm

owner Maria Guerrero presiding over an emporium of fruit and sales of the medicine drink, Mamajuana.

Maria smiles patiently at the same joke every American makes about how Mamajuana sounds like marijuana. Maria can afford a smile or two. This being holiday factory/herding excursion land Sales are in dollars and three times the local market price.

They feed us plantain, chicken and the bounty of the lush hillsides.

Franklin Vasquez /Daddy then brought us to the renowned Macao beach just in time for the thunderstorm.

ABOAC (after lunch): How was the chicken?

BOB RICKARD (from Harrisburg Pennsylvania, who is obviously A Bit Of A Character himself): It tasted of iguana.

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he original tourist playgrounds of the Dominican Republic were constructed at Cabrera, Samana and Puerto Plata.

These are now the ones most likely to leave the resorts. More than half of the wristbanded ones are venturing out to see the countryside around. I sample a boat trip to one of the Caribbean’s best beaches at Playa Rincon,

Clockwise: Hanging fish, reflected beauty, Eoghan Corry befriends a palm tree, musical interlude and typical beach scene

The drive north brought me through the rain forests and red clay carved canyons of Parque Nacional Los Haitises.

My first sight of the Atlantic is stunning – between the trunks of the palm trees that fringe the near-white (very pale yellow but you can see why they describe it as white in the brochures) ribbon of beach-front all along this coast.

There was lots of fun on the rum. Even the drive is an adventure. The roads are filled with Michael Schumacher types who show no fear when the road goes from three to two lanes and there are four lanes of trucks, cars and moped riders (no helmets, NOBODY wears a helmet) scrambling for the re-rationed roadspace,

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here is an important axiom that travel writers would be wise to follow: never use the world turquoise in an article.

But then, it is rainy season. Drip drip drip rather than azure, azure, azure.

A friend emailed me to say it is rainy season in Ireland as well, the fifth this year.

I need to come back to see the south west, especially the fascinating Enriquillo Lake, three times the salinity of the ocean.

The republic of the wristband has so much more to offer.

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WINTER CRUISE 2014-5

ruise ships change. They get bigger, they get more comfortable, they get better bells and whistles.

But still nobody has quite figured out the riddle of the cruise holiday, is it really about the ship at all?

“The ship is only as good as the ports it calls to” is an old-fashioned surprisingly durable assessment of how the cruise industry works.

Of course it is more complex andmulti dimensional than that. The most interesting ports are in the Mediterranean.

The Baltic follows close behind. The least interesting are in the Caribbean.

It has reached the stage that the difference ships berthed in Miami and Fort Lauderdale are offering itineraries that are so similar it would take a hard pressed cruise expert to work out which was which.

The same could be true of Europe in a few years time. Cruise companies are offering fewer embarkation ports, instead of more as you might expect as the number of cruise ships in the world increases.

There are many reasons for this. The big ships need big berths. But cruise companies are also prey to something more mundane, the homogenisation of holidays everywhere.

“If the itinerary is secondary and the on board experience is primary, bigger ships fit this bill,” Lorraine Quinn of celebrity says.

The converse of what she is saying is that if you want a better on board experience, the smaller luxury ships are a bit pricier but worth the extra.

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he cruise companies have been investing in upgrades faster than their best-funded land based colleagues.

What your clients should know

Winters of content Hurtigruten is gearing up for another Northern Lights winter spectacular It means that the ships during the recession.

The practicals are impeople will sail in this Cruise ships which once portant, that towels are winter are newer, have wintered long in the supplied by the cruise better dining options and Mediterranean waters, lines. There are fantastic more gadgets than their into October and Novem- gyms and classes availpredecessors. ber, started departing ear- able onboard, many culIrish people are more lier. tural and lifestyle lectures aware of cruising as a and seminars along with holiday option with lots fun elements, dance of friends, friends of classes and a bit of friends, aunties and espite all of the Karaoke. neighbours telling us Cruising is ideal for investment and which ship they were in single travellers. Some of the noise emanatprevious years. the newer ships offer deding from high profile The new itineraries in- launches such as Quan- icated single cabins and clude new destinations tum of the Seas this lounge areas so single (with our traveller mind- month, there are still Irish passengers can mingle. set) that would be diffi- people who have either Cruising never stops cult to explore on land never considered a holi- moving forward from a such Norwegian Fjords, day at sea or have thought navigational, fuel effiBaltics, South America, about it and dismissed the ciency and enviromental Asia and Black Sea cities. idea. perspective.

And while the ships get Choices of accommoHow do agents tackle bigger (Oasis, Allure) and this? Suggest a cruise dation continue to evolve the technology gets better when a customer asks faster than demands of (Quantum, Anthem) the about a destination. new customers. New last generation of ships Choosing the right cruise builds are offering a lot are still on offer under a is down to identifying more varied sized staterebranded cruise line like needs. rooms to cater for the difPulmantours and at better Tell them cruising is as ferent family and group prices. relaxing as you like or as mixes travelling together.

The European season active as you want. The There is no such thing has begun to extend again scenery changes and you as steerage anymore. All after shortening sharply only unpack once. staterooms are well ap-

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pointed, well above water, and have all the mod cons of 4 and 5 star hotels.

Cruise lines are investing to bring the latest gadgetry onboard.

Accommodation onboard is all mod cons with lots of options up to the suites with hot tubs, pianos etc.

There are increasing numbers of speciality restaurants on the bigger ships and some cruise lines are seeking Michelin stars for the chefs.

A key feedback, according to cruise companies, is the staff onboard how friendly, professional. You just don't get the same level of consistency from a land based holiday.

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he Irish market continued to grow, through recession as the customers took all of this in and to the all inclusive offerings onboard

and capitalised on the increased appetite for the cruise lines to compete with land based standards in cuisine.

Cruise agents are seeing an increase in three generational families travelling for the big birthdays and an easy way for families to travel with something for everyone both onboard and ashore.

Celebrity Cruises have moved away from the Steiner/Elemis product onboard in their Spa and moved to Canyon Ranch which is more about well being and lifestyle. Unlike other spas on land and water, they don't push products.

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ome of the best value cruise options are repositioning cruises as the bigger ships move from the Caribbean to Europe in spring, including, for

Page 015 Royal competition 07/10/2014 16:51 Page 1

PAGE 15 JUNE 2014

http://www.MyClubRoyal.ie

COMPETITION

WIN Agents can win a stay on Royal Caribbean’s amazing new hi-tech Anthem of the Seas

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ravel Extra has teamed up with Royal Caribbean International to offer one lucky agent and a guest the chance to win a place onboard Anthem of the Seas for its inaugural two night sailing at the end of April 2015.

Launching in April 2015 the new Quantum class of ship, will take technology to a new level with a whole host of cruise industry firsts including RFID (Radio-frequency identification) luggage tracking, the fastest internet at sea, and robots working behind the bar.

Tech-savvy modern holidaymakers will be blown away by Royal Caribbean International’s Anthem of the Seas, which seamlessly incorporates new levels of digital technology across all of its on-board spaces, providing holidaymakers with the most technologically driven holiday in the world.

The lucky winner will also get to experience the Ripcord by iFLY skydiving experience, Roboscreens and digital shows projected onto 100 feet wide windows over 20 feet high.

To find out more about Anthem of the Seas and for other great value offers from Royal Caribbean International see www.royalcaribbean.ie To enter: simply answer this question Q- Where will Anthem of Seas sail from in summer 2015?

Send your answer by Email to teamireland.uk@rccl.com by Friday 28th Nov 2014 with AN COMP in subject title, Please enclose your fullname and agency.

Terms and conditions: 1. This prize draw is managed by RCL Cruises Ltd t/a Royal Caribbean International (company number 07366612) with registered office address at 3 The Heights, Brooklands, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 0NY (“Royal Caribbean International”).

2. This prize draw is open to Irish residents aged 18 years or older.

3. To be entered into the prize draw participants must provide Royal Caribbean International with their name and email address before Friday 28th Nov 2014 4. Only one entry per participant. Multiple entries shall render void participant’s entry in this prize draw.

5. Winner will be selected entirely at random and informed via the contact details provided from all eligible entries within 7 days of closing

6. The prize is for the winner and guest to attend a day visit to Anthem of the Seas®. Royal Caribbean International reserves the right to vary the event at any time.

7. Winner understands that it is a condition that permission to embark the ship is subject to compliance with Royal Caribbean International’s booking conditions (as applicable) as this contains important information relating to, but not limited to, applicable passport and visa requirements, guest conduct and specific information relating to passengers that are classed as minors, are pregnant and those that have medical conditions. Winner agrees to read said terms and conditions and make winner’s group aware of the same prior to travel.

8. The prize has no cash value and it cannot be sold, transferred, exchanged for cash or an alternative holiday, or combined with any other offer, promotions or discount.

9. This prize draw is not open to employees and their immediate families of Royal Caribbean International or any sister, parent or group company or any agencies, affiliates or associates of the aforementioned. Further anyone else associated either directly or indirectly with this promotion shall not be eligible to participate in this promotion.

10. Winner must provide their party details within 3 days of the date of notification (Name, DOB, Passport/Driving licence details) for the purpose of personal identification when boarding the ship.

11. Winner agrees to participate in any publicity relating to this prize draw.

12. These terms and conditions are subject to English law and the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

teamireland.uk@rccl.com

Page 014-017 cruise guide 07/10/2014 15:40 Page 2

NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 16

WINTER CRUISE 2014-5 the first time since her launch, Oasis of the Seas in October 2015 and the next-generation Quantum of the Seas.

This means lots of trans-Atlantic crossings which are also being polished up for agency sales teams.

Eleven Royal Caribbean International ships will call at 35 destinations on these repositioning cruises in 2015, all of them having recently been revitalised under the cruise line’s $300m programme with enhancements such as the aerial-acrobatic entertainment production on Radiance and Vision class ships and new or signature restaurants, up to 10 per ship, including Chef’s Table, Chops Grille Steakhouse, Izumi Asian Cruise, Giovanni’s Table, and Rita’s Cantina for an additional charge, and complimentary restaurants, such as the Park Café gourmet deli and Boardwalk Dog House.

Shore options westbound include the caldera lakes, on Sete Cidades Crater Lakes at Ponta Delgada, The Azores; or explore Teide in Tenerife, the Canary Islands, volcanic ecosystems, Cabo Girao in Madeira.

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rinks packages have been a big success story for both trade and consumer.

Standard coffee, tea and water are included in the price of your cruise, The cheapest packages cover beer and the house wine, and then can be topped up. The top end ships include drinks in their all inclusive prices.

MSC’s Allegrissimo package costs €26pp per day (5pc commissionable to the agent), allowing unlimited beer, wine, cocktails, spirits, Ice cream, tea coffees etc.

Royal Caribbean Classic drinks package is Eu36/USD$40pp per day with limited wine and beer optiosn, premium

What your clients should know

Ziplining in Labadee with Allure of the Seas in the bay drinks package (includes spirits) Eu41/$55pp per day, ultimate drinks package for $65 per day and the wine and dine package is $99 per day.

Non alcoholic drinks packages are also on sale.

Royal have an evian water package for $28.45, juice package for $20.15.

A gratuity of 15pc is included in all package prices.

A typical all round package with Celebrity Cruises is from $39 per day (all soft drinks, smoothies, speciality coffees, wines, beers and of course cocktails - an apple martini is calling).

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or most winter cruisers the Caribbean is where the action is.

It can be cheaper to cruise in the Caribbean than in Europe. Welcome to the strange pricing structures and economies of scale employed by the cruise companies.

Cruising is the easy way to see the Caribbean in one holiday, visiting 10 islands in two weeks for instance. In 2015, 239 ships with 378,256 beds are scheduled to sail in the Caribbean, up from 235 ships and 367,000 beds in 2014.

That is good news for cruisers as it gives them better prices on the ships sailing out of Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Port Canaveral Thomson is starting sailings from Jamaica’s Montego Bay in late December. The five itineraries on Thomson Dream take in central American as well as Caribbean ports, and one itinerary includes an overnight stop in Havana – US ships are not able to visit Cuba.

In recent winters Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharm El Sheikh have all been winter cruise options with direct flights from Ireland. Splendour of the Seas will be operating in the Gulf from De-

cember 2014 through to April 2016.

But great prices have driven some of these winter cruisers back to the Caribbean.

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he average price paid for a cruise is now over a fifth less than it was five years ago. Comparison engine MarketWatch says that the cheapest cruise prices available today are down 43pc from the cheapest price in 2009 MarketWatch says the cheapest cruises on Carnival start at just $35 a night, but Royal Caribbean is not far behind, at $39 per person.

Bargain hunters can sail for as low as $349 for seven nights during low demand periods.

The slow season for cruises, the surge in inventory and a run of just plain bad news, including assaults, breakdowns and norovirus outbreaks, have all contributed.

English online whole-

saler Bonvoyage says prices there are down 22pc compared to 2008.

The company says cruise lines are compensating for the drop in the headline price by generating more from onboard spend, such as spa treatments, speciality dining and higher drinks costs.

It also said customers are becoming more wary of added onboard costs and the report suggests operators cannot get away with pushing up onboard costs any further.

The price difference in cruises from 2011 - when the Bonvoyage site launched - compared to prices for cruises leaving this year or in 2015 show a 19pc decrease in cost.

The average respondent paid u1,900 per person five years ago, while the average respondent planning to cruise this year or in 2015 will pay 22pc lower, at u1,500 per person.

In a survey, 38pc of respondents said that, despite the lower costs and

potential onboard cuts, they had noticed improvements in services onboard cruises in the past five years.

Of these, 46pc said they are now a lot more wary of added costs onboard a cruise, as well as the perceived value of amenities, than they were five years ago.

Aspects of cruises including food and entertainment quality (31pc), level of service (22pc) and quality of staff (19pc) topped the list of the places these individuals could see that improvements had been made in the previous five years.

Of those questioned in the study, 24pc stated that the reduced costs advertised in the past five years were one of the main reasons they decided to choose a cruise holiday.

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he biggest ships of all, the 5,400-passenger Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the

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NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 17

WINTER CRUISE 2014-5 Seas, operate on alternating eastern and western Caribbean itineraries.

Oasis and Allure of the Seas, operating from Fort Lauderdale, and Freedom of the Seas operating from Port Canaveral (an option which is about €300 cheaper, with the added benefit of good Orlando connections and options of staying to do the theme parks en route), are complex, floating resorts, equipped with superb facilities which make them a good choice for active types and families with school-age children.

Typically they offer a choice of restaurants serving different types of cuisine, several swimming pools, golf practice areas, state-of-the-art fitness centres and spas, video games and outdoor activities. Evening entertainment is usually unstinting and varied and often includes a Broadway-style show.

The disadvantage is the complicated deck plans it can take a week to find your way around.

The service is inevitably less personal than smaller ships, where the crew quickly get to know each passenger.

Because of their size, the largest ships are unable to sail into river mouths and dock alongside in some ports - which means they have to anchor a short way from the shore.

Passengers can then face long queues to get ashore by tender, the small boats still required by some ports.

Alternatives to the Caribbean include Explorer of the seas operating out of New York.

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here has been a revolution on the other side of the gangway as well.

Private islands are now the norm. Each cruise line has at least a couple of Caribbean beach stops in which they have invested

What your clients should know

MSC Armonia: Based in the Canary Islands heavily and not without few years ago it controversy, critics conis quite common sider it an undesirable for Irish people to trend to keep cruise pas- pick Palma or Malaga as sengers away from the lo- their port of embarcation. cals.

They are easier and less Now the race is on for expensive to get flights to. private Caribbean ports. The problem is cruise Custom-built ports have companies don't think like become a regular feature that. They like all the pasof Caribbean cruising. In sengers to get on at one July, Carnival announced point, and get off at the a $70 million cruise port same point, seven or ten project on Haiti’s northern or 14 days later.

Turtle Island.

Being inflexible means Carnival opened the they can offer cheaper $60m pier-and-play- rates. Cheaper rates ground in Grand Turk in means more pressure on 2006, the $62m Ma- passengers to pay for exhogany Bay in Roatan, tras.

Honduras in 2009 and the The extra could be the $65m Maimon Bay, just mandatory gratuity or the west of Puerto Plata on $25 to eat a restaurant, or the Dominican Republic's the soft drinks and glasses north coast last winter. of wine by the pool bar These big custom-built which are priced like ports come with an adja- Temple Bar pints of Guincent retail, dining and ness a at midnight. recreation complex, as it is a truth universally well as a shore tour and held among the sea people taxi staging area. Nearby that cruise customers are Puerto Plata and its envi- grumpy as they disemrons feature historic sites bark.

(Fort San Felipe), beaches and waterfalls. o make up for a Having already estabcheap lead-in lished an important base fares, companies in Labadee in Haiti, Royal need to charge you more.

Caribbean launched its This year's shore excurown ready-made cruise sion this next year's hair village in Falmouth, Jacut ($100 is not abnormaica and an unaffiliated mal,) and spa treatment port has opened at Banana ($200 is not abnormal).

Coast in Trujillo, HonShore excursions can duras, with duty-free jewbe classically overpriced. elry stores, themed bars, At Civitaveccia you can an artisans market and 10 get the underground into acres of beachfront.

Rome and pay admission

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the Vatican for a round total of €20. The shore excursion sold by the cruise company will cost you four times more and sometimes more.

Other cruise companies are leaving out things that used to be part of your

package. Some of them ask you if you want your bed made up.

Some people don't, but what happens in less than the price comes down than those who do want a bed made up are now being asked to pay more

for them. Putting 4,000 people on the same ship brings immediate cost savings to the cruise company.

Convincing 4,000 people that they are missing out on something unless they pay for extras is more convincing and easlly accomplished when here are 4,000 on one ship.

To see the result of all of this all you need to stand by the exit on disembarkation day. The passengers are almost invariably grumpy.

The close quarters in a small cabin has caused familial strife in many cases but the real stress is financial.

A cruise is supposed to save you money because food is included.

It ALWAYS costs far more than you expected

THOMSON CRUISES.

A new adventure over every horizon.

From Sorrento to Casablanca, we take our customers to more ports than you’d expect. You can fly straight to your Thomson Cruises holiday from either Dublin, Cork or Shannon.

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Call 1800 927 404 visit your local Falcon Travel Shop or Travel Agent.

Designed for you. From Normal booking conditions apply. Please see our booking conditions for further information. Thomson is a trading name of TUI UK Limited, a member of the TUI Travel PLC Group of Companies, registered in England and Wales under number 2830117 and whose registered office is at TUI Travel House, Crawley Business Quarter, Fleming Way, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 9QL.

Page 018 Cruise guide Amadeus 5 picks 07/10/2014 15:27 Page 1

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WINTER CRUISE 2014-5

What your clients should know

Delivering the right quote

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o-ordinating all that cruise information has become a big challenges for agents.

Amadeus launched Amadeus Cruise Shop in Ireland and Britain earlier in the summer after a six month trial period with American Holidays, eTravel and Tour America.

Cruise Shop is a browser based shopping and booking product designed to enable agents to create a booking in under two minutes using the streamlined Fast Sell feature with step-bystep search and booking process.

The new browser based shopping and booking solution is designed to benefit experienced cruise specialists who can create a booking in under two minutes using the streamlined Fast Sell feature.

It is equally beneficial for travel agents that are new to selling cruise holidays, thanks to a user-friendly, step-by-step search and booking process to navigate the huge choice in size of ship, quality and range of onboard experiences, itineraries and price.

In summer 2013, Amadeus undertook research into con-

Trademark cantilevered jacuzzis on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship sumer perception regarding been created using agile devel- sale on 19 September 2013. cruise holidays and the oppor- opment methodology where enRob Sinclair-Barnes, markettunity and challenges this pres- hancements are delivered in ing director of Amadeus Ireland ents the industry. frequent ‘sprints’. and UK, said: “We are excited Eightpc of adults reported The successful pilot phase of about the development of this that they were open to the pos- this fully browser based solu- smarter cruise shopping and sibility of booking a cruise hol- tion has resulted in an applica- booking technology, which we iday in the next 12 months. tion that is closely aligned to believe leapfrogs anything that The opportunity for increas- the needs of today’s travel sell- is available in the business-toing sales by offering cruise hol- ers. business space today. idays as an alternative to Already more than 100 travel “The intuitive workflow is similarly priced resort based professionals are using Cruise centered on the shopping habits holidays is clear with a third of Shop and the feedback has been of 21st century travellers, makpeople (32pc ) stating that they extremely positive. ing it much easier for travel would be tempted to go on a Amadeus will be rolling out professionals to match the cruise holiday if they were of the solution to existing cus- needs of customers who value lower or comparable cost to an tomers in a phased approach their advice and expertise. all-inclusive holiday. over the coming months and “Together with our 13 cruise Amadeus Cruise Shop has Cruise Shop goes on general line launch partners available in

Cruise Shop today, we value trade sales. With the right technology, we see a real opportunity for the industry to play an even bigger role in the ongoing cruise success story.”

Amadeus say the product was designed in response to agents who had tired to trying to adapt to cruise provider websites that controlled workflow on their terms.

They say Amadeus Cruise Shop is designed to fit around your business requirements with user-friendly displays and processes that are optimised for selling and that Amadeus Cruise Shop offers real-time connections to the world’s leading cruise lines, including: ■ Azamara Club Cruises ■ Carnival ■ Celebrity Cruises ■ Costa Cruises ■ Disney Cruise Line ■ Fred Olsen Cruise Lines ■ Holland America Line ■ Hurtigruten ■ MSC Cruises ■ Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) ■ Oceania Cruises ■ Royal Caribbean ■ Seabourn ■ Silversea.

FIVE WINTER CRUISES FOR YOUR CLIENTS

■ FREEDOM OF THE SEAS: For good reason, almost two thirds of the cruises sold in Ireland are on board one company, Royal Caribbean. Their most popular winter cruise is out of Fort Canaveral in Florida, a short drive from the playgrounds of Orlando. The cruise line will package three nights in Orlando to see the Mouse and its competitors, Universal, Seaworld and Busch Gardens before you embark on the floating resort that is Freedom.

Bigger means more variety, Broadway entertainment and if you want to go beyond the buffet, 18 speciality bars and restaurants. A 7-night Eastern Caribbean Cruise costs from Eu480 per person, and your travel agent will put together a decent package to include flights. There are interesting New York options on board Explorer of the Seas, 7 nights Bahamas Cruise + 2 nights in

New York from Eu999pp. Upgrade to balcony from Eu199pp and get $100 onboard spend.

■ OASIS/ALLURE OF THE SEAS: These are the giants of the industry, and such is the fuss of these 5,400 passenger floating resorts that they cost about Eu39000 more than the previous generation giant ships. They alternate sialings on the western and western Caribbean which Best lead-in price I can find at the moment is a 7-night Western Caribbean Cruise on Royal Caribbean International's Allure of the Seas from Eu690 per person for a 12 January, 2015 sail date. Pay a little more for the outside cabin. The excursions are often to private islands owned by the cruise companies, the only reason anyone goes to Haiti nowadays is a cruise stop at Labadee.

MSC Armonia: Based in the Canary Islands monia Nov 1 – Mar 14 starting at u379 per person cruise only and you can add in flights for another u340. Buy a drinks package for u26 per person per day and you have bagged one of the best bargains in the travel business at the moment,

■ MSC ORCHESTRA: offer one night in Dubai pre cruise and seven on board between November 23-and March 22 with lead-in prices of u949 – fly cruise with Emirates. Stops include Abu Dhabi, Khor al Fakkan, Muscat, Khasab Oman, and cruising through the strait of Hormuz is exciting.

■ MSC ARMONIA is operating out of Gran Canaria on seven night itineraries for Ar-

■ HURTIGRUTEN: For the last two years they told us this was the best chance to see the northern lights for decades.

Guess what, this winter they are saying the same thing.

Hurtigruten Norwegian coastal voyages have great packages on selected dates including direct flights from Dublin on February 16 2015, transfers and three nights on board the MS Finnmarken as she heads from Tromso to Kirkenes and back again. On arrival back in Tromso, one nights accommodation is included at a local hotel, before you head home the following day.

During the voyage you can take an excursion to the North Cape - the northernmost point of Mainland Europe, visit the snow hotel in Kirkenes, try snowmobiling or a husky sledge, even take a visit to the Russian border. Prices start from u995 per person including return flights, cabin on half board basis plus accommodation on B&B basis in the hotel. www.hurtigruten.co.uk

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Ship off the old block

his year is shaping up to be another big one for the cruise industry, with five huge new ocean ships and 29 river ships scheduled to launch. The first big cruise ship launch of 2014 is already under way. Norwegian Getaway cruised out of Rotterdam on January 11th and will be formally named in Miami on February 7.

Sister ship to Norwegian Cruise Line’s Breakaway launched last year, it ill include a Grammy museum, an ‘Illuminatorium’ featuring magic, illusions and supernatural effects, and Hollywood musical Legally Blonde.

Norwegian (with the launch of Epic) and Royal Caribbean, who launch Quantum of the Seas in October, are attempting to rework a model that has remained unchanged for decades.

All cruise ships come from the same template, more or less decided by the previous generation of Americans for Americans, but now some afterthought is being shown to the rest of the world.

The essentials are:

2014

■ a big crimson-upholstered theatre at the front over two floors, ■ a big crimson-upholstered dining room at the back over two floors, ■ a long casino in between on one level (Disney is the only cruise ship not to have a casino) ■ a shopping precinct between them on another level, usually the deck above the casino.

The deck, where ship meets fresh air after 11 storeys in midsized ships and 16 decks in some of the bigger beasts, will have: ■ a spa and an indoor pool at the front, ■ an open air pool and poolside bars in midship deck with an upper deck area for beach beds, ■ a big informal buffet restaurant at the back.

Once you have been on one, you will know your way around them all.

On top of that is an activity area (perhaps a rock climbing wall, a pitch and putt, and a soccer court) on the roof/deck.

The decks in between shopping/casino and the pools have corridors of

cabins that go on for ever.

Big ships offer fewer inside cabins and more balconies. The premium brands now offer balconies with 90pc of their cabins.

Cabins, no matter what the view, tend to be small and confined.

There is no escaping this fact although most lines now call them staterooms for image reasons.

They are standard design as well, but Norwegian Epic had a neat departure when they built their cabins/ staterooms with a

CRUISE LINE UPCOMING BUILDS

■ Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas - 4,100 pax, November ■ Costa Diadema- 4,800 pax, October

2015

■ P&O Brittannia- 3,611 pax, March ■ Aida Prima- 3,250 pax, March ■ Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas - 4,100 pax, May ■ Norwegian Escape- 4,200 pax, October ■ Viking Star- 944 pax,

2016

What your clients should know

■ Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas 4,100 pax ■ Third Oasis Class ship Royal Caribbean - 5,400 pax ■ Blue Star Titanic II, 2,345 pax ■ Carnival Vista, 4,000 pax

■ Regent Explorer, 738 pax ■ Holland America Koningsdam 2,660 pax Feb ■ Unnamed AIDA Cruises - 3,250 pax ■ Unnamed Seabourn, 450 passengegrs ■ Unnamed Star Cruises, 3,360 pax ■ Two unnamed Viking Ocean cruise ships- 944 pax

2017

■ Norwegian Bliss 4,200 pax Spring ■ Unnamed Princess Cruises, 3,560 pax summer

2018

curve, in the form of a wave.

Each ship has a well kept secret cabin or two,

one on a turn that can be bought for the same price as the one next door but it offers a little extra space.

Knowing these secrets is the key to success as a travel agent. .

UP TO

€242pp OFF

WINTER NORWAY & THE NORTHERN LIGHTS UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES WITH HURTIGRUTEN

ARCTIC HIGHLIGHTS Flying direct from Dublin Tromsø –Kirkenes –Tromsø • 16th February 2015

Half board voyage • 5 days • Including flights

995pp

Now from €

Fly from Dublin and go in search of the incredible Northern Lights on an authentic Hurtigruten coastal voyage. Our ships sail the iconic coast of Norway, far from the effects of urban light pollution and directly beneath the Aurora Oval (the epicentre of Northern Lights activity). On board you’ll enjoy fantastic local cuisine, comfortable cabins and the company of like-minded passengers. We also offer a choice of exciting and interesting optional excursions including Husky-dog sledging, snowmobiling through the polar night and the rugged North Cape.

ARCTIC HIGHLIGHTS VOYAGE

Occupancy

Departs 16th February from Dublin

Twin Single

Cabin grades Inside from

Outside from

€995 €1201

€1150 €1395

■ Unnamed Norwegian, 4,260 pax summer

Call 01 607 4420 for further details

■ Unnamed Norwegian, 4,260 pax summer

Price shown is per person based on two people sharing an unspecified inside cabin on a half board basis including flights from Dublin departing 16 Feb 2015, one night B&B in Tromsø and transfers in Norway. The price includes flights and transfers costing €582. Not included: Travel insurance, excursions and luggage handling. Voyage offer is subject to availability and Hurtigruten’s normal booking conditions. Northern Lights sightings are not guaranteed. Offer applies to new bookings only until 31st Oct 2014. Licence Number TA0581.

2019

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Page 022-023 Zanzibar 08/10/2014 17:17 Page 1

NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 22

DESTINATION TANZANIA

T

he real advantage of selling Zanzibar is that the brand is already far more exotic than anything else associated with the African continent.

In fact the other African brands that have that exotic touch are also closely associated with Tanzania , Serengeti, Kilimanjaro, Ngorogoro and they are all usually packaged together as part of the experience.

Zanzibar is historic and cultural in the sense that Ali Baba and the forty thieves are. It was once capital of Oman. It is Indian Ocean, more Mauritius and Seychelles than Africa.

That is as good a marketing trick as anyone could pull off at a time that Africa has problems shaking off the negativity of its old image, the baggage of colonial oppression, the newly acquired reputation-shredding combination of ebola, Al Shabaab and Boko Haram, At first sight the island of Zanzibar is not as exotic as the name would suggest. It is crowded with 1.3m people and has that broken-road, red earth, traffic jam chaos that honeymooners would like to avoid.

The thing is, avoid it they do, and now they hide in the plush, wonderful hotels that have sprung up over the past 40 years.

In the 1980s there was one hotel. Now there are 300 hotels.

Zanz of Time Eoghan Corry on the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar

Characteristic bougainvillea surround two loungers in Breezes Beach Club on Zanzibar’s east coast

T

he flight stopped first in Kilimanjaro, where most of the tourists disembarked. It then went to Zanzibar, and continued on to Dar es Salaam and Nairobi. A sort of the a milk run, which made Shannon stopover look manageable by comparison.

There is a new airport under construction when we landed (our luggage didn’t) in the stark daylight. When you exit the aircraft you are hit like a bantamweight's upper-cut by the heat, and that smell.

At the baggage hall they bring the truck of bags to a counter and the collection of tourists come to the baggage buffet to claim their belongings. Mine was not there.

It was tagged as far as Addis and despite a notification at the airport it never arrived.

In a small office I filled out a form the helpful youth who assured me the bag would be delivered on the same aircraft tomorrow. It wasn’t.

Photographs, TV programmes do not ever convey what is really going on in Africa because all of the senses are engaged and the sense of smell maybe the most important or effective of all.

I wondered do Africans miss this when they travel. It is derived from everything, vegetation and the dust and heat.

Urban and rural, it is always there.

They bussed us past a fleet of small private aircraft all resting in between their Safari runs.

THINGS TO DO ■ At Kizimbani spice tour visitors discover how pods, bark, buds and berries are harvested and dried, sampling intoxicating aromas of fresh cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg which “will delight the senses and stimulate appetites,” and sample “the sweet tropical fruits and zesty curries Zanzibar is famous for.” This is the cheapest place to buy locally made

perfumes, oils and spice rings.

■ Stone Town is a day excursion, with the slave auction site now occupied by a church, the house of wonder (so called because it was the first house with electricity), the old market where visitors shop for various fruits. This is the best place for shopping. Be prepared ot haggle and watch for aggressive sales people who follow tourists through the town.

T

he island, or rather cluster of islands, is 50km off the coast of mainland Tanzania, and are best known for spices, coral reefs and their fringes of white sand beaches.

This is where the hotels are to be found in necklace clusters hugging the sand. Location is important here, the east coast is extremely tidal, the north is not. Which is the most beautiful beach? Opinions vary.

The seat fashioned from a canoe, heavy thatched roofs over the big restaurant palm trees tamarines and the gentle incline down to the ocean. All of these hotels have big space in which to spread the rooms.

At Beaches resort, our home for the first three nights, the characteristic sound is the rustle, the low rumble of the Indian Ocean beyond the beautiful palm trees. Indian Ocean Islands follow similar set of seashore characteristics. It applies

to the Seychelles, Maldives and Mauritius.

About a mile offshore there is a reef. The west coast of Zanzibar is particularly tidal. At low tide you can walk to the ref.

The helpful hotelier will rent you shoes to protect your feet from the sea urchins and the jagged coral.

The nearby Palms hotel has 130 acres to that means lots of landscaping. It would keep the honeymoon couples who come flocking from Italy fit to walk the rows of steps.

The reef nurses a natural playground between it and landfall. But it does something more holistic, it comes with its own sound track, a song of coral that never stops so when you wake in the morning, throughout the day, until you sleep, and through your dreams, the dark and mysterious Indian Ocean is providing the background music.

In Zanzibar it is particularly soothing, because this is distinctively

Africa. If you stop and fill your head with the background music, the weight of slavery, colonialism, and the muscle flexing of counter colonialism in its political, economic, and social dimensions, all there to be heard in that sound.

In the evening the sound is merry hum of the mosquitoes emerging to feast on fresh guests, the colour is the blue, blue sky becomes grey.

But it seems a more passionate, deeper grey. The light green palm trees seem greener. The red burning roof seems redder. The sand seems sandier and yellower. It is as if everything has a statement to make, like loud bird song.

F

rancesca Micheli of Gold Zanzibar originally from Italy, explains: “Zanzibar is somewhere magical, the first time I did not think to come back. The second time the plane

■ Eoghan Corry travelled to Zanzibar as a guest of the Tanzania Tourist Board. he flew with Ethiopian Airlines, who offer connections through London, Frankfurt and Rome.

■ PremAir Marketing Services are GSA for Ethiopian Airlines, 7 Herbert Street, Dublin 2, Ireland, Phone: +353 1 663 39 38 Fax: +353 1 661 07 52

Page 022-023 Zanzibar 08/10/2014 17:17 Page 2

NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 23

DESTINATION TANZANIA opened the door, I felt this warmth and this smell, not the perfume of spices, but he smell of burnt wood and something that scratched the throat, and I felt I was at home. And I was very surprised.”

For spices, the place to go is Kizimbani, where you get a two-hour tour and an acrobatic performance by a tree trapeze artist.

We had seen two of the 17 spices when the tour operator from San Francisco first felt the first drops of drizzle come down. It became a dribble, a pouring tap and eventually a cascade. It was short rain (OctoberNovember) so it passed quickly, long rain season (May and June) is when the prices are best.

Someone was sent away to get us umbrellas and returned with a collection. Each time we passed another plant they reached out, plucked, and peeled, lemongrass, ginger, nutmeg, jasmine. We rubbed our hands together to crush the latest sample and smelled and gave approving sounds in the different languages of the group and moved on to the next spice.

The Australian worried that like a wine tasting we would reach the stage where we could smell no more or distinguish the difference between the smell from the jasmine house or the smell from the toilets, which had an

A chilling site: original slave chain in the holding cells for slaves in Stone Town ecosystem of bugs on its own.

They always save the best stuff for last, he said.

A

mid the labyrinth of coral stone alleys of Stone Town is where you find the world famous doors, treasured Arabian artwork. The Portuguese established a trading post as early as 1503 and Omani Arabs completed the town's fort in 1701, but the fabric of the town dates from the height of

Zanzibar's commercial power as a trading centre in the 19th century.

The island of sun and sand was then a haven for spice and slaves. One of the darkest places you will visit on the planet is the slave chambers where the captives were held, without food or water, for up to two weeks, having been transported from Eastern Congo.

Jailansaid Shafi brought our small group into a suffocating chamber where 75 women and children were held,

flushed by tidal waters: “Most of the slaves died from cholera, typhoid and oxygen deprivation. It was very bad business.”

Once there were 15

slave chambers, now only two remain.

Clara Somas monument to the slaves is equally chilling. The slaves are in a pit, so the

tourists look down on the figures. The chain is real, from slave trading days.

Spice and slaves to sea and sand. Zanzibar keeps its glow.

PLACES TO STAY ■ Breezes Beach Club and its sister the Palms, on the tidal East coast has a dive centre and magnificent private dining room, the first spa on the island and a 40-year tradition of high end service.

■ Diamonds La Gemma dell' Est a spacious and comfortable favourite with honeymooners, it has a magnificent pier and overwater dining area

■ Gold Zanzibar, Italian style in the sun ■ Hideaway, Huge pool and spacious lodges ■ Royal Zanzibar beach volleyball at sunset. the only closed buffet in the region which is handy for fly season ■ Ras Nungwi spectacular sea front high stool bar.

Clockwise: Characteristic Zanzibar door in Stonetown, pool at Breezes, beach at Stone Town, Valeria Poletti of the Palms Hotel and slave memorial

Page 024-025 Afloat 08/10/2014 17:21 Page 1

NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 24

AFLOAT ROYAL Caribbean has filed trademark applications for several ship names as speculation mounts what the third Oasis class vessel will be called, as well as other ships in the pipeline: Apex of the Seas, Joy of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas and Emblem of the Seas.

UNIWORLD launched its 2015

brochure featuring 45 extra departures on Danube and Rhine itineraries including those

by SS Maria Theresa which will launch in spring. All-inclusive itineraries include all-day dining, unlimited beverages; all onboard and shore gratuities; the highest guest to staff ratio in the river cruise industry; fully hosted shore excursions including VIP access and exclusive Uniworld experiences; all onboard local entertainment; luxuriously appointed riverview staterooms with beds by Savoir of England including a pillow menu, and marble clad bathrooms featuring L’Occitane en Provence bath and body products; free Internet and Wi-Fi and all arrival and departure day transfers. Early booking savings of up to u1,600 per couple are available on all cruises and departures.

NORWEGIAN

Cruise Line has raised its fee from $89 to $99 per person for the exclusive, once-per-sailing Chef's Table (usually limited to about a dozen passengers). Geoffrey Zakarian's Ocean Blue, one of the line's newest dining venues, has also changed its price once again from $49 per person to $39 per person. According to Christina Baez, a spokesperson for Norwegian, "We believed that lowering the price point would make that topnotch experience (Ocean Blue) available for more of our guests." The cover charges for other speciality dining venues such as Cagney's and Le Bistro have remained the same.

SAN FRANCISCO

celebrated the opening of a new cruise terminal at Pier 27 next to a new 2.5-acre park, a little farther from Fisherman's Wharf attractions than the old Pier 35 terminal. The state-of-the-art design incorporates lots of glass, and will have shoreside plug-in power for cruise ships. Both Princess and Holland America will have ships visiting the new pier in 2014.

SEABOURN cruises will be rolling out a new simplified dress code in October, which allows jeans in all dining venues during the day and only requires jackets on formal nights. The revised policy includes two types of dinner attire formal and elegant casual, standard for all dining venues except formal nights in The Restaurant. Men can wear slacks with a collared dress shirt or sweater and optional jacket, and women can wear slacks or a skirt with a blouse, a pantsuit or dress. On formal nights in The Restaurant, men may wear a tuxedo, suit or slacks, and a jacket is required.

Women can choose between an evening gown and other formal apparel.

PRINCESS Cruises and Strike Brewing Company are partnering to introduce a white-label craft beer onboard Regal Princess this November.

Quantum of the Seas had only 30cm clearance on one section of its conveyance down the River Ems

Ems measured

Quantum takes backwards trip to the North Sea

R

oyal Caribbean CEO Richard Fain had no worries about his new baby, the 1,142 feet, Quantum of the Seas being damaged on its backwards maiden voyage from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg 26 miles to the North Sea. “That is the shipyard’s problem,” he says, “we don’t have responsibility for the ship until it reaches open water.”

Quantum is the largest ship built at Meyer Werft, which is what made this conveyance so unique. To have a successful conveyance for ships of any size, conditions must be exact.

According to an infographic released by Royal Caribbean, wind speeds must be 20 knots or less, tidal

barriers must be closed and there needs to be either a full or new moon.

Two 9,000-horsepower tugboats had to guide Quantum of the Seas as it travelled, as there were only a few feet of clearance on either side as the vessel moves down the river. Power lines had to rerouted, Royal Caribbean said in a release, and bridges along the river were forced to be lifted out of the way by crane to allow the ship to pass.

The shipyard has maintained its inland location since 1795, primarily to avoid impact from storms in the North Sea. Still on tap at Meyer Werft: Quantum's sister ship, Anthem of the Seas.

The German shipyard can't handle ships larger than that, which is one

reason why the company bought a majority stake in the STX shipyard in Turku, Finland, earlier this year. (STX is the shipyard where the world's largest cruise vessels, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, were built).

Spectators turned out along the route to see the ship as it conveyed backward, a standard procedure that's done because vessels are easier to manoeuvre in reverse.

The ship is now docked in Eemshaven in The Netherlands, where it will undergo sea trials before its launch.

Quantum will host the 2014 Irish Travel Agents Conference on October 31st out of Southampton.

HURTIGRUTEN AURORA GUARANTEE

H

urtigruten announced a Northern Lights promise, If the lights are not visible from your ship, they will arrange another voyage for free.

Project Travel offers what it calls the most comprehensive range of North-

ern Lights holidays and short breaks in the Irish market.

Trips are suitable for independent travellers whether travelling alone or with friends.

There are several group tours on specific departures dates.

Land-based deals start at

u745 pp, many of them in-

clude activity options such as dog sledding, whale watching, snowmobiling or visiting an ice hotel. Hurtigruten coastal voyages also feature, ranging from the Arctic Highlights 3-day mini-cruise, to the full

board 12-day Classic Round Voyage, from u1211 pp, voyage only before 31 October to avail of the Hurtigruten Promise.

They have now included a dedicated Northern Lights section on www.Project-Travel.ie.

Page 024-025 Afloat 08/10/2014 17:21 Page 2

NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 25

AFLOAT

Stena for a fiver: Is this the return of the ferry foot passenger day trip?

STENA OFFERS WALES DAY TRIPS FOR A FIVER

S

tena Line is offering day trips by foot from DublinHolyhead or RosslareFishguard from u5pp, available Sunday-Thursday until Nov 2 (book up to 48 hours in advance).

Stena Line is also offering family mid-term trips: Alton Towers from

u470 for two adults and

two children incl. return travel by car from Dublin-Holyhead and two nights’ accommodation at Jurys Inn Derby.

Oakwood Theme Park from €49pp.

Short stay in Fishguard or Holyhead from €165 for car and driver. Rosslare-Cherbourg by car

OCEAN Princess, one of

Princess Cruises' smallest ships,with just 680 passengers, is for sale,. Ocean Princess is one of the so-called R-class ships, which can also be found in the fleets of Azamara Club Cruises and Oceania Cruises. The line will have only one R-class ship left, Pacific Princess.

CRIOSI-EUROPE has commissioned the first purpose-built river ship for the Loire River in France. MS Loire Princesse is being assembled at the STX France SaintNazaire shipyard and is scheduled for delivery in 2015. The 48-cabin ship will sail six- to eight-night cruises on the Loire River visiting regional attractions like Saint-Nazaire, Ancenis, Angers, the Chateaux of the Loire Valley, Saumur, Bouchemaine and Nantes.

IRISH dancing is included in the

entertainment offerings onboard Costa Cruises newest cruise ship, Costa Diadema. "Feel the Beat" features a variety of music styles from hip hop and jazz to Brazilian samba and Viennese waltz. There wil also be an interactive circus and a laser maze, where participants must evade lasers to get through to the other side. In "Kings and Queens of Pop & Rock" tribute will be paid to Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Queen. Italian cul-

and two nights’ accommodation from u85 per adult per night.

Irish Ferries is offering a 3-night stay at Alton Towers for u439 for two adults and two children incl. three nights B&B, return ferry travel with car and one full day’s family pass to the park.

ture will be on display in "Flavours of Italy," combining art, opera, cinema and fashion.

CARNIVAL

Cruise Lines is introducing select dishes from its speciality steakhouse into the main dining room for a fee following a "successful" pilot program launched in May aboard four ships. Steakhouse Selections menu items include a 1.5-pound Maine lobster, 9-ounce filet mignon, 14-ounce New York strip steak, and surf and turf at $20 each.

CRYSTAL After December 21

passengers onboard Crystal Cruises' two cruise ships will have only two choices of dinner attire: Crystal casual or black tie optional, depending on the night. Crystal casual is described by the cruise line as "a dressed-up version of casual" and replaces both resort casual and elegant casual.passengers can expect one black tie optional evening for seven- to 10-night cruises and two on 11- to 12-night cruises.

2015

HAVEN HOLIDAYS

NOW ON SALE! Book a 2015 Haven self-catering holiday by car or by coach today and enjoy the best choice of accommodation & sailings with Stena Line to any one of the 10 fantastic parks across Britain.

Early b ooking discou nts now availab le!

So, not only will your clients have a great holiday to look forward to, but they’ll be able to take advantage of our low booking deposit from only e50* as well!

All holidays include: • Return Superferry travel with a car for 2 adults and up to 4 kids • 3, 4 or 7 night holidays with a choice of several accommodation types in 10 great parks in Britain • Free entry to park splashzones • Free kids’ clubs and nightly shows with great family entertainment • Instant online booking and confirmation

Everyone deserves a break.

VIKING Construction on Viking

Ocean Cruises' third ocean going ship is under way after a steel cutting ceremony at Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard. The first ship in the fleet, Viking Star, is scheduled for delivery in spring 2015. Viking Sky is due for delivery in summer 2016. Each of the three ships will have 465 cabins, accommodating 930 passengers.

Book now at agent.stenaline.ie *€50 or 10% of the cost of your holiday whichever is the greater if booking either a Flexi or Premium ferry fare as part of the holiday.

If booking an economy fare, the full amount of the ferry crossing is also due at the time of booking in addition to the €50/10%.

Page 026-030 Flying 08/10/2014 17:19 Page 1

NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 26

THE FLYING COLUMN Aviation with Gerry O’Hare A380s AT DUBLIN One of

Dublin Airport’s customer airlines has confirmed that it is reviewing in detail the possibility of operating an A380 on a daily basis on its Dublin route within the next 18 to 24 months. Dublin Airport has also been approached by another airline currently operating the A380 to establish the airport’s ability to accommodate this aircraft. The IAA wants A380 pier capabilities at the airport.

RYANAIR chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs told the World Low Cost Airlines Congress: “Ryanair is probably the national airline of Scotland already.” EasyJet said it flew almost 5.4 m passengers in Scotland last year, while Ryanair was in fourth place behind British Airways and Flybe with 2.7 m.

NORWEGIAN told the World Low Cost Airlines Congress it believes it will get US DOT approval of its Irish operation after the US Congress elections in November.

PILOTS Union IALPA said that the DAA “quality of service” does not extend to the Airfield and cited long waiting times for available wide bodied stands when transatlantic flights arrive in the morning. It criticised DAA for planning the future without a cross runway (eg 16/34) and stated 19pc of operations used this runway during the storms of Dec13 and 13pc used it during the storms of Jan14.

DUBLIN Aviation Institute has been

launched as a partnership, between DAA International and Dublin City University, is designed to enhance economic growth and development in aviation.

EUROWINGS Lufthansa Group has

approved the purchase of ten A320 aircraft for its subsidiary Eurowings. The new aircraft will become the backbone of the new low cost business model announced by the Lufthansa Group in July 2014. Eurowings will operate on behalf of Germanwings on European connections from airports other than Frankfurt and Munich, eg Dublin to Cologne and Dusseldorf.

EASYJET has reached agreement with Airbus to exercise existing purchase rights over 27 current generation A320 aircraft for delivery between 2015 and 2018.

BA is resuming service to Kuala Lumpur

next May for the first time since 2001, where it will offer daily London Heathrow-Kuala Lumpur service, on board 4-class B777200ER.

AIR BERLIN will launch direct flights

between Hamburg in Germany and Abu Dhabi next year,

AEROFLOT has set up a new lowcost subsidiary to launch flights from October 27, Dobrolet Plus. The new carrier will initially have four planes, which will be transferred from Aeroflot’s other subsidiary OrenAir. Dobrolet started operations with flights to Crimea in June but was grounded after six weeks due to sanctions. It had a fleet of two Boeing 737800 NG aircraft, and a Sukhoi SuperJet-100.

The B737s were transferred to Orenair.

Kitchenless craft Rendering of Ryanair’s new kitchenless Boeing 737MAX: will it have enough trolleys for 197 passengers?

Ryanair throws galleys overboard to fit 8 extra seats

B

y tossing the galley overboard and asking for an extra exit door, Ryanair managed to get eight extra seats into their next generation of Boeing 737 craft.

Ryanair ordered 100 of the craft, with options for 100 more. Ryanair’s new target is 150m passengers by 2024 instead of the 120m he previously targeted.

Michael O’Leary said that the order would mean fares reduced by 20pc by 2019 (after 175 of his 737800s have arrived, they were ordered last year) and 40pc by 2024 (after the last of the 737-MAX 200s have arrived).

In announcing the deal Michael O’Leary said Ryanair always exercised all its options, an assertion that is not entirely but largely true.

Ryanair claims the eight extra sets will generate an extra u1m a year per aircraft and the 18pc fuel savings per seat and 40pc less noise emission will create further savings.

Even as they announced the order for the MAX, Ryanair took delivery of the first of 180 aircraft from their last order of B737-800 aircraft.

The order will see Ryanair’s fleet grow from 304 to 420 and to 520 aircraft during the period 2019 to 2024.

This allows for 64 disposals in the

first period, probably including 51 aircraft on operating lease.

Ryanair has raised its growth target to 6.2pc per year to 112m by 2019.

Mary Anne Greczyn the North America Communications Manager for Airbus said the MAX 200 configuration would remove three of eight galley trolleys, leaving only five trolleys for 200 passengers. "Even lowcost carriers need more than that if they are serious about on-board sales and ancillary revenues," she said.

Airbus also said the MAX 200's additional doors would increase the aircraft's weight, reducing its fuelcost advantage.

ETHIOPIA ROUTE CONTRACT READY

E

thiopian Airlines have been including Dublin among their upcoming destinations on their in-flight video, in anticipation of fifth freedom clearance for their AddisDublin-Los Angeles service next year.

The Department of Transport have “initialled” a bi-lateral agreement with the Ethiopian authorities as a first step to allowing the airline to fly into Dublin airport but the Minister has yet to sign off on the deal.

The proposed route has the support of Dublin Airport Authority and the Irish government policy supports the development of Dublin as a hub and the principle of fifth freedom.

Ethiopian airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam

says the Addis route will not be viable without fifth freedom rights.

While Leo Varadkar might have been regarded as a supporter of fifth freedom rights, new Minister Paschal Donohue has not been drawn on the subject.

Minister Varadkar told the Dail: “I do not want to refuse an airline offering to open new routes on the basis that Irish or American airlines operating other routes believe it would somehow damage their interests.”

The Department said Ethiopian had yet to apply for so-called “fifth-freedom rights” which would entitle it to collect passengers at the Irish airport and fly them on to Los Angeles.

Opposition to the proposed route has come from

Ethiopian airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam and Michael Yohannes American carriers who already serve Ireland and from Aer Lingus, who exploited fifth freedom rights with their WashingtonMadrid service.

Christoph Mueller

claims that only two nonEU fifth freedom transatlantic operations remain and that they derive from rights given 20 years ago which would not be given today.

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NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 27

THE FLYING COLUMN Aviation with Gerry O’Hare IAA The IAA has launched a Student Air Traf-

Christian Schindler and Annette Mann of Lufthansa showcasing Lufthansa premium economy

Lufthy’s legroom

38-inch Premium Economy already a hit in Ireland

L

ufthansa say that eventually 10pc of all of their long haul inventory will be premium economy after the airline’s dramatic u-turn on the issue.

The seats will have a pitch of 38 inches and will be fitted in eight across 2-4-2 configuration across all of Lufthansa’s long haul aircraft.

Premium Economy will launch on 11 routes from Frankfurt from December 10, when lights operated by the German flag carrier’s Boeing 7478 jumbo jets will all have the new seats.

Helen Fyfe of Lufthansa sees great potential in the Irish market for leisure and cruise customers as well

as the business passengers forced into economy by corporate budget restaurants. “They are already paying a higher fare for flexibility, so the step up to premium economy may not be that large.”

Annette Mann said “the seat is the important thing, and customers get better food and can buy lounge access for €20.” “Consistency is important” said European sales manager Florian Astor. “Now we will offer a consistent product across all the fleet. The Middle Eastern carriers do not do that. We needed to upgrade our business class product first to make it totally flat. Now we can better differentiate premium economy from both business and economy. We aim

at business travellers who are not permitted to fly in business class and golden agers who want more comfort but will not pay for business class.”

Launch route Bangalore is available for u1,241. Singapore which gets Premium Economy when the A380 joins the route in April is also on sale now for u1,241.

Lufthansa say 57pc of its Dublin traffic transfers at Frankfurt/Munich in summer 2014. This compares with Turkish 65pc, BA 58pc, SAS 50pc, Iberia 35pc, Air France 35pc; US Airways 72pc, American 63pc, Delta 62pc, United 58pc, Air Canada 54pc; Etihad 85pc, Emirates 80pc and Swiss 30pc.

ICELAND DIRECT

W WOW air Chief Executive Skuli Mogensen

F

OW Air will add a three per week A320 year-round service Reykjavik (Keflavik)Dublin from 2 June 2015 with a thirrd service from June 14.

It is the first scheduled service from Dublin to Iceland. Flights are scheduled for

Tues, Thur and Sat, leaving Dublin 12.10 & Keflavik 06.20. Flight time is 2 hours 20 minutes.

WOW air was founded in November 2011 and describes itself as “the airline with the biggest smile and lowest prices”

FINNAIR RETURN TO DUBLIN

innair is to add a new seasonal service from Helsinki to Dublin every day except Tuesday, from March 30 until late

October.

The route will be served with 100-seat Embraer 190 aircraft operated on behalf of Finnair by Flybe Finland.

Timetables are to be tailored for the best possible connection to Finnair's Asian flights.

Finnair had a strong pres-

ence when they first launched the Dublin route in 1998, and their Dublin office was headed by Tracy Brennan.

fic Controller Programme.

AVOLON has registered with financial regulators in June for an IPO in the United States CIC, China's sovereign wealth fund, and AVIC, a Chinese state-owned aerospace and defence company, were in talks to acquire Avolon for between $4-5 bn, Reuters reported in August.

SPANAIR The former board members of Spanair were found guilty of "postponing insolvency proceedings" for a period of time causing a grievous impact on the airline that teetered on the edge. They will have to pay a combined fine totalling u10.8m The ruling also bans them from conducting business for two years. All the board members are jointly liable for the demise of the airline. Also, the sentence bans some executives and two ratepayer-backed societies from conducting business for 24 months.

JETBLUE Airways announced that Robin Hayes, the company's current President, will succeed Dave Barger as Chief Executive Officer, effective February 16.

AER LINGUS is to increase to 26 booking classes for all flights from October. The move is estimated to be worth u10m at maturity.

RYANAIR passenger numbers (seats sold) in September 2014 were 8.5m, up 5pc on a year ago, load factor was 90pc, up 5pc. Passengers to end September were 83.8m for the year, up 4pc on a year ago.

IAA says the north parallel runway at Dublin Airport should be built now while costs are low and with a runway length to accommodate direct flights to China and other points in Asia..

RYANAIR revealed that it is working on a Windows Phone app.

ETIHAD will offer full inflight connectivity services – Wi-Fi, mobile services and Live TV – on its entire B777 fleet. 36 Etihad cadet pilots started a three-month aviation training programme at College Ireland Aviation Services in Weston Airport, Celbridge, AIR CANADA plans to crack down on oversized carry-on bags with a $25 fee for the first checked bag.

AIR FRANCE said it now plans to speed up the development of Transavia after a pilots’ strike that cost Air France u280m was called off.

ELECTRONICS The European Aviation Safety Agency issued guidelines that allow passengers to leave electronics on for the entire flight without using flight mode.

BALKAN Holidays will add four additional flights from Belfast to Bourgas, Bulgaria, in summer 2015: Three extra weekly flights will be added from May 25 and an extra flight at the end of season departing Sept 21.

RYANAIR is now offering Lavazza coffee on all flights.

AEROFLOT will close the route between Moscow and Toronto on Oct 26.

VOLOTEA is add is to add four more aircraft for summer 2015 (total 19 B717) and open a third French base at Strasbourg.

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NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 28

THE FLYING COLUMN Aviation with Gerry O’Hare SENDMYBAG has launched a dedi-

cated Irish website. A survey finds that waiting at the baggage reclaim is the biggest annoyance for holidaymakers in Ireland and Britain.

AER LINGUS services for Virgin Little Red will end in March (Manchester) and September (Edinburgh & Aberdeen) 2015. Aer Lingus operated four wet leased aircraft for the Little Red operation, DEI, DEO, EZV and EZW, two of their own aircraft and two leased.

The airline had an A320 for sale but kept it when this deal happened EU fully approved the state aid granted to

the airports of Frankfurt-Hahn and Saarbrücken in Germany, Alghero in Italy and Västerås in Sweden. On Charleroi Airport the EU “acknowledged that the aid granted to the airport has allowed it to develop considerably since 2002, which has contributed significantly to the economic development of the Walloon Region. However, it noted that aid has procured a considerable economic advantage to Charleroi airport and thereby caused significant distortions of competition which increased over time, as the airport’s traffic was growing.”

Civilian immigration officers and 24-hour machines will transform the immigration process in Dublin

QANTAS began operating the world’s

End of blue queue

RYANAIR will suspend operation on

T

AER LINGUS Regional/Stobart Air

is to begin flights Dublin-East Midlands Airport on 5 February, almost twice daily. Aer Lingus Commuter services to East Midlands ceased 18 years ago.

longest airline route, the 13,804-km from Sydney to Dallas/Fort Worth with an A380 in a three-class cabin layout accommodating 14 first class seats, 64 in business, 35 in premium economy and 371 in economy.

Stansted-Strasbourg for the winter, with no decision on resumption next summer. The route was re-started in March 2013,

IAA has expressed concerns about security at Dublin Airport with the need for segregation of arriving and departing passengers where they are not already segregated. It alsop wants space for higher spec screening.

MALAYSIA Airlines have moved to

our new offices at the junction of Thomas and Francis Street, a third floor office suite above Café Noto)

RYANAIR wants its activities in Germany to double over the next five years, CMO Kenny Jacobs, said in an interview with Bloomberg. Ryanair has a market share of about 4pc in Germany.

CITYJET‘s short lived Dublin Cam-

bridge twice daily service operated by VLM Fokker 50) is to end Oct 26.

AIR CONTRACTORS says it

“incurred substantial start-up costs” for the Aer Lingus B757 operation from Shannon and Dublin-Toronto “in securing and establishing a platform to perform long-haul contract passenger operations” Turnover in 2013 rose 23pc to u57.5m, profits fell 18pc per cent to u4m as costs were u55.8m up from u43.75m last year.

Dublin self service machines go 17-hour in November

he recruitment of new civilian immigration officials at Dublin airport has commenced and the self service passport machines will be operating from 7am until midnight from November 1.

Any passengers who have a chip on their passport will be able to use the service, which is in place now for a year but had been limited to office hours.

The machines at Dublin airport will be operating 24 hours by the end of the year, according to Noel Waters of the Irish Immigration Service While only 5pc of airport users are scanning themselves until now, the target is that 30pc of them will eventually do so . Recruitment of immi-

gration staff will begin immediately and the first will be on duty by yearend .

It is expected that both staff and technology will be implementing iris scanning by the end of next year when the machines will eventually operate for 24 hours, to cover the redeye Baltic flights that arrive in the early hours of the morning.

The passport machines work on a facial recognition basis: the picture is compared to that on the passport and as soon as it has been checked, the picture is discarded .

Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald was there to announce the civilianization project. Frances Fitzgerald said that the Department of

Justice’s safety concerns were satisfied in advance of the changeover .

DAA CEO Kevin Toland said DAA’s role in the service is ensuring passengers should have the right information .

The move is expected to bring to an end the blue queue.

We had the blue queue at Dublin airport when the project to move immigration duty from the Gardai was first announced. The Garda lunch allowance adversely affected by a transfer of headquarter location from the airport to Burgh Quay. There was no declaration of industrial action but long queues formed as the Gardai slowed down their processing of the inbound passengers.

AER LINGUS BUSINESS UPGRADE

A

er Lingus new business class seats will involve more than fitting out their new Thompson a lie flat business class seat.

An increase to 26 booking classes for all flights from October will be worth u10m to Aer Lingus.

The airline says that a new loyalty recognition

and reward program is planned with financial services and hospitality partnerships which will lead to share gain from BA and US carriers.

Aer Lingus will take delivery of a total of 189 Thompson ‘Vantage’ seats for seven of its A330s towards the end of this year, before launching the new

premium product in March.

The seats from Portadown based Thompson Aero Seating convert into twometre-long lie flat beds and include a massage function, 16-inch in-flight entertainment monitors, and personal charging points and USB plugs for every passenger. They will be in a 2-2-1 configuration.

The first to be fitted with the new seats will be the 330-200 where the number of seats in Premier will be reduced slightly from 24 to 23. Passengers travelling with their electronic device will be able to store their laptops in a dedicated personal stowage area, A seatback mini tablet holder will provide additional storag.

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NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 29

THE FLYING COLUMN Aviation with Gerry O’Hare TRANSFERS Dublin airport transfer

traffic was about 266,000 in 2013, not including self-transfers through Ryanair. The number is about 80pc of the Shannon transfer.

■ 161,000 people travelling transatlantic to/from Continental Europe ■ 102,000 transatlantic to/from Britain ■ 9,000 other international-various areas such as Emirates and Etihad ■ 2,000 domestic to/from various areas The DAA says that transfer passengers will grow by a compound average growth rate of 11pc between 2013 and 2019 to 1m.

VUELING has reached a market share of

38pc in the Barcelona airport, where it has 50 aircraft based. Vueling continues its growth in El Prat and this year it will probably be the airline in Europe with the most direct flights from its hub, Barcelona.

Flybe wil be one of three airlines to operate on Dublin to London City this winter

LCY overloaded?

UKRAINE International Airlines has

asked the Ukrainian government for a US$100m stabilisation loan to help offset losses incurred as a result of its stand-off with Russia and the crisis currently affecting the eastern part of the country. Donetsk International airport and Luhansk International airport are closed. Under the sanctions, Ukrainian carriers are denied access to Crimea a market that decided to end its twice weekly serv- traditionally generated strong domestic and international passenger traffic and the airspace ice from Dublin to Cambridge.

Declan Collier, CEO of London over the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and City Airport, highlighted statistics Eastern Ukraine is restricted from the London Civil Aviation AuWESTJET said the success of their thority that said LCA was the most Dublin St John’s service helped pave the way punctual English airport last year: for new daily non-stop seasonal flights between “we have the shortest average delay Halifax and Glasgow from May 29 to Oct 23 in the country, at just six minutes 2015 and new daily direct (same-aircraft) seacompared to an average of nine minsonal flights between Toronto and Glasgow. utes.”

NIGERIA is in talks with private investors about setting up a new flag-carrier as it expands airport infrastructure.

London City to get 5,000 seats a week from Dublin

L

ondon City airport will have 5,000 seats a week from Dublin this winter as two new airlines join Cityjet on the route.

Willie Walsh came to Dublin to highlight the new British Airways route five-a-day service from Dublin to London City Airport which launches on October 26 using a mix of Embraer 170 and 190 jets.

Flybe commence their service the following day flying from both

Belfast and Dublin to London City on October 27.

CityJet recently introduced the Sonic Phase 5 Self Bag Tag system at London City Airport, reducing checkin time to an estimated 50 seconds.

Christine Ourmières told Travel Extra “we have to fight for this route (Dublin-LCY) as this route is key for us.”

Cityjet is awaiting a decision on fleet replacement. The airline recently

MINISTER SPICES UP SPICER RULING

A

n uncivil row has broken out over Minister Paschal Donohue’s decision to ask the Commission for Aviation regulation to revisit its ruling not to allow Dublin Airport Authority not to raise charges.

Minster Donohue issued a Ministerial directive to acting Commissioner John Spicer, which airlines have interpreted as an instruction to raise charges at Dublin airport.

Ryanair warned that if the Minister does not withdraw the directive, the airline will go to court to have it judicially reviewed.

The directive did not explosively tell the acting commissioner to raise charges but hinted at this by

repeating points of Government policy: maintain the airport’s status as an international gateway, ensure that it has the runway and terminal facilities to develop routes to key markets and ensure that Dublin can borrow money on commercial terms rather than relying on exchequer aid.

The DAA wanted the cap raised to u13.50 but has pledged that it would keep increases in charges in line with inflation.

The original CAR proposal would block u 170m of the DAA’s spending plans to allow the cap on its passenger charges to be cut by 22pc from u10.68 to u8.35 between next year and 2019.

Airlines submissions on the charges have called for

charges to be maintained or reduced: ■ Aer Lingus wants lower charges and more expansion. It says current DAA costs and charges are too high.

■ American Airlines and US Airways say they see an increase in the number of transfer passengers connecting at Dublin Airport onto its flights. “This is a new development on our flights and is helping our performance at Dublin”.

■ BA does not support of the proposed enhancements of the transfer area.

■ CityJet has a problem with non-segregation in Pier 2 (formerly Pier A) and service standards and seek a price discount.

■ Ryanair wants a 25pc lower price cap for T1 and says DAA costs are too high and the CAR are not ambitious enough about reducing them.

■ Stobart Air wants noncontact remote stands which are convenient to the T2 terminal claiming T2 is now operating at capacity and experiencing congestion problems, It says airport charges that are levied uniformly across all carriers, irrespective of their size, capacity or business model puts smaller, regional carriers at a disadvantage.

■ Dublin Airport Unions submission say the proposed charges cap is too low and risks inflating the existing profits of airlines.

AIR CANADA is to launch a service

between Toronto and Mont-Tremblant which connects sweetly with Dublin to Toronto’s service. Their Irish GSA Premair say it should prove to be a big hit with Irish skiers.

ETHIOPIAN Airlines is to continue

Asia expansion with Singapore non-stops, giving Changi a needed boost.

AIR FRANCE announced a codeshare partnership with kulula.com, South Africa's largest low-fare airline.

AIR NZ CEO Christopher Luxon has de-

fended its pricing on domestic regional routes, saying it's one of only a few airlines in the world servicing as many smaller towns as it does, and that such routes are often considered uneconomic.

BOEING announced that it will increase production on the B737 program to 52 aircraft per month in 2018 in response to strong market demand from customers worldwide. Once the increase is implemented, the B737 program is expected to build more than 620 airplanes per year.

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NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 30

THE FLYING COLUMN Aviation with Gerry O’Hare CARVAL Investors LLC, the asset-man-

ager unit of Cargill Inc, has bought Aergo Capital Ltd, an Irish aviation leasing company co-owned by Denis O’Brien (80pc) and CEO Fred Browne (20pc). Browne will remain with the Dublin-based company and “reinvest” in a 10pc stake.

A350 excitement

ALDERGROVE Transport NI is

currently undertaking a feasibility study to examine the road links and access requirements to Belfast International Airport. This will be taken in consideration with the Regional Development Study 2035, so it is possible that any major changes won’t be completed for 20 years.

EASYJET reported 6.1m passengers

(earned seats) in September 2013 (+7.5pc on 2012) with a seat factor of 92.2pc (up 2.5pc).

The impact of the Air France pilots’ strike in September is expected to increase easyJet’s revenue by about £5m.

BLACKPOOL Airport said if no

agreement which ensures the viability of its operations can be reached before October 7, then it is likely that the airport operations will close. In this event, it expects that the last commercial flights will take place on Wednesday October 15.

CZECH Republic’s government is con-

sidering a capital injection of 27.27m for CSA Czech Airlines

JUMP Der Spiegel reports that since Lufthansa flight crew are not prepared to operate the 14 A340s it plans to transfer to Jump, its low cost long-haul operation for tourist destinations. The airline may rent out these A340s to Switzerland-based PrivatAir TUI Group says it has decided to dispose of its stake in Air Berlin.

ITALY’s new airport policy has listed 11 of the country’s 46 commercial airports to get priority for development. Immediately under threat are Parma (named after Giuseppe Verdi, 197,000 passengers in 2013, in favour of Bologna and Reggio Calabria (563,000, in favour of Lamezia Terme.

Nine on way to Aer Lingus from 2018-20 Airbus celebrated EASA Certification of the A350 with a formation flight of all five prototypes. he first A350 XWB equipped erations, during which it flew 180 total to nine, 3 A330s retired.

Airbus has positioned its A350 bewith Rolls Royce Trent XWB hours and stopped off in 14 airports.

Aer Lingus has ordered nine tween the Boeing's popular 777 and engines rolled out of the Airbus factory in Toulouse painted in A350s, of which the first is due for its 787 Dreamliner, hoping to take a delivery in 2018.. share at both planes' markets. The Qatar Airways’ livery.

Updated details of Aer Lingus A350-900 makes extensive use of The European Aviation Safety Agency said that the new aircraft long-haul fleet development emerged light composite materials which recomplies with the regulatory safety at a recent investors meeting in Lon- duce fuel consumption and costs.

The A350 XWB has won 750 orand environment requirements de- don. ders from 39 customers worldwide. fined by EASA for the European ■ 2015 Eighth A330 added, The plane can carry 315 passengers ■ 2016 Fourth B757, Union. over a distance of 14.500 kilometres ■ 2017: no change Airbus celebrated the Certification (9,000 miles). with a formation flight of all five pro- ■ 2018: Three A350s, two A330s This would bring Dublin within retired totypes. range of almost every major world The plane completed its "route ■ 2019: Three A350s and fifth longaviation hub with the exception of proving" this summer, a round-the- haul narrow-body (A330neo?)

Sydney should a longer north parallel world in 20 days trip aimed at testing added, three A330s retired, runway be constructed. the aircraft's readiness for airline op- ■ 2020: Three A350s in brining

T

S7 Airlines, which has a 3w frequency sea-

sonal operation Moscow-Dublin, has said that any extension of state-funding should be done on an equal basis for all Russian airlines.

Danish airline Cimber will let go of all 130 of its employees as it prepares to go out of business early next year. “SAS didn’t want to continue our current contract on four CRJ 200 airplanes from April of next year, and with that foundation for our continued existence has collapsed,” Cimber co-owner Jørgen Nielsen.

Cimber previously operated a flight from Dublin to Billund.

SABRE Airline Solutions released a white paper , The Future of Air Travel: Improved Personalisation and Profits through the Integrated Use of Customer Data. This white paper contains research findings that indicate how airlines can provide an enhanced customer experience using data and technology.

Inside the A350 with Qatar’s 3-3-3 configuration

Page 031 eden by Conor 07/10/2014 16:37 Page 1

NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 31

DESTINATION IRELAND

W

e weren’t lucky with the weather when we visited Loop Head Lighthouse, the furthest point west on the Clare coastline.

For a u5 entry fee (children under 12 go free), visitors are guided to the top of the lighthouse and have access to a small exhibition.

Our guide, Stephen, explained that the hot spell had shrouded the horizon in a haze making it impossible to see very much except for a 23 metre drop.

Although it is nice to see such an iconic structure up close, it better to head out on a clear day to get the full experience.

The Bridges of Ross is much more impressive (I’m using the singular because only one of the three sea arches remains today).

Stand out on the rock, let the wind whip your face and gulp the salty North Atlantic air. Hard to beat.

Teresa Glendinning – who runs the Old School House B&B in Cross, Co Clare with her husband, Ian, a former headmaster asks if we want mackerel for breakfast.

When I am landlocked in County Kildare, so the idea of having fresh fish for breakfast is very exotic.

A

cross the peninsula in Kilbaha you’ll find the Kilbaha Gallery & Café, run by Ailish Connolly and Liz Greehy. The shop, which opened in June, boasts an impres-

EDEN song

Conor McMahon searches for apples in tree of Ireland’s winning EDENs Loop Head lighthouse attracted a record 20,368 tourists so far in 2014 sive range of soaps, artwork, foodstuffs and ornaments produced by gifted Loop Head locals.

The gallery also houses the Henry Blake Heritage Centre, an exhibition dedicated to the famous craftsman and seannchai who lived in the original building.

holidayed in the town.

Charlotte Bronte, who spent her honeymoon here.

At the Thalassotherapy Therapy Centre.we sampled the seaweed bath treatment and exfoliated like we’ve never exfoliated before.

K

C

ilkee was a town created purely for leisure by the Victorians.

Laura Foley of The Long Way Round Hikes hosts guided tours of Victorian Kilkee, pointing out little oddities and recounting tragic tales.

Over a bag of seaweed and periwinkles, Laura will happily list the famous names who have

lonakilty won the Rural Destination EDEN award in

2007.

The town itself is a busy spot. In the evening, music spills from the thronged bars and you can hear the chatter of busy cafes and restaurants.

We stopped in An Súgán restaurant & bar on Wolfe Tone Street.

IRELAND’S EUROPEAN DESTIONATIONS OF EXCELLENCE Since 2007, six Irish destinations have won an EDEN (European Destination of Excellence) award for promoting sustainable tourism development.

They continue toattract those who enjoy the outdoors, heritage, culture, good food and some spectacular scenery. www.irelandseden.ie 2007 Clonakilty & District: won for Tourism & Rural Destinations 2008 Carlingford &Cooley Peninsula: won for Tourism & Intangible

Heritage 2009 Sheeps Head Peninsula, Co. Cork: won for Tourism & Protected Areas 2010 Loop Head Peninsula, Co. Clare: won for Aquatic Tourism 2011 Mulranny, The Great Western Greenway, Co. Mayo: won for Tourism & Regeneration of Physical Sites 2013 Cavan Town & Environs: won for Accessibility .

The menu plays on traditional pub grub but with a touch of class. Fish is sourced from Union Hall, Castletownbere and Dingle so there is an emphasis on local, high quality products. The portions are generous, which is just what we needed after the long drive from Tarbert.

T

he wetsuit may have been flattering but there was no escaping my beer belly when it came to getting up on the board. The two left feet didn’t help either.

Rob from Inchydoney Surf School was was very encouraging, but it was hopeless.

I swallowed more waves than I caught. That didn’t spoil the fun, and the two-hour lesson alone is a reason to visit Inchydoney for a weekend.

Lunch was taken overlooking Clonakilty Bay back in the comfort of Dunmore House Hotel.

As I tucked in to my West Cork roast lamb with mint jelly, a jazz version of The Smiths’ song Please, Please, Please

Let Me Get What I Want began playing over the sound system – a surreal moment, seeing as I got more than I wanted: four varieties of potatoes on offer.

W

e stayed in the penthouse suite on the fourth floor in the trendy Maritime Hotel in Bantry, spellbound by its spa-like bathroom, walk-in wardrobe, sitting room area and a balcony overlooking the bay.

Surprise, surprise, the selection of seafood is a big pulling point in Bantry as well. O’Connor’s Seafood Restaurant on Wolfe Tone Square offers a good selection of turf of surf and a wine selection to match.

Sheep’s Head Way is about 40 minutes outside Bantry. The site won the 2009 EDEN award for Protected Areas.

Local guide Sean Coughlan brought us along the Poet’s Path down to Sheep’s Head Lighthouse.

The area can get quite marshy so it is a good

idea to stick with the paths mapped out by Sean. Bring a camera as well – you’ll want to capture a little bit of this lush landscape.

The Old Creamery café opened during the summer aAt Kilcrohane village, brown bread and salmon with a Malteser cheesecake to finish reviving visitors after a hike on the path.

Out in Ahakista, Chris Forker of Carbery Sailing takes punters on a halfday or full day sailing around Dunmannus Bay in his HR46 yacht, Merlin. It was the highlight of the entire trip.

“I think you’ve found a new sport,” Chris said when I took the helm.

M

aster stone carver Victor Daly is passionate about his trade, Victor dedicates his time keeping the tradition alive by offering one- and twoday workshops in his cottage.

How to finish a tour of Ireland’s Eden? Fish and chips in Arundel’s pub on the pier and watch the sun set.

Page 032 Bus Eireann resend 07/10/2014 16:07 Page 1

NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 32

DESTINATION IRELAND

W

hen you think of it, it was an ingenious

idea.

Nail a piece of metal to a post. Then you have it.

A whole new tourist experience. The Wild Atlantic way.

There are tales to be told. There are tails. An important tail is the one of the north. The way stops in Donegal;. They want to link it through Derry to the Causeway Coast. In the south it is equally complex. Kinsale is the end of the way. But there is much beyond it, as you move into East Cork and West Waterford.

The Atlantic can be wild there too. Metal can be nailed to posts there too.

I

t started with a map and the Bus Éireann route book. I chose to try to join the towns that link up beyond the end of the world Atlantic way in East Cork and West Waterford.

The first move on the board was the most comfortable, a joint venture Gobus trip along the motorway. The bus driver was one of those entertaining ones that illuminate the visitor experience wherever you meet them. He told us that somebody had come out of the toilets, turned left instead of right and gone out through the exit door “last Friday.”

There was a power

Coach class Eoghan Corry checks out some Bus Éireann tour options Ballycotton Bay: if the sun rises over the ocean, is it still the Wild Atlantic Way? supply on board. It meant phones and laptops did not die on the journey.

The contrast with Waterford bus station could not have been greater.

The atmosphere was dripping with the hostility of trade union discord There was an incident when I plugged my laptop in. There was a woman on the information desk that had just turned away two people who had come to have their old age pass renewed and were advised to travel from Carlow to Waterford to do so.

She was rude rather than abusive, her manner borrowed from the Bureaucrat’s Guide to get-

ting Ride of People that all civil servants were required to read and adhere to a generation ago. The service industry has, in most cases, move don, but you still a shock to come across the attitude where it endures.

Her shoulders were still shrugged when she told me not to plug my laptop in. Why? I asked.

It was, in her eyes the most unreasonable of unreasonable request.

“Health and safety,” she replied.

B

its of it worked.

Other bits did not.

The sunshine of an Indian summer that thrills

Clockwise: Mick Burke at Lawlor’s in Dungarvan, Ballycotton pier, mackerel catch and plaice in Lawlor’s Hotel, Dungarvan

the heart when you are sitting enjoying the landscape in the terrace outside Ballycotton Bay View hotel takes a whole new meaning when the bus comes and you have to board.

The ride from Waterford to Youghal was in a crowded bus and it was uncomfortable, noisy, and in the beautiful summer sun, sweaty.

I learned something bout Bus Éireann buses in the summer. If most of the people close the vents over their heads the air conditioning might as well not exist. The driver was opening them again after I dismounted.

This is not as it should be. It is also not as it should be on the public bus systems of the world.

People are used to it on the packer circuit.

Tourists are not. Americans look at you amazedly if you tell them you travelled on a Greyhound bus, I have, from Kansas to St Louis.

The difference with Bus Éireann is that they are trying very hard to change that. Their fleet of buses has now been fitted

with Wi-Fi and that is an amazing transformation of the passenger experience. Thirty new coaches are on the way. Tourists should be thankful.

M

any of our hotels during the boom were, famously, in the wrong place. Sadly for Bus Éireann, many of them BEFORE the boom were built in the right place.

The walk from Dungarvan town centre to the Gold Course resort would be an hour and a half. A Bus Éireann holiday where taxis are involved?

That defeats the purpose.

But what the bus network can do is help rediscover the old hotels that still in the centre of money of many provincial towns.

These places went out of fashion. They usually had 12 or 20 bedrooms for passing salesman, what used to be known as commercial travellers.

Sufficed since the 1880s, and for most, their main income came from a decent bar trade, rather than

any bedroom offering.

The prevailing wisdom of the naughties was that 100 beds was the optimum size far a successful hotel. Some extended and knocked through the walls to enter the surrounding premises like burrowing meerkats. Others staggered on. Some found their car parks were, in the crazy netherworld in which Celtictigerecy accountants spent their days, more valuable than their properties.

Many are still there and entering them is a delight.

It is great to encounter the traditional owner managed hotel in its environment, places where Nama or bank of Scotland Ireland have not been near their account books.

Their rooms can be small and pokey, built for the liquor salesman and knicker salesman of the 1940s rather than the Savvy Traveller of the teens. And when the darkness falls you can tumble down the steps of the front door as wander through the delightful streets of Ireland's provincial towns.

■ Bus Éireann’s Open Road ticket costs €57.

■ Thei ticket is valid thrroughout the network for three days travel out of six.

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NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 33

DESTINATION IRELAND The happiest legacy of the Celtic Tiger may not be our motorways after all. It may be the way the provincial Ireland has spruced itself up. For much of the last century, our towns were full of dereliction, abandoned buildings, decaying streets, broken footpaths.

The towns of Munster are spruce again and painted in bright colours like they are dressed in their Sunday best. You don't notice this as you drive through.

A town centre hotel and a pair of shoes can work wonders for your understanding of what has happened over the past decade.

T

he narrowest roads provided some of the biggest adven-

tures.

Negotiating a way past a Council road surface team in Co Carlow would have excited the most hardened video game enthusiast. We made it by a couple of centimetres and everyone was concerned, except the driver, who nonchalantly, gave the impression he was used to doing these things.

From the height of the bus can see over our hedgerows into the fields.

The mowing had been completed everywhere we went. One crop of unidentified oilseed was still standing in East Cork.

But the rest was clean shaven, tidy and luxuriant. If you're going to

T Eoghan Corry prepares to board his trusty steed, above: Dungarvan sky visit the food coast, you expect to see a lot of food along the way.

I

n Midleton the smell throughout the town was of malting barley.

It is not exactly from the distillation process although comes from the distillery.

It is from the beer that preceeds the whiskey making, and it delivers an air of anticipation as it hangs over the town permeating every nostril and changing every personal perspective on world.

When I last took the original distillery tour in Midleton it was a classic 1990s showcase performance, in a few rooms dedicated to visits in a in purpose-built centre with a small tasting area.

Like a good whiskey the tour has matured. It has grown into much more. Now you see the real whiskey in storage

(no photograph).

The most amazing sight of all is a stack of sample casks with one end open so you can watch the colour change of the stored whiskey.

Those small percentages, the 1pc and 2pc, they tell you about in every distillery tour around the world become significant as the colour of wood seeps into the alcohol.

A used barrel gives less colour, and with the light glowing behind you get more of a sense here than anywhere else on either the Dublin or Bushmills tours of what slow dedicated time, harvest after harvest, means to this ancient process.

I

t is when the bus moves from the main roads to the by roads that you see the treasure trove.

What is special about bussing he open road is

that you are required to move in accordance with somebody else's schedule, not the coach driver or a tour guide or tour operator, but something that has evolved over the generations.

Country folk understood things like the relationship between the land and fields, the small towns, and the great cities beyond, who understand the seasons, who understand the language of farming and fishing which sustain them and the timetable has to fit that.

The bus timetable doesn't bring you to Ballycotton. It brings you from Ballycotton. It is there for local people, people who want to travel to Carrigtwohill, Midleton and Cork city, people who understand Stevenson when he said that to travel hopefully is better than for to arrive.

he little road bumped through those villagers, famed Cloyne, of cloister and Christy, and on to a lap of the bay past the Garryvoe hotel to its little sister the Ballycotton Bay view.

The sun was low in the sky when I landed. We drove past the fresh mown fields, stalling and slowing for tractors, dogs, cyclists, schoolchildren and old ladies, through narrow roads and under overhanging tree. The landscape of East Cork was at its best. When we reached Ballycotton it was standing room on the pier. When the tide comes in, one fisherman told me, you can put your hand into the water and pull out the mackerel.

The woman beside him is bringing two together on her line.

Ballycotton’s harbour forms an incomplete ring like the nose of a bull, and all around there were fishermen and women bringing in their harvest.

W

hen the tide goes out the sprat get stranded on the rocks in bountiful Ballycotton Bay. The bounty of this region is more than fish.

Thanks to the engine of energy in Ballymaloe East Coast has become something akin to the food capital Ireland's – the culinary centre.

You can see it, written down for you, on the menu of the Bayview Hotel. There is some fanciful description of the local foods but the key core products is written on a little slip attached is like a postage stamp to the top right-hand corner and it says hake. Others how they served my food, and I had plaice for breakfast, and mackerel pate for starter, and I had felt long before the bus came back to Ballycotton the following day, that I had journeyed like Oisín to Tír na nÓg, except I have done so with my seafood mouth wide-open and I had done so with a filled stomach through the azure ocean.

Clockwise: Seamus Breslin at the Bay View Hotel, mackerel pate and some black stuff at the Bay View, calls to action in Waterford bus station where the posters reflect the mood of the angry unions, the Bay View hotel and view from the room at Bay View

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NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 34

GLOBAL VILLAGE two-day golf day and trade event around its annual AGM in Citywest, Saggart next April 24-25. The event will include an airline and technology showcase, stands from 60 exhibitors and a barbecue and disco for 400 travel trade staff. Transport will be provided from venues around the country. It is the first major expansion of the ITAA’s AGM since the annual meeting was decoupled from the conference in 2006. ’s 2015 #NRG brochure is available now. Bulgaria has been added to the 2015 portfolio.

Prices start from €399. Group offers and 2 Weeks for the Price of 1 available on selected destinations.

The ITAA says customers have reported having difficulties at airports in reading codeshare flight information when the codeshare has not been flagged for them. Whilst travel agents in Ireland do not have quite the same exposure that travel agents in the US have for failing to provide information in relation to Code Shares, the provision of information in relation to Code Shares seems to becoming a greater issue for clients than was previously the case. Members should use best endeavours to advise clients that the flight that they are booking operates as a Code Share and are informed of the names of the carriers who operate the Code Share.

The venue for the 2015 Topflight Today FM Ski Trip with the Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show will be Bad HofGastein on January 24 Travel added major USA sports events including NFL, NBA, NHL and Formula 1 to its selection of online tickets. Booking is a two-step process and you receive an e-ticket on completion of the confirmed booking.

Inside the Travel Business

FALCON

CODESHARE

TOPFLIGHT INNSTANT

TRAVEL COUNSELLORS

team in Ireland has now reached 60 with a further 25 in the north. skillnets programme is asking agencies to supply them with their best estimate of what training their organisation hopes to participate in over the coming year.

Registration for ETOA’s 2015 Hoteliers European Marketplace in Paris and City Fair in London is now open.

Travel’s Cruise Fair in Belfast’s Stormont Hotel was attended by 750 people. Represented cruise brands included: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises, Silversea, Hurtigruten, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, Riviera River Cruises, Voyages of Discovery, Swan Hellenic, Hebridean Island Cruises, and Crystal Cruises.

Holidays announced two new ancillary products sales programmes, 25+ Series and Ancillary VIP Programme. appointed Holly Wilkinson to the new role of trading support executive for the Irish market.

Alan Lynch’s Citiescapes has joined the irish Travel Agents’ Association. takes place in Poznań, Poland on Oct 23-25.

A new deal with Travelport will give BCD Travel agents access to Travelport Smartpoint.

ITAA

ETOA

OASIS

TOURICO

ROYAL CARIBBEAN CITIESCAPES TOUR SALON

TRAVELPORT

Ben Bouldin speaking at the launch of the agent rewards card

Royal’s trump card Royal Caribbean want to simplify agent incentives

R

oyal Caribbean reported that they are well on target to sign up 10,000 agents for their trade loyalty programme, a prepaid card which it says offers agents a simple, fast and flexible way to earn rewards for bookings.

Agents can qualify by becoming a captain under the revised training scheme and make four bookings with two bookings back to back counting as two bookings , and who register

on myroyalclub.ie (or myroyalclub.co.uk). The prepaid card they will get was established in partnership with Mastercard . Ben Bouldin lauded the simplicity of the scheme with £5 for every booking which translates into euro for Irish agents .

He wants Ireland to be 15pc of the regional business, up from 12pc . He said an excessive budget would mean sales targets would have been ex-

ceeded .

Once registered, agents will immediately receive a €24/£20 balance on their card as a ‘thank you’ for joining and earn €6/£5 for every booking, loaded directly onto the prepaid card, for immediate use. Ben Bouldin said he looked at the different incentive schemes that were in place and sought to replace them with a single simple scheme.

SA TOURISM APPOINTS Ex-HOTEL SALES CHIEF

T

olene van der Merwe is the new regional manager for South African Tourism base din London. She will look after the Irish and British markets.

South African native, Tolene has more than 15 years’ experience in the

travel industry, working on Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Consumer initiatives.

She began her career in South Africa, at travel agency Exclusive Getaways, before becoming National Sales Manager at Gatsby International Hotels. She then moved to the UK in

2005 to become Product Manager at African Affair Travel.

In 2007, van der Merwe launched her own company, Londonbased Boutique Travel Marketing, providing marketing and representation for African tourism products.

Tolene van der Merwe

2015 BOOKINGS UP TO 30pc AHEAD

T

he travel trade is reporting a very good month in August, well ahead of last year’s deflated figures. Advance sales for summer 2015 are running well ahead of last year.

One major tour operators

reported 2015 bookings are over 20pc ahead of this time last year.

Tony Collins of Topflight reported an increase of 28pc on forward bookings across the group when he launched the 2014-15 ski brochure

Online agency, Clickandgo, saying advance bookings are ahead by 300pc.

Some retail agencies reporting figures of around 30pc. Cassidy Travel said advance sales were 20pc ahead of last year.

Agents cautioned that this increase was measured against a particularly poor summer in 2013. Although the weather in August 2014 was fine for much of the month, the early fine weather in 2013 had adversely affected sales.

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NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 35

GLOBAL VILLAGE

Inside the Travel Business

BA Karen Whyte of American Holidays won

Pad Dawson CEO and Martin Skelly President of the Irish Travel Agents Association

Nice try, by Nice

Negotiations for 2015 ITAA conference hit a snag

A

ll bets were off regarding the hosting of the 2015 Irish Travel Agents Association conference after talks with representatives of the French Tourist Board ran into difficulties.

The ITAA is considering six different venues for the conference, which takes place in October or November each year and will be hosted by the The Peloponnese Region and Costa Navarino on Oct 12-14, 2015.

Nice had been expected to host the 2015 conference, the first time the event was to be held in France. In the past it has been hosted by fur countries and by two cruise companies, including the forthcoming conference on board Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas.

Delegates will arrive on board at lunchtime on October 31st.

There are tentative plans for a golf day the day before embarkation.

That evening there will be cocktails, a tour of the ship and a casual dinner.

On Saturday conference registra-

tion will open at 9am and the conference will take place. There will be a members only session and then in the afternoon a lunch and team activity, followed by a formal dinner.

Everybody will be off the ship at 7am and transfers will be arranged to Heathrow, Gatwick and Southampton, As well as the 200 ITAA agents, there will be 400 UK agents and 800 other travel professionals from

around the world.

The 200 places at the conference have already been filled and there will is a waitlist for further delegates.

All aboard for a brighter future will be the theme for the annual conference.

ABTA to which many travel agencies in the north belong, was recently hosted in Slovenia and next year’s conference

ITAA CONFERENCE VENUES 1975 Burlington 1976 Killarney 1977 Killarney 1978 Wexford 1979 Tralee 1980 Ennis 1981 Limerick 1982 Limerick 1983 Limerick 1984 Waterford 1985 Cork 1986 Wexford 1987 Limerick

2001 Galway 2002 Newcastle 2003 Killarney 2004 Citywest 2005 Citywest 2006 Santry 2008 MSC Poesia 2009 Portlaoise 2010 Malaga 2011 Seville 2012 Istanbul 2013 Granada 2014 Quantum

TOPFLIGHT MOVE EARLY ON 2015

T Tony Colins and Simon Daly at the launch

1988 Killarney 1989 Killarney 1990 Killarney 1991 Limerick 1992 Limerick 1993 Killarney 1994 Tralee 1995 Killarney 1996 Benalmadena 1997 Ennis 1998 Killarney 1999 Algarve 2000 Tralee

opflight launched the 2014-15 ski brochure earlier than usual this year and the brochure was already in the agencies when Tony Collins hosted the formal launch at the Topflight

top floor offices in Jervis House.

He introduced new staff members Simon Daly, John Condon (who designed the brochure) and new group marketing director Sean Nolan.

British Airways’ T5 Competition. Karen won six tickets to see One Republic live in the 3Arena with access to the Audi Club.

ITAA The Irish Travel Agents association has set up a committee to monitor illegal activity by people selling travel who are not licensed and bonded and report back to the Commission of Aviation regulation. The investigation has already uncovered 12 cases of alleged illegal trading.

FALCON’s 2015 #NRG brochure is available now. Bulgaria has been added to the 2015 portfolio. Prices start from €399. Group offers and 2 Weeks for the Price of 1 available on selected destinations.

TUI Travel and its German parent company, TUI AG, are to finally unite in a u6.5bn merger that will create the world’s largest tourism business. Existing TUI Travel shareholders will own 46pc of the new company, with the remainder controlled by TUI stakeholders. The expanded company will be headquartered in Germany but listed on the London Stock Exchange. Shareholders will meet to vote on the merger at an EGM in late October.

BLUE Insurances has appointed Suzanne Sheldon-Browne as their new UK Business Development Executive. As part of her role, Suzanne will also work with existing UK clients such as Travel Counsellors and members of the Elite Travel Group.

TRAVEL CENTRES the tenth Travel centres conference wil take place in the Killashee Hotel in Naas on Nov 14th and 15th IATA A refund of the IATA trust is expected in October, delivering a timely wind fall for the cash shy autumn period.

GADGETInsurance.com commissioned a survey by Behaviour and Attitudes which found that 70pc of people in Ireland currently own an iPhone or smartphone. Ownership is highest in Dublin with 80% owning an iPhone or smartphone versus 63% in Munster. GadgetInsurance.com is now offering iPhone 6 cover from €7.99 per month. Cover includes protection against theft, accidental & water damage with additional loss cover available.

TOURICO Holidays announced two new ancillary products sales programmes, 25+ Series and Ancillary VIP Programme.

Royal Caribbean appointed Holly Wilkinson to the new role of trading support executive for the Irish market.

VIRGIN John Cassidy and Tony Collins were first and second at the Virgin Atlantic golf day at Druids Glen hosted by Holly Best of Virgin Atlantic.

WTM World Travel Market 2014 is inviting WTM Buyers’ Club members to register for the WTM Speed Networking programme and the new WTM Bloggers Speed Networking session.Suzanne Sheldon-Browne joined Blue Insurances as Britain Business Development Executive

ITAA EXHIBITION The Irish Travel

Agents Association reports strong interest in their i

u

Page 036 window seat 08/10/2014 17:12 Page 1

NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 36

WINDOW SEAT

Tree houses in France and the Carreras de Caballos in Sanlucar

Busman’s holiday: Alan Lynch

Every month we ask a leading travel professional to write about their personal holiday experience. This month: Alan Lynch, managing director of Travel Escapes.

I

realised there was a world beyond drinking red lemonade and eating crisps, sitting around looking at the rain soaked sand in damp caravan parks, when I was 17, my older brother and his glamorous girlfriend brought me on a weeks holiday to Spain.

A little ahead of the curve on this one as it was just after my Leaving Cert !

The delights of all-night bars, endless sunshine and scantily clad women made me realise I should have been Spanish!

This started my love affair with Spain and all things Spanish and soon I found myself on an almost permanent holiday when I jumped at the chance of working as a JWT rep in Ibiza and Mallorca.

While I was on this extended holiday I met my future wife in San Antonio, the then party capital of Ibiza. She says we met in the famous “Joe Spoons” bar however; I think I rescued her from a cage in Extasis nightclub!!.

U

For some years after that holidays brought us around the world: Egypt, Australia, Venezuela, Kenya, Russia ,most countries in Europe and a few more I probably am leaving out.

Nowadays, with children on board, we have the equivalent of that caravan park in Ireland except it’s in Elviria on Spain’s Costa del Sol. Here we set our base and each year take a meandering road trip which leads us to the hidden Spain where the beaches are golden, empty and beautiful. The food and wine

is excellent, authentic and very very Spanish and at probably 60% less than you’d pay on the Costas it makes the long sunny days very pleasant indeed. Outdoor activities from surfing to hiking and depending on the time of year a bit of snow skiing feature as a compulsory part to the Lynch family holiday and Spain is our home for all of these.

Rather than flying to Malaga we sometimes take the car and drive through France and Spain taking in different towns and villages. We always try to do something interesting like staying in a Tree House Hotel, a Chateau, a vineyard and we’ve also managed to stay in some wonderful Paradors on the journey to Elviria.

The trips are always a great mix, from a little history, say along the Normandy beaches, to the different wine regions of both countries, Bordeaux and Rioja and so on.

This year we found ourselves at the “Carreras de Caballos” in Sanlucar a fa-

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

ntil two years ago the cruise business in Ireland was dominated by one company. That has changed and the change will be good for the many in the travel trade who depend on the sea wind to blow their P&L back on course.

Cruise companies are declaring that they intend growing the business out of Ireland by about a quarter in the coming year.

That is the sort of prophecy which turns out to be self fulfilling:

more aggressive promotion, more incentives for both trade and consumer, and better air access will life those figures.

Ireland underperforms in comparison with England in selling cruises as a proportion of their market. More people ski than cruise out of Ireland whereas in other markets the proportion is one to two.

The prospects of changing this has been boosted by the excitement caused by the launch of new ships, especially the noise generated by

the launch of Quantum of the seas.

When Royal launched Oasis and Allure of the seas, everyone’s bookings went up.

One small change has blown us slightly off course: why are the favourite pick up ports in Europe, Malaga and Palma, have fallen of the itinerary meaning more concentration in Barcelona, where air access prices are high, Genoa which is inaccessible, and Southampton which is a long away from where we want to spend our cruise days.

mous Horse Racing event that takes place annually, on the beach. A number of Irish trained horses were on the card and we quickly established a reputation among our hosts for choosing winners, our secret, pure luck!

Among our followers was the Jamie Oliver of Spanish T.V. José Andrés and he attracted quite a crowd as he signed autographs and introduced my daughter and I as his Irish friends.

Unfortunately it all fell apart for us when there was two Irish runners in the last race we gave José one horse and we chose the other. Thank God he won so our reputation still remains intact, although my wallet ended up much lighter than I expected.

After our adventures we arrive at our base, and while we love travelling, it is so nice to relax. We know the area so well that the children look upon it as their home away from home. Unfortunately there are no bottles of red lemonade or packets of Tayto to be found!

■ For clarity and to ensure I don’t end up in the dog house, my wife was not a cage dancer in a club in Ibiza, she actually was a JWT rep.

IN YOUR NEXT TRAVEL EXTRA: Available to Travel Agents or online November 10 2014

WEDDINGS ISSUE Why Italy is still on the top of the wedding list HONEYMOON TRENDS

Page 037 pics 08/10/2014 16:36 Page 1

NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 37

MEETING PLACE

d annon O’Dowd of Etiha Karen Maloney and Sh d lan Ire s at the drawn All who hosted trade guest y rar pe Tip d kenny an hurling final between Kil

John Donohue of Cityje t and Simon of Tourism Ireland Travel at the dra wn All Ireland hurling final between Kilkenny and Tipperary

Out and about with the Travel Trade

Jackie Herssons of Travelmood and Lisa Byrne of American Holidays at the Amadeus & MSC Cruises event in the Residence, Dublin,

Rose Darby, Neal Baldwin and Sabine Ficek of MSC at the Amadeus & MSC Cruises event in the Residence,

of on Travel, Lee Osborne Andrea Power of Falcon Tallaght, Elaine Keating Paul Dawson of Daws d an n of TravelAgent.ie xto Se ul Pa d, be oka Bo y of Falcon Waterford and Olwen McKinney of S captain’s Day at Bra Amadeus at the MSC Cruises event Jack Shiel and at the TIG

Con Horgan of Abbey Travel, Declan O’Hagan of Donabate Travel, Steph en McKenna of Atlas/Gohop Travel at the United Cup

Travel President of the Martin Skelly of Navan at lton of Turkish Airlines ITAA and Ann Marie Da stle Ca lf event in Killeen the Turkish Airlines go

Martin Dempsey of Ma rtin Dempsey Travel, Gerry Headon, Jim Tob in of FCM and Jim Mc Gonigle of Clondalkin Tra vel atTIGS captain’s Da y

Kerry born Tara Kelly Etihad manager in the Seychelles with Joe Tully of Tully travel at the dra wn All Ireland hurling fina l

Yvonne Muldoon of Jimmy Lennox of WTC, the ilip Airey of Sunway at United Airlines and Ph p Cu ited Un for the presentation of prizes

Polly Bond of Tour Am erica, David Kinsella of Etravel and Amy Hend erson of Tour America at the MSC Cruises event in the Residence,

Jill Spain and Eleanor Norton of Cruisescapes at the Amadeus & MSC Cruises event in the Residence,Caption

pport, Simon Daly of Greg Cawley of TecSu of Abbey, and Pearse Topflight, Con Horgan TIGS captain’s Day Keller of Keller travel at

Graham Hennessy, Maurice Shiels and Martin Penrose at the TIGS captain’s Day at Bray

Peter Quinn of Aer Lin gus and Kevin Nolan of Topflight who were ho sted by Etihad at the dra wn All Ireland hurling fina l

Maria Pazienza and Michelle Anderson of Topflight with Joe Finglas of Club Travel at the Amadeus & MSC Cruises event

s, lker Lorenz of Amadeu TIGS 2014 captain Vo n nlo Co ve Da d an ITAA Pat Dawson CEO of the Bray at y Da ’s tain cap S of Travelport at the TIG

Page 037 pics 08/10/2014 16:36 Page 2

NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 38

MEETING PLACE

Out and about with the Travel Trade

Sinead Grace and Nia ndgo, Dawn Conway of Celine Kenny of Cruisescapes, Roz Walsh of ll Gibbons of Tourism Niki Stanford of Clicka at the Ireker Bro lan vel d with Dave Walsh Ma Tra of a nn Ha ie Travelfox and Angela Walsh of Corporate Travel Jul d an laysia country manage ay nw Su ce en sid Re r the for Etihad, at the drawn s event in Management at the AMSC Cruises event All Ireland hurling fina Amadeus & MSC Cruise l

Des Manning of Mann ing Travel at the drawn All Ireland hurling final be tween Kilkenny and Tipperary

ey Travel and Karen Malon Con Horgan of Abbey l befina g rlin hu d lan Ire All of Etihad at the drawn perary tween Kilkenny and Tip

Bill Smith ex Falcon, Ka thryn McDonnell of Spanish Tourist Board and Maurice Shiels of Topflight at the TIGS cap tain’s Day at Bray

Tryphavana Cross of Celebrity Cruises with Alan Lynch nd Celine Kenny McGibney of Cruisescapes on the Celebrity Infinity ship visit

dy Travel, and Niamh John Spollen of Cassi vel, Yvonne Muldoon of Byrne of Ask Susan Tra n Power of Shannon cla United Airlines and De p Airport at the United Cu

Yvonne Muldoon of United Airlines,John Cassidy of John Cassidy Travel and Tony Collins of Topflight at the United Cup in Carton

Tom Mulcahy ex Stena Line and Brendan Mo ran ex ITAA at the TIGS cap tain’s Day at Bray Golf Course

Sonia Blakeman, Cara Hunter and Lisa Brennan who have joined Travel Counsellors team at their traning day in Cork

nve Walsh Malaysia cou Kieran Quigley and Da Ire All the at n ctio d fun try manager at the Etiha land hurling final

elly John Grehan of Justsunshine and John Devereux Carroll Weld, Olwen McKinney and Ste ine Browne, Miriam Sk phen Byrne of Amadeus at Audrey Headon, Carol the Amadeus & MSC TIGS captain’s Day at of American Holidays at the drawn All Ireland hurl- Cru the at se nro Pe n ee ises event in the Resid and Eil ing final between Kilkenny and Tipperary ence Bray

Michael Jomartz of Eti had in Abu Dhabi with Cormac O’Connell of Dublin Airport Authority at the drawn All Ireland hu rling final

The Travelport team Robbie Smart, Joanne Madden and Tara Hynes with the prizes at the TIGS captain’s Day at Bray

O’Leary of Amadeus at Paul Dawson and Trish lf zes for the Amadeus Go the presentation of pri tel ho se ros stle Club in the Killarney Ca

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NOVEMBER 2014 PAGE 39

MEETING PLACE

Out and about with the Travel Trade

y tels, Ita Hendrick of Abbe Jeff Collins of Globe Ho the Niamh Doherty and Mary McKenna of Tour at es ntr Ce vel Tra of rke Travel and Dominick Bu America at the MSC Cruises event Caption s event in the Residence Amadeus & MSC Cruise

Dermot Synnott, Ann Ma rie Dalton and Frank O'Hara at the TIGS cap tain’s Day at Bray

Etihad cabin crew Pre nisha Naidoo, Rebecca Young, and Alma McCa be with Barry Barker of Dublin Airport Authority watching the drawn All Ireland hurling final

d Pat Dawson CEO of the ITAA, Aoife Gregg of United O’Grady of Etravel an Sean Kennedy, David ford, ter Wa in vel Tra Airlines and Martin Skelly of Navan Travel, President d an Derek Pheasey of Str l of the ITAA at the United Cup at Carton House All Ireland hurling fina guests of Etihad at the

Guests from Kuala Lumpur: Kieran Quigley, Dave Walsh Malaysia country manager for Etihad, Juane Barry Walsh of JWT, Ma Donohue, Marian Ben- Jones, Jo English and Karen Morgan who were rk Clifford of O'Hanrah Kathryn McDonnell, Tom y Da ’s an tain Tra cap S vel and Jeff Collins of TIG at the hosted by Etihad at the drawn All Ireland hurling final Globe Hotels at the ton and Mary O'Conor TIGS captain’s Day at Bray at Bray

Pat Reede and Massi mo Larini of United Air lines at the presentation of prizes for the United Cu p at Carton House

Louis O'Toole and Shay Mitchell at the TIGS captain’s Day at Bray

andon Travel and Mary Michael Doorley of Sh of vel at the presentation Downes of Cassidy Tra p prizes for the United Cu

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Page 048 09/09/2014 21:23 Page 1

Kings Hall Pavilion, Belfast BT9 6GW, Northern Ireland 16th/18th January 2015

The Belfast Telegraph 50+Show will be staged

alongside the highly successful Holiday World Show, entering its 23rd year and firmly established as one of the BIGGEST and BEST attended public exhibitions in Northern Ireland

Featuring: • • • • • •

Fashion & Beauty Food & Drink Genealogy Government Information Services Health & Wellbeing Holidays & Travel

• • • •

Home & Garden Hotels & Spas Personal Finance & Law Retirement Villages & Resorts • Technology

WHY YOU SHOULD EXHIBIT AT THE BELFAST TELEGRAPH 50+SHOW • Estimated 80% of the country’s wealth is held by people aged 50+ (The Henley Centre) • 31.7% (or 574,000) of the Northern Ireland population are 50+ (Northern Ireland population census) • 62% of Belfast Telegraph readers are 50+ • As a group they are more likely to have substantial assets, cash and the time to enjoy life.

Whilst they are less likely to have any mortgages, school fees and 9 to 5 jobs.

To exhibit please contact Maureen Ledwith Sales Director +353 (0)1 291 3700 e: maureen@bizex.ie

Paulette Moran Sales Manager +353 (0)1 291 3702 e: paulette@bizex.ie