Travel Extra October 2018 by Travel Extra

PRE CLEARANCE JUST GOT EASIER TRANS-ATLANTIC AA TO DALLAS TECHNOLOGY OPTIONS FOR AGENTS ITAA conference itinerary

Dublin portâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new plan

Ryanair sells Malta

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SEPTEMBER 2018

VOLUME 23 NUMBER 8

Bedbankers The fast changing world of beds & technology

SOME CHEFS COOK THEIR BEST AT 30.000 FEET Our flying chefs prepare your special and delicious meals just the way you like it, right on board. Enjoy your meal.

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NEWS

Russia with love

Pobeda to resume Dublin-Moscow after 14 years

eroflot’s low-cost subsidiary is to start flying a 3w Boeing 737-800 direct service from Moscow to Dublin. Pobeda, Aeroflot’s budget airline, would initially fly four times a week from the Russian capital to Dublin, according to filings published on the regulator’s website. It resumes a historic connection between Ireland and Russia. Aeroflot regular transit operations at Shannon started as a charter service in 1975 and scheduled service in 1976 and ended at end October 2002. There were occasional turnround local services, some designed to feed Aer Lingus transatlantic services. Pobeda has a fleet of 20 Boeing 737-800s, 15 of which are leased out of Ireland. . Shannon based SkyNet operated B737 Shannon-Dublin-Moscow from

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

DISNEY The Walt Disney Company has suspended plans for a fourth hotel at Disneyland Resort, with 700 rooms, after a dispute with the Anaheim City Council about its revised location.. CANADA A state of emergency has

been declared in British Columbia where 566 wildfires are raging.

Moscow was connected with Shannon and then Dublin 1975 -2004

March 2003 to May 2004 and dealt with the Irish trade before the aircraft were repossessed by the lessor. Ryanair is the designated Irish

carrier to Moscow & St Petersburg since 2013. It cites the difficulties of getting crew visas as a reason for not launching a service.

KEFLAVIK: Dublin service from Icelandair to go daily from October, competing with Wow. MARRAKESH: Dublin 2w resumed Ryanair route after short interruption.

PITTSBURGH: Aer Lingus 2019 destination.

SEATTLE : Dublin 4w from

Aer `Lingus

TEL AVIV: Dublin 1w from

Arkia Israel

MONTREAL: Will be an 2019 Aer Lingus destintion.

DALLAS

Dublin will be linked daily to Texas next year.

PAPHOS: Dublin 2w from

Ryanair, joining Cobalt on Cyprus

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

from Cathay Pacific,

service from Air Framce.

Croatia Airlines

HONG KONG Dublin 4w

COSTA RICA is to ramp up the police presence at popular spots after female tourists from Spain and Mexico were murdered. National Park in California reopened after a three-week closure due to nearby wildfires but advised visitors to expect some smoke in the air and limited accommodation and food services in the park.

CARLISLE Dublin 7w from Loganair scheduled for spring 2019.

DALAMAN Dublin 1w from Ryanair, new for 2018.

livable city in the world in the Economist Intelligence Unit annual survey compiled by Roxana Slavcheva. Dublin is the 41st most livable city in the world, up from 43rd last year.

YOSEMITE

DESTINATIONS TO WATCH

BARCELONA: Shannon 1w from Ryanair, gateway to Daurada.

VIENNA replaced Melbourne as the most

MOSCOW: Pobedoa are listing a Sheremetyevo service.

PARIS: Cork 2w year round

PAPHOS, CYPRUS – NEW FOR SUMMER 2019 Take in ancient sites, trek through the Troodos mountains or find a footprintfree beach to soak up the sun and swim in the crystal clear seas. TUI is a trading name of TUI Ireland Limited and is fully licensed and bonded by CAR T.O.021.

TORONTO:

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

ZAGREB

Dublin 2w from

MONCHIQUE Firefighters put out a fire that devastated the forested hills in the mountain town of Monchique, a popular day trip option from the coastal resorts, in the southern Algarve tourist region, but emergency services are remaining in the area to monitor potential hotspots. CORK graduate Kate O’Callaghan and

Australian husband Som Meaden, along with environmentalist Andy Ridley are working together to protect the Great Barrier Reef.

CROATIA is raising its tourist tax by 25pc from next year’s peak season. The taxes are per person per night, in all accommodation facilities except camping sites.

SEAWORLD Attendance at Seaworld parks rose 4.8pc in the key second of this year. Senior management said rising season-pass sales, new rides and a free-beer promotion in Tampa and Orlando have increased footfall CHINA is to get the world’s largest in-

door Nickolodeon theme park to be based at Chongqing’s Mall of China

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 4

THE KNOWLEDGE

Travel Extra Clownings, Straffan, Co Kildare (+3531) 2913707 Fax (+3531) 2957417 Editor: Eoghan Corry eoghan.corry@ travelextra.ie Publisher: Edmund Hourican edmund@bizex.ie Sales Director: Maureen Ledwith maureen@bizex.ie Sales Manager Paulette Moran paulette@bizex.ie t: +353 (0)1 291 3702 Accounts and Advertising: Maria Sinnott maria@bizex.ie Sunday Supplement & Online: Mark Evans markevanspro@gmail.com

Editor Emeritus: Gerry O’Hare

Chief Features Writer: Anne Cadwallader anne@travelextra.ie Contributors : Damian Allen damianjamesallen@ gmail.com Marie Carberry marie@travelextra.ie Carmel Higgins carmel@travelextra.ie Cauvery Madhavan cauvery@travelextra.ie Sean Mannion sean@grafacai.ie Ciaran Molloy ciarancmolloy@ gmail.com Catherine Murphy cathmurph@yahoo.com Aileen O’Reilly aileencoreilly@gmail.com

Travel Extra takes no responsibility for errors and omissions. Distribution Manager: Shane Hourican shane@bizex.ie Origination: Typeform

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

Contact +353872551675 if you have difficulty getting Travel Extra.

CONTENTS

3 News Where to go,h ow much to pay 6 Hotels: News 8 Postcards: News from the trade

www.travelextra.ie

10 Destination: Australia 16 Accommodation: Bedbank special 20 Technology: What’s new 23 North Dakota: Into the Badlands 26 Destination: Jordan

28-32 Flying: Airline and airport news 33-34 Global Village Inside travel 35 Window seat: Our columnists 36 Pictures: Out and about

Deep into Dynamic

he number of hotel beds that are available to agents through the various booking agents is gargantuan. Some of the most successful travel agencies in the current market are those whose business model is based on dynamic packaging. It is now 80pc of travel agents’ buisness. All of the dynamic packaging agencies, big and small, have bespoke systems that can build millions of offers and options. So how does a perplexed agent handle these options?

CHOOSE your

market. Either find a niche area or find where the masses are going. If you cannot think of one, four-star all-inclusive is a good place to start. Aim for the general family and couples market.

DECIDE who you

are going to work with. It is sensible to deal with a handful of decent bed banks that you trust rather than plunge into the great unknown. No matter what supplier they are using nowadays, an agent can offer customers hundreds of thousands of hotel options at a click. Often, only a few dozen of those count in the Irish market. There are a small number of favourite hotels that crop up again and again on wish lists of Irish customers at the key destinations. Even the most exotic locations have only a few hotels that really matter to the Irish consumer.

coverage and public liability insurance.

LOOK at the paperwork and see if it reflects what you are doing in practice. Make sure you are always acting as an agent, both on paper and off it.

Pasea Huntingdon beach, California

DEVELOP your

sales technique. Agents can still persuade customers that they are the best place to book and that they shouldn’t worry that suppliers are named on the paperwork.

DON’T

be afraid to talk price. Even though the internet is awash with direct offers, today’s technology means a good agent can tell every customer with confidence that they can find them the best price. When a customer looks up the internet, the price could be different to what it is in the next hour. If you look at a destination and find a good price, buy it or tell the customer to buy it. With dynamic packaging a price is likely to go up rather than down.

GET the right tech-

nology. Better technology gives agents a lot more flexibility to offer a wider range of products. It is the key to how much product you can access and how quickly you can do so. It puts an agent in control of their business

and, more importantly their margin.

CHARGES

Ask whether the bed bank is buying its own stock or whether it is buying from another bed bank. They may have different cancellation charges, and these could be passed on to the agent without you knowing it.

KNOW your cus-

tomer, and keep it that way. A direct seller can never get to know your customer as well as you do (and many have tried and failed). No internet or online travel agent will know your local airport and its routes and its routes as you do, particularly if many operators don’t fly from there (departures from regional airports such as Kerry are cheaper than from main airports at this time of the year).

SHOW the value

of the flights you source for your customers by comparing them to more expensive ones earlier or later that day. The process if providing good value for money starts

with the best flights. It convinces the customer that you can offer a better holiday at a better price.

FEES When you

charge a consultancy fee, make sure it is clear in the price. Don’t impose your own amendment or cancellation fees.

SELL the extras. For

such an obvious way to increase commission, suppliers say many agents still do not offer products such as transfers and car hire during consultations. Agents do not make the most of what they can do when the customer is in front of them. After sorting out the flights and accommodation, ask the simple question: what do you want to do?

UPGRADES

Use a dynamic package to get a better price or give added value to the customer. The more you add, the more value you can give.

GET the necessary legal paperwork and business infrastructure in place, such as CAR

INVOICE diligently. It is more important than ever that agents make sure their invoicing and terms and conditions are clear, otherwise they could find themselves liable if a supplier fails. Your invoices and terms and conditions must clearly state whether you are acting as the agent or principal. In particular do not confuse booking confirmations with receipts. KNOW the law.

Making sure you operate legally can take a significant amount of research. While dynamic packaging allows agents to compete with internet pricing, agents need to be vigilant about their adherence to legal and industry standards.

AVOID marking up or trying to control or change the price of the products.

AVOID picking

elements of the product, bundling them up and selling them as an inclusive package.

COMPETE If

you do not have the technological might to take on the big online dynamic packaging agents, you can still use dynamic packaging to beat the agency selling packages down the road.

CRUISE.COM

“NO FLY” CRUISING Holidays from Dublin & Cobh

After another successful 2018 Programme we are delighted to announce that “Magellan” is back Home-Porting in Ireland for 2019. Date

From

Destination

Duration

10-July 2019

Dublin

Iceland & Faroes

11 nights

21-July 2019

Dublin

Summer Gardens & River Seine Experience

7 nights

28-July 2019

Dublin

Grand Fjordland Splendour

12 nights

9-August 2019

Dublin

Spain, Portugal & Gibraltar

10 nights

19-August 2019

Dublin

Summertime Fjordland

11 nights

30-August 2019

Dublin

British Isles Discovery

12 nights

11-September 2019

Ringaskiddy

Iceland’s Land of Ice & Fire

12 nights

23-September 2019

Cobh

Baltic Cities & St Petersburg

16 nights

12-October 2019

Dublin

Iceland, Faroes & Land of the Northern Lights

13 nights

25-October 2019

Dublin

River Seine Experience

7 nights

20-December 2019

Cobh

Christmas & New Year Canaries & Madeira (Marco Polo)

16 nights

5-January 2020

Cobh

Grand Africa & Indian Ocean Voyage (Marco Polo)

78 nights

For a brochure call 074-9135960 or contact your local travel agent JMG Travel, Gortahork, Co. Donegal Tel: 074 91 35201 • Email: jmgtravel@eircom.net 104493 JMG Travel Travel Extra 330x240.indd 1

www.jmgcruise.com

Licensed & Bonded

Tour Operators No. 214

15/08/2018 13:08

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 6

HOTELS

www.travelextra.ie

DALATA is to add 418 new bedrooms

amid a revamp of its Maldron Hotel properties. The Morgan Hotel on Fleet Street reopened following a €15m investment, adding a new floor, 39 bedrooms and a new restaurant, 10 Fleet Street.

BALLYFIN was named second-best

hotel in the world in Travel + Leisure’s 2018 World’s Best list, just behind the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan..

IHG is bringing the Kimpton boutique brand to Japan with the opening of Kimpton Tokyo Shinjuku in 2020 opening. K CLUB There were 100 interested

parties reported as Michael Smurfit placed The K Club up for sale with a guiding price of €80m. The five-star resort in Straffan, Co Kildare, is on a 550-acre estate featuring a 134bedroom hotel and two 18-hole championship golf courses designed by the late Arnold Palmer. The K Club hosted the 2006 Ryder Cup, 2016 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and 13 European Opens.

KILLARNEY Park Hotel has an-

nounced Well-Fit Killarney, a new collaborative fitness and wellness retreat with Belief-Fit, a boutique gym in Killarney.

TIFCO is bringing the Hard Rock Hotel

franchise to Dublin’s Lord Edward Street in a 120-bedroom development as part of a €30m development opposite City Hall

EASYHOTEL, the group established

by EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou, has acquired a freehold site in central Dublin and is planning to develop a purpose-built, freehold hotel. The site, on the corner of Benburb Street and Wood Lane, already has planning permission in place for a 96-bedroom hotel. However, the group is to apply to amend existing planning permission to build a 130-bedroom hotel.

BALLYMENA’s Galgorm Resort & Spa hosted the World Luxury Spa & Restaurant Awards 2018, which have previously been held in Qatar, Vietnam and South Africa. The Northern resort won two categories for its spa and restaurant. Galgorm General Manager

PREM Hotel management firm the PREM Group - led by CEO Jim Murphy - is to open two new Premier Suites venues - the first in Antwerp this September, with the second in Amsterdam in late 2019.

IHF aid the number of British tourists is “a significant concern” despite a rising number of visitors from North America and the continent. The group said while 70pc of hoteliers it surveyed recorded an increase in business, one in five see their advance bookings for the rest of the summer down compared to last year. IHF warned that the special 9pc Vat rate, which is coming under pressure to be raised in the next Budget, is “vital in underpinning and sustaining the continued growth of the tourism sector”. ACCOR Hotels dropped plans to buy a minority stake in Air France-KLM.

Adare Manor winner of the Virtuoso award and prospective 2024 Ryder Cup venue

Adare awarded

Win for JP McManus owned Com Hannon run hotel

olm Hannon headed Adare Manor was voted ‘Hotel of the Year 2018’ at the Virtuoso ‘Best of the Best Awards 2018’ held in Las Veg Adare Manor re-opened last November after a 21-month overhaul and extension that included 42 new rooms bringing the count up to 104 with the addition of our Manor Lodges and Garden Cottages, Ireland’s only La Mer Spa, a 350 person Grand riverside ballroom and a Tom Fazio-designed golf course. Changes included The newly designed David

Collins Clubhouse, now known as the Carriage House, is a new dining option and a more casual option to the gastronomic Oak Room restaurant in the Manor, a purpose built boardroom and cinema. B&B ranges from €500 per night for a Classic King to €2,250 for a Signature Suite in shoulder season. The written Virtuoso citation said “Maintaining the estate’s neo-Gothic architectural heritage and stonework was but a small portion of the fantastic overhaul,”. The ceremony honoured the year’s top 10 hotels and

hoteliers before an audience of 1,700 of luxury travel figures at the 12th annual Hotels & Resorts Dinner. Adare Manor was pitted against the Berkeley, London; Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, A Four Seasons Hotel, St. Jean Cap Ferrat, France; One&Only Le Saint Geran, Post de Flacq, Mauritius; and Royal Mansour Marrakech, Morocco The Shelbourne’s Horseshoe Bar had also been shortlisted in the best hotel bar category, which was won by The Donovan Bar at Brown’s Hotel in London.

PROVINCIAL RATES RISE AT LAST

TRGlobal figures in July showed the average cost of a hotel room outside Dublin rose by 8pc. Occupancy of hotel rooms outside Dublin was down 1.8pc to 85.2pc in July, while the average daily room rate was up 8.1pc to €130.87. RevPAR was up 6.2pc to €111.45. Occupancy in the capital was also down, dropping

0.6pc to 90.1pc. The average daily room rate was up 5.3pc to €158.45, while RevPAR was up 4.7pc to €142.76.

National occupancy was down 1pc to 88.1pc, while the average daily room rate was up 6.7pc to €147.54, and RevPAR was up 5.6pc to €129.96. In a note, an analyst with Davy said Dub-

lin’s RevPAR growth in July should be viewed as “solid”. In relation to Dalata, the State’s biggest hotelier, the analyst said average daily room rates would “remain central to growth” as occupancy levels are “very full”. Davy is forecasting fullyear 2018 RevPAR growth of 5.5pc for Dalata in Dublin, 5pc outside Dublin and

3.5pc in the Britain. Analysts say the figures are probably attributable to an increase in the number of tourists visiting Ireland. Visitors from mainland Europe increased 5pc to 3.25m last year while the number of North American tourists rose 16pc to 1.7m. There has been a decline in English visitors.

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 7

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NEWS

Dave Walsh back Former Etihad Malaysia man to head up Etravel

ave Walsh has been appointed Managing Director of eTravel, he will be joining the company on November 1st 2018. Dave has worked previously in Ireland with BMI and Travelport, starting with Etihad Airways 6 years ago as General Manager for Ireland. In 2013 Dave and his family moved to Malaysia to take up the position of GM Malaysia for Etihad Airways. In 2016 Dave was promoted to GM of South Asia with responsibility for Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. David O’Grady said he and his team are delighted that Dave is joining eTravel to help manage the current business and continue the exciting growth of eTravel. A written statement form Dave Walsh said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Etihad Airways over the last 6 years and am

TEENS and young adults in the 18 to 24 age group are still holidaying with their parents, according to new research by Enterprise Rent-A-Car Ireland. It found that 71pc had been on holiday with their parents in the past year, with parents helping to cover costs 85pc of the time.

UNIVERSAL Studios may be planning to open a new park in Orlando, parent company Comcast revealed. It has filed to build a park called Fantastic Worlds in Florida.

WTO The World Tourism Organisation has urged tourists not to change their plans and travel to Greece, after the deadly fires that devastated the seaside town of Mati.

JAPAN enacted its controversial gaming bill, which allows for a limited number of integrated resort casinos. CROATIA will have to hire in foreign

Dave Walsh and David O’Grady

very grateful for the many opportunities during that time but I am very excited to be joining the eTravel team

in November and looking forward to meeting and working with the team”

by properties in China, where attendance swelled by nearly 20pc. China now generates about a quarter of the major operators’ overall attendance. Global attraction attendance at the major operators is now almost half a billion visits a year, and is more than double the attendance of all the major sport leagues around the world. Asia’s attendance expanded by 5.5pc driven by Mainland China with Shanghai Disneyland’s first full year responsible

MOST POPULAR 1 Magic Kingdom Orlando 20,450k 2 Disneyland Anaheim 18,300k 3 Tokyo Disneyland 16,600k 4 Universal Japan 14,935k 5 Tokyo Disneysea 13,500k 6 Animal Kingdom Orlando 12,500k 7 Epcot Orlando 12,200k 8 Shanghai Disneyland 11,000k 9 Hollywood Studios, Orlando 10,722k 10 Universal Orlando 10,198k 11 Ocean Kingdom Hengoin 9,788k 12 Disneyland Paris 9,660k

workers to work in tourism next year due to a shortfall of 15,000 workers in its tourism industry, minister Gari Cappelli said.

CHINA wants to develop tourist routes in the Arctic region, the Russian Agency for Travel Extra quarter page ad 6 August 2018.pdf 1 06/08/2018 12:08:30 Tourism said.

MAGIC KINGDOM STILL TOP VISITED THEME PARK

alt Disney world in Orlando remains the world’s most popular theme park, according to the Theme Park attractions report for 2017. The report says that the industry resumed its historic pace of growth in 2017 after a fairly flat 2016, fuelled by Disney, China, and Indoor Entertainment Centres. The top 25 theme parks expanded volume by 4.7pc. Major theme park operators had 8.6pc overall growth led largely

CSO said trips made by Irish residents trips abroad rose by a recent record 9.5pc to 878,500 in June.

for much of the gain. Orlando saw major attractions open at both Disney (Pandora The World of Avatar) and Universal (Volcano Bay) in 2017. Orlando now represents a third of North American attendance, with $10bn further investment due, Global water park attendance at the top parks was up 1.6pc with particularly strong performance in some of the European parks. While the Top 20 museums were relatively flat, regional museums had a strong year with 5pc growth fed by strong performance in Asia. Highlights included the Victoria & Albert (up 25pc), the National Gallery of Art (up 23pc), the Louvre (up 10pc) and the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC with 2.4m visitors. C

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SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 08

POSTCARDS FROM THE TRAVEL SCENE

he idea of U by Uniworld originated at an ITAA conference on board a Uniworld rivership. The product’s 2019 launch in Dublin featured cocktails dashed with charcoal which turned drinks black, “just like the colour of our new stunning U ships, Sharon Jordan said. Guests enjoyed sharing platters, inclusive on U cruises, which are aimed at the 30plus market. Sharon says the trade in Ireland has

ine Mangan of Into Kildare said the Inaugural Taste of Kildare Festival in the K Club had surpassed expectations. The Kildare foodies managed to recruit 28 suppliers gala lunch in the Legacy suite on the Smurift golf course and 59 more on the other side of the Liffey at the open area with stalls and demonstrations in the Walled Gardens of the 1831 Barton estate.

aul Dawson (handicap now down to 12 and declining) was the winner with 37 pts as Stags hosted golfers from Munster and Leinster for the Tom Mannion memorial event. The Munster travel golfers annual event has now become a national occasion with more visitors from Dublin. Winners of men’s event was Leo Mannion (37pts), ladies Fionnuala McCurtain-McGrath (34 pts), front nine

really taken to the brand and we feel will open up new revenue streams for agents who are looking to offer something new to their clients. This year we have an exclusive agent offer of €399 on a cruise for 4 nights called the ‘Merry Litte Xmas’ and it’s looking to have a high portion of Irish agents on board. Picture shows Brian Hynes, Carol Hurley, Marissa Beck, and Sharon Jordan, Head of Travel Corporation Ireland

Michael Davern, GM of the K Club, hosted the event. recently returned from the Virtuoso travel week in Vegas. Attendance was 300 guests in Legacy, 2,500 scanned adults and 500 children into Walled Gardens. Musical performances were headlined by Paddy Casey. Food festivals have become an integral part of the Irish tourism landscape as regions follow the lead of the trend setting Burren Food Circle.

David Conlon (21pts), back 9 Marian Benton (18pts), Nearest the pin Jack Sheil. Cork Airport were the sponsors of the annual August event. Picture shows Dave Conlon of Travelport, Marian Benton of Map Travel, Fionnuala MacCurtain of Ballsbridge Travel, Paul Dawson of Dawson Travel and Leo Mannion of Tom Mannion travel

gathering of key travel agents was invited by United to celebrate 20 years of its nonstop service from Dublin and Shannon to Newark. The route commenced in 1998 from Shannon. The Dublin office was headed up in Ireland by Jackie Dunphy, followed by Yvonne Muldoon and now Martina Coogan. United has grown substantially

iobhan Learat Byrne of Adams and Butler retained her A list status among the top 55 in the world fat Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas. It is the third year in a row that Siobhan has been given the award by the leading US-focussed luxury travel group. Siobhan has an honours BA in Spanish and Arabic, post-graduate degrees

rentino tourism hosted a group of key Irish travel media on a media visit to Discover Lake Levico and the Sounds of the Dolomites in Val di Fassa.. The itinerary included stand up paddling on lake Levico, cycling on an electric bike to the village of Borgo Valsugana, dinner at Castle Pergine, a visit to land art park Artesella open sky art gallery, tour of the villages in

down the years and following their initial Newark service, launched seasonal services to Washington–Dulles in April 2012 and Chicago–O’Hare in April 2015. The airline has a substantial codeshare arrangement with Aer Lingus. The route network from the Newark offers 75 connections across the US, Canada and Mexico. Picture shows Martina Coogan and Aoife Gregg at the event.

in business, Arabic & Middle Eastern History; and a first-class MBA from the Smurfit Business School. She set up set up Adams & Butler in 2002, with her business plan serving as her MBA thesis, an upmarket travel design company which specialises in customised vacations and privileged access for a more discerning and often wealthy client, including many celebrities, around the world.

Val di Fassa and visit to a local cheese factory, wellness at fabulous QC Terme spa centre. Highlight of the visit was a hike to the Sounds of the Dolomites concert by English songwriter Graham Nash, and picnic on the grass. Picture shows Marta Covi, Elisa Salvi, Jim Gallagher, Katia Vinco, Catherine Murphy, and front Eoghan Corry and Rachel Beresford.

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 09

POSTCARDS FROM THE TRAVEL SCENE HAVEN SUMMER ’19 NOW ON

embers of the Irish branch of the Association of Women Travel Executives were hosted on board Celebrity Eclipse in Dublin Port. AWTE has grown since its launch with launch with 48 founding members in April 2017, with workshops and innovative visits such as a behind the scenes visit to Dublin airport earlier in the summer.

SALE!

They hosted 36 members at one of its workshops earlier this year and the cruise ship visit was over subscribed. Picture shows Yvonne Muldoon of Aer Lingus, Sinead Reilly of Travelport, Karen Maloney of Etihad, Valerie Murphy of Celebrity Cruises and Lorraine Quinn of Celebrity Cruises Association of Women Travel Executives event on board Celebrity Eclipse.

SUMMER... T

he Ireland India Council headed up by Prashant Shukla hosted dignitaries and invitees including Travel Extra at Farmleigh. There details of the India day celebrations on September 2 were announced. The ambassador hosted members of the council at an event earlier that day at her residence, and vowed to increase tourist numbers. Irish visitor numbers to India rose 10.5pc to 36,440 in 2016.

They were boosted by the online visa developments. Shashank Chakerwarti made the case at the Ireland India council for direct flights from Ireland to India, for which he says Spicejet are the more likely candidates. Picture shows Bernard Durkan, deputy chair of the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs committee speaking at the event in the beautifully it arboterium in Farmleigh.

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epresentatives from Universal Orlando Florida Resort briefed the media in Dublin on plans for nine hotels and 9,000 beds by 2020, a far cry from opening day in 1990 when it had no accommodation. Technical rehearsals are in progress for the official launch this summer of Cinematic Celebrations - Universal’s first show utilising 3D mapping technology to project images on to each of

But hurry, places are limited (as is their patience). the resort’s waterfalls. And August 16 will see the opening of The Aventura, the resort’s first high-rise hotel. The biggest pull for Irish visitors is the Halloween programme, running from September to October: “Horror is an increasingly huge draw,” said Universal’s Kevin Gibson,”they cannot get enough of it. Kevin is pictured with Fiona Duncan and Kate Bates, of Attraction Tickets Direct.

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SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 10

DESTINATION AUSTRALIA

enise Von Wald, shortly to retire as two country representative for Tourism Australia based in London, told Travel Extra at Asutralian Trourism exchange in Adelaide that the youth market would be a major focus of TA’s plans for 2019. Tourism Austrlai is attempting to further expand visitor numbers for Ireland. Tourism Australia stats, meanwhile, show a big increase in non -backpacker visitors. A reclassified database identified leisure visitors from Ireland up 27pc to 51,550 in 2017, with expenditure up 47pc to $255m. Thee average stay of 20 nights is rolling back slightly as shorter-stay non work visa visitors become more significant. This means Thailand (68,982 in 2017) is rapidly supplanting Australia as Ireland’s leading long haul destination. Qantas, whose CEO is Irish, has re-entered the Irish market seeking a share of the lucrative flight business. It now offers a direct London to Perth flight. One stop options for Irish visitors remain Emirates via Dubai, Etihad via Abu Dhabi and Qatar via Doha. Getting to Australia has also become easier with the arrival of new services from Hainan via Biejing and Cathay Pacific through Hong Kong. Tourism Australia’s strategy of emphasising a select group of high end product was extended this year to walks and aboriginal culture products. . Ireland remains a mar taker of the work visa scheme. Denise said that the qualification for a second year of work visa would be extended to other categories that will be valuable on a visitor’s CV, “beyond fruit-picking.”

51,550 visitors Australia second to Thailand as Ireland’s favourite long haul destination

Tourism Australia wants to extend the second year backpacker visa ‘beyond fruit picking.’

ourism Australia CEO John Sullivan itemised the $18bn investment in tourism and, finally, inroads being made into the sub-continent’s dire shortage of hotel beds. Hosted at the new $400m million Adelaide Convention Centre, ATE saw 700 buyers connect with 550 sellers and 91 media from 20 countries. Minister for Tourism, David Ridgway said the week of ATE is a rare and exciting opportunity to impress delegates so that they continue to encourage travel to South Australia. “Tourism is the lifeblood of our small businesses - we must get our state brand out there so our economy and locals can continue to thrive,” Minister Ridgway said. “We want more visitors to experience South Australia and we are committed to our 2020 target of $8bn in tourism expenditure. “The benefit of hosting ATE in Adelaide extends well beyond the $10mn economic impact. The long-term benefit will be the advocates we will win for our state, through these influential delegates who will experience some of the best of South Australia.” South Australian

Tourism Commission, Chief Executive, Rodney Harrex said “South Australia hosted 612 famil places with media and trade delegates from more than 20 countries visiting South Australian icons, including Penfolds and the newly opened d’arenberg cube,”

ourism Australia had a very successful product but a problem. They had three amazing pieces of product, the reef, the rock and the bridge. The problem was moving the international tourist, particularly the short stay international tourist beyond that. Australia has long been a backpack venue before the Irish started moving there in vast numbers around 2002. The figures were astonishing, peaking at 72,000. We became top 10 source destination for Australian tourism. The Irish backpackers also moved in large numbers, making Ireland the second or third biggest taker of the one year (average 11,000 a year) and two year (average 4,000 a year) visa schemes. Australia liked the Irish because we spent more than comparable European markets and

dispersed beyond the gateway points of Sydney and Melbourne. You could find Irish tourists, as well as the ubiquitous back packers, everywhere.

ourism Australia’s wants to grow international visitation by 7pc and spend from $115 billion to $140 billion by 2020. The big question is how they will treat traditional loyal and high-spending, but distant, markets like Ireland as they chase the more populous and more local Asian markets. Australia’s response was to work closely with the trade in the more mature markets. In 2015 they recruited trainers for Australian specialist campaign in key 17 markets, including Ireland.

ustralia expert is a very useful tool to help agents put together itineraries for Australia,” Ricky Dunn of Tourism Australia explains. “We spent a lot of money putting this together. There is a training component.” “You complete five modules and can call yourself an Aussie specialist four point this gives you a little bit of

credibility I suppose. “More than that there are some very useful tools. There is an interactive map of the country where you can click on a city and get itinerary suggestions around that city. There are fact sheets and trade resources. It works with three core modules. It is mobile friendly tablet friendly you can do it on your PC. In Britain there are 3,000 registered Aussie specialist agents and 2,000 of these qualified by completing the modules. “In addition, the South Australian Tourism Commission and Tourism Northern Territory teamed up to create an Explorer’s Way module featuring the route between Adelaide and Darwin as a two-week trip.” “For the agent there are a lot of sales resources there are industry rates and freebies. Gives you more credibility makes it easier to sell make the job easier. Please have a look at www.aussiespecialist.com.

eavy resources were put into the Restaurant Australia campaign. The worldwide campaign positions Australia on the basis of its food and wine

story and has included the Invite the World To Dinner event at MONA in 2012 and Noma’s residency in Sydney in 2016. This year Tourism Australia paid $800,000 to host the Restaurant awards. John O’Sullivan, head of Tourism Australia, says it’s money well spent. “This is the Oscars of food,” he says. “It’s like us winning a Summer Olympics of sport. We think it’s a pretty modest price to pay.” “Our research shows once you have been to Australia you have a completely different perception of food and wine here to what you had before you came. Food and wine is such a key driver in international travel.” “The tourism sector is an SME sector if you look at the sector as a whole it is made up of a lot of small and medium enterprises besides the big airlines and hotel groups. “If we get this right with international visitation and spend, not only restaurants but also people wanting to sample products through the farm gate and cellar door. Everyone will benefit.. That is the beauty of tourism

www.aussiespecialist.com

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SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 12

DESTINATION AUSTRALIA

hen James and Hayley Bailey opened Southern Ocean Lodge in March 2008, it could have been seen as a remote and out of the way place. Getting there requires a flight to Adelaide, then another (very short) flight to Kangaroo Island. The Kangaroo Island flight is so short the aircraft begins to descend as soon as ascent is finished. But Bailey had the cream and they knew it. At that year’s Australian Tourism Exchange in Perth visiting media, including Travel Extra, were told this was a hotel that would serve as a game changer for Australian tourism. Access was complicated, but Australia is a big country, and the views when you got there would make up for the hassle of the journey, arriving being as good as travelling hopefully, to paraphrase Stephenson. Not only that, but Kangaroo island (it sounds smaller than it is, it is slightly larger than Co Tipperary) would now be placed on the tourism map as a wilderness and eco-friendly destination, for the discerning and wealthy. Ten years later, part of that has come true.

Lodge luxury

Eoghan Corry on Kangaroo Island

Pathway to Remarkable Rocks on Kangaroo island nd (below) Seal Bay

hey were right about Southern Ocean Lodge. This may be the most stunning g hotel in the world. It seems to sit on the shrubbery, on a cliff top. The tropical beach resorts with the azure sea are all very well for the destination magazine covers (SOL’s beach is a distant hike, and the first beach is too rocky to swim, although the second is fine). But this is more natural and all about customer care.

The view across the Antarctic Ocean from the glass walled walkway between the public areas of Southern Ocean Lodge and your room are spectacular and everchanged, in that west of Ireland sense. “We are a product but also a destination,” said hotel general manager John Hird.

ell fed customers are happy customers. Lamb, Bremerton Baton-

THINGS TO DO PLACES TO SEE

n Southern Ocean Lodge world-class retreat offers an unforgettable blend of contemporary luxury and pure nature, 21 suites with ocean views, all-inclusive rates, first name service and personalised itinerary: Price includes gourmet breakfast, light lunch, four-course dinner with daily-inspired menu, selected alcoholic and all non-alcoholic beverages, exceptional guided adventures and experiences and island airport transfers. n Kangas & Kanapes’ tour. history of the early island settlers at Edward’s Cottage, kangaroos in their natural environment, champagne and canapé whilst the sun goes down. n Seal Bay, third largest colony of Australian Sea-Lions, unique insight into endangered animals and how they hunt, surf, rest, interact with their pups and defend their territory.

n Wonders of KI’ half-day experience, Cape du Couedic Lighthouse, Remarkable Rocks, Admirals Arch and a fur seal colony. n Lodge to Hanson Bay Loop, KI Wilderness Trail through native forest with wildlife including wallabies, echidnas and birds. Cross the South West River via the boat and crest the dune to reach the white beaches of Hanson Bay. n Raptor Domain Birds of Prey freeflight demonstration, also meet the world’s most venomous snakes. n Sunset Food & Wine, modern bistro with a focus on seafood and South Australian produce with ocean views. n Kangaroo Island Ocean Safari, wildlife journey from Penneshaw with dolphins, seals, birdlife, eagles, whales and magnificent coastline.

age Chardonnay, marron and barramundi, much of it from Kangaroo Island itself (try the delicious flagship wine, The Islander) is the trademark of the hotel. Excursions from the lodge took us on a cliff walk over the thrashing ocean with the wind in our hair and to a sundowner with roving kangaroo fewer than one might expect.. We drove to the coastline where Cape du Coedik and its cave protrude form one headland, a group of oversized stone

billiard balls known unimaginatively as the Remarkable Rocks, balanced atop a granite outcrop. . Food and drink has grown with the Lodge’s island renaissance. Jon Lark, whose brother Bill started Lark’s distillery in Tasmania, set up a distillery here. There are fine dining experiences and locavore centric chefs such as Jack Ingram. Food and drink have become Kangaroo Island’s calling card as much as its animals.

angaroo Island’s signature is not, as one might expect, the kangaroo, but its 800 sea lions. The trip to see them is relaxed and reassuring across boarded paths with plenty of do not disturb signs for sleeping seals. Every stroll and drive takes you past kangaroos, goannas and echidnas. The more hard nosed animal parks that featured on 1990s island itineraries are less prominent nowadays, although a lot are still there. At Raptor experience Kyle Wiggins and Chantelle Lehmann demonstrated the speed and accuracy of some of the world’s most devastating aerial predators, visitors got to handle some of the birds, and the world’s most venomous snakes were lifted out of a barrel to snake around behind a glass wall. And the omnipresent koalas, 18 koalas were introduced in 1923, as part of an attempt to create a disease free refuge. Now there are 50,000 and they are working out ways of culling them. “They tag the right ear because the female is always right ,” tour guide Ben Mitchell said. Same problem, different species.

n Eoghan Corry travelled on Emirates business class service to Adelaide via Dubai. Economy Class passengers are allocated a baggage allowance of up to 35kg. Passengers flying Business Class enjoy an allowance of 40kg as well as Emirates’ Chauffeur-drive service. n All Emirates passengers enjoy the award-winning inflight entertainment system, ice Digital Wide-screen, offering more than 3,500 channels of entertainment and films. n Emirates connects Ireland to a network of more than 160 destinations across six continents, operating a twice daily service between Dublin and Dubai, onboard one of the most modern fleet of aircraft in the world. n visit www.emirates.ie

Fly one-stop to Australia, from more of Ireland Connect to London with convenient Aer Lingus services from Shannon & Cork or a choice of Aer Lingus and British Airways services from Dublin. From London, experience a new era of flying, non-stop on the Qantas Dreamliner to Australia. Find out more at dreamliner.qantas.com or contact your local travel agent.

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 14

DESTINATION AUSTRALIA

couple of hours outside Port Lincoln there is one of those dilapidated pointy road signs designed to show the weary traveller (is there any other kind) where the Australian outback really begins. The sign points to the “District Council of Le Hunte” in one direction and to “out of districts” in the other. This is George Goyder’s Line, the border between the lands that had an average annual rainfall of 10 inches and, therefore, could be farmed and those that could not, and the origin of the outback. Out of districts became the literal outback, arid and unproductive, forbidding and semi-arid lands, low shrubs, sedges, sugar gum, saltbush and grass, lacking both water and trees. Nawu, Banggarla and Wirangu people roamed wide to eke their living here. The earliest European explorers were warned not to settle here, with good reason.

here farmers feared to thread, tourists have come bouncing in. Four wheeled vehicles are getting better at negotiating the bush tracks,

Cracking outback

legendary, and they are unhappy we have strayed into their territory. The American travel writer borrows my fly net. When I ask for it back he says he is going to keep it, “you see mine is missing.” The outback brings out the worst in some people.

B Eoghan Corry in S Australia’s Gawler Range Sundowner on the original Australian outback and we are being driven to Geoff Scholz ‘s Kangaluna Camp on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, a 40 minute air trip form Adelaide and just a one hour drive beyond where districts stop. Our guide is straight from the Crocodile Dundee school of Aussie frontiers people. Jodi Cox and her Suzuki Sierra love a challenging drive, and you get the impression she could have made up Mad Max’s vehicle list for one of those movies. One drawback, the vehicle is uncomfortable

for five people. One of the travel writers, from USA, makes his protestations known. This is going to be a long drive. She has worked with snakes, spiders, the benign, the venomous and the poisonous (which, apparently, is not the same thing). She has been bitten by 22 species of animal. We are in safe hands.

ignature attraction here is the salt lake, one of three massive relics to a more humid time here. Salt flats are naturally white

THINGS TO DO PLACES TO SEE

n Gawler Ranges Wilderness Safaris four wheel drive vehicle outback tours visiting South Australia’s west coast, Gawler Ranges, Lake Gairdner, outback landscapes and wildlife, colours of the salt lakes and volcanic rock beds, sunsets over the ranges, three species of kangaroos, emus and birds and other wildlife including swimming with sea-lions and staying in Luxury Kangaluna safari camp om the mallee wilderness region of the Gawler Ranges. www.gawlerrangessafaris. com n Mikkira Station colony of wild koalas near Port Lincoln is first stop before a journey through farming land to Wudinna, population 600, past Wudinna Rocks n Kolay Mirica Rocks organ pipe formations, ochre pit, once used by indigenous people of this area,

n Lake Gairdner white salt pan set in the red landscape, walk on the surface of the lake and look north to see the white plain with striking red surrounds and vibrant colours and reflections. Red dunes along the lake are covered with flowers in spring, unique vegetation and bird life and animal tracks. Swim with the Sea Lions experience n Baird Bay, 5 kilometre journey to a lagoon at Jones Island near Cape Radstock, bottlenose dolphins, face to face with a resident colony of rare Australian sea lions, visiting Venus Bay and Elliston on return journey. n Kangaluna Camp safari tents are 5-star, each 7 x 5 metres with two rooms, private shower and toilet, a queen double bed and two single standard beds. Tents are set a good distance apart for privacy, with your own view.

and blinding. But the subtlety of the shoreline draws down the colours around, the red earth and green vegetation. Lake Gairdner gets up to a metre of water in Winter, Jodi says, “it is like watching the tide coming in.” Sunrise, sunset, the scenery changes around the playground, which seems to look uncannily the same. “There is a lot of life here,” Jodi says, “but you have to look for it.” On another lakeshore she gives us a history lesson where the eras are in billions of year. Life, never mind human life, is an eyeblink at the end. Australia is an ancient place. Jodi brought us to a sacred ochre pit, with the permission of the elders in Wanilla conservation park Everything imported is an enemy. “In summer

goats displace kangaroos from cool places,” Jodi Cox says.

he arrival at Mount Ive station is as Outback an experience as one could imagine. It is a private ranch with a shop and tourism face due to the fact that there are few places to go to make up the itinerary of a day trip. Our group met some rescue kangaroos and took selfies beside the agricultural curios, a stump jump plough developed for the peculiar soil obstacles here, a Furphy steel water vat. “Did you know the Dolphin torch was invented by Bruce Cock-burn,” Jodi interjects. Jodi gives us nets to wear on our heads, and there is an immediate sense of fore-boding. Australian flies are

ack at Kangaluna camp the smell of cooking has mixed in with the aroma of the shrubbery and the sounds of the nigh, birds and cicadas. “I was born in the year of the Ox, so I get to pull the cart,” English born artist Rosie Woodford Ganf says. as she brings the luggage. She spends time doing line drawings of the animals and moved out her to be closer to them. One could see why.

lan Payne brought his boat into the beach at Baird Bay to bring us on an adventure. The sea is churnyblue,and the water comes alive with the dolphins and sea lions we have come to sea. Our passengers don their scubas and dismount to join the playground. “Observe, don’t interact” is the watchword of these trips, except nobody told the sea lions. Diving with sea lions but I cannot chase them deep, I am swallowing gargantuan amounts of water, apparently opening my mouth is getting me in trouble, and not for the first time.

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passengers can further add domestic flights to ensure a stress-free journey to any destination in Australia. Flight frequency From Cathay’s hub of Hong Kong, there are more Australia-bound flights per day than other airline hubs. More daily flights, more onward flight options, a more flexible itinerary.

Plenty to do at HKIA A myriad of international restaurants, shops, a spa and an IMAX cinema. Relax in our lounges Designed for comfort, Cathay’s Business lounges offer a homely, tranquil space in which to work or relax. Cathay Pacific flies from Dublin to Australia from €1,029. Visit cathaypacific.ie.

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SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 16

ACCOMMODATION & BEDBANKS 2018

ccommodation-only suppliers to the trade, also known as “bed banks” first emerged in 1999. Within five years there were over 100 of them. They hit the headlines over the coming years as they led to an sharp increase number of agents using bed banks rather than selling traditional packages: the birth od Dynamic Packaging. The axiom was that old style package holidays were dead. Agents wanted access to hotels, and in the cacophony of choice they needed someone to wholesale those beds for them. The Irish travel licensing scheme allowed travel agents to sell to agents who began to operate as tour operators, following a mainland Europe model rather than the model familiar in the north and Britain, where Dynamic Packaging does not exist, officially anyway. The first wave of bed banks provide their services in three ways, acting as principal, agent or supplier. Then things got complicated. Most bed banks started by contracting their own hotels. The direct contractors came under pressure to offer larger inventories which spawned a new group of third party suppliers. The bed banks began to take feeds and retail chains from each other and to go into partnerships. The race began to be the first bed bank to offer 1m rooms and agents were bombarded with statistics as the Olympian bedbank targets of higher, faster and stronger were chased with reckless abandon. As the bed banks got bigger, the numbers matter less. , even the aggregators, began to focus less on the size of the portfolio and more on curated properties. They moved away

Bedbank special All changed after a dramatic year Hoteliers hiked rates for booked customers when Lowcost failed from procurement and production and towards product design and marketing. It and marketing departments grew as margins shrank. Pay per click built Google’s palatial Dublin office and ate away at the foundation of the bed bank business.As the online travel spend grew from $340bn in 2013 to $715bn in 2017, DP was aents’ way of getting a slice of the action.

he product evolved separately in the unique conditions of Ireland’s semi-regulated industry, as bed banks began to offer flight legs as part of their product. These could be sold under the travel agent license rather than securing a tour operator license. The most successful players in the Irish bed bank market today are aggregators, offering a combination of direct product and offerings from other bed banks. Prominent aggregators in the Irish market include Bookabed,

Getabed, Innstant travel, Globe and Arrow tour’s Bedbank. The most prominent directly contracted bedbanks are Expedia and Hotelbeds.

nitially it was independent providers who grew fastest . With about 70 bed-banks are already active in European holiday destinations, destination-based bed-banks began to take over traditional tour operator functions such as bundling procurement volume and capacity management. The big tour operators, TUI, Thomas Cook, Rewe and FTI began to build bed-banks of their own dedicated to supplying hotel capacity to tour operators and travel agents in order to compete with the independent providers. One by one they then exited the market. TUI sold off Hotelopia as part of the same operation that saw it divest itself of American Holidays. Bed specialists have consolidated their operations. The retail arm of

GTA was sold by Hotelbeds and merged last October and formed a new company called hotelbeds.com, with a turnover of €8bn. The one monolithic company is unifying the three companies into one. Peter Friedrich is responsible for wholesale business under the Hotelbeds brand, a B2B2B product for tour operators and aggregators. Robbie Smart is carrying out the existing Bedsonline business with the travel trade, the B2B leg dealing with the travel trade.

he problem with the bedbank business remains the same as it was when the initial feeding frenzy erupted. Unusually for the travel industry, bed banks are unregulated. The barriers of entry are tiny. Virtually no investment is required. The technology section of WTM is filled with sellers attempting to provide clients with a different platform, sign up, go

out and sell. Marketing is where the action is, and is also the black hole that swallows most of the cash. With a multiplicity of third party suppliers and the fact that the travel trade legislation had not been updated to take account of bed banks, things could go horribly wrong, and they did. Three major collapses of 1800hotels in 2010, Chase Travel in 2011 and Lowcost Beds in 2016 blackened the reputation of the entire industry. Chains of escalation became a favourite topic at travel conferences. Clients arrived at ho-

tels to find contracts had been cancelled, despite the fact that they had paid for the room in advance. Agents had to dig into their cash reserve to sort out customers, with no comeback from their expensive, often oppressive, bonding system or their business insurance. With the demise of Lowcost Beds, one of the contracts had passed through five different intermediaries before it unravelled. One of Ireland’s leading agents was hit with a six figure bill sorting out a problem that was not of his own making.

Emma Holian of Amadeus and Robbie Smart of Bedsonline

rom where hoteliers were looking, the bed banks were a long sought opportunity to diversify their distribution channels, remove the choke-hold that big tour operators had on their inventory and win additional business. But technology was chasing their margin too. The bed banks began to chase penal margins such as those commanded by the giant retail operator booking.com. More recently bed bank operators have adopted aspects of the technology that frightens hotel owners most. Tingo will automatically cancel a room that has already been booked if it finds a cheaper one in the same region., it promises free upgrades for customers Backbid will get hotels to compete against each

other in bidding for a customer’s business. “There will always be one hotelier who is prepared to reduce his price.” Cancelon.com enables customers to sell on rooms they no longer need. Another customer gets the room and the original customer gets the money. Travelsurf and Roomauction the consumer to negotiate their own room rate. Hotwire.com offers discounted rooms while Travelfruits.com (Travelfruits.com) is a members only site which enables customers to find cheap rooms without it breaching the contract terms with other OTA’s.

here does that leave the bedbank business in 2018? The quest for

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 17

ACCOMMODATION & BEDBANKS 2018 Getabed and Travelcube. But agents worry about the extent of their exposure. The question is, how much do they worry?

AGODA

Based in Singapore with operations in 13 other Asian cities, Agoda’s network includes 308,000 hotels worldwide.

BEDBANK. net Represened by

Beverleigh Fly and Lee Osborne of Bookabed product, security and price continues. Brand changes continue. Getabed is to beocme Stuba and Travelcube is to be phased out under the Hotelbeds brand. Aggregators are stronger than ever, reassuring agents that their exposure is limited when they deal with someone they know and trust.

Pat Dawson, CEO of the ITAA says dynamic packaging now represents in the region of 70pc of most travel agent’s sales and that figure is growing, not declining. Travel agents have had a bewildering range of choices. There are at least nine major players in the Irish market play-

ing for the business of agents and even more in the B2C market, with more than 100 bed banks fighting for the leftovers. The number of bed banks remain bewilderingly large despite the disappearance of one of Thomas Cook brands Hotels4u in December 2015 and the ongoing consolidation of Hotelbeds,

Ben Green of Arrow Tours in the Irish market, Bedbank.net were among the original Med specialists in the business, offering 10,000 hotels, villas and apartments worldwide. Popular destinations include USA, Canada, Greece, Cyprus, Mainland Spain, Canary Islands, Balearics, Portugal, Madeira, Malta, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Bulgaria, Croatia and the Caribbean

Why Become an Expedia TAAP Member? Expedia TAAP offer very competitive rates, great commission on hotels plus extra commission incentives on packages and activities. Offer your clients the same rates they see on Expedia or better! Plus you earn commission! With Expedia TAAPs new dynamic hotel commission programme, TAAP members can optimise earnings on hotel bookings. We offer the Largest Travel Inventory, with access to over 500,000 hotels and more than 400 airlines. The Expedia TAAP system is fast and flexible with an easy to use web-based platform and real-time reservations. With Expedia TAAP you have a safe partnership, you can count on our dedicated call centre available to support TAAP affiliates and also your Dublin office support Team. Your clients are YOUR clients. Expedia TAAP pledges to honour your agent/client relationship.

Free to Join Programme You Don’t Pay Us, We Pay You You can register your agency in Expedia TAAP platform for free and you earn money with every booking made! There is no minimum revenue to become a TAAP affiliate and no monthly administrative costs. Also, you can earn more by qualifying as a Silver, Gold or Platinum member. Signing up is easy. Click https://www.expedia.ie/TAAP-Registration to get started. or contact your local Expedia TAAP support team

(01) 517 1525 option 1

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 18

ACCOMMODATION & BEDBANKS 2018 BEDS ONLINE Under

the reorganisation of the Hotelbeds portfolio Peter Friedrich is responsible for wholesale business under the Hotelbeds brand, a B2B2B product for tour ooperators and aggregators. Robbie Smart is carrying out the existing Bedsonline business with the travel trade, the B2B leg dealing with the travel trade. Bedsonline offer 75,000 hotels across 180 countries and is in 120 source markets worldwide, selling exclusively to tour operators and wholesalers around the world. Under his predeccessor Thomas McNally they recorded double-digit growth in roomnight bookings in Ireland as a source market and destination. This summer season, Irish travellers’ preference for sunny destinations is clearly shown in their top 5 choices: Algarve (Portugal), Lanzarote (Spain), Orlando (Florida), Mallorca and Costa del Sol (Spain). It does not sell to the end consumer.

BETABED part of the Truly Travel Group who also own Alpharooms & Teletext Holidays. A Joe Duffy programme raised an issue with a honeymoner whose booking had not been processed BOOKABED was launched by Karl Tyrrell in 2005. Since

then it has grown to the largest bedbank in Ireland, currently employing 35 staff and has expanded its services into England, Australia and the USA, winning awards such as Best Accommodation Provider in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017 and Best Customer Service within the Irish Travel Industry in 2017. “Great pricing and excellent customer service is what we have always tried to pride ourselves on” Karl Tyrrell says. “We have updated our website’s offerings to the Irish travel trade. It started out offering accommodation. Now it does much more than and has become a one stop shop for all agents.” “The company has moved with the times and is constantly trying to stay ahead of the competition” Lee Osborne, Director of Sales says. “Over the years we have added new and exciting products, such as low cost flights, scheduled long haul flights, filters, maps and Trip Advisor reviews to make things easier for the agents and help them remain ahead of their clients in terms of knowledge, price and easiness of booking”. Bookabed’s latest product offering is the “anywhere” search. When selected, it will allow agents to search European sun holiday and city break destinations under one search. Agents will no longer

have to search individual destinations which can be very time consuming. Anywhere search is now live on the Bookabed website and will be followed by other enhancements to the website coming throughout 2017 and 2018.

BOOKING The

consumer bank established in 1996, part of The Priceline Group, is considered to be Europe’s leading online hotel aggregator based on total room nights sold. Their big Dublin office has been contracting in Ireland. They have launched a B2B platform with specials and short notice offers, but have not rolled it out in England or Ireland.

EXPEDIA, repre-

sented in Ireland by ATTS, says that half of the Irish Travel Agency community have already opted into their Travel Affiliate program. Expedia TAAP is supported in Ireland by ATTS Travel Representation Solutions. ATTS provide on the ground local contact for account sales and support to Expedia TAAP enquiries. The big advantage of Expedia TAAP is the commission for bookings made through the Expedia website. Agents have easy access to rates and inventory available through the huge buying power of the global Expedia brand. “Reliability, security

Linda Macken of ATTS/Expedia with Darren Yeates and Lisa Cusack and of Midland Travel

Garry Gillespie, Fiona Foster and Darryl Ismail of Innstant Travel and price are the main attractions to the program,” says Mirco De Pellegrin who heads up the Expedia TAAP in Europe. “Agents are confident working with Expedia TAAP because they know we are a secure partner plus highly competitive. Commissions are paid automatically on a monthly basis so agents don’t have to invoice or chase unpaid commissions.” It is run by Catherine Grennell Whyte and they have office.

FLYCRUISE STAY Declan

Hughes’s B2C operation offers negotiated rates they say are lower than the industry average for many reasons. Declan Hughes says: “we don’t have high overheads and expenses, therefore we pass those savings directly to our valued international client base. We don’t seek high commissions and are happy with less than 50pc of the industry average. We receive commissions from all hotel bookings when clients check out of their hotel. It is known in the travel industry as a consumed commission, which allows us to negotiate lower rates. Fly Cruise Stay’s Book Now Pay Later option on free cancellation rates, offers flexibility options and the added benefit of selecting a date for payment Loyalty points are generated with every hotel

booking which can be converted to money off coupon on the next hotel booked online. Clients booking free cancellation rates can opt to pay up to the last minute of the actual hotel’s booking terms. Between the time the client books to the time they pay, Fly Cruise Stay’s ‘Smart Bot’ will periodically scan the hotel reservation, and should the rate drop, will automatically notify their client to rebook at the lower rate,as lonog as booking isnot a non refundable instant purchase rate.

GLOBE Jeff Collins operates trade only operation which are preferred suppliers to Travelsavers Ireland and one of three accommodation suppliers to Travel Centres. Founded in 2004, they have three exclusive suppliers, and future contracts are being signed only on an exclusivity basis “I know the Irish agents and what they need,” Jeff Collins says. Many agents already have TARSC back office systems which integrate with Globe.

GROUP LEADER Bob

Haugh’s venture is designed for anyone who wants to buy groups. The system invited hotels to bid for group business.

GTA Originally part of the Kuoni Group, GTA was sold off to a German tour operator and the inventory wil now be integrated into Hotelbeds as all three business inventories are to be integrated into one platforms. HOTELOPIA

Orignally part of TUI Travel PLC empire (the world’s largest vertically integrated travel company), Hotelopia was sold off to Travelopia, leading European hotel aggregator, offering discounted accommodations to both the business and leisure traveller at 40,000 hotels, in 2,800 destinations. They are also in the reviews business and now have 220,000 reviews on 50,000 hotels and apartments.

HOTELS.

John McKibbin of Stuba/Getabed with Jeanette Taylor and Mary Denton of Sunway

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 19

ACCOMMODATION & BEDBANKS 2018 ica. This additional content will include multiple hotel chains and apartment groups. We are launching special interest products such as golf packages, and other sports events including Grand Prix ground packages.

COM Amongthe

largest and most widely recognised hotel aggregator across the Atlantic, The database of 70,000 properties includes bedand-breakfasts, condos and all-inclusive resorts. A travel affiliate program is an option for affiliates to co-brand their site, enabling them to “build on the trust and recognition consumers have for the Interactive Affiliate Network name A consumer brand offers review.

HRS

German based corporate specialist which offers negotiated rates to corporate buyers with the flexibility to allow company employees to search for and book their own hotel rooms. Their recent survey of Irish corporate buyers are the most extensive ever compiled by an accommodation supplier on business buyers. Solid business model concentrates on directly contracted hotels for business clients.

INNSTANT Darryl Ismail says IInnstant Travel’s advantage is higher commissions, 20pc in many cases, exclusive deals with hotel groups and early online booking discounts. Innstant Group are launching a new online travel software and content product for travel agents which can be booked on www.

MED HOTELS

Recently withdrew form the market. They were a big operator in Spain in their time.

Wendy Cameron of Superbreaks and Jeff Collins of Globe Hotels innstant.travel and is backed by 24/7 customer support. The combined technology is constructed using a combination of lightweight powerful platform and JSON which is a much-more compact way of data interchanging. Darryl Ismail says “agents will now be able to book products and suppliers all over the world from one website or API feed availing of our wholesale rates, third party contracts and the agencies own contracts in a single feed with your own agreements, pay your supplier as normal with no markup from Innstant As far as we know, no other wholesaler provides this. The roll out of the new platform will be done in 2 phases. The first phase

will introduce enhanced speed, faster and user friendly filters, customisable B2B, B2C and mobile white labels, 120 XML’s, a single switch which can include your own suppliers (with your own agreements - pay your supplier as normal with no markup from Innstant), a price drop alert tool, cancellation protection and a new Dynamic package tool. For Phase 2, Innstant plan a new innovative dynamic package tool focused on customers experience preferences and only featuring deals which will provide clients 20pc or more savings. The group is comprised of two main divisions, the wholesale division with 275,000 unique hotels, apartments and vacation homes, 45,000

tours and attractions, 20,000 sports, show and concert tickets, 18,000 transfers and 15,000 car hire locations in 198 countries with live availability. Tel Aviv based Innstant Connect, the technology division, develops hosted online platform solutions for the travel industry. The company website offers push and pull XMLs as well as customized white-label solutions. Product includes hotels, transfers, car hire, tickets, tours, attractions, flights (all four GDS and LCC’s) booking engines and channel managers. During 2018 we expect to grow our product offer to 600,000+ properties worldwide with increased availability in the Far East including Japan and South Amer-

STUBA A new brand launched in 2018 following the merger of Getabed and roomsXML. The combined businesses will operate under the one brand, unifying the teams and operations. Getabed has been trading since 1991 and is represented in Ireland by John McKibbin. RoomsXML is an online accommodation wholesaler serving travel agents and tour operators with offices in Australia, India, UAE and USA and has been trading since 2007. It has won numerous industry awards and accolades. Stuba new websiteoffers what it terms ‘first of its kind’, next generation functionality, which has been based on agent feedback, and claim that the speed and ease of use is far superior to many others in the marketplace. Since July 16th, roomsXML clients have been redirected

to the Stuba site, with getabed’s agents following suit from September. Stuba customers will have the same account management team and any queries regarding the transition should be directed to them.

SUN HOTELS.part of

Webject Australia operations, active in Asia with a small presence here

SUPER BREAK.com,

English hotel bed bank specialist and subsidiary of Holidaybreak PLC, Super Break has 35 years of knowledge and provides hotel and apartment stays offering 1700 hotels across 400 British cities and towns, and another 3,500 hotels in Europe and elsewhere, 2-5 star hotels, flight inclusive breaks, rail travel, Eurostar, mini-cruise breaks, transfers. Extras include theatre tickets, sightseeing and events.

TRAVEL CUBE Peter Frei-

drich has moved to the wholesale side of the business and agent business is directed to Robbie Smart of Bedsonline. Eventually the Travelcube and Bedsonline product be integrated as part of the Hotelbeds group

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 20

TECHNOLOGY

Empress of rich content

ravelport say they lead the industry in multi-source content; omnichannel experiences; data analytics, and B2B payments. They say they prioritise close partnership and collaboration with their customers. New country manager Riona McGrath says “customers feel valued, supported and listened to – and this is a very important aspect to how we do business and work with our customers.” “Travelport has five times as many airlines’ merchandising on our platform compared to our nearest competitor and 650,000 hotel properties available. “Our level, depth, and breadth of content and search combined with robotics and automation and capability is difficult for others to replicate. “We continue to invest heavily in providing agencies with fast and easy access to the broadest possible choice in travel content. “From airline to car rental, hotels, rail and tour operators, the speed and relevance of our search enables our customers to access a vast range of real-time content that is right for them and their customers.

Riona McGrath on Travelport’s move beyond GDS

Sinead Reilly and Riona McGrath of Travelport, with Kathrina Gallogly of Travelport digital e have over 260 airlines live on Travelport’s Rich Content and Branding and this helps travel agents to grow revenues by providing compelling itineraries with rich imagery and detail, giving a true feel for the travel experience on offer, an approach which really resonates with travellers and therefore increases conversion.” “Regarding Beyond Air, we’re already in a number one position. For example, we are the fourth largest hotel distributor, just behind the giants that we all know like Expedia, Priceline, and Ctrip in China. As a result of all of this, we believe we attach

more hotel and car bookings per airline tickets than any other player in the industry. We offer an industry leading portfolio of 650,000 individual hotel properties that are all fully bookable in real time. Our 37,000 car rental locations continue to grow. We believe we offer some of the most sophisticated and successful mobile services and apps to the travel industry. Trip Assist, our mobile itinerary solutions for agencies, provides a fully branded mobile engagement solution that enables them to support, engage and connect with their travellers at every stage of their journey. I It incorporates smart

Kathrina Gallogly, Aisling White, Chris Boba, Martina Coogan, Steven Ratcliffe and Neil Gleeson of Travelport Digital. Matina has since joined United to head up their Irish operation

itinerary management capabilities, day of travel assistance, real-time trip alerts, click to call agent support and the ability to create agency defined messages; Trip Assist empowers agencies to build stronger relationships with travellers.

obile is just one of the latest disruptive channels and there are lots more around the corner. By leveraging digital technologies, we are continually extending our platform to seamlessly connect the mobile capabilities that Travelport Digital offers to the scale and breadth of capabilities that our travel commerce platform provides. Our next-gen API’s continue delivering a simpler, lighter, faster, mobile-enabled API interface for our customers to connect to our platform. These nextgen APIs will allow the user to specifically call the type of travel request they want, be it an air book, air shop, hotel shop, reprice, etc. Through investing in artificial intelligence and machine learning, we continue to improve the speed and personalization of our results.

We work alongside our customers on consultative optimisation projects in order to fully understand our customers business and add value through our platform.

ur status as the first travel commerce platform to achieve IATA’s highest certification as an NDC Level 3 Aggregator means we are fully NDC-Certified for the multisource era in distribution. This means we can offer our customers the ability to carry out a full shop, manage the content, and fulfil bookings all via the order management process. We view NDC as an extension of what we have been doing for decades, ensuring our customers have relevant bookable content, in a rich branded way.

here has never been a better time to work with Travelport in Ireland. Our growing team, combined with our digital colleagues in our new Dublin offices means we are here in force to support the travel agency market in Ireland.

Travelers today have high expectations throughout their entire journey, and our platform delivers the best connectivity and fastest, most seamless omnichannel experiences for travel providers, travel agents, and end-users. Our team can ensure agencies can have access to the best in-market tools that support their travellers, drive efficiency, and provide a great customer experience while also future-proofing their business, making the experience of buying and managing travel continually better here in Ireland.

t is a very exciting time to be a part of Travelport Ireland and an exciting time to work with us. With more people and investment in Ireland than ever before, we are here to help the Irish Travel Agency market grow, evolve and bring better services to agencies and their customers. Working alongside the digital arm of Travelport in our new city centre office, we are over 200 people strong here in Dublin. Over the last 12 months, we have experienced a strong performance in Ireland driven by our emphasis on establishing long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with our customers. This is a result of the team taking time to understand the wider, longer-term picture, planning for the future and keeping things simple. The Irish travel industry is at a very exciting point. Customers and the market here in Ireland understand that technology is at the core of improving the experience of selling, buying and managing travel.

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 21

TECHNOLOGY

Sabre’s global reach

urrently there are 16 Sabre agencies in Ireland, including one in the North. Locations are spread across Dublin, Limerick, Kerry, Cork and Antrim Saber’s sole sales and account management person based in Ireland Sean O’Kelly works with a regional team at EMEA HQ in London. The leading GDS in the USA, Sabre offers Irish travel agents access to many of the world’s top travel suppliers, 420 airlines, 750,000 hotel properties, 260 tour operators, 52 rail carriers, 39 car rental providers and 17 cruise lines. Recent launches include Sabre Red Workspace. which Sean says is “the first real work platform for agents with a graphical interface created by Sabre, a one-stop

Kristian Rocher and Sean O’Kelly Sabre shop that generates additional revenue and new sales opportunity with customised and relevant content for every agent’s workflow and needs.” Red Workspace is designed to streamline agencies’ workflows by placing all travel information, including GDS inventory, in a single place, without a lot of clutter. The solution has the capability to handle multiple GDSs, will use GDS formats or offer a

graphical view, as well. It promises “decision support tools and predictive data insights that enable agents and suppliers to create personalised experiences.”

he Traveler Experience Platform includes a mobile travel risk management feature that provides a smarter, faster, more accurate approach to locating and communicating with traveling em-

ployees. It is part of a suite of travel technology products in a consumer-grade mobile experience delivering self-service in-transit travel bookings, itinerary management, payments, expense integration, and safety capabilities to the connected business traveller. He says it is for, travellers “looking for a seamless experience and corporations striving for a positive return on investment. Corporate policies are automatically adhered to when business travellers book or rebook trips, expenses are automatically captured and stored and a detailed expense report is auto-filed when the trip is complete, all from the traveller’s mobile device. Sabre’s new travel itinerary management app, TripCase. gives travellers tools

to manage their trips in one intuitive experience in a single place. TripCase is connected to powerful technology and integrates FourSquare, Pebble, Samsung and Checkmate. Sean says “an example could be an independent TMC bidding for a client with most of their travellers based in Ireland but also a significant number in other locations. You cannot realistically compete for that business without partner agencies in those locations to provide local currency fares and ticketing. We find suitable partners, make the introductions, and facilitate all the technical set-up so that your Irish based consultants can service travellers in local currency via a partner’s IATA. If you are an agency with a bigger vision and want help turning it into reality, then give me a call.”

Maximize YOUR value on every trip Delivering the perfect experience With Travelport as your long-term technology partner you will be in a position to deliver value and a truly personal touch. To learn more about how you can maximize the value on every trip, visit us at travelport.com/travelagencies Sales.ie@travelport.com 01-6020444

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 22

TECHNOLOGY

Where GDS comes alive cide which channels are most valuable to them and, as many are looking to shop around and are not loyal to any particular brand, travel agents are playing a more vital role than ever.

T Siobhan Boskett McGuigan, category sponsor Stephen Sands of Riviera Travel, Olwen McKinney, Trish O’Leary and Emma Holian at the Irish Travel Industry awards where Amadeus won the best technology provider for the eighth year in succession

Think outside the office.

Need to stay in touch with your customers at any time? In this fast moving industry, being able to service your clients on the go is key. Selling Platform Connect is the world’s leading retail application that lets you work anywhere, anytime on any device. All you need is an internet connection and you’re ready to go. www.amadeus.com Or email sales@ie.amadeus.com

panish travel technology company Amadeus says the 2017 acquisition of Navitaire has changed the game as far as its offering for travel agents is concerned. As a result of the acquisition Amadeus now offers 80 low cost and hybrid carriers and bookings from this sector are grwing. Amadeus now has 5,600 professionals of different backgrounds on tis team with presence in 190 countries. Trish O’Leary of Amadeus says “we are seeing more and more airlines coming up with different strategies and different approaches to distribution. This is making it harder for travel agents in Ireland and around the world to access travel content from a one-size-fits-all platform. Airlines are increasingly trying to differentiate between direct and indirect channels, with Europe’s leading carriers imposing GDS fees on bookings through third parties. Ultimately it is the consumer who will de-

ravel is now embedded in our lives, enriching our cultures and businesses and bringing societies together. The way we experience travel today is more open, dynamic and connected. To respond to these changes, Amadeus is evolving from being a Global Distribution System to becoming a Live Travel Space. The Live Travel Space is where all players can connect and collaborate to address the desires of travellers and provide them with a wide range of options at any given moment. The Amadeus Travel Platform is at the core of this investment. Uniquely for travel agencies wanting to navigate an increasingly fragmented environment, it brings together all types of travel content, including NDC, other APIs, EDIFACT (the technology standard that GDSs use today) and other aggregated content into a single source to be distributed via any channel or device, allowing comparisons and bookings to happen in a uniform and transparent way. Travel agencies can access global content, all in one place including 450+ full service airlines, 110+ low-cost carriers, 90 rail operators, 300+ hotel chains and 230+ tour operators. The Live Travel Space is fuelled by a global Amadeus network of over 16,000 professionals and includes developers,

data scientists, industry experts, consultants and local market specialists. It is powered by Europe’s largest R&D investment in the industry with well over €4 billion invested since 2004. Amadeus’ Decius Valmorbida, President of Travel Channels says “we want to help our customers differentiate themselves so they can grow their business and create more value for every traveler. That’s what the Live Travel Space is about: growth and opportunity.”

madeus catchline is that it is changing from a company that was primarily organised based on geographies, to one that is organised around our customers. They have created four key segment, Retail, Online, Business Travel and Corporations, with what it says are more personalised solutions and a faster time to market. In Ireland the team is led by Liz Emmott for Business Travel and Claudio Santos looking after Retail Travel, supported by Commercial Managers’ Trish O’Leary and Olwen McKinney. Other notable activities include the launch of Amadeus sister company Pyton in Ireland. Pyton is a global flight content integrator and aggregator. With the importance of Low Cost Carriers in the marketplace today, it provides agents with direct connections to around 100 LCCs globally. For 20 years, Pyton has delivered successful software applications for travel companies, OTA’s, (virtual) Tour Operators, travel management companies and technology partners in 20 countries.

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 23

DESTINATION USA

here is a selfie spot in Fargo, North Dakota’s economic hub. It says, without explanation: “best till last,” and tourists love it. It means that those who have visited 49 states can finally tick the box, as boxes are ticked nowadays, on Instagram. North Dakota is the last visited and least visited of the States of the USA. Travel Extra went there largely for that reason. And while the best till last is a bit of a marketing trumpet, it obscured the reality that is one of the most interesting states of all. If, as the boys in the braces tell us, experiential is the new alternative to box-tick tourism, North Dakota is on a winner. It is a place to be travelled, embraced and digested, not viewed through a window.

argo is a movie town. The name (accidental, the Coen brothers wanted to pick somewhere in Minnesota), the scenery (none of the film was

Not so badland

Eoghan Corry in North Dakota

The badlands is what the natives and the invaders alike called the plains of North Dakota

shot here), the accent (NOBODY says “yah, you betcha”) are all inventions. Instead there is a woodchipper prop for more selfies, and a town that regained its heart because businessman, Doug Burgum, and a

local university decided that downtown needed a lift. That barometer of American resurgence, craft breweries followed. There are 5,600 tourist beds in Fargo. Tourist tee shirts say ‘north of normal.”

THINGS TO DO PLACES TO SEE

n Plains Art Museum Fargo: unconventional museum of fine arts is a brilliantly renovated, turn-of-the-century warehouse in historic downtown Fargo. The Plains Art Museum hosts regional and national exhibits, large permanent collections, special events, performances and art classes. Admission fee associated. n National Buffalo Museum Jamestown: art works, artifacts, and Native American items. Frontier Village Jamestown. Original buildings from the frontier villages of North Dakota have removed to the site and filled with antiques and artifacts, lawmakers and breakers and the most authentic wold west stagecoach you will find anywhere. n Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park Bismarck: military post, including the Custer House, have been restored as is an indigenous village. n Lewis And Clark Riverboat: Rivercruise boat journey on the Missouri River where Lewis and Clark wintered n Medora Musical: musical show in spectacular Burning Hills Amphitheatre, flouncy dresses, cowboy hats and clogs.

n State Heritage Centre Bismarck: Lively introduction to native American life and fascinating fossil life, check out the Labrador-sized ancestor of the horse. n Buckstop Junction Historic Town: Step inside our historic buildings and hear the stories of the people who moved here, built our towns and homesteaded the prairies of North Dakota. You will view actual buildings dating from 1875 to 1935 with traceable histories in our area. n Pitchfork Steak Fondue Medora: Unique western steak meal served at the Tjaden Center on the bluffs overlooking Medora right before the musical! n Cowboy Hall Of Fame Medora: Trail drivers, homesteaders and the sport of rodeo and the impact of the horse on the development of life on the plains of North Dakota. n Theodore Roosevelt National Park loop drive could provide a view of buffalo, deer, elk, big-horn sheep, wild horses, mule deer and prairie dog towns. Trails to explore include Ridgeline, Maltese Cross Cabin, Wind Canyon, Buck Hill

e pointed the car west and started the drive along the flatness. This is where tourism gets complicated. To sit and drive for a long way on a highway is part of the experience. Not one you can instagram, or even described in a travel article, but it has to be done. You integrate with the life around you, the blue coated cavalry on horseback, the railway builders from Roscommon and Donegal, the ranchers and rough riders, the modern lorry drivers and families who think nothing of a 14 hour road trip., motels with polystyrene cups, fast food joints with heaped fries and extra meat. Real America. Disney is not going to do this anytime soon.

Dakota’s Black Hills are a long way away. These are the flatlands. The plains are mostly semi-arid lands, covered with short or tall grass. The early Europeans avoided them, because they lack both water and trees. It counts that they were untouched for so long. The joke goes you can watch your dog run away here for two days.

he best was indeed saved for last. Roosevelt National park is, justifiably, North Dakota’s celebrity attraction. As you approach Menora a road stop gives a taster of what is to come, the painted canyon. An amuse-bouche. Maybe the flatness prepared the appetite. This

where the contours enter play, not as painted as the intense parks of Utah, more subtle, greys and greens and forty shades of other colours. The park itself is a series of looped drives, in two constellations, winding roads through oscillating territory carved lovingly by centuries of wind. Everyone described them as the Badlands natives and European invaders, cowboys, ranchers and farmers, and the huge cavalry expeditions led by General Custer (his house at Fort McKeen has been restored) and others who rode through here, 2,000 in a roving party, destroying the thousands of years of civilisation that went before. In Medora they have a musical experience where the venue, the Burning Hills Amphitheatre, outperforms the actors, with their clog dances and covers of country songs echoing away into the contoured landscape. Joe Wiegend brings tourist indoors for a largely improvised oneman performance as Medora’s most famous rancher, Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt came her to recover from the bereavements and political setbacks that scarred his early life. You have to travel the distance here to learn how at one with America that really made him. And makes all of us get it, when we have done our best for last visit.

n Eoghan Corry travelled to North Dakota as part of the Brand USA megafam 50 writers in 50 states. He travelled on AA’s business class product via Chicago

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 24

AFLOAT G Adventures is to add a fifth ship, called Eden, to its fleet operating in the Galapagos Islands. QUEBEC City is to build a second

cruise terminal, slated to open in 2020, at a cost of $30m.

OCEANIA Cruises is to modernise its fleet, starting with a $100m refurbishment of its four oldest ships in the Regatta Class.

NCL is thanking the success of new ship Norwegian Bliss and strong overall demand as the company outpaced earnings estimates and raised its outlook for the year. “Global consumer cruise demand shows no signs of slowing as evidenced by solid organic growth and the hugely successful introduction of Norwegian Bliss, whose record-breaking performance surpassed our high expectations,”said CEO Frank Del Rio. ROYAL Caribbean’s unlimited “Deluxe

Beverage Package” option will only be fully available on voyages of four nights or longer on sailings from Britain. On shorter cruises it will be first come, first served to ‘speed’ up bar services.

SEABOURN will launch its first-

ever cruise to Cuba, departing from Miami on November 4, 2019. Four different Cuba itineraries and five departure dates will be available aboard Seabourn Sojourn.

Dublin port to grow at 3.3pc rather than 2.5pc, but no eastward expansion into Dublin bay

PRINCESS Cruises revealed the line’s new drinks menu, featuring globally inspired signature cocktails created by master mixologist Rob Floyd.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN

launched a new video-generator tool that turns photos into short video clips, combined with music and artistic elements which are tailored to the “emotion” of the photos.

DUN LAOGHAIRE Rathdown Council secured planning permission to transform the former ferry passenger terminal on St Michael’s Pier into a digital technology hub.. CELEBRITY Cruises’ Celebrity Edge has successfully completed its first sea trials.

CARNIVAL Cruise Line plans a $200m makeover of Carnival Triumph, which will be renamed Carnival Sunrise.

PRINCESS Cruises has collaborated with sleep expert Dr Michael Breus to develop the “Princess luxury bed”, more than 45,000 of which are being rolled out to all 22,000 staterooms across its 17-strong fleet. SILVERSEA Cruises will overhaul

its fleet under ‘Project Invictus’, following the line’s official entry into the Royal Caribbean Cruises family.

CUNARD’s Queen Elizabeth came

to Killybegs ahead of an upgrade this November, with cabin makeovers, a redesigned Royal Arcade and new outdoor spaces to bring it up to the standards of Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria.

Not so deep

Dublin port revises its 22 year masterplan

ublin Port launched its Masterplan 2040 Reviewed 2018, updating the long-term development plan for the port first published in 2012. There are four key changes to the port’s development plans: The port will now be developed based on an average annual growth rate of 3.3pc from 2010 to 2040 rather than the 2.5pc originally proposed in 2012. The capacity of the port will be increased to cater for a growth to an ultimate capacity of 77m gross tonnes by 2040 rather than 60m gross tonnes as originally proposed in 2012.

This will be accomplished with no further infill into Dublin Bay. The option of increasing port capacity by an eastwards expansion into Dublin Bay has been definitively ruled out. Where Masterplan 2012-2040 had envisaged deepening the port ultimately to 12.0m, this will not now happen and the current works to deepen the port to 10.0m will be the final deepening of Dublin Port, the end of a process which commenced in the 18th Century with the completion of the Great South Wall Achieving a higher throughput on a smaller footprint is being made possible by two initiatives:

They say the development of the 44-hectare Dublin Inland Port located 14 km from Dublin Port just off the N2. Work has commenced on the development of Dublin Inland Port and the first facilities are due to be operational there during 2019. Secondly, the specification of projects to maximise the use of port lands on the Poolbeg Peninsula based on enhanced access via a new Southern Port Access Route including a new Liffey bridge, prospectively solely for Port related traffic. The port is hoping to develop a cruise terminal to attract more home porting ships.

P&O JOINS NO GRATUITIES CLUB

&O Cruises will scrap compulsory gratuities or “service charges” levelled on passengers across the fleet from May next year. The company said fares would not rise as a result nor would staff be paid less as a result of the move. P&O announced it would raise compulsory gratuities

from £6 to £7 from March -- after raising them from £5 to £6 the year before. In an email sent to passengers, P&O Cruises stated: “From May 2019 (cruises A911, B912, E911/A, J903, N910, R907, X907 and all thereafter), the discretionary daily Service Charge on board will be removed so

you can relax knowing it is all taken care of. For holidays which depart before May, a discretionary daily Service Charge amount of £7 will continue to be added for guests aged 12 and over.” Compulsory gratuities are relatively low on European lines compared to US lines -- you can expect to

pay at least double the amount P&O Cruises charges on Royal Caribbean or Norwegian Cruise Line. Saga Cruises is all-inclusive; Marella Cruises went all-inclusive this year (including alcohol); Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines and Cruise & Maritime Voyages charge £5 per person per day.

Presented by

RDS Hall 3, Ballsbridge THURSDAY 21st MARCH 2019

EXHIBITOR PROFILE

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SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 26

DESTINATION JORDAN

hen Indiana Jones raced out of Petra’s ancient Treasury in 1989 astride a horse as the film’s familiar theme tune began to play, “that red sandstone building carved into the rock“ was forever carved into a whole new generation’s consciousness. It is Jordan’s calling card. It is breathtaking. The crowds gathered outside in the blazing heat with phones and video camera held aloft indicated they were expecting a second coming from Dr. Jones at any minute…(and thanks to the reassuring Wifi sign to the left of the building, capturing and posting it wouldn’t be a problem this time). While I anticipated being stunned by Petra and the many other historical sights for which Jordan is famous, I was shamed by my own ignorance of its people and their customs. Perhaps the greatest surprise the country had to offer initially was its attitude towards women and the total lack of the anticipated “modest dress” code. Our tour guide Isam Yousef

Ancient land, new treasure From pampered citadels to Arabian nights, Aileen O’Reilly flies to Jordan with Turkish Iconic Petra Afaneh was quick to dismiss any need for covering up and assured us that Jordan is now recognised at the No. 1 Middle Eastern country for women’s rights thanks to the ongoing work of Queens Noor and Rania. In fact even in speaking to local men it is obvious that women

PLACES TO SEE

n The country’s official title is The Hasemite Kingdom of Jordan. n It is the only country in the world run by two queens – Queen Rania and Queen Noor. n 64 Hollywood movies have been shot on location in the desert here and Will Smith has just wrapped up filming of Ali Baba in the Wadi Rum valley. n It is the leading Middle Eastern country for women’s rights – although a man can take four wives here this only happens with the express permission of his first wife. If she is unhappy she may divorce him. n The Wadi Rum valley is more famed for the real Lawrence of Arabia and his 7 Pillars of Wisdom. n In Jordan it is considered polite to refuse a meal three times before finally accepting. n Mount Nebo, the last destination of Moses has just reopened after 12 years of restoration by the Franciscans at a

rule the roost to a large extent. We walked freely in shorts and vest tops through Petra, Aqaba and Amman throughout our stay and well into the night-time hassle free. Yes, Jordan is the Holy Land, it is a biblical smorgasbord of religious sites. The eight sites designated by Pope John Paul in 2000 now form

cost of JD83 million. n The food is a very healthy Mediterranean diet. Mansaf is the national dish and consists of lamb shank cooked in a fermented yoghurt broth before being seasoned with paprika and cumin. n At the foot of the hill on which the old Citadel of Amman is built there is a restored Roman Amphitheatre where open air concerts and plays are held throughout the year. n At -400m the Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth and has the purest oxygen. At 35% salinity the water is 10 times saltier than anywhere else on the planet. n Jameson host a huge openair music and performing arts festival in Amman each year. n Camel’s milk is considered a potent aphrodisiac. When the former king Hussein was very sick with cancer and hospitalised in the states, fresh camel’s milk was flown over daily to aid his recovery.

the basis of the increasing “faith” tours for hundreds of thousands of pilgrims on an annual basis but it is a pragmatic, forward looking country and far from content to rest on its historical laurels. The first stop off point on our tour, the Port of Aqaba, is the chosen location for the Alya Project – a mega-tourism development in the Red sea city which will feature a massive man-made lake and lagoons. The entire project will cover an area of 4,300,000 square metres and will include 3 five star hotels two four star hotels, chalets, shops and restaurants, villas, residential areas as well as watersports facilities close by the lake. It will also be home to Jordan’s first 18 hole golf course and a cable car connecting the resort with the lower part near the sea will also be built as part of the scheme.

s part of this €85bn development a wide panoramic road will also be created overlooking the Gulf of Aqaba and it is anticipated that the majority of the infrastructure works will be completed in the next 2 – 4 years. The B12 Beach Club is already up and running and offers an idyllic beach experience in very salubrious surroundings with an open air restaurant, golden sands and azure waters. Here again, as in Morocco, shining citadels are rising in prime locations, hijacking stunning views down over valleys and gorges – they are 5 and 6 star resorts of cool marble and chrome enticing the Americans, Chinese, Israelis, Italians, English (70,000 last year) and a staggering number of Russian holiday makes

In two to three years time the first Ritz Carlton with open its doors in Amman and it will be in good company – the Hyatt, Intercontinental, Four Seasons, Fairmont, Sheraton and St. Regis have already staked their claim on this country that boasts 350 days of sunshine a year as well as more historical sites than it is possible to see in several visits. Amman itself has two distinct faces – the old cramped Citadel in the old city is in stark contrast to the wealth of boulevards, embassies, multi-million dollar villas and expensive stores greeting the arriving visitor in the newer affluent district. Not surprisingly it has already been christened “the Beverly Hills of Jordan”. The country is already 10 years into a massive 50 year multi-billion Dinar project to save one of its leading natural resources – the Dead Sea. At present the water levels are dropping by a metre a year and with Jordan being the world’s poorest country in terms of water the Red Sea Dead Sea project will see a huge connecting canal built to help boost the sea level before any more of it is lost. There are also plans for desalination plants and hydro-electricity stations. In fact many of the new resorts being built are now solar powered and the types of grasses being used thrive on salt water.

utside of the historical wonders for which Jordan is famous, both adventure and eco-

n Aileen O’Reilly flew Dublin – Istanbul – Amman with Turkish Airlines. Turkish Airlines have 14 flights weekly to Istanbul and beyond Istanbul to 304 domestic and international flights including Amman and Aqaba. n Baggage allowance, economy class, 30kg + 8 kg for the hand luggage, business class 40kg + 16 kg for the hand luggage. n Round trip economy class, Dublin to Amman starts from €480 incl. taxes); return business class, €1,275 (incl. taxes).

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 27

DESTINATION JORDAN tourism are becoming significant options for holidaymakers. The eight legged Jordan Trail, launched only last year, has already been recognised by National Geographic as one of the world’s top 10 hiking trails and is being placed on a par with the Camino de Santiago. Meanwhile b ik ing , diving, mountaineering and camping with Bedouin tribes people are all part of the responsible tourism initiatives aiming to immerse visitors in local culture as opposed to faceless tourism where locals are only really engaged with at souvenir stands. The Shaumari Wildlife Reserve east of Amman has been saving endangered local wildlife

since it opened in 1975 and is an increasingly popular destination for holidaymakers looking to leave the beaten track. Not surprisingly tourism figures have sky rocketed in the past 2 years and visitor numbers are already up 30pc at 8 – 10m. Jordan, we were regularly reassured, is a safe country now that the extremists have been removed. n 2004 Jordan’s population was 4 million – today it is 12 million and growing due in no small part to their tied relations with Syria and their open door policy to refugees on whom 40pc of their GDP is spent. They are quick to point out that a lot of the refugees have family in Jordan so it is only

right that they should be reunited with them so they can rebuild their lives. During our visit the Prime Minister, Hani-alMulki, stepped down after demonstrations. We flew with the award-winning Turkish Airlines to Istanbul and then on to King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba – an extremely comfortable experience (complete with its own flying chef) which would make one feel that Petra and Jordan are far from “once in a lifetime” experiences due to their easy accessibility now. Perhaps Dr. Jones will deign to appear on my return visit.

Free th nking ble independent

Isabel Harrison Shannon Airport

We jump through hoops for our customers You’ll love doing business with us!

Clockwise: Marian Benton of Map Travel, Aileen O’Reilly of Travel Extra and Katarina Trnikova of J Barter Travel in Petra, swimmers in the Dead Sea, group in Petra, ancient ruins

Declan Power declan.power@shannonairport.ie

Isabel Harrison isabel.harrison@shannonairport.ie

shannonairport.ie

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 28

THE FLYING COLUMN CARBON dioxide levels on flight

decks can be high enough that in simulations it causes pilots to fail test manoeuvres at higher rates than normal, a Harvard University study found, but its authors insist that air travel remains safe.

DUBLIN Airport teamed up with The

Little Museum of Dublin to create the ‘Wings of Ireland: A People’s History of Irish Aviation’ exhibition, which pays tribute to Ireland’s pioneering aviators..

NORWEGIAN said that “Due to

continued expansion”, it has launched a recruitment drive in Ireland for pilots who hold a Boeing 737 operational certificate. The airline is recruiting 40 pilots, both captains and First Officers, which will almost double the current number of flight crew operating from its Dublin base. For more details, check here.

RYANAIR reported passenger numbers in July of 13.1m as growth slowed dramatically to 4pc from 11pc in July 2017. Load factor was unchanged at 97pc, rolling twelve months to the end of July was 133.5m. AER LINGUS passenger traffic in

July 2018 was up 9.5pc with load factor unchanged at 88.4pc.

AMERICAN Airlines expects to obtain US regulatory approval for its Joint Venture with Aer Lingus in 2019 Q1.

SINGAPORE Airlines are reported to be in discussion with Dublin Airport, possibly to replicate their A350 service to Manchester. The issue of runway length is crucial to Singapore’s decision, as it was in Joe Hogan’s time.

RYANAIR began equipping all of its fleet with the Runway Awareness and Advisory electronic detection system that provides aircraft crews with information relating to the aircraft’s position relative to the airport’s runway.

CORK Institute of Technology launched a

Bachelor of Arts in International Business with Aviation Studies aimed at those who have been trained as pilots.

LUXAIR will operate its Luxembourg-Dublin flight by B737NG instead of Bombardier Q400 for winter 2018/2019. Aer Lingus is planning a new lounge for Boston

KNOCK Ireland West Airport improve-

ments underway for the past 18 months include €4.5m in new passenger facilities, terminal upgrades and infrastructural works with a West/ North West Visitors’ Centre still to come.

WATERFORD Regional Airport applied to widen the existing 1,433m long runway from 30m to 45m and add an additional 470mx 45m extension at its northern end in addition to the existing permission for a 45m wide x 350m long extension to the south bringing the proposed runway to 2,253mx45m.

TURKISH Airlines is adding Bali to its route network. It starts 3w out of Istanbul from July 17, 2019, going daily from Aug 8, 2019.

AA launch Dallas Denver largest US airport not direct from Ireland

merican Airlines is to operate a daily Dublin-Dallas service next summer. It will be Ireland’s first direct route to Texas, landing in American’s biggest hub, and opening up areas of Mexico and Latin America to Irish visitors. The American Airlines Dublin to JFK route will be replaced by Dallas. The Dallas-Fort Worth area is the fourth largest metropolitan region in the United States, with a population of 7.4m . The region is also home to the headquarters of 22 Fortune 500 companies and a growing technology sector. according to Mr Harrison. American will operate its new daily Dallas service with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in a 285-seat threeclass configuration, with 30 seats in Business, 21 in Premium Economy, and 234 seats in Economy. The new summer service will begin on June 6 and will run until September 28, 2019. The flight will depart Dallas at 20.35, arriving in Dublin at 11.40 the following day. The return flight will depart Dublin at 13.40, arriving in Dallas at 17.45. American said: By switching our seasonal Dublin-New York flight to Dublin-Dallas, we can offer Irish customers direct access to American’s largest hub with a much greater

Caitriona Toner and Fiona Ryan of American Airlines

onward network of destinations including Hawaii, Las Vegas, Cancun, Los Angeles and New Orleans. This switch also allows American to utilize the larger, state-of-the-art Boeing 787 aircraft on the route, increasing our overall seat capacity to and from Dublin next summer. It had been predicted that Aer Lingus would look to open a route to Dallas, given its strategic importance. American announced nine new routes for summer 2019:

n CLT: Daily year-round service to Munich Airport n DFW: Daily summer seasonal service to Dublin Airport and to Munich n ORD: Daily summer seasonal service to Athens n PHL: Daily summer seasonal service to Edinburgh; new summer seasonal service to Berlin-Tegel, Bologna and Dubrovnik. n PHX: Daily seasonal service to London Heathrow

CAR RAISES AIRPORT DEBATE

ubmissions to the Commission for Aviation Regulation re the 2019 Determination on a cap on Dublin Airport charges from 2020 claimed there have been delays in the investment needed at the airport. They said investment was needed to increase capacity and DAA has not always provided Aer Lingus and other airlines with quality of service. “Aer Lingus should not be asked to act as an

Aviation commissioner Cathy Mannion insurer for DAA so that DAA alone can be spared possible adverse effects” Dublin Airport said it did not agree with a conclusion “that regulation of

Dublin Airport will continue, in recognition of its significant market power”. Such a market analysis would have first defined the relevant market being considered and it is not a foregone conclusion that the island of Ireland is the relevant market given the extensive competition that we face beyond the geographic boundary such as Keflavík, Heathrow and Schiphol. IATA argued that risks should be allocated to

the party that is best able to manage them, and we would appreciate for the CAR to explain why the airport should not have such risk allocated to it.” Ryanair argued “the building blocks approach could incentivise DAA to game the regulatory system by over-estimating the capex it claims is required. In order to avoid such a situation, it is imperative that CAR requires the DAA to engage constructively with airport users.”

SINGAPORE TOPS SKYTRAX LIST

er Lingus was ranked 38th in the world and Ryanair 64th (Ryanair were 4th most improved) in the controversial Skytrax World

Airline Awards for 2018. Singapore Airlines was first overall, 2 Qatar, 3 ANA, 4 Emirates, 5 Eva, 6 Cathay Pacific, 7 Lufthansa, 8 Hainan, 89

Garuda, 10 Thai. Air Canada was voted best airline in North America, while Ethiopian won in Africa. Singapore Changi won airport of the year.

The Plaza Premium Lounge at the Star Alliance hub of T2 London Heathrow Airport won best lounge.

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 29

THE FLYING COLUMN CORK

Airport is expecting 44,000 passengers this Bank Holiday Weekend, while Dublin Airport was braced for a record 422,000 passengers - up 4pc on last year.

ALASKA

Airlines apologised to a gay couple after one of them was asked to give up his premium economy seat and move to economy to let a straight couple sit together.

AMERICA ’s Federal Aviation Administration is to award $770.8m in airport infrastructure grants for airports across the US.

NORWEGIAN applied for approval to operate UK-Brazil.

Ciaran Brannigan (Ryanair), Paul Sies (Air Malta), David O’Brien (Ryanair), Hon Dr. Kondrad Mizzi (Minister for Tourism) and Dr. Charles Mannion (Air Malta)

Amazon of travel

Ryanair sign up first airline for sale on their website

yanair customers will now be able to book Air Malta flights on ryanair.com in a new flight partnership between the two airlines. The carrier offers flights on 21 routes from Malta to eight different countries across Africa, Asia and Europe, including Russia. It’s the latest tie-in following the move in March 2017 allowing passengers on Ryanair’s website to book 20 Air Europa long haul routes from Madrid to 16 countries in North, Central and South America. Ryanair has long talked about monetising its website which has more hits than most OTAs. In May Ryanair said their website reached 1bn platform visits per year (April 2017 to March 2018) for the first time in its history,website and app combined,) is more visits than Lufthansa,

British Airways, Air France, KLM and Iberia combined, more visits than Gap, Sky News, Tesco & Victoria’s Secret. The most visits by country were 1. England 2. Italy 3. Spain 4. Germany 5. Ireland Ryanair CCO David O’Brien said in Malta “we are pleased to announce this exciting partnership with Air Malta, which allows our 139m customers to browse and book flights on 21 new routes from Malta to exciting cities in Austria, Czechia, Israel, Morocco, Russia, Switzerland, Tunisia and Ukraine, in addition to over 300 existing destinations available on the Ryanair.com website, the world’s largest travel website, which receives over 50m unique visitors every month,” . He said that the partnership is the latest enhancement “as we con-

tinue our journey to becoming the ‘Amazon of travel.’ Ryanair offers 53 routes to/from Malta, and now our customers can enjoy even more routes, making Ryanair.com the ideal choice for families, leisure travel and business customers.” Air Malta’s Chairman Dr Charles Mangion said: “This is a landmark agreement were both airlines are cooperating together for the benefit of their mutual customers. Over the last year Air Malta has made significant improvements not only to expand its network of destinations with more frequencies and destinations but also changing its product in terms of fare structure and onboard service. We look forward to further cooperation between the two airlines for the benefit of our clients.”

REVIEW FINNAIR J CLASS HELSINKI TO FUKUOKO

n THE FLIGHT: Our flight AY075 from Helsinki to Fukuoka. Departing Helsinki at 16.57, we arrived in Fukuoka at 8.29am, half an hour late. n PRE-BOARDING: Flight AY1382 from Dublin was delayed, putting Finnair’s legendary 45-minute turnaround at Helsinki into question. As it happened the onward flight was delayed by 27 minutes and the transfer was seamless. n THE SEAT: We were in 2D, an aisle. Pitch is 60 inches and width 21 inches in business, with 180 degrees recline. The 15-inch high definition touchscreen responded quickly to commands. The seat turned into a lie-flat bed that extended almost two metres long and, with padded seat covers. The space had its own power portal and USB port. n ENTERTAINMENT: The inflight entertainment system features exactly 100 movies. They are not categorised but all the major Finnish classics are at the end,

Det Sjude Inseglet, Kasky, Scener ur ett nAktenskap, Hostsonaten, n THE SERVICE: Before take-off were offered sparkling wine, orange juice or water and a hot towel. Finnair’s menu reflects their Nordic roots and given the destination Japanese seasonal flavours in bento box presentation. Menus included undon noodles with chicken teritaki and stir-fry vegetables. Our wines of choice were a Marquis de Bellefont 2011 St Emilion and a Bodegas Campillo Reserva 2010. n THE VERDICT: Finnair were among the launch customers of the A350. We were on a new A330-302, an elegant and extremely quiet aircraft. Service was elegant. Cabin crew were experienced and extremely warm. A thank you in Finnish always elicits a smile. n THE DETAILS: One way ex Dublin via Helsinki from €3,333

AER ARANN Families of Jimmy Coen and Ralph Langan, founders, along with Colie Hernon of Aer Arann, are annoyed at the widespread perception that potential presidential candidate Pádraig Ó Céidigh was the brains behind the company. The controversial Ó Céidigh, who has threatened to end services to the islands this winter, bought the airline 34 years after it was established but is regularly referred to in the media as its “founder”. RYANAIR Mark Simpson of Goodbody Stockbrokers said: “wages are only a small part of Ryanair’s cost advantage as Ryanair’s total non-fuel costs per passenger were €27 in the first quarter of which wages were €6.51 or 24pc compared to non-fuel costs per passenger of €111 at Eurowings, €93 at Lufthansa, €84 at Norwegian, €51 at easyJet and €40 at Wizz.” HAINAN Airlines is reducing service to

Dublin and Edinburgh from 4w to 3w from October 28, Beijing-Edinburgh-Dublin-Beijing on Tuesdays and Saturdays and Beijing- Dublin- Edinburgh-Beijing on Sundays.

ETIHAD’s twice daily A330-200 Abu

Dhabi-Dublin will be replaced by a single daily B777-300ER from January 15 in 28-384 configuration.

RYANAIR results showed average revenue per passenger was up 2pc to €55.30, although average fare was down 4pc to €38.68.

DISRUPTIVE PAX The Westminster government backed a campaign that might see air passengers face fines of up to £80,000 should a plane have to divert because of disruptive behaviour after 417 flights were affected by serious passenger misconduct last year. DUBLIN

airport’s busiest day this year was Friday, June 29th with 115,800 passengers..

BRITISH Airways will introduce a new 4w service between London and Pittsburgh in 2019.

KLM is launching Google Assistant al-

lowing customers to use voice commands to search easily for KLM flights.

AIR TRANSAT, offering passengers travelling from Ireland in Economy Class the opportunity to take their pets in the aircraft cabin on flights to Canada.

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 30

THE FLYING COLUMN INISHTURK is to get a €174,000

helipad as part of a package of funding for Ireland’s islands.

CNCA Computer Numerical Control Academy was launched to support aerospace sector in Northern Ireland

VIRGIN Atlantic Airways flight VS-34, en route from Antigua to Gatwick Airport, was forced to divert to Shannon in a smoke alert. No trace of smoke was found, in what was the third diversion to the airport in three days. AER LINGUS An interesting Aer

Lingus vacancy this month, travel and ancillary specialist in the Retail Department in Dublin, responsible for developing a new holiday product strategy, managing the new holiday business post go-live, managing and growing existing partnership product portfolio;.

NORWEGIAN Air is looking to

recruit 40 Boeing pilots for its Dublin base to support its transatlantic expansion plans and double the size of the Ireland base.

RYANAIR v EXPEDIA A

judge in Seattle dismissed Expedia’s application to have a lawsuit by Ryanair re screen-scraping in the US dismissed on the grounds that the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act does not allow civil suits from outside the US.

EPAM Systems, Pennsylvania, and Aer

Lingus say they are partnering on digital and mobile solutions, search and booking engine, offering trip suggestions, providing an improved information architecture and UI design, and automating processes on the back-end to gain operational efficiencies.

NORWEGIAN Willie Walsh said IAG is looking to sell its shares in Norwegian after failing to negotiate a takeover.

SHANNON Airport charges a higher price than Dublin Airport for US Customs & Border Control service at €10.50 per departing passenger compared to the €7.90 charge per departing passenger in Dublin Airport. CORK Airport became the first travel hub in Ireland to adopt new signage for accessible toilets to help raise awareness of invisible disabilities.

STEWART Passenger numbers at New York Stewart International Airport rose 108pc in the first half of the year, compared with the first six months of 2017. Of the roughly 300,000 passengers, more than 130,000 were international, largely due to the introduction of Norwegian Air services, said the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. IATA warned that a looming trade war be-

tween the US and China, soaring fuel costs and European air traffic control strikes could limit growth in air travel.

VIRGIN Atlantic flight VS-50A, en route from Orlando to Gatwick, made an emergency landing at Shannon Airport after the crew reported smoke on board. The Airbus A330-300 landed safely with no injuries.

Dublin’s news €16m transfer facility will handle four times the number of passenegrs currently connecting

Transfer facility

Dublin airport to cater for 6m connecting passengers

€16m transfer facility has opened to give Dublin Airport capacity to quadruple its connecting passenger business. The three-storey hub includes airline information desks, boarding card checkpoints, and immigration and customs facilities, allowing transfer passengers to complete “a one-stop flight connection process” within Pier 4. The new transfer facility was delivered by Flynn Management & Contractors as part of Dublin Airport’s €100m investment programme. Designed to allow natural light flow through the building, the new transfer facility will feature an art installation inspired by the song Forty

Shades of Green, which was written by Johnny Cash while on tour in Ireland in 1959. Recent airport developments include €22m South Gates, completing road realignments for a second runway and starting a revamp of the airside retail area in Terminal 2. Construction of the €320m “North Runway” is expected to start next January. The airport’s MD, Vincent Harrison said “we have been growing Dublin Airport as a connecting gateway between Europe and North America steadily over the past five years and this new transfer facility will help us to further expand that business.

Thanks to US preclearance services, Dublin Airport’s connecting passenger business 17pc. This year, having grown from has grown from 550,000 in 2013 to 1.6m in 2017. The leading connecting routes through Dublin are 1 Chicago – Heathrow, 2 Boston – Heathrow, 3 Boston – Paris CDG, 4 Amsterdam – New York JFK, and 5 Boston – Manchester The airport’s MD, Vincent Harrison said “we have been growing Dublin Airport as a connecting gateway between Europe and North America steadily over the past five years and this new transfer facility will help us to further expand that business.

REVIEW AMERICAN AIRLINES J CLASS DUBLIN-CHICAGO

n THE FLIGHT: Flight AA209 from Dublin to Chicago. Departing Dublin T2 an hour late at 11am an hour five minutes late, we arrived Chicago T3 at 12.55pm, fifty minutes late and at 7-55 just under the scheduled 8 hours 10 minute journey. n PRE-CLEARANCE: A bit of a revolution here. T-pac has been in place since June 6, meaning that the scanning procedure at US immigration no longer requires thumb and finger prints, providing the facial recognition works. It speeds up the process enormously. The atmosphere in 51st and Green was convivial and lots of old friends were there to chat. n PRE-BOARDING: Check-in has changed at American. Since March, they have their own staff rather than using Servisair, which means they know the product backwards. When I boarded AA were dealing with a cancellation and a delay, but a potentially chaotic situ-

ation was being handled efficiently and politely by the staff. n THE SEAT: We were in 6L, a window with 61 inch pitch turning into flatbed. Entertainment was a responsive 15.4-inch HD-capable touchscreen with the best headphones in the sky. The space had its own power portal and USB port and (sometimes forgotten) storage place for my 15 inch laptop. THE SERVICE: Before take-off were offered sparkling wine, orange juice or water and a hot towel. Service was exceptional, refills arrived before a button was pressed and a Cole Haan amenity kit was supplied. n THE VERDICT: The Boeing 787-8 was comfortable. Each airline has one outstanding feature, with American it is the headphones. The best headphones in the sky.. n THE DETAILS: Business class flights from Dublin to Chicago start from €3,340.

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 31

THE FLYING COLUMN ANCILLARY IdeaWorksCompany and Cartrawler research listed the airlines which earned most from ancillary revenue: 1 United €4.9bn, 2 Delta €4.6bn, 3 American €4.5bn, 4 Southwest €2.6bn, 5 Ryanair €1.96bn, 6 Air France/KLM €1.68bn, 7 Lufthansa Group €1.66bn, 8 Alaska €1.14bn, 9 Air Canada €1.13bn, 10 Easyjet €978bn.

MALLAGHAN Engineering, a maker of ground support equipment including baggage conveyors and stairs for commercial aircraft, is to recruit 200 extra staff in Co Tyrone.

CITYJET said crew shortages in the

peak summer season “had an impact” on the flights it operates on wet lease from SAS.

Stephen Kavanagh CEO of Aer LIngus at Seattle launch, two more trans-Atlantic routes for 2019

Stephen’s dream Philly and Seattle routes boost Lingus profitability

er Lingus operating profit for 2018 first half was up 96pc to €104m and passenger revenue was up 8pc to €867m. Twelve-month return on invested capital was 27.8pc for Aer Lingus. Growth reflects the impact of new routes to Philadelphia and Seattle. Aer Lingus passenger revenue in 2018 H1 was €867m (2017 H1 €803m), cargo revenue €25m (€23m). total segment revenue €899m (€832m). Operating profit was €104m (€53m) on net assets at period end €894m (€921m). Aer

Lingus remained the smallest airline in the group in revenue, but overtook Iberia to produce the second largest operating profit. Aer Lingus revenue per ASK was 6.80 cent, down 0.8pc, while cost per ASK was 6.01 cent down 6.3pc with cost excl fuel 4.79 cent was down 7.6pc. Employee cost per ASK was 1.45 cent, down 2.8pc. Cost per ASK was on a par with BA despite much shorter sectors (maybe due to BA low seating density on long-haul). Fuel cost per ASK was the lowest of the Group airlines.

Stephen Kavanagh reiteratedplans to fly to two new cities as Aer Lingus aims to be a global player across the Atlantic and called (again) for Dublin Airport to match his ambition with more spending on infrastructure. Stephen Kavanagh told the IAG Conference Call on Q2 results that third quarter is operating at full capacity, we are heavily booked so the opportunity from Ryanair’s problems is not significant, it is on the margin. Anything that damages Ryanair is ultimately good for Aer Lingus, and we will exploit that.

REVIEW AER LINGUS J CLASS DUBLIN TO NEWARK

n THE FLIGHT: Flight EI101 from Dublin T2 to Terminal A Newark. Departing Dublin after a 25 minute wait at 13.25, we flew for 5 hours 38 minutes arriving in Newark at 15.30 (-5 hours). Lingus used an A330-200 aircraft on the route, which is popular for connections with United including our connection to IPW in Denver. n PRE-CLEARANCE The flight was prior to t-pac so a40 minute queue and a little bit of barging in the screening zone, particularly by aggrieved US passengers, adeptly handled by DAA officials. Three US CBP channels were not open, which con tribute to the delays. n PRE-BOARDING: Check-in was seamless, right behind john Byerly who had helped negotiate the Open Skies agreement on the US side. The check-in official said that we were not entitled to use 51st and Green but when we enquired at the business class lounge it turned out we were. 51st and Green is conveniently located close to the runway with a selection of free food and a paid menu. Wines on offer included Campo del Moro Tempranillo Syrah Cabernet, Chinensis Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 from Chile, Andanti Sangriove and the whites, Grecanico Pinot Grigio and Campo del Moro Sauvignon Blanc. The boarding was a length walk from 51st&G, but eminently preferable to the walk from the business lounge before having the pre-clearance. n THE SEAT: I was in 5K, a window seat. Business

class seats are forward-facing with aisle access in a 2-2-1 configuration. The 15-inch high definition touchscreen was impressive, with 56 films, 20 new releases on offer and a dedicated Irish channel of 11 mainly short film. The seat turned into a lie-flat bed. The space had its own power portal and USB port. n THE ROUTE was excep0tionally scenic as the flight was guided along the 59th parallel over Iceland, the tip of Greenland, Labrador and Goose Bay. n THE SERVICE: Before take-off I was offered sparkling wine, orange juice or water and a towel. Starter was Theresa O’Brien’s Burren Smokehouse smoked salmon, cucumber dill or Toons Bridge mozzarella salad tomato and pesto. Roast beef on brown bread, beetroot and feta salad, smoked salmon, oven roasted herb chicken and apple and cinnamon crunch. n THE LANDING: Newark terminal A has seen better days and is up for demolition within three years, it is a trek and an extra security clearance (shoes off) to the C gates to connect with Un ited which gives Aer Lingus a disadvantage against its codeshare partner. n THE VERDICT: Exceptional service from an experienced crew. Aer Lingus business class experience when it as the top of its game is the best in the sky. n THE DETAILS: Business class flights start from €2,500 each way, inclusive of taxes. aerlingus.com.

CHINA‘s airline regulator says United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Hawaiian Airlines missed a Wednesday deadline to change their websites to feature Taiwan as being part of China. Forty other carriers obeyed the decree. ROUTES Dublin Airport (20m-50m passengers category) and Shannon Airport and Cork Airport(both under 4m passengers) are shortlisted for this year’s World Routes Marketing Awards, to be announced in China in September.

DUBLIN Airport is running an exhibition featuring images of real-life Irish people with famous local surnames. Steven O’Carroll and Kate-Ann Kelly, part of Dublin Airport’s ‘All in a Name’ exhibition at the South Gates boarding area. CITYJET and Air Nostrum, the

Regional Operator for Iberia, have signed a Heads of Terms with the aim to bring about closer co-operation between the two airlines under the umbrella of a new holding company. The deal will require regulatory approval.

AIRCRAFT Manufacturers updated their aircraft demand forecasts For Farnborough week with many unidentified orders being ascribed to the uneasy relationship between USA and China. ATW detailed 1,180 orders and commitments of which it counts as 382 firm orders. EASYJET upgraded its full-year guidance from 530-580m to £550-590m profit for the 12 months to end September.

GOSHAWK Dublin-based Goshawk Aviation ordered 20 A320neos and 20 B737 MAX 8s, its first direct orders from manufacturers,and is planning an initial public offering

AVOLON released an in-depth analysis of the Indian air travel market. BOMBARDIER The Westminster government announced a £15m investment over 6 years into three new research projects at Bombardier in Belfast. CITYJET agreed a deal with Spanish

regional carrier Air Nostrumto bolster its leasing business and attract new contracts in a move it calls a “prelude to a merger”. The combined group will have close to 100 aircraft and revenues of around €700m.

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 32

THE FLYING COLUMN DUBLIN Airport was up 6pc to 18m

passengers in Jan-July, on course for 31.4m passengers in 2018. July was up 7pc to 3.3m to become the busiest month ever in the airport’s 78 year history. Mainland Europe was up 6pc to 1.8m, Britain up 3pc to 919k, transatlantic up 15pc to 463k, Africa/Asia up 19pc to 109k and domestic up 10pc to 11k. .

KNOCK Airport CEO Joe Gilmore is

looking for outside investors as a development partner willing to take a longer-term look at a return on investment, and is talking to Aer Lingus and Ryanair about Germany and France - with Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Paris potential destinations that could be reopened.

LOGANAIR again postponed the launch of Carlisle Airport services including Dublin and Belfast to next spring, because the airport will not receive all certifications by the planned date of September 3.

RYANAIR plans to build a six-storey office block adjoining its headquarters in Dublin. eyeing additional office space for its own staff, as well as potential leasing opportunities.

Improved technology will help to prevent longer queues at CBP

Ever faster CBP

NORWEGIAN Air International,

the Dublin-based arm of the carrier, made a $445.7m (€391m) loss last year, double the loss it posted in 2016

DUBLIN Chamber Chief Executive Mary Rose Burke said the 17pc rise on last year of transfer passengers is “further validation of Dublin’s standing as an international hub for air travel” and improves the likelihood of airlines introducing new routes there.

IRISH airspace had a record July, with 115,834 flight movements, 3.2pc up on July 2017, the Irish Aviation Authority reported. It said commercial flights were up at the main airports: Shannon (up 8pc, 68 average of daily movements); Dublin (up 4.3pc, 706 daily movements) and Cork (up 0.5pc, 70 daily movements). EUROCONTROL figures showed

growth in July: Schiphol–Dublin (up 13pc); Dublin-Birmingham (up 9.8pc) and London City-Dublin (up 9.2pc).

LAUDAMOTION CEO Andreas

Gruber plans to cut back on the number of wet leased aircraft from Ryanair in winter 2018/19, as there is plenty of room for independent growth. Laudamotion Austria is reconsidering a stake sale of the remaining 25pc, possibly as a result of owner Nikki Lauda’s health. HSBC increased its voting rights in Ryanair to 5.244pc from below the reporting threshold of 5%.

DUBLIN AIRPORT Retail

sales were €72.1m in 2016 with food and beverage units taking of €87m.

WATERFORD Airport Chairman Dan Browne said that to secure the future of the airport for scheduled service it would be necessary to invest €12m to widen and extend the runway to cater for more commonly used machines like the B737 favoured by Ryanair and the A320 of Aer Lingus.

T-Pac clears some US pre-clearance queues

nited States customs and immigration pre-clearance at Dublin airport is to benefit from a streamlined process introduced on June 6. Finger printing is no longer required if the passenger is already on the database and the facial recognition matches the passport photograph.. That has helped make the time spent at each booth a little faster. US CBP said “We found collecting

facial images is easy for both travellers and CBP Officers. The technology is intuitive and hassle-free, with traveler identity matches made quickly. The fact that mobile device users now have the option to use biometrics to unlock their phones also helped shape our decision” The development will help clear up some of the choke points at times for passengers using US pre clearance at Dublin airport. Between 1020 to 1130

seven flights depart the trans-Atlantic gates and between 1020 to 1230 ten flights. There are 14 flights before midday. A change since 2011 when pre-clearance was only available during the morning sessions is that there is a mini wave in the afternoon with 12 flights, four of them between 1520 to 1600.

SHANNON HANGAR FIRST IN 20 YEARS

hannon Group capital programme includes the construction of a wide body paint hangar at Shannon Airport. This is in accordance with the National Aviation Policy to “encourage the development of

the International Aviation Services Centre at Shannon”. This will be the first new wide body hangar constructed at an Irish airport in 20 years and is the kind of expansion that was envisaged in order to grow a globally

recognised and internationally competitive aviation industry cluster in and around the airport campus. Cross agency co-operation will continue to develop further hangars at Shannon to meet industry demand.

Matthew Thomas

ATC PROBLEM MORE THAN STRIKES

he IAG Conference Call on Q2 results calculated ATC delays in Europe 2018 to end July were up 126pc on the same period in 2017. Of which 54pc of that was a direct result of air traffic control capacity and

just 18pc a result of an industrial action. The majority of delays are being encountered because of inefficiency within the ATC system. So it can be resolved, but it requires air traffic control providers to address

their staffing issues. This is of particular relevance in Germany where actually, traffic through their airspace has declined this year. IAG, Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air submitted complaints to the Euro-

pean Commission against France as its air traffic controllers’ strikes restrict the fundamental principle of freedom of movement within the EU citing a legal precedent by Spanish farmers from 1997.

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 33

GLOBAL VILLAGE

Inside the Travel Business

MSC Cruises is launching its biggest ever agent incentive to celebrate the launch of new online training platform MSC Masters. The cruise line will give away 2,000 places to the inaugural party onboard MSC Bellissima.

CLICK&GO is looking at opening in other markets - with Eastern Europe and Scandinavia likely options - CEO Paul Hackett, pictured at the company’s offices in Dublin, told Travel Extra, following an investment of €2m in a Polish office.. TRAVEL COUNSELLORS

reported that winters long-haul bookings have increased by 26pc. “The strength of long haul travel is continuing, and this is being led by greater direct access options, better value, and the rising cost of holidaying in Europe. For these reasons, bookings in the past nine months for next summer have tripled when compared to the same period last year,”said Cathy Burke, General Manager of Travel Counsellors Ireland.

HEAT Pat Dawson CEO of the ITAA reported a significant fall-off in Irish holidaymakers booking sunshine getaways during the early summer as the good weather continues. Shares in Tui fell 9pc after the travel giant said summer bookings were unlikely to outperform due to the recent heatwave. Its latest figures also revealed that airline disruptions and ATC strikes cost the business €13m during the three months to the end of June.

THAILAND roadshow returns to Dublin on February 27th, and Galway February 28th . EMIRATES sales team set out on their annual Mystery Calls to the Trade with One for All vouchers, Voya products and Emirates Merchandise.

TRAVEL SOLUTIONS Peter McMinn’s Travel Solutions added New York Catskills to their ski destinations. Chris Clingan was appointed as Sports Travel Manager with Travel Solutions

EL AL and Cobalt Air joined Travelport’s Rich Content and Branding bringing the total of signed-up airlines to 261

TRAVEL CENTRES announced details of the winners of their €6,000 Cash Giveaway promotion which saw customers from counties Limerick, Galway, Wicklow, Leitrim, Donegal and Cavan all win cash prizes of €1,000 each to spend on holidays. Winners Chris O’Donogue and Aine O’Donoghue are pictured with Linda McNamara, Ace Travel, Newcastle West, Co Limerick. TURKISH Sue Power from Corporate Travel Management was a winner of a South African fam place as Turkish Airlines and S African tourism hosted the trade in Cork to celebrate tNelson Mandela’s centernary.

BURGLARY three-quarters of people avoid posting stories about their upcoming holidays on social media in case they get burgled while they are away, AA Ireland said after a survey of 5,000 members of the public.

Volker Lorenz wil return to mainstream travel with Roland Monsega’s Camino ways

Lorenz return

Volker Lorenz returns as COO of Caminoways

olker Lorenz is back in the travel industry - after being appointed as Chief Operations Officer for CaminoWays.com, Greenlife Tours Ltd. Volker joins from Accenture where he was Senior Manager for Service Delivery. He was general manager for Amadeus Ireland for over 12 years and prior to that, he was Managing Director at Lufthansa InTouch for 5 years. Volker will be leading the team of 40 travel profes-

sionals based in Blackpitts, Dublin 8, from mid-September. Established in 2011 by Roland Monsegu, Dublin-based Greenlife Tours Ltd. operates three brands CaminoWays.com, IrelandWays. com and Trekkingbug.com. It focuses on experience holidays with CaminoWays.com is its main brand, specialising on the Camino de Santiago routes. Volker said “the popularity of walking on the Camino, as well as

the strength of the CaminoWays. com brand are fantastic assets to build upon. “The challenge will be to build on our success and replicate it with other products that are also built around a sense of community, adventure, friendship and fun. “Although the customer base for our existing brands is very much international, we also want to attract more Irish customers to try our holiday offers.”

SIMON EATON NEW TUI HEAD IN IRELAND

imon Eaton is succeeding Belinda Vazquez, who has been promoted to Retail Director as Head of Ireland at TUI. Simon Eaton was previously Commercial Director of Crystal Ski Holidays and TUI Lakes & Mountains. Eaton will assume responsibility for the management of the TUI & Crystal Ski business

in Ireland on September 1 and will commence a transition period immediately with Belinda Vazquez, following her recent promotion to Retail Director for TUI in the British and Irish markets. Eaton has been part of TUI for almost 14 years starting his career as a rep and has held various overseas roles in France and commercial roles in

Britain. In his most recent role as Commercial Director for Crystal Ski Holidays and TUI, Lakes & Mountains Eaton had responsibility for Yield, Aviation, Product, Inventory and ecommerce. management team, the rest of the business and the wider travel industry to ensure its continued success into the future,”

Simon Eaton

MICHAEL CASLIN TO LEASE OFFICE

ichael Caslin’s 747 travel is offering a landmark fully fitted licensed office to lease as a travel or airline office on Camden Street. Michael will continue to operate the sports side of the business with

his trademark soccer and rugby trips. His 747 travel has been operating since 1971. His foray into sports tourism started with the 1972 European championship when Eamon Dunphy was still taking the corners for

Ireland and the soccer team had not won a match for five years. Caslin. originator of treasured aphorisms include: always sit on the right” on way to Europe left hand side on way back,” has a loyal following of fans.

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 34

Inside the Travel Business

GLOBAL VILLAGE FREEDOM TRAVEL Ciara

Mooney’s Freedom Travel announced a first series of solo travel offerings, including a yoga retreat for three nights near Malaga on November 24.

BCD Travel based in Dublin won a Gold

Stevie Award in the Mobile Site & App category for its TripSource app. BCD will get the award in London in October at the 15th Annual International Business Awards.

INSTITUTE of Travel Management launched a London-based event for the corporate travel sector in a joint move with the USbased Global Business Travel Association. CLIA Three cruise ships will be on show at next May’s Clia conference in Southampton: Celebrity Edge, MSC Preziosaand Cunard’sQM2. Agents will be able to register from September 12, said Clia director Andy Harmer.

Marriott Downtown Philadelphia venue for the ITAA conference

Philly countdown

EXPEDIA Group has become the of-

ficial travel partner of the UEFA Champions League in a three-season deal.

Build up for first ITAA conference to be held in USA

he ITAA have taken several bookings at the Marriott Philadelphia Downtown Hotel at USD$99 per room per night for extended stay after their annual conference. Three days before and three days after the travel agents’ annual conference on November 29. Extra itinerary details released this month include Wednesday evening welcome reception at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco, n Thursday evening dinner at Down Town Club, n Friday city tours followed by lunch n Gala dinner at Water works n options tours on Saturday,

The venue for Friday evening’s gala dinner, the Water Works, opened in 1815 and an American Historic Landmark, Civil Engineering Landmark, and National Mechanical Engineering Land-mark. It is situated on east bank of the Schuylkill River between historic Boat House Row and the Philadelphia Museum of Art and offers an enclosed heated terrace overlooking Boat House Row and the Schuylkill River. The museum will be opened during reception showing the original turbines. Founded in 1897, Down Town Club. atop the Public Ledger Building. was exclusive to Philadelphia’s prominent families. Guests overlook onto Independence Hall and the Mall

UNESCO World Heritage Site. City tours will feature the signature G Adventures, headed up by John Grehan in attractions such as Independence Ireland, have a new vessel in the Galapagos Hall, the Liberty Bell, the Betsy Ross Islands House, Franklin Court, Carpenters’ CLICK&GO Paul Hackett’s Click&Hall, the Declaration House and the Goare to partner with the Lanzarote Marathon, statue of John Barry, Wexford born taking place on Saturday, December 8. founder of the US navy. Registration fee includes accom- UNIQUE JAPAN TOURS modation November 28 to Decem- Darina Slattery’s Unique Japan Tours is seekber 1st, airport transfer: November ing staff, awith experience living, studying or 28th to hotel for flights AA723 and working in Japan, degree in marketing, three EI115, airport transfer December 1 years travel industry sales experience or rugby ties. Ad 01_SBP-Ad 09/07/2018 13:38 Page 2 for flights AA722 and EI114/ 09July18-Travel

BLUE INSURANCES CAR DRAW TONI FENNELL JOINS FINAL

oni Fennell from Abbey Travel was the July finalist in the Blue Insurance car competition. She is now in with a chance to win a Toyota Yaris hybrid from Toyota Sandyford. She follows previous finalists Karen Thornton from KT Travel Dundalk, Theresa Davey from Mackin

Travel Wexford, Sharon Fleming from Thomson Travel Lurgan, Elaine Harding from the Garda Holiday Club, Douglas Hastings from Travel Counsellors, Yvonne O’Donohue from O’Donohue travel Gorey and Catherine O’Dwyer from Michael Bowe Travel. The competition, which is running in as-

sociation with Toyota Sandyford, The Home of Hybrid,started in November of last year and will run until November of this year. The competition is giving one agent or broker the chance to win a brand-new Toyota Yaris Hybrid. Every Blue Insurances policy sold each month automatically generates

CLUBS TO HIRE recorded its best June trading figures since its launch in 2010, on target to rent more than 75,000 sets of clubs in the calendar year.

an entry in the monthly draw. Blue Insurances reminds agents to have their own unique login to make bookings count for their monthly draw. Each of the 13 monthly winners as well as the 1 bonus winner will take home a mystery prize for their troubles and be invited to the Grand Final in Dublin in December.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY IN TRAVEL Long established since 1971. Dublin based City Centre Travel Agency offer fully fitted office to lease as Travel or Airline Office. Apply in confidence to:

Michael Caslin, 747 Travel, First Floor, 82 Aungier Street, Dublin 2 or call 0868111747

Last month in numbers

133.5m Number of passengers who travelled with Ryanair over the twelve months to July.

31.4m Number of passengers who will use Dublin airport this year should growth continue.

u16m Cost of new transfer facility at Dublin airport

223 Number of Trans Atlantic flights that leave Dublin heading west each week in 2018

4,000 Number of pilots employed by Ryanair. 95 Number of pilots who are members of IALPA trade union.

23 Number of destinations in North America

served from Dublin with the addition of Dallas, Montreal and Pittsburgh.

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 35

WINDOW SEAT

ALL ARID AND ACRIMONIOUS

his book is about around seven desert journeys: in Oman, Australia, China, Kazakhstan, Egypt, the Sonora in eastern California, southern Arizona and a bit of Mexico; and Nevada’s Black Rock. Writing of the 370,000 sq km Taklamakan. “desertification affects a sixth of humankind and 70pc of all arid areas.” Deserts are political too, host to nuclear testing in southern Australia in the 1950s. Within the test zone, still, neither dingoes nor eagles will touch a camel carcass. “This was also the liberty the desert permitted: the moral liberty avail-

The Immeasurable World by William Atkins is published by Faber

able to us in dreams, the liberty to perpetrate outrages.” In Egypt, he follows St Anthony “a step-by-step progression into oblivion, from the Nile floodplain to the arid interior, a model for others wishing to renounce society”. He sets out in these pages to examine “what the desert is in the cultural, religious and psychological senses”, desert duality: deathly and forsaken, yet “the site of revelation, of contemplation and sanctuary”.

In Arizona“the desert border remains largely unfenced” and the author notes “the number of human remains recovered from arroyos and bajadas and the shadows of ironwood trees”. He witnesses the ecological disaster of the Aral Sea Before the 1960s, the Aral supplied 50,000 tonnes of fish per year. It had fallen to 3,000 by 1975, then commercial fishing ceased, the result of water being rerouted to support the burgeoning cotton business.

Busman’s holiday: John Spollen Every month we ask a leading travel professional to write about their personal holiday experience. This month: John Spollen of Cassidy Travel, President of the ITAA

ith over 35 years in the travel business, you’d think I might be personally bored with travelling at this stage. Wrong. Travel gives me a buzz. A sense of purpose. And also an escape. I’m just back from my annual escape to the Algarve. It makes for a great destination for a family holiday, both for young children or teenagers. I have been visiting the Algarve with the children for many years. Apart from sea and sand, it is truly a sporting paradise. And it was just wonderful to indulge my twin passions for tennis and golf. Yes I know the weather has been wonderful in Ireland too this year, but in order to

get away, you need to get out of your own environment. I find it hard to truly switch off. But in fact, I get some of my best ideas about business when I am away and have time to think. That’s ok too. You can’t run a very personal business like Cassidy Travel and be totally remote from it. And that’s why Portugal and the Algarve are so great. It’s like putting your slippers on for a couple of weeks to just chill with the extended family. But I don’t always want that feeling of putting the slippers on. I love new places, and like everyone I have a long bucket list. For sure everyone needs something to look forward to. The new flights to China and Kong Hong from Dublin this year have really started me thinking seriously about getting to know China.

The ITAA president’s favourite destination, the Algarve

I want to “ do” South America. I want to head to Argentina. Maybe do that Steak Tour that John Torrode talked about on TV. And do some Malbec Wine Tasting. And I’d love a Gaucho Day. Mad. But true.. Then I’d head for Peru, experience Machu Picchu and see places like the floating islands at Lake Titicaca. What I am really fascinated with and want to see is the Nasca Lines. It’s only about 100 years since they were discovered yet they are reputed to be over 2000 years old.

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

ision has not been a strong point in aviation planning in Ireland. For decades we tied one of our own hands behind our back with the compulsory Shannon stopover. Manchester boomed as the alternative airport to Heathrow while growth from Dublin stalled. The small town rivalry between Dublin and Shannon was so intense that Jack Daly, councillor in Clare, chair of Aer Rianta, insisted

on the 2,637m runway in Dublin so they would not be tempted to try to launch a trans-Atlantic service. Technology changed, but Jackie’s restrictions prevented airlines like Singapore from starting services. When Terminal 2 was constructed in 2006, it was devoid of facilities for transfer passengers. It was only last month that the airport operators have realised that all the advantages of pre clearance and a smaller airport throughput

are useless if the infrastructure is not in place. The attempts to prevent the Dublin airport north runway follow the same pattern. Making it possible for aviation to grow in line with the rest of the world is regarded by some people as a threat. The past is the same country. As Dublin celebrates its 21st, 22nd and 23rd trans-Atlantic routes next year, Keflavik will have 40. Smaller island, bigger vision.

I’m also looking forward to Philadelphia later this year for the ITAA Conference, it’s the first time the Conference has been held outside of Europe... It’s not a city I know, so that is something to look forward to...see the Liberty Bell – maybe even run up the “ Rocky” steps if I get time. And have a Philly Steak. It’s all about the steak. And the bucket list. So for whatever the reason you decide to travel, I have no doubt you will have the most amazing time and like me catch the Buzz and never want to stop...

IN YOUR NEXT TRAVEL EXTRA: Available to Travel Agents or online September 17 2018

WINTERSPORT ISSUE Morzine Austria Club Med Andorra SNOW TRENDS

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 36

MEETING PLACE

Travel and Martin PenAaron Bolt of Selective tes event at the Irish ira Em rose of Ifonly,at the Open

Brian Hynes, Travel Co rporation’s National Sa Manager, Cathal Teag les ue MacCourt, Trailfinders , Trailfinders and Barry at Insight America lau nch

ell Solutions, Shannon Susan Maxwell of Maxw rie Durcan of Cassidy Ma n O’Dowd of Etihad, An lly of the Travel Broker Travel and Georgina Ke lebrity Eclipse with AWTE on board Ce

Maureen Ledwith, of Biz Cross, Las Vegas CV ex with Tryphavana A years in Ireland event at United Airlines 20

Out and about with the Travel Trade

Grainne Caffrey of Sunway, Sharon Jordan of Travel Corporation and Mary McCormack of Sunway at the launch of Travel Corporation US brochure

Kaitlin Murphy, Nicola Fields and Paul Keenan of TUI Talbot Street receive their One4all vouchers, Topflight travel agent promotion,

at the Sunway Norwegian event in Amgelina’s Restaurant,

Niamh Doherty of Tour America and Kathleen Maher of Tour America at the United Airlines twenty years in Ireland event

Alison Johnson of Kilda re Davern GM of the K Clu Village and Michael b, Taste of Kildare fes tival at the K Club, -

irrs, Anita Thomas of Em Joe Eatin of Trailfinde nell of Dublin Airport,at on ates and Cormac O’C the Irish Open the Emirates event at

Sinead Grace of Tourism Irela nd, Eoghan Corry, Alison Joh son of Kildare Village, nAlan Rogers of Catha y Pacific and Gisele Ma nsfield at Taste of Kilda re

lly of Travel and Shauna Ke Lisa Keating of Abbey tion mo pro t en ag vel Topflight, Topflight tra

van Mary McGovern, Tracy Katrina McMullan of Na s Alice Carrick and Catherine Cronin of Tour AmerMc Sharon Sheridan and an tive d Barry O’Connor of Atl Cauley, Lorna Wood ecu Ex vel Tra n ica at the United Airlines event, July 12 2018 me Wo of on iati soc Travel, As Airlines twenty years in as Travel at the United rity Eclipse Ireland event event on board Celeb

Pearse Keller of Keller Tra Meehan of Meehan Tra vel and Cormac vel Bundoran,at the Em ates event at the Irish irOpen

Aine Mangan of Kildare Failte, Paddy Power mayor of Kildare and Peter Carey of Kildare County Council, at the K Club, July 20 2018

vel nie O’Reilly of Talk Tra Kathryn Tunney and An Gancedo Nieto, at the a Radio Show wth Teres Dublin of ste Ta of y da ing en op

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 37

Out and about with the Travel Trade

becca Clarke and AisZivile Mikalauskiene. Re receive their One4all vel ling Reilly of Navan Tra agent promotion, vel tra t gh pfli To rs, che vou

Sarah Slattery of The Tra of Falcon Holidays, Ne vel Expert, Irene Smith ssa Hurley of Travel Co sellors with AWTE on board Celebrity Eclips unend

MEETING PLACE

Shirley Flanagan, Tara Olwen McKinney of Amadeus, Susan Maxwell Fla of Maxwell Solutions, Jennifer Callister of Royal one, Taste of Kildare fes nagan and David Maltival at the K Club, Caribbean, Tryphavana Cross of NYC&Company

Janis Coulter of Cassidy Travel receives her One4all vouchers, Topflight travel agent promotion,

bey Travel and Shauna Rebecca Wright of Ab the Topflight travel agent g Kelly of Topflight durin promotion,

lt Paul Hackett and Bryan Nolan of Click & Go at rahan Travel, Aaron Bo Mark Clifford of O’Han rd Rayment of Spotlight the United Airlines twenty years in Ireland event ha Ric , vel Tra of Selective Ifonly,at the Open and Martin Penrose of

Deirdre Sweeny of Su nway, Andrea Power of and Ciara Mooney of Freedom Travel at the TUI Su way Norwegian event in Amgelina’s Restaura nnt,

Mercedes Groba, Turism Diaz, Turismo de Galici o de Galicia and Victoria a at the opening day of Taste of Dublin

e Sales Manager United Brian Hughes, Corporat onnell of Air Canada Airlines and Blaithin O’Dat United Airlines 20 Sales Manager Ireland years in Ireland event

Elaine Massey and Lis a Warren of Killiney Tra soaking up the prohib vel itio launch of the Travel Co n atmosphere at the rporation US brochure

Fiona Duncan, with Kevin Gibson, and Kate Bates, at the Universal Orlando Florida Resort Media Update

Regina Curran and Niamh Shortt of Club Travel at the United Airlines twenty years in Ireland event

AWTE behind the scenes tour of Dublin airport, June 23 2018

lliams and Beata Poles Sara Dolan, Oliver Wi fes re da Kil of ste Ta ns, zczuk of the Cliff at Lyo tival at the K Club,

Olwen McKinney of Am adeus with AWTE on board Celebrity Eclips e

, of O’Donoghue Travel Yvonne O’Donoghue Deird an vel Tra y line Kil Gorey. Richard Cullen at Travel Corporatoon ay dre Sweeney of Sunw

SEPTEMBER 2018 PAGE 38

MEETING PLACE

and Mark Clifford of Emer Peel of Emirates Emirates event at the the ,at vel Tra O’Hanrahan Irish Open

Travel Corporation’s Ca Townson, MD of Uniwo rol Hurley, with Chris rld Britain and Ireland at the launch of U by Un iworld.

yLouise Monaghan of Sk Michelle Webster and chvou all e4 On ir the eive tours Talbot Street rec t promotion, en ers, Topflight travel ag

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of r Lingus, Fiona Foster Yvonne Muldoon of Ae Dunne of The Travel re Innstant Travel and Cla ard Celebrity Eclipse bo on TE AW h wit ker Bro

Chris Townson and Sh aron Jordan at the lau nch of U by Uniworld

Out and about with the Travel Trade

Rebecca Wright, Joanna Corrigan and Lisa Keat- Jackie Clynch of Bookabed and Stephen Mc ing of Abbey Travel receive their One4all vouch- Kenna of Atlas/Gohop,at the Emirates event at the Irish Open ers, Topflight travel agent promotion,

Emma and Paul McHugh of Atlantic Travel with Carolyn Davis and Anthony Arthur of Liberty Travel,at the Emirates event at the Irish Open

and Grath, Fidelma Burke Riona Burke, Avril Mc an travel receive One4all og Frances Grogan of Gr vel agent promotion, tra t gh pfli To rs, che vou

Amanda O’Brien, Karen Martin Churchill and Ying Gao of USIT at the from American Holida Whyte and Angel Cleary ys with Brian Hy United Airlines twenty years in Ireland event cele- launch of the Travel Corporation US nes, at the brating their Newark service form 1998 brochure

Michelle Buckley, Assistant Manager Cassidy Travel, Tallaght with Marissa Beck rat the launch of Insight US brochure

ited Martina Coogan of Un Clareanne Phillips and lines twenty years in Air ited Airlines at the Un 2018 Irleand event, July 12

Norma Tolefe, Kelly Fay and Martina Vojlekova of Ross Wa World Travel Centre at the United Airlines twenty Ameri ters and Daniel McCloskey of Tour ca at the United Airline s twenty years in years in Ireland event Ireland event

Maureen Ledwith of Holiday World, with John B Murry and Diarmuid Keane of US Embassy at Bastille Day in the French Ambassador’s residence

lTravel with Christine Mu Mark Wade, Best For lines Air ited Un the at vel lane of Creation Tra event twenty years in Ireland

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DUBLIN RDS SIMMONSCOURT JANUARY 25/27 For more info log on to:

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EXHIBIT! 117086 TE APRIL_ HWS 2018 FP_V3.indd 1

Maureen Ledwith Sales Director

Paulette Moran Sales Manager

Angela O’Rourke Business Development Manager

t: +353 (0)1 291 3700

t: +353 (0)1 291 3702

t: +353 (0)1 291 3705

e: paulette@bizex.ie

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4/25/18 5:11 PM

Cathay Pacific Airways Limited

Bringing Ireland to the heart of Hong Kong Job No 10863681

Version

Client Cathay Pacific

Size

File name 10863681 Dublin HK Press Ad A4 D1.indd Date

Approved: from Dublin. Four direct flights a week

cathaypacific.ie

AW xx

DESIGN RS

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05/06/18

ART D/CD JE

CW xx

ACC M LC

ACC D xx