Travel Extra September 2019

PRINCESS ENDS DUBLIN TURNAROUND EMIRATES NO B777 STAND FOR 3D AER LINGUS EI321 ARRIVES ITAA conference itinerary

Ryanair lowers tpax targets

CLIA in Dublin

R

U YO DE A R R T PE PA

IRELAND'S PREMIER SOURCE OF TRAVEL INFORMATION Free

SEPTEMBER 2019

VOLUME 24 NUMBER 8

Selling Beds Keeping track of the rapidly evolving bedbank business

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 3

www.travelextra.ie

New theme park

Universal plans to double its footprint in Orlando

U

niversal Orlando announced it will build a new theme park called Epic Universe.

The company released few details but said the new park will double the footprint of Universal in the city and will be located within a larger 750-acre site a few miles from Universal’s existing resort in southwest Orange County, south of Sand Lake Road east of Universal Boulevard.

Tom Williams, CEO of Universal said the resort will “build on everything we have done and become the most immersive and innovative theme park we have ever created.”

Universal’s Epic Universe will be the first greenfield theme park in Orlando since Islands of Adventure debuted in 1999.

The few details of Epic Universe released include this visualisation

HALIFAX Westjet move their MINNEAPOLIS Aer

.BODRUM Dublin 2w seasonal with Ryanair this summer.

IBIZA Shannon’s signature new

CALGARY Dublin from Westjet.

CARLISLE Dublin 7w from Loganair scheduled for spring 2019.

COLOGNE:

weekly from Ryanair.

Shannon

DALLAS American will link Dublin daily to Texas next year.

DUBROVNIK from Cork.

Aer Lingus

SRI LANKA has announced it will give a one-month free visa on arrival to visitors from nearly 50 countries in its latest effort to revive the island nation’s lucrative tourism industry that was badly hit by the Easter bomb attacks that killed 263 people. tourism ministry has unveiled new measures aimed at easing fears after a spate of mysterious deaths in the past few months, these include a multilingual tourist emergency centre in Punta Cana. All hotels must share details of their food handling procedures and their food and beverage suppliers with inspectors, and all hotel pools will be checked to ensure certified lifeguard duty cover is sufficient.

AALBORG

BORDEAUX Dublin 2w seasonal with Ryanair this summer.

CUBA A former guest filed a class action lawsuit in federal court in Miami on Tuesday against Sandals Resorts, claiming the vacation company charged a ‘local government tax ‘to guests, which were not paid to Caribbean governments. The suit alleges that Sandals pocketed the fees instead.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC’s

DESTINATIONS TO WATCH

one of two new Danish destinations from Dublin.

NEWS

St John’s service April 20.

sun route this summer.

KIEV Dublin 2w seasonal with Ryanair this summer.

Lingus 2019 destination.

MOSCOW: Pobedoa are listing a Sheremetyevo service.

NICE: Aer Lingus from Cork resumed May 1.

HAYFIELD Manor owners are to convert St Mary’s College in Donnybrook into a 195-bedroom, five-star hotel and spa at a cost of €50m in addition to the €16m that the Scally family paid for the site.

MALAYSIA unveiled the new Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign logo, a year after a previous logo launched to widespread derision featuring an orangutan, a proboscis monkey and turtle wearing sunglasses.

LEGOLAND Merlin Entertainment is

blaming poor weather and ‘limited momentum’ from its second Lego movie for a 0.7pc fall in sales at Legoland theme parks during the first half of the year.

LISBON TAP launched Dublin double daily, opening S America.

SHENZEN: Hainan started a third Chinese route February 25.

see prices plunge on route.

Dublin.

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

TEL AVIV: Dublin 1w from Arkia Israel.

ACCOR blamed jitters over the UK leaving the European Union for a fall in revenue per room at its hotels

Norwegian commenced Hamilton on March 31.

Meyrick and G hotels for €40m.

LOURDES Ryanair 2w will

MALTA Ryanair service form Cork to Europe’s wedding capital.

SPEND WINTER ON THE BEACH Winter sun destinations like Canary Islands, Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca on sale now.

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

SPLIT: Ryanair June 1 from

TALLINN Dublin 1w from Air Baltic started March 31.

TORONTO:

IHF hoteliers survey found the continental Europe market is showing signs of softening while business levels from England are falling.

ALANIS Capital is to purchase Galway’s

F LY F RO M CO R K & DUBLIN

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 4

THE KNOWLEDGE

Travel Extra Clownings, Straffan, Co Kildare (+3531) 2913707 Fax (+3531) 2957417 Managing Editor: Gerry O’Hare gerry@travelextra.ie Editor: Eoghan Corry eoghan.corry@ travelextra.ie Publisher: Edmund Hourican edmund@bizex.ie Sales Director: Maureen Ledwith maureen@bizex.ie 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 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 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 Postcards: News from the trade 10 Accommodation: Bedbank special

T

www.travelextra.ie

12 Technology: Astral survives again 16 Asturias: Green Spain 18 Just back from: BA A350, Center pars, Etihad B787 24 Destination: Australia

26 Afloat: Cruise and ferry news 28-32 Flying: Airline and airport news 34 Global Village Inside travel 36 Window seat: Our columnists 37 Pictures: Out and about

Deeply DP deals

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.

125006 TE_PERSIA FP_V6.indd 1

19/06/2019 13:45

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 06

POSTCARDS FROM THE TRAVEL SCENE

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he Cruise Line Industry Association came to Dublin to publicise their survey of Irish cruise habits (see page 27) and their upcoming cruise event in Dublin in September.

Much of the discussion on the evening concerned the proposed cap on cruise ship visits to Dublin which CLIA criticised in a statement and the impact it will have on cruise lines considering using Dublin for turnarounds.

M

idway through the press conference marking the opening of Center Parcs in Longford it became clear what were the biggest difficulties facing the London based resort operator.

Ireland’s experience of activity based resorts does not match the neighbouring island, with its three remaining Butlins resorts at entry level (Mosney closed in 1980), and 40 Haven parks at a slightly

E

nda Corneille has evolved into quite the golf pundit through his hosting as co-sponsor of the Dubai Duty free Irish Open.

Enda’s engaging interview with golf pro Jamie Donaldson at Lahinch this year would have done justice to the couched comfort zones of Sky Sports.

Emirates hosting of travel trade and key customers at the event fits nicely into the overall sponsorship of the event

One cruise line who was doing so has decided to pull out. A bigger question is how to boost Irish cruise numbers past current numbers of 48,000 to reflect similar proportions of cruises out of the English market.

Picture shows Tony Roberts of Princess Cruises with Andy Harmer and Adele Fitzpatrick Foster of CLIA, Cruising Lines International Association media event in Dublin.

higher level with Center Parcs at the top. Trabolgan is Ireland’s only remining activity park.

Center Parcs CEO Martin Dalby, and GM Daragh Feighery, a graduate of Cathal Brugha St, faced questions about prices for accommodation and activities.

Much of the coverage of the event by 400 invited media was a selfie fest, with hard questions left to the 25 or so media who attended the conference, pictured.

by Dubai Duty Free, headed up by Colm McLoughlin. Emirates hosted key trade on Thursday and Friday, bussing them from Dublin for the event and corporate customers and high net worth customers from the Munster region on Saturday and Sunday.

Picture shows Enda Corneille, Emer Peel, Filippo Rocchi, Anita Thomas of Emirates on the gallery where guests watched developments at the 18th hole.

N

orthern Cyprus specialist ground handler Cyprus DMG is planning charters to Larnaca in a bid to increase access to the island, devastated by a succession of airline failures.

Muhammet Yasarata who also owns Cyprus Premier serves 140 hotels in Cyprus as well as the North Cyprus network. Direct flights to North Cyprus are prohibited by the EU and Ireland does

R

ed Torch Ginger on Dublin’s Andrew Street was the setting for a very special celebration of all things Thai when Etihad Airways in conjunction with Tourism Thailand hosted key members of the travel trade and media.

Thailand sees 65,000 Irish tourists each year. Etihad reported 148,000 ton drop in their carbon emissions thanks to the installation of their new Dreamliner

A

new flight out of London Heathrow was the big news when Chad Wassmer, Gordon Patterson and Graeme Spratley of Park City hosted travel media in Dublin as part of their northern European publicity tour.

Park City, in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains is a remarkably accessible four season mountain destination, 35 minutes from Salt Lake City Airport and home to two world class ski resorts,

not recognise the territory, under occupation by turkey since 1974, but tourists can fly to Larnaca and cross the border unimpeded. Muhammet is planning a Larnaca charter to reopen access from Ireland.

Access from the crucial British market could be cut further in the event of a no deal Brexit. Picture shows Fikret Yeterli, Eoghan Corry and Muhammet Yasarata.

fleet for Thailand departures via Abu Dhabi, where .new state of the art Midfield Terminal is set to facilitate 30m passengers through 65 gates each year.

Barry Hammond won the top prize on the night of two return flights to Bangkok as well as six nights accommodation. Picture shows Shannon O’Dowd and Karen Maloney of Etihad with Tourism Thailand’s Director, Chiravadee Khunsub, and Chris Lee.

Deer Valley and Park City Mountain.

Park City has 100 lodging properties including large multi family private homes, bed and breakfast inns, condominiums, and full service hotels.

Among this variety of properties is the highest concentration of on mountain luxury lodging in North America, and 100 restaurants, two micro breweries and during winter, the world’s only ski to the door whiskey distillery.

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 07

POSTCARDS FROM THE TRAVEL SCENE

I

ldefonso Castro, Ambassador of Spain was at Trinity College where Andalusian Tourist Board and 12 Andalusian suppliers along with the Spanish TB in Ireland hosted 50 key Irish travel trade and media.

A workshop followed a seated dinner in the Dining Hall, hosted by Antonio Martín-Machuca from the Andalusian TB and Teresa Gancedo from the Spanish Tourist Office in Dublin.

Entertainment was provided by FlamencOpera with internationally renowned tenor and double bass player Miguel Sànchez, flute player Diego Gómez Sánchez and acoustic guitarist Adriano Lozano.

Ireland has direct air connections with Andalusia through Malaga, Almeria and Seville as well AVE linking Barcelona, Madrid, with Andalusian cities like Cordoba, Seville, Málaga and Granada.

€FAMILY 435 OF 4 FROM

FERRY TRAVEL + 2 NIGHTS HOTEL + ONE DAY PARK TICKETS

J

ohn McGrillen, and Fiona Cunningham hosted key trade and media at the British Open in Royal Portrush in an event of the decade for inbound Irish tourism.

The event was viewed by 600m on television over the four days, with a classic Irish July serving of sunshine, clouds, breezes, downpours and squally showers turning the days into something of a lottery of umbrellas and short

sleeve moments.

TourismNI invited guests from around the world, including specialist tour operators who viewed some of the 400 golf courses through the land, 100 of them links courses.

The weeks around the event saw almost every golf destination in Ireland reap the benefits of the hosting.

The K Club in Kildare sold 900 golf packages around the event.

SCAREFEST RETURNS TO ALTON TOWERS RESORT THIS OCTOBER! It’s bigger, better, spookier, sinister-er, darker and Dungeony-er than ever! Scarefest takes place on October weekends (5, 6 & 12, 13), then each day from 18 October to 3 November 2019 - perfect for a mid-term break.

Off Park Accommodation 3 ★ Best Western Nottingham/Derby from €435 per family* 4 ★ Jurys Inn, Derby from €499 per family* 4 ★ BW Plus Moat House, Stoke from €499 per family* On Park Accommodation 3 ★ Splash Landings Hotel from €899 per family* 3 ★ Alton Towers Hotel from €999 per family* All Prices Include:

A

nette Kaiser-Rott of Visit California spoke at the Visit California event at the Alex, pointing out the booming trade from Ireland using two direct services from Aer Lingus to LAX and SFO and numerous one stop services.

Visit California and 30 trade partners hosted 130 key trade, one of the largest trade events of the year. The hosts included some newcomers to the

Irish market such as Christine Dusa of Pasadena, Therese Williams of Madera County tourism and Colleen Costello of Newport beach as well as old friends such as Michael Vanderhurst of Visit Mammoth and Hayley French of LA Tourism .

Picture shows Jean Paul Zapata of Greater Palm Springs, Kristin Skinner of American Holidays, Paula Cross and Helen Kelly of Platinum Travel.

•

Return Stena Line ferry travel from with your car.

•

Accommodation for 2 nights for 2 adults & up to 2 children sharing same room

•

One day Alton Towers Resort entry ticket for 2 adults and 2 children under 12 (upgrade to a 2 day ticket from just €6.50 extra per person!)

Book via Sembok online Or call 01 907 5399

*Price based on a family of 4 comprising of 2 adults and 2 children under 12 years for a 2 night hotel stay with one day on park.

Drama.

Booked.

At every stage of the journey, it’s your travel agency’s chance to shine. Find out how to boost conversions and shopping cart value across the traveller journey—inspiration, shopping, booking, pre-trip, in-trip, and post-trip

Own the traveller journey travelport.com

The Global Distribution Systems (GDS) has been around for a while now, but some travel agents still aren’t using it to its full potential.

Travelport offers innovative, new and emerging capabilities to ensure our customers are competitive, relevant, and future proofed. In using outdated technology, travel agents are missing out on the potential revenue opportunities associated with managing bookings in a streamlined way on a single platform! Travelport offers the technology, support and consultancy to guarantee our customers have every opportunity to increase revenue throughout the customer journey.

Rich Content and Branding.

Through Rich Content and Branding, Travelport enables Travel Agents to maximize the return on every trip by adding value to each step of the customer journey. Travelport technology provides the user with access to a wide breadth of content (including ancillary products like seat reservations), enabling them to deliver a bespoke service to every customer.

The Traveller We, Travelport, have a key focus on the traveller, our customers customer. We understand who they are, we understand their demands, their expectations all alongside the ever evolving industry. We enable our customers to service, meet the demands and exceed the expectations of the traveller.

Today, Millennials make up the majority of the workforce and consumer trends are changing. They are spending more time on holiday research than ever before to ensure that their trip exceeds their expectations. For example, online research typically starts 45 days before booking, with most individuals devoting two to three hours of research per trip. This is where travel agents can really add value to the customer experience. By partnering with Travelport, they have access to not only best in class technology and content, but also industry expertise. Our customers now have access to the most relevant travel options on the customer’s behalf, and can save them a lot of time that would otherwise be spend browsing the internet.

Future proofing As the industry prepares for NDC implementation in the coming months, travel agents will be able to access rich NDC content through Travelport. Not only that but features like Graphical Maps integration, TripAdvisor reviews and access to branded fares and ancillaries ensures the future proofing of our customers business.

Riona McGrath Country Manager Ireland riona.mcgrath@travelport. com

The team in Ireland would love to hear from you!

Please contact us today on sales.ie@travelport.com.

How to increase revenue by

unlocking the potential of your GDS

The experience is everything To learn more, visit us at travelport.com or get in touch at sales. ie@travelport.com, tel: 01-6020444 travelport.com

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 10

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TECHNOLOGY

he technology revolution that transformed travel booking in the 1990s had a downside. Travel agents and consumers both got more access to information. Too much information. The sheer volume of background noise drowned out the ability to make an informed choice.

The travel websites which emerged found it more convenient if the airlines kept providing reservations via the GDSs rather than deal with them individually, to avoid the expensive process of having to create data streams.

Further databases emerged feeding these websites. These databases were, in turn, bought up by each other or by traditional GDSs. n Amadeus is used by Air-Savings, Anyfares, CheapOair, CheapTickets, ebookers, Expedia, Flights, Jetabroad, Opodo and Tripsetc. n Travelport is used by BookIt.com, CheapOair, ebookers, Expedia, Flight Centre, Hotels,

A

Technically speaking T

Adam Dios, David Taylor, Kathrina Gallogly and David MacHale, Evolve & grow with Travelport event in Dublin, Hotwire, Orbitz (of which it owns 48pc), and Trailfinders. n Sabre is used by Lastminute.com, Priceline, Travel Guru, Travelocity (which it owns) and Zuji.

Amadeus and Travelport came to dominate the Irish GDS market as Sabre almost opted out

W altogether.

hen IATA introduced their New Distribution Capability, it sent a shudder through the GDS sector.

But GDSs say that they already have products in the market with capabilities that IATA says its

(NDC) will deliver.

NDC is an initiative to develop an XML-based language standard for travel agent distribution, for the purpose of selling a wider range of airline products and services through travel agents.

here are more lucrative ways that the airline and GDS industries can combine.

More airlines are putting their ancillary products into GDSs, making it easier for agents to book them.

Airlines and GDSs are

finally filling the “black hole of ancillaries, Jay Sorensen, president of IdeaWorks said recently.

He said that adding a la carte features to travel agency systems has been the “holy grail” of airline distribution. Some ancillaries have profit margins of 100pc.

significant. If you see the distributions costs in today’s world, you go through the entire value chain the travel agency, via the GDS, and everybody who is involved, I believe the cheapest solution for the customer and the cheapest solution for the airline it’s providers on the online base in cutting out those things.

Aer Lingus used middleware from Datalex which enables it to communicate within the PSS inventory and the online booking engine. “It is complicated but it serves the purpose very well.”

“We will keep on investing in this technology. It is not so simple like to buy a machine

like a hi-fi for your living room. It needs to communicate with departure control system and the online booking engine.

If you consider the landscape of interfaces we have to programme it is not easy to understand by someone who is not familiar with that technology.”

“We believe it is worth making the necessary investment from the airline side to comply with the new standard the communication between the PPS inventory and the booking system.

“The contents we can offer on the Internet for example legroom, all comes naturally in the booking flow.”

Astral gets a reprieve

er Lingus long serving and robust in house booking system Astral is not going to be replaced, despite hints over recent years that a decision was imminent to replace it.

Aer Lingus CEO Sean Doyle said: “We do continue to use Astral but have replaced a lot of its functionality with Digital capability. We don’t have imminent plans to commission a new passenger service system.”

Aer Lingus digital platform has evolved with the addition of modern technology solutions from partners such as Datalex, Boxever and Avios.

These supplement the

Checking in customers since 1975 core Astral PSS functionality. A written Aer Lingus statement said: “We remain focusing on enhancing our digital offering as is evidenced in our mobile app and the launch of Pay with Avios which took place earlier this year.

At one stage 20 airlines worldwide were customers of Aer Lingus for PSS services.

Aer Lingus has never been in a standard client supplier relationship with one of the major GDS’s and the airline has always claimed that this gave it

added independence.

Difficulties integrating Astral with the web platform were discussed at the ITAA conference in Philadelphia last year in an agent question and answer system with Bill Byrne.

As an Aer Lingus executive said “we want to play a lead role in replacing our current inhouse PSS with a more enhanced version currently not on offer from traditional providers.

We have worked on very sophisticated business cases.”

“The added value we can create from the additional revenue makes the business case for the airlines. The cost is not

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 11

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TECHNOLOGY

ravelport have 260 airlines live on Travelport’s Rich Content and Branding.

Ireland manager Riona McGrath says that “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.

Travelport mobile services and apps were developed in Dublin.

“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.

It incorporates smart 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.”

A

madeus Light Ticketing, launched with Easyjet, enabled comparison between low cost and legacy fares.

Amadeus currently sells ancillary services such as lounge access and checked bags and sports

Riona Mcgrath of Travelport equipment for 14 airlines, through travel agencies in 45 countries, up from just 28 in 2012.

Sabre is currently booking ancillary services for nine airlines, with three more soon to be online and 21 more in the pipeline.

C

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 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.

S

panish travel technology company Amadeus reported double digit revenue growth and a 9.9pc increase in adjusted profit to £667 million for the first six months of this year.

It said the increase was due to the solid performances of its distribution and IT solutions businesses, the consolidation of TravelClick since its acquisition last October, and a positive foreign exchange impact.

President and CEO Luis Maroto said: “The resilience of our businesses has allowed us to maintain a strong growth trend in the first half of the year despite a weaker travel industry.

“Amadeus’ IT Solutions and Distribution businesses continue to grow, thanks to an expanding customer base.

Additionally, we are progressing with our diversification strategy following the acquisition of TravelClick and ICM, thereby enhancing our presence and reach in the hospitality and airport IT segments.

“With our global presence and our strong focus on investments in technology, we should main-

tain this positive growth trend”.

Flight bookings through travel agencies declined 1.4pc in the second quarter of the year, but this was due to fewer working days than in 2018 because of the timing of Easter, and the bankruptcy of Jet Airways in India. Excluding these, travel agency air bookings grew ‘modestly’, said Amadeus.

North America was the fastest growing region while western Europe,

Asia Pacific and Middle East-Africa showed a contraction, impacted by strikes, macroeconomic developments and geopolitical events, which particularly affected Britain, Germany, Scandinavia and Australia.

“Our bookings in the first half of the year outperformed the industry, supported by continued market share expansion across all regions except Asia Pacific,” said Amadeus. “ North America was our fastest growing region in the period, with a 14pc increase, while Western Europe continued its positive growth trend, on the back of market share gains.

On the other hand, our performance in Asia Pacific and Middle East-Africa, impacted by the industry’s booking decline, showed a contraction. Amadeus’ Asia Pacific bookings were also affected by the cancellation by an Indian GDS carrier of our distribution agreement at the end of 2018, and by the liquidation of an Indian GDS carrier in April.

As a result of the acquisition of Navitaire Amadeus offers 80 low cost and hybrid carriers and bookings from this sector grew 17pc last year.

SCREEN GRAB: A 30 SECOND HISTORY OF TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY 1959 American Airlines set up first computer network with travel agency terminals (Sabre – the Semi-Automatic Business Research Environment), completed 1964.

1963 Trans-Canada Airlines bookings computerised.

1968 Delta launched the Delta Automated Travel Account System.

1971 TWA set up the Programmed Airline Reservation System.

1971 Apollo system launched by United Airlines, the system that would eventually become known as Galileo.

1976 Travicom the first multi-access central reservations system, founded

by BA and British Caledonian, based on Apollo & eventually to become part of Galileo.

1987 Galileo formed by nine European carriers, British Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Alitalia, Swissair, Austrian Airlines, Olympic, Sabena,

Air Portugal and Aer Lingus.

1987 Amadeus founded by a consortium led by Air France and Lufthansa 1990 Worldspan founded by Delta, Northwest Airlines, and TWA. 1992 Galileo merges with Apollo system (United Airlines).

1996 Ryanair takes inventory offline 2002 Aer Lingus goes offline.

2001 Travel Distribution Services acquires Galileo.

2006 Travelport formed agrees to merge Galileo with Worldspan.

2010 Aer Lingus bring inventory back online, American Airlines attempt to take inventory offline from Travelport.

2013 Travelport launch rich content and branding at CAPA conference in Co Wicklow.

2014 Ryanair bring inventory back online on Travelport with Amadeus to follow.

2018 Amadeus acquire Navitaire.

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 12

ACCOMMODATION & BEDBANKS 2019

B

ed specialists have consolidated their operations in different ways over the past eighteen months.

Getabed became Stuba and Travelcube is to be phased out under the Hotelbeds brand.

The retail arm of GTA was sold by Hotelbeds and merged into a new company called hotelbeds.com, with a turnover of €8bn. The one monolithic company is unifying the three companies into one.

Stuba 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.

Bedbank special

A

ccommodation only suppliers to the trade, also known as “bed banks” first emerged in 1999.

Within five years there were over 100 of them.

Bedbanks hit the headlines over the coming years following a sharp increase in the number of agents using bed banks rather than selling traditional packages: the birth of 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,

Year of consolidation for bed bank specialists Torremolinos: bedbanks offered agents the gold at the end of the rainbow 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 bedbanks 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 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 an estimated $1,091 billion by 2022, DP is agents’ way of getting a slice of the action.

WHAT TO TELL CONSUMERS

M

ost consumers will not know what a bedbank is, basically a middle man who strikes deals with hoteliers, predominantly in Mediterranean resorts.

The beds are sold on to travel agencies who put them together with flights and sell them to customers as bespoke holidays or “dynamic packages. The value a

bedbank brings to the transaction is to provide a much wider range of choice than an individual agent can hope to muster, and to negotiate better rates by buying in bulk When a bed bank fails, many holidaymakers won’t know that they are affected. As far as they’re concerned, they’ve gone through a travel agent and bought flights and accommodation, without getting

involved in any complexities about the involvement of a middle man.

But anyone in the middle of a holiday could be faced with a demand to pay again for accommodation.

When a bedbank fails customers will have to pay their bills in the resort and reclaim the funds from the bed banks’ travel agency partners.

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he product evolved separately in the unique conditions of Ireland’s semi-regulated industry, as bedbanks 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 bedbanks.

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.

I

nitially it was independent providers who grew fastest.

With about 70 bedbanks already active in European holiday destinations, destination-based bedbanks 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 bedbanks 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.

B

ookaBed dominate the irish market and have won the accommodation supplier of the year in their Irish travel Industry awards eight times in

nine years.

“We have continued to focus on improving user experience of our websites, increased distribution via xml partners and off line travel agents and improving our already high standards of customer care” said Karl Tyrrell, MD of BookaBed. “Staff numbers have increased in areas such as product/contracting, sales, customer service, admin and our fast growing flight+hotel section in order to provide a better service to our loyal and ever growing customer base.

We would like to express how grateful we are to the agents that book with us and for their loyal support for the past number of years and wish them all every success for 2019” This years shortlist also featured Arrow Tour, Bedsonline, Globe Hotel and Innstant Travel.

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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 bedbanks, things could go horribly wrong, and they did.

Three major collapses of 1800 hotels 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.

With the demise of Lowcost Beds, it emerged that one of the contracts had passed through five different intermediaries before it unravelled.

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 13

ACCOMMODATION & BEDBANKS 2019

F

Beverleigh Fly, Colleen Butler and Lee Osborne of Bookabed

rom where hoteliers were looking, the bedbanks 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 is a members only site which enables customers to find cheap rooms without it breaching the contract terms with other OTA’s.

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he quest for product, security and price continues.

Brand changes continue. 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 playing for the business of agents and even more in the B2C market, with more than 100 bedbanks 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, Getabed and Travelcube.

The demise of Laterooms and Superbreak impacted Northern Ireland agents who are not legally allowed to sell dynamically packaged trips, leaving them with exposure to unpaid hotel bookings.

Agents worry about the extent of their exposure. The question is, how much do they worry?

SOME OF THE BED BANK OPTIONS FOR AGENTS

BEDBANK. net Represened by 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.

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.

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. “Great pricing and excellent cus-

tomer 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 accommodation and has become a one stop shop for all agents.”

EXPEDIA, represented in Ire-

land by ATTS, says half of the Irish Travel Agency community have opted into their Travel Affiliate programme with 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.

FLYCRUISE STAY De-

clan 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.

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.

HOTELS.COM Among the

largest and most widely recognised hotel aggregator across the Atlantic, The database of 70,000 properties includes bed-and-breakfasts, condos and all-inclusive resorts.

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 Innstant Travel’s advantage is higher commissions, 20pc in many cases, exclusive deals with hotel groups and early online booking discounts. Last year Innstant Group launched an online travel software and content product for travel agents which can be booked on www.innstant.travel and is backed by 24/7 customer support.

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.

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 14

DESTINATION SPAIN

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lying in over the northern tip of Spain as our Ryanair flight neared Steve Ballesteros Airport in Santander it was easy to see why most of my friends thought I was mixing Asturias/Cantabria up with Austria.

Tree covered mountains dropped spectacularly steeply to green valleys and orange red rooftops clustered around glinting steeples beside rivers and lakes. The greenery was dazzling.

In Spain?

Located less than 10 minutes from the capital city of Santander (yes, where the bank of the same name originates from) the region of Cantabria was our first stop on our tour of what is proudly known as “green Spain”.

Santander itself is that beautiful mix of old and sparklingly new with streets side cafes, museums, historic buildings and restaurants and palm trees everywhere you look which give it a distinct resemblance to Monaco. It boasts the advantages of beauty and culture (the impressive Renzo Piano

Green Spain

Aileen C O’Reilly in Cantabria and Asturias

Santa María del Naranco Pre-Romanesque shrine on the slope of Mount Naranco, Ovideo, Asturias The next day we vis- move over the park in expectedly as you round designed Centre Botin, a new venue for arts and ited the rolling parklands cable cars also and get the towering face of a culture, just opened its of the Cabarceno Natural a birds eye view of the mountain on a winding doors last year) along- Park, 17 km away in the brown bears, giraffes, road.

The cow is unapologetside a long golden beach Pisueno valley where elephants and tigers as with endless coves and over 150 different ani- well as many other ani- ically celebrated in every a historic reputation for mal species are cared mals which have been shop along its streets for - including silver rescued and rehabilitated. - probably because the health-giving waters.

And so onwards to the region produces 40 difIt is also less than two backed gorillas as part of their endangered animals kingdom of Asturias, ferent types of cheeses. hours from Dublin. he greater region breeding program as. to give it its full title, a The region’s bustling of Cantabria con- Two new babies happily region in Spain steeped capital, Oviedo, is very tains 220 km of swinging around their in history where idyllic much the attention grabcoastline with no less enclosure have reassured towns and villages with bing city too with streets than 90 beaches and more staff that the 8 adults are cobbled streets and medi- so clean you could quite than 60 surfing hot spots. settling in well. You can eval facades emerge un- easily eat your dinner off

T

THINGS TO DO

n El Capricho - located in the old town of Comillas just 55 km from Santander. This house built by Gaudi is one of only a few buildings of his outside of Catalonia. n Fuente Dé cable car ride - climb just under 800 meters in less than 4

minutes to a altitude of 1,823 meters. n The monastery of Santo Toribio de Liebana which houses the left arm of Christ’s Cross. n El Soplao (54 minutes from Santander) is a dazzling cave lined with over 17 miles of pure white speleothems.

them. Not surprisingly it has been the recipient of the Gold Medal for Europe’s cleanest City since 1997 - an accolade it maintains with no visible graffiti and a fine of €3,000 if you put your bins out even a minute before 7pm on bin collection day.or the wrong coloured bin (there are no less than five colours for waste recycling).

PLACES TO SEE

n Pre-Romanesque monuments of Oviedo including the Church of St. Mary on the Mount at Naranco which dates from the 9th century and is the oldest Royal Palace in the world. n The bronze sculptures of the Old city of Oviedo. Follow the sculpture

trail of around 120 bronze statues recalling local characters from the 19th and early 20th centuries. n The Basilica de Santa Maria lá Réal de Covadonga - a mountain top basilica which now stands beside a cave where Our Lady appeared in 722

The Coming Back of William B Arrensberg (El regreso de Williams B. Arrensberg), sculpture by Eduardo Úrculo dedicated to the traveller in Oviedo, The Basílica de Santa María la Real de Covadonga and Roman thermal bath in Gijon

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hanks to his ongoing love affair with the city, (he shot a lot of scenes from Vicky Cristina Barcelona here) Hollywood director Woody Allen has his own quintessentially dismal looking statue on Calle Milicias Nacionales. We were all amazed at how short the bronze figure is and ponder that this is perhaps the reason for his glum expression.

“He should be thrilled with himself” our guide Rene Garcia quips with a wicked grin, “they made the statue 13 cm taller than he actually is!“. This hilarious fact causes no end of mirth as we repair to a nearby sideria for our evening’s entertainment.

The next day, waterproof clad and armed with all the umbrellas we can muster we set out to view the old city held in the heart of Oviedo and

hear stories which will pull common heartstrings with us Irish.

I

n the soaking rain we are clustered around the bronze solitary figure of an important looking man who is surrounded by several suitcases. Unlike the fun we had with “Woody” the night before, this sculpture, one of over a hundred in the old historic city of Oviedo, has a quieting effect.

Entitled “The Coming Back of William B. Arrensberg” it highlights the mass exodus of young men and families from Asturias in the latter half of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century due to lack of work. Gloria Estefan’s grandfather hails from here as does Eva Longoria’s grandmother.

It was only in the

years leading up to the Spanish civil war that they returned, “made men” and now facing an even greater struggle memories of which can be seen nearby in the bullet pocked columns of the first University of Oviedo.

Oddly enough rain doesn’t appear to halt anything in this quaint historic area - tarps are thrown up over stalls while stall owners, oblivious to the miserable conditions, sit and sip their coffees and call across to each other as we run for cover and gently steam ourselves dry in a warm coffee shop with cakes and cappuccinos..

No one is surprised at this stage to hear the cafe owner tell us that they wrapped up filming Heidi in the nearby mountains only last week.

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 15

DESTINATION SPAIN SAMPLE ITINERARY

n Day One: Sardinero and Magdalena Peninsula Cabo Mayor y faro (lighthouse) Walking tour through Santander cultural Center (the Cultural Ring) Botín Center, a new venue for arts and culture, designed by Renzo Piano 20.30 Arrival at the hotel, check-in and dinner n Day Two: Cabárceno Nature Park Transfer by bus to Comillas Comillas is a noble and aristocratic town located on gente hills and with a beautiful beach. At the top of the town, the old Pontifical University is located. Nowadays this is the International Centre for Advanced Spanish language studies.

Capricho de Gaudí in Comillas; the only building of the architect’s outside of Cataluña.

Transfer by bus to San Vicente de la Barquera - with panoramic view along the coast road, passing by Ojámbre y Gerruca Natural Park Lunch at a restaurant in San Vicente de la Barquera Transfer by bus to El Soplao one of 6,500 prehistoric caves. some of the greatest marvels of archeology,

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a Paradise of speleothems. Altamira is an underground gem. The original cave, with restricted access for the public, was discovered in 1875 and it houses the Polychromatic room, the so called Sistene Chapel of the Quaternary period. This famous painting is reproduced in the Neocave, which is open to the public. n Day Three: Visitor Center of the Picos de Europa National Park Walking tour of the Potes village Fuente Dé cable car to Santo Toribio de Liébana Monastery Transfer by bus to Llanes walk through Llanes village.

Guided tour of the city of Oviedo and pre-Romanesque monuments Dinner at the cider house (sidrería) n Day Four: Departure from Oviedo to Gijón.

Guided tour of the city including “Laboral” city of culture Lastres viewpoint of San Roque Transfer to the Picos de Europa National Park, Sanctuary of Covadonga and the Lakes Enol and Ercina Transfer to Cangas de Onís n Day Five: Guided tour in Cangas de Onís, Departure Santander Airport

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SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 16

DESTINATION SVG

O

n rare days off, you’ll find Joseph Scott-Lennon soaring above the waves on Union Island.

The 26-year-old hops across from Canouan Island to go kite-surfing with one of the world’s top pros, Jeremie Tronet.

Joe is the son of Killiney Castle owner Eithne Scott-Lennon and Abbey Tavern owner James Scott-Lennon, and the nephew of Fitzpatrick’s Manhattan hotel boss John.

An economics graduate, he worked at Intercontinental hotels in Dubai and New York before getting a call from billionaire Dermot Desmond offering him a job on Canouan, one of nine inhabited islands in St Vincent & the Grenadines.

Desmond, who had previously invested heavily in the opulent Pink Sands (now Mandarin Oriental) hotel on his favourite Caribbean island, developed a 120 berth marina in 2017 and phoned Joe to say he was looking for an Irish manager.

Named after Sandy Lane in Barbados, Sandy Lane Yacht Club and Residences (SLYCR) at Glossy Bay may be set amidst the white sand and turquoise waters of the southern Grenadines but there’s a distinct homage to Ireland.

Desmond’s yacht ‘Celtic Bhoy’ is moored

Azure days Catherine Murphy on St Vincent & the Grenadines

Up close and turtlesonal at the marina (his private jet is parked up at the nearby airport), the beachside bar and restaurant is named Shenanigans and two forty foot containers serving as a shack bar at the water’s edge have been named Scruffy’s, after the legendary Scruffy Murphy’s in Dublin.

I

n June, at the end of the tourist season, the marina is quiet but with stylish Foxy Jack’s restaurant, a grocery store and high end accommodation, it’s fully geared up for intrepid yachters who want to stock up and spend a few days on dry

land in relative luxury.

St Vincent & the Grenadines is dubbed ‘the Caribbean you’re looking for’. Up until now, this 32 island chain has been marketed less strongly than other Caribbean destinations but the opening of a new airport on St Vincent heralds a new tourism era.

Irish visitors may have to travel a little bit further to get there – via London to Barbados and onwards to St Vincent or Union Island – but what awaits them is a Caribbean idyll of tiny private islands, secluded beaches, great sailing, relaxation and adventure.

The island resorts –

Young Island, Bequia, Mustique, Petit St Vincent, Palm Island and Canouan – may seem to offer up the same slice of Caribbean life but in fact, visitors will find distinct experiences to savour.

Canouan is home to the most opulent corporate bolthole on the islands, the Mandarin Oriental, where it is said billionaires go to get away from millionaires. The setting here is merely a lottery dream for most of us with room-only rates starting from $1,400 per night.

The MO was formerly the Pink Sands which Dermot Desmond invested in, reportedly to the tune of 120 million

dollars. He subsequently parted company with his Italian partners in the project but the property’s luxe suites retain a focus on pink, Desmond’s favourite colour.

The vast complex features 26 fabulous suites and six villas overlooking the ocean.

Guests are checked in from the comfort of their own suite and enjoy butler service. Suite functions are controlled by ipad and a full size ‘tv wall’ opens or closes depending on whether guests want to watch tv or enjoy jaw-dropping ocean views. Dressing rooms, private terraces and classically stylish

living rooms complete a memorable suite scene.

The scale of the property is such that you may get lost until you notice the stunning Murano glass chandelier which ascends the stairs to a spacious, refined foyer.

The kids club is like a private complex in itself complete with swimming pool and games rooms.

Dining at the Mandarian Oriental – whether eating lunch at the waterside bar or dinner in the Italian restaurant – is a fine experience and at sunset, guests like to be taken by golf buggy to the island high point – Mount Royal – to sip champagne and enjoy

Clockwise kitesurfing JT Pro Center. Canouan hotel lobby, kite surf ice cream, Barbara Mercury of SVG Tourism,Mark Semark GMof Petit St Vincent, amd Catherine Murphy. infinity pool

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DESTINATION SVG the views. There’s also a little-played golf course for those who fancy teeing-off.

Nightlife is centred on island regattas where socialising goes on into the small hours.

the more relaxed you become.

One thing that strikes you continuously is the size of the islands - some of them are only a couple of square miles in size.

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he scale and opulence on display at the Mandarin Oriental are an obvious far cry from the poor-looking village – home to 700 locals – which is the first thing visitors see after landing at Canouan’s tiny airport. Marketing bosses at the MO say its owners have pledged support to the building of a secondary school on the island.

Union Island is an antidote to Canouan. Described by tourism bosses as unsophisticated, it has yet to be developed for tourism but is a hub for holidaymakers flying on to Petit St Vincent, Palm Island and Canouan.

Its jagged peaks dominate the view from surrounding islands and it’s a popular stop-off for sailors stocking up or looking to soak up some unpretentious Caribbean vibes. The island’s airport runway is famously short and doesn’t allow for any margin of error when landing.

Professional kitesurfer Jeremie Tronet –who grew up on Martinique - travelled the world competing before deciding to settle on Union Island. He chose it because

Castaway beach dining at Canouan in St Vincent and the Grenadines

it’s small, authentic and has a real community.

Now, active holidaymakers can drop into his JT pro centre kiteboarding school and learn to kite surf. All levels are catered for, from beginner to expert with group (from $99) or private lessons available and excellent safety standards.

Jeremie has the kind of laid-back, humble attitude that true pros often possess and convinces us that anyone can learn to kite surf.

If you’re on Union Island at the right time, you can enjoy full moon kitesurfing parties on the beach, complete with LED displays.

One new development on Union Island is the Ashton Lagoon eco trail through natural mangroves. It has been developed in an engaging

way and is worth a visit for adults and children alike.

Union Island may prove to be the start or finish point of your St Vincent & the Grenadines island-hopping holiday. We can’t think of a better way to finish an active holiday than booking into simple accommodation and spending a few days earning to kite surf.

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here are two distinct sensations when you visit St Vincent & the Grenadines. The first is of a bustling centre - Jamestown on the island of St Vincent is the historic hub, beyond it a small lush island which seems bigger due to its hilly terrain.

Behind the bustling

Kitesurfing JT Pro Center and island views. Joseph Scott Lennon of Canouan

markets and colourful houses lies a history of British rule. The islands gained independence from Britain in 1979 but remain in the Commonwealth and continue to use the British judicial system. English is the first language, having replaced the islands’ original language, Garifuna.

There’s plenty to do on St Vincent. Take a tour of the rum distillery which now imports molasses in order to produce its popular Sunset and Captain Bligh rums; bathe beneath the Dark Views waterfalls or hike to swim in volcanic craters, a rite of passage for many young islanders and an adventure to remember.

Visit the Botanic Gardens, drink Guinness brewed at the island’s Hairoun brewery or simply wander through the

busy markets and stop for a typical Caribbean lunch of fried fish and breadfruit at the Cobblestone Inn hotel, site of a former sugar mill.

A number of new hotels are due to be built on St Vincent from 2020.

Many visitors who want to explore the island currently opt to stay on Young Island which is just a couple of minutes boat ride away.

With secluded cottages (we loved the outdoor showers) set into the hill or on the beach front, tropical gardens, a swimming pool and good food, Young Island is private and popular with yachters finishing their trip with homeward flights from St Vincent.

The sensation upon leaving St Vincent – by ferry to Bequia – is that the further south you go,

he island of Bequia is great for sailing, weddings and eco tourism. It feels like the Caribbean you’re looking for. The Swedish-owned Bequia Beach Hotel is a haven of palm tree-lined beaches with beautiful suites just steps from the sea and moments of relaxation that you’ll day dream about long after your holiday has ended.

It’s worth remembering that SVG’s beaches can be on the Atlantic or Caribbean side so the water can be livelier than expected.

Some of the islands have experienced a seaweed problem in recent years but resorts are proactive in removing it on a daily basis.

Bequia Beach hotel is a spacious and un-crowded resort with a plantation-style reception villa.

Bagatelle restaurant offers relaxing beach-side dining but watch out for vacationing American lawyers talking power politics over pre-dinner cocktails.

From the hotel, it’s a short golf buggy ride to downtown where colourful cafes and street traders remind you that you’re in the Caribbean.

Each year, the island

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 19

DESTINATION SVG hosts a carnival and also has a museum dedicated to its boating and now controversial whaling history.

Next to Mustique - an island name which conjures up images of exotic wildness and freedom.

In fact, Mustique seems well manicured and managed, a kind of gated island for the very rich and famous. Tommy Hilfiger, Tom Ford and Mick Jagger are amongst the celebrities with homes here while British royals William and Kate just holidayed there. It’s no surprise that the island’s social scene is legendary.

The Cotton House – with just seventeen rooms across five categories - is the only hotel on Mustique and has an intimate charm that will entice you to stay on a while longer. While away the hours in a beach-side hammock or sip cocktails at Basil’s bar where it’s traditional for guests and villa-owners to gather for pre-dinner cocktails and an occasional feast of pork cooked in sand pits.

Take your lead from the turtles wandering around the grounds and move slowly – the pace of life is one of the best things about the island.

Relax in your private cottage before fine dining on the restaurant terrace.

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ustique is known for its lavish villas, one of the oldest being ‘Clonsilla’. Owned by Georgia Fanshaw, a member of the Guinness family, it’s named after the Dublin suburb from its more genteel

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Canouan patio villa en suite bathroom days. Villas sell for up to $20million on the island but you can rent ‘Clonsilla’ for between 20,000 and 33.500 US dollars a week.

For the movie-makers among you, Coccoloba, a villa owned by Chicago billionaire William Doyle, boasts a private cinema. Reece Witherspoon is amongst the guests who have stayed there.

Of course, sailing is central to any holiday in St Vincent & the Grenadines. If you don’t sail yourself, there are many other ways to enjoy life on the Caribbean sea.

Charter a private catamaran to take you to your next island or at the other extreme, take a small water taxi for day visits to some of the islands.

Hiring a private charter via ‘Wind & Sea’ to reach idyllic Petit St Vincent costs around $1,800.

EAT SVG

n SVG likes its national symbols including the parrot (national bird) and Soufriere tree (national tree). Its national dish is fried jack fish and roasted breadfruit. So named because of its texture, breadfruit was historically used to feed slaves because it was cheap and plentiful but remains a firm favourite on the islands today. n Conch (seafood) is also popular as are tuna and mahi-mahi which feature strongly on menus. Popular fruit juices include mango and papaya with lime

On landing at PSV you’re greeted with a cold fruit drink and refreshing towel, and welcomed by Matt Semark who manages the resort with his Balinese wife.

This tiny private island is owned by a US lawyer who worked with Bill Clinton and George Bush but Semark has put his stamp on it since taking on the role of resort manager. Fruit juices and rum punches are the order of the day in the Caribbean but UK native Matt has developed an excellent wine cellar, a must for European visitors and a draw for wine experts who travel from around the globe for seminars and tastings.

Importantly for diving fans, the island is home to a dive school owned

by Jean Michel Cousteau, son of the legendary Jacques Cousteau.

The 68-year-old owns just two dive schools, the other being on Fiji.

P

etit St Vincent feel wonderfully natural and safe (there are no room keys). Think barefoot relaxation and Balinese massages at the hill-top spa. There’s no

wifi in rooms so visitors can enjoy a digital detox.

Although there’s no swimming pool, the island feels perfect for families with turtles and sheep wandering around.

There are plans to install private swimming pools in some of the island cottages and you’re planning a wedding, you can buy out the island with prices more competitive in our summer months.

Intriguingly, PSV sits on a narrow channel of water that forms an international border with Petit Martinique, belonging to Grenada.

From PSV, make the final stop of your trip on Palm Island Resort & Spa, near the southern tip of the Grenadines. Like the rest of St Vincent & the Grenadines, this island needs no fake in-

stagram features – nature has generously provided beautiful backdrops to keep your insta fans happy.

Palm Island has one unique selling points. It’s adult-only – no children under the age of 16 during winter and no under12s during summer.

Here, iguanas wander around and there’s a turtle sanctuary. You can cycle or walk around the island in around half an hour and there are regular events to entertain guests – movie nights on the beach, rum tastings and steel pan bands. There are five beaches and with no more than 80 people on the island at any time, you’ll feel as if you have it to yourself. We loved the secluded hammocks and picnic spots.

alm Island is owned by British gaming millionaire James Lane and is run by his son, also James, who bears more than a passing resemblance to British royal Prince Harry.

James Jnr is hands-on and tells us that bottom-line fishing is popular here along with boat trips to miniscule Mapion island for picnic lunches.

He also explains that the southern Grenadines are great for improving sailors as land is often in sight when sailing between islands, giving confidence to those in control.

Stay at one of the island’s newly renovated beachside rooms– just ten metres from the water, they’re delightful oases of brightness and colour with exterior day beds and great views of the water.

If you insist on instagramming, the views from the island’s spa are jaw-droppingly good.

One must-do from Palm Island is a boat trip to Tobago Cays. Johnny Depp and Kiera Knightly filmed a scene from Pirates of the Caribbean on one of the tiny islands but you’ll be far more interested in experiencing what every snorkelling fan wants to do here – swimming with sea turtles.

If your boat drops you off on one of the islands, you’ll need to be able to swim a hundred metres or more with fins to reach the turtle’s feeding spots.

Alternatively, ask your boat man to stop near

n Catherine Murphy travelled to SVG courtesy of the SVG Tourist Board www. discoversvg.com n Fly Virgin Atlantic from London Gatwick to Barbados then onwards to ST Vincent with Liat Air (flight takes around 45 minutes). n You can fly from Canouan to Mustique via private charter with Mustique Air. Departing SVG to Barbados incurs a $40 departure tax which must be paid in cash in ECB (eastern Caribbean dollars) or US dollars. Three ECB is around one euro and 1.6 US dollars. n Irish tour operators Caribtours and Hayes & Jarvis both feature a number of SVG islands. If you plan on island-hopping, it’s worth using a tour operator or travel agent’s expertise to plan your island transfers. n For further information on individual resorts, go to mandarinoriental.com bequiabeachhotel.com palmislandresortgrenadines.com youngisland.com mustique-island.com petitstvincent.com

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 20

SPECIAL FEATURE

www.UniversalPartnerCommunity.com

Take your clients’ holidays to the next level.

U

niversal Orlando Resort is situated in sun-drenched central Florida, within easy reach of the famed International Drive area, and well connected with other sights and attractions. Itʼs made up of three theme parks –Universal Studios Florida, Universalʼs Islands of Adventure and Universalʼs Volcano Bay- plus the Universal CityWalk dining and entertainment complex right next door.

Universal Orlando also has a growing portfolio of hotels within minutes of the action, so your clientʼs holiday starts the moment they arrive. Plus, staying at any one of them grants guests exclusive benefits at the theme parks, elevating their holiday experience.

The theme parks & beyond Universal Studios Florida

Soon to be celebrating its 30th anniversary, this is the iconic home of cutting-edge attractions based on famed stories and characters from your favourite movies and TV shows.

Guests can: • Be immersed in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ – Diagon Alley™ and take on a fire-breathing dragon in the vaults beneath Gringotts™ bank.

• Encounter mischievous Minions from Illuminationʼs Despicable Me

Universalʼs Volcano Bay

A water theme park like no other, Universalʼs Volcano Bay is home to 19 unique attractions, centered around (and inside) the mighty Krakatau volcano itself. Guests can brave the 200+ft climb and be rewarded with stunning views, before taking the plunge back down to the turquoise waters below.

Whatʼs more, the parkʼs high-tech Virtual Line system and TapuTapu wristbands improve your experience by changing how you wait for rides.

Guests can:

• Catch the jaw-dropping ʻUniversal Orlandoʼs Cinematic Celebrationʼ show on select nights.

• Take on the innovative family ride – Krakatau Aqua Coaster which propels you up, down and inside of the volcano in a four-person canoe.

This award-winning theme park has been voted TripAdvisor Travellersʼ Choice #1 in the world four years running – and for good reason.

Highlights:

• Take your pick of lazy rivers: one is slow and winding whilst the other is fast and rapid-like.

Universalʼs Islands of Adventure

• Marvel Super Hero Island® home to the high-tech Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man® ride, as well as The Incredible Hulk Coaster® which reaches speeds of 67mph.

• Encounter a real-life raptor or take an 85ft plunge to escape the jaws of a T. rex in Jurassic Park.

• Soar above the grounds of Hogwarts™ castle and grab a delicious Butterbeer™ in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ Hogsmeade™.

• Kick back on Waturi Beach with a cocktail, before braving the wave pool.

• Explore Runnamukka Reef – an entire area dedicated to kids.

Universal CityWalk

Located just minutes away from the theme parks, Universal CityWalk is home to a wealth of unique bars, restaurants and entertainment that will elevate your clientsʼ holiday experience. Not to miss: • NEW FOR 2019 Bigfire restaurant – home to delicious American fare cooked over an open fire, and the ideal place to unwind after an actionfilled day in the parks.

• At Blue Man Group inside CityWalk guests will rock, dance, and laugh.

Performances take place nightly at the wildly popular, multi-sensory live show.

• Voodoo Doughnut offers dozens of delightfully weird and sinfully delicious options, like the Maple Bacon Bar or signature Voodoo Doll doughnut.

Universal hotels – what makes them different?

Hotels for every taste and budget You might be surprised to know that Universal Orlando has an entire portfolio of its own hotels, so the fun doesnʼt have to stop once you leave the parks. There are four distinct categories to choose from, so no matter clientsʼ taste or budget, youʼre sure to find one thatʼs right for their family.

In the heart of the action

Staying at a Universal hotel really is the best way to experience everything Universal has to offer.

Theyʼre all just minutes away from the parks, and some are even within walking distance.

Exclusive theme park benefits

Guests of all Universal hotels receive exclusive theme park benefits, like Early Park Admission1 to select attractions in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ and Volcano Bay one hour before the parks open. Plus thereʼs fast, fun and free

transportation between the hotels and theme parks. Guests of select hotels will even enjoy free2 Universal Express Unlimited ride access to skip the regular queues at some of the most popular attractions at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. All you need to enjoy these benefits is a theme park ticket.

BRAND NEW – Universalʼs Endless Summer Resort

Now open, Universalʼs Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn & Suites is Universalʼs most affordable hotel yet. Itʼs the first hotel in the new ʻValueʼ category, and offers fuss-free accommodation close to the action, and a great alternative to staying on International Drive. A sister hotel –Dockside Inn & Suiteswill be opening next door in spring 2020.

Whatʼs new?

Hagridʼs Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure™

Join Hagrid™ as you fly deep into the wilds of the Forbidden Forest, beyond the grounds of Hogwarts™ castle, on a thrilling roller coaster ride that plunges into the paths of some of the wizarding worldʼs rarest magical creatures. Universalʼs most highly themed, immersive coaster is now open in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ – Hogsmeade™, at Universal Orlando Resort.

HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © JKR. (s19) ¹Requires theme park admission. Early Park Admission begins one (1) hour prior to regularly scheduled park opening to either Universal Studios Florida or Universal’s Islands of Adventure as determined by Universal Orlando, and at Universal’s Volcano Bay. Valid at select attractions at each park. Attractions are subject to substitutions without notice.

Additional restrictions may apply. ²Requires theme park admission. Valid at Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure. Not valid at Universal’s Volcano Bay or at Pteranodon Flyers™ at Islands of Adventure. Excludes separately ticketed events. Park-to-Park admission required to board the Hogwarts™ Express. Benefit valid only for guests of Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Hard Rock Hotel® and Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, for the number of guests staying in the room for the length of hotel stay. Available during normal theme park operating hours only. Additional restrictions may apply and benefits are subject to change without notice. Jurassic Park TM Universal Studios/Amblin. © 2019 UCF Hotel Venture V. UNIVERSAL TM & © Universal Studios. ENDLESS SUMMER registered trademarks, Bruce Brown Films, LLC. All rights reserved. © 2019 Blue Man Group Holdings, LLC. All rights Reserved. © 2019 Voodoo Doughnut, LLC. Universal elements and all related indicia TM & © 2019 Universal Studios. All rights reserved.

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Visit UniversalPartnerCommunity.com HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © JKR. (s19) Jurassic World is a trademark and copyright of Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment, Inc. Licensed by Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. © 2019 MARVEL. © 2019 UCF Hotel Venture V. UNIVERSAL TM & © Universal Studios. ENDLESS SUMMER registered trademarks, Bruce Brown Films, LLC. All rights reserved. Universal elements and all related indicia TM & © 2019 Universal Studios. All rights reserved. 1941697/VF

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SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 22

IRELAND'S PREMIER SOURCE OF TRAVEL INFORMATION

DESTINATION AUSTRALIA

A

Apostles Creed

lmost every village crossroads in Australia has a memorial to the fallen in the first world war. They have April parades and minutes’ silences to commemorate the lives lost at Gallipoli and Suvla Bay. When I asked Jidah Clark how many memorials there are to aboriginal fallen in the frontier wars of the 1860s, I was met with an incredulous look.

“None,” he said.

Not one.

It might be added that 50,000 Australians died fighting for the empire, and 180,000 aboriginals died on their own lands.

They may well never have existed.

A complicated history for a complicated land.

T

hey do have 297 art sites in Gariwerd, centre of creation stories for many of the Aboriginal communities in south-western Victoria, around the areas where some of the worst of the massacres and poisonings took place. None of them get direct sunlight.

The oldest rock paintings are the same age as the Lascaux paintings in France.

Jidah had brought us to Billimina rock overhang was once a meeting place for the Jardwadjali people. There are others Gulgurn Manja. Manja, Ngamadjidj.

Wando Vale is the Auschwitz of aboriginal culture. The British reduced the local population from an estimated 100,000 in 1788 to 3,500 in 1850. By 1917 the handful of survivors were concentrated on the two surviving mission stations Framlingham and Ramahyuck, largely against their will, and children were separated from their parents and placed in children’s homes or with white families.

Eoghan Corry on the great Ocean Route

A

The Twelve Apostles at sunset, the most recognisable limestone stacks in the world

t Brambuk Cultural Centre there is a visitor centre grasping at the remnants of the lost culture, there were once language groups 38 languages in the region, and 500 languages in Australia, all extinct or in terminal decline.

The shop and reception is manned by whitefellahs, a grainy enlarged photograph represented the lost generation, their faces pixilated beyond anything recognisable like a medieval statue.

Only one story has survived, the video tells us, as there are no blackfellas to give a tour.

“The body parts of our people were collected and sent all over the world,” said Jidah Puundaa Yirneen Clark, to give him his full name.

“There is a big military culture in Australia, ANZAC day and all that.

They don’t recognise the

wars that took place in Australia. More people were killed and they were fought for a longer period, about 140 years, where are our heroes represented in the monuments in Canberra or anywhere else?

S

wimming in the ocean was once banned here,” Roger Sullivan says at the surfing museum in Torquay, an hour or so south of Melbourne on the road to the Twelve Apostles. “It was considered indecent.”

Everything changed when the gospel of Duke Kahanamoku came from Hawaii and Australian designers introduced the short board to surfing, reducing 9 foot to 6 foot and the eight from 20kg to 5kg.

First generation Malin man and triple world champion Mick Fanning, who survived a

near death experience with a shark last summer, is among those who are celebrated at the little shrine to one of the sport’s most famous beaches. Even when the wind comes from the Antarctic, rather than the tropics, Australians love their surf.

Fanning’s father came from Malin. He once was asked if he had surfed on that beautiful coastline, the Five Fingers beach perhaps. “I have an arrangement with the sharks,” he said, “I don’t go into the water and they don’t come into the pub.”

“The best surfer on the water is the one having the most fun,” Roger says. “You are tapping into an energy that is generated thousands of kilometers away. The

range of experience that you can have on a wave is great. You can be completely encircled by the water. It is pretty rare to encounter a surfer who is not smiling.”

I

t was an unforgiving coast. They have storyboard marking the sites of the most famous shipwrecks, Tom Pearse the cabin boy on the Lockhart and Eva Carmichael the Irish doctor’s daughter survived who survived three shipwrecks The coastline here is distinctive, the ocean fringed with white, the colours more subtle than we normally associate with Australia.

Fragile as the landscape is the wildlife,

there are 28 endemic plants in the Grampians, struggling to survive the invasion.

“It is a very different landscape,” Greg Clements says. “The sandstone makes the terrain soft, with those boulders coming down on it. The Otway snail is very rare, don’t step on one.”

Y

ou come a long way to see something as beautiful as this. The Twelve Apostles may be the world’s most recognised limestone stacks.

They will astonish you from the beach, the cliff top or a helicopter flight.

We tried all three.

You come to the end of the earth to be captivated and find it is worth the journey.

n Eoghan Corry travelled to Australia courtesy of Emirates who fly double daily to Dubai and onwards to Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney and of Tourism Australia www.australia.com

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 23

IRELAND'S PREMIER SOURCE OF TRAVEL INFORMATION

S

omeone in Darwin tried to sell me insurance against crocodile attack. It cost AUS$10, or Eu5, and then she said it only applied to my face, in case my face was damaged.

“So it doesn’t apply if I lose a leg?” I asked. “If the croc gets your leg you won’t need insurance,” she said, reassuringly.

Crocodiles have long been the headline act here around. People want to swim with them (they can, in Darwin’s Crocosaurus Cove). The guide book tells you: “If you do not see a warning sign, assume crocodiles are present.”

There are two types of the crocodiles in Australia, salt water crocodiles and freshwater crocodiles.

When you see a salty, you need to get as far away as possible form them.

Fresh water crocodiles are different, In places like Katherine Gorge in the Northern Territory you can share a billabong with them. They look at you, eyes over the water, and you look back. Both of us are a bit scared If you want to swim in a billabong with one of those rectagonal “no swimming -danger crocodiles” warning signs, you can at your own risk. They assure me they check at the start of each season at Gubara billabong in case there are any salties here.

DESTINATION AUSTRALIA

Wildlife file

Crocosaurus in Darwin, where you get up close and personal with fearsome Salties including some film stars

S

ea excursions in the world are fund in Australia. At Exmouth in Western Australia, you swim with whale sharks. It may be the best animal encounter on an y itinerary.

Dolphins are all around

the country. Travel 20 minutes outside of Adelaide you can swim with them.

A short distance from Brisbane you can see dolphins every night there and Tangalooma’s famous wild dolphin

feeding encounter is regarded as Brisbane’s best day trip.

The quokka selfie has become a bit of a fad. On Rottnest Island, 25 minutes form Fremantle by ferry, you meet what the Aussies claim (with usual

modesty) is the happiest little animal on earth.

The island is a carfree zone, and the best way to get around is by bicycle, which can be hired through the ferry company or once you’re on the island.

T

he Great Barrier Reef dive is a genuine must-do in an industry where the word is horribly overused.

It is massive, the size of Japan, bigger than any national park. Each dive is full of surprises, full of wildlife, full of colour.

The size of the attraction offers embarkation point all along the coast, Cairns and Port Douglas being the favourites, down to Lady Elliott Island, which may be prettiest of all.

Note to agents: sell the Great Barrier Reef brief tour before your clients travel, because not only will you get commission but your guests will have a better time.

If you book the tour for a client, you are going to send them with a company has been checked out and they will have a great time. Buy onshore on a backpacking trip, you may not go to the same part of the reef.

The Barrier Reef is quite a political issue.

Points you may need to want to make about the reef is that the areas to which you are going have been quite unaffected by the infamous bleaching.

In the long term there are serious issues facing the reef, but tourism is generally of benefit to the reef. Every trip pays a reef tax which goes towards the conservation of the reef. And by sending people there you raise awareness.

Clockwise: Great barrier Reef turtle, Eoghan Corry jumps in for a Barrier Reef dive, cage of death at Crocosaurus in Darwin, crocodile feed in Cairns, and the quokka, allegedly the happiest little animal on earth

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 24

DESTINATION AUSTRALIA

I

reland is the 20th most important inbound market in to Australia, according to year end figures to December 2018.

Year end figures of 62,300 to December have been surpassed in the months since.

Ireland sent 66,700 visitors to Australia in the twelve months to the end of May 2019, up 17.4pc.

Of the fifty major markets sending tourist to Australia, only the Philippines is growing faster.

The growth is driven by increased capacity through middle eastern and now Chinese hubs, and the reaction of airlines like Qantas to regain market share they have lost in recent years to Emirates, Etihad and Qatar.

While Ireland is growing at record levels, Brexit-stricken Britain held flat in 2018 and is in notable decline in 2019, down 18.5pc in March alone and 3.2pc in the twelve months to May 2019. Germany is also declining slightly although France (up 8.4pc) and Italy (up 3.9pc) are both in growth.

Red earth

Why Ireland is Australia‘s second fastest growing market and why a third year working visa is an option

A total ban on climbing Ularu comes into effect this winter

days this September, on the longest of long hauls, the Qantas London to Perth flight.

Ireland is the fifth biggest inbound market to Australia from Europe, the 62,300 who visited Australia in the wo major changes have come year to December 2018 up 8.9pc from into force. From November 1st, 57,300 in 2017.

2018, the eligible age of particinother story of Australian tourpants on the working holiday visa to ism over recent months has Australia, who hold an Irish passport been value for money. The was increased from 30 to the age Euro was worth 1.38 in March of 35. (the only other country af2017 (1.16 in 2012), it is worth AGE OF forded this status was Canada).

1.66 today, the highest in ten IRISH A third year working visa years. is available from 1 July 2019 VISITORS The price dive has been for working holiday visa holdhelped by a hotel building 15-29 45pc ers for Australia who carry out boom. Hotel construction has 30-39 21pc six months of specified work in reached heights not seen since 40-49 8pc regional areas. Eligible types of the Sydney Olympics.

50-59 14pc work and regional areas will corTourism Accommodation 60pc 14pc respond with the requirements Australia say 40 new hotels had for the second visa. Travel agents been built across the country. note there may be more restrictive age Tourism Accommodation Australia limits for other passport holders. Ireland expects another 272 hotels to be built was one of three countries admitted to in Australia’s capitals over the next six the first scheme in 1975. years.

The backpackers who take up one That would add 45,000 new rooms year work visas (6,520 Irish in 2018 by 2025, of which 11,600 rooms will makes us the seventh highest recipient be in Sydney and 15,000 in Melbourne, nationality, it peaked at 11,122 in 2011) in contrast, just 3,000 hotel rooms were and two year visas (1,427 Irish in 2018, added in both Sydney and Melbourne making Ireland the fifth highest recipi- each between 2000 and 2016. ent nationality of the scheme) drive the During the mining boom Perth was average stay of an Irish visitor to Aus- one of the priciest hotel markets in the tralia up to 20 days, but shorter breaks country, but when the mining boom fell are common with increased air access. over the Perth hotel market changed Travel Extra’s editor is going for five quite dramatically.

T

T

he 40th annual Australian Tourism Exchange, the country’s largest tourism trade event, took place in Perth with 600 international buyers from 30 countries in attendance.

The event drew 1,400 people representing 546 Australian tourism businesses including 85 Australian tourism companies who are participating for the first time.

Approximately 45,000 meetings took

A

place over the four days of the event and the host destination, Perth, was expected to benefit from an immediate injection of around $9m to the local economy.

Ahead of the ATE trade appointments, 74 international and domestic media gathered for the ATE19 International Media Marketplace to meet with representatives from 74 Australian tourism companies.

Now Perth has a lower occupancy rate of about 78 per cent, and the average nightly price for a room has fallen from more than $200 at the peak to $170. International access to Perth via the Middle east has also seen capacity cuts since the end of the mining boom.

P

hillipa Harrison Acting CEO of Tourism Australia says “a number of key developments, particularly for young travellers, have helped to kick-start this period of strong growth from Ireland, which we have sought to capitalise on with our new Australia Inc campaign targeting young working holiday makers.”

“The increase in the age limit for working holiday maker visa applicants to Australia from 30 to 35 years, announced in November last year, coupled with the recent announcement of an optional third year for this visa will assist in driving Australia’s attractiveness as a destination for young Irish travellers,”

H

iccups with internal air access has been driving further price falls, Qantas has cut flights to Alice Springs which means that major tour operators such as Contiki have pulled out of the centre.

It is uncertain what affect the total ban

on climbing Ularu, due to come in to effect this winter, will have on tourism to Australia’s red middle, and whether the rock will still feature as the third point in Australia’s long established bridge, reef and rock visitation mantra.

Darwin and Northern territory have seen tourism numbers fall as air access gets spotty five years after the main European access hub moved from Singapore to Dubai.

Litchfield National Park in Northern Territory is getting $17.5m in road and infrastructure upgrades to open up new waterfalls, swimming spots and mountain bike trails to the public In return the NT Government also flags that it may increase park and camping fees across the Territory.

Litchfield National Park, which attracted more than 330,000 visitors last year, is currently free to access.

The nearby Kakadu National Park, which saw 200,577 visitors last year and is managed federally by Parks Australia, charges adults $40 and children $20 for access during the dry season.

T

he Federal Government is also investing $2m in surf clubs along the Great Ocean Road, to boost tourism from Melbourne.

Food openings are keeping apace with the sub continent’s culinary boom.

Chase Kojima and Victor Liong (have created a menu blending Chinese flavours with Japanese technique at Chuuka in Sydney, Alejandro Saravia’s Peruvian restaurant Uma is scaling heights in Perth while Sean Connolly has opened The Bon Pavillion in Gosford, a favourite Irish haunt.

IRELAND to AUSTRALIA

Phillipa Harrison Acting CEO of Tourism Australia

2018 62,300 2017 57,300 2016 56,800 2015 58,000 2014 61,700 2013 63,800

2012 62,600 2011 60,600 2010 62,300 2009 56,800 2008 73,000 2007 66,000

www.aussiespecialist.com

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SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 26

AFLOAT CLIA have set a group of ten key travel

agents in Ireland who meet regularly to talk about how we, as an industry, can help grow the industry. Andy Harmer of the Cruise Line Industry Association says: “we have met a few times this summer. They will meet regularly to talk about how, as an industry, in the Irish market help travel agents to get confidence, education and engagement and all the stuff that helps us sell more cruises.”

MARELLA Cruises winter 2020 pro-

gramme sees Marella Celebration return to Dubai, offering week-long “Arabia Awaits” sailings from the UAE; Marella Discovery and Marella Discovery 2 will switch, with Discovery spending the season in the Caribbean and Discovery 2 in South East Asia, sailing twoweek “Flavours of the Far East” and “Wonders of the Far East” itineraries. Explorer 2 will spend its second winter in the Caribbean, while Explorer will spend the season in Europe. n Marella Celebration will sail two new itineraries from Limassol, Cyprus, and Dubrovnik, Croatia, while spending December 2020 to March 2021 in Dubai. n Marella Dream will sail out of Bridgetown, Barbados, from November 2020 until March 2021, then Palma, Majorca, in April 2021.

Marella Discovery will spend the season, from November 2020 through March 2021, offering sailings out of Montego Bay, Jamaica. The ship’s new repositioning cruise is a 13-night “Capture the Caribbean” itinerary from Malaga, Spain, calling at Turks and Caicos.

Marella Discovery 2 will offer a mix of itineraries from Laem Chabang in Thailand and Langkawi in Malaysia. n Marella Explorer will sail out of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, and Santa Cruz, Tenerife from November 2020 through March 2021, plus a new six-night “Magic of the Mediterranean” itinerary from Corfu. n Marella Explorer 2 will offer sailings out of Bridgetown, Barbados from November 2020 through March 2021, plus a new 14-night “Atlantic Explorer” itinerary from Malaga to Barbados.

SILVERSEA Bookings are open for

Galapagos sailings by Silver Origin, Silversea’s newest ship, which will launch in July 2020. Silver Origin can accommodate 100 passengers per cruise and will include regionally inspired cuisine and informative lectures onboard.

SCENIC’s first ‘discovery yacht’, Scenic

Eclipse. maiden voyage is from Reykjavik in Iceland for a 13-day sailing, ending in Quebec.

The naming ceremony will take place in New York on September 10.

CLIA’s president and CEO, Kelly

Craighead, and Dubrovnik’s mayor, Mato Frankovic, both signed a memorandum of understanding to manage the high volume of cruisers that visit every year.

AMERICAN Harmony newest riverboat of American Cruise Lines, passed its sea trials and received its Coast Guard certification three weeks ahead of schedule.

Passengers boarding a bus in Dublin port from the Crown Princess

No more Princess Cruise line drops Dublin turnarounds from 2021

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rincess Cruises is to end direct boarding at Dublin from season 2021.

The move is a huge disappointment after the decision of first celebrity, then princess to bring direct sailings to Dublin with a third major cruise line also engaged in talks before Dublin port declared that it was putting a cap on cruise ship calls at the port.

Tony Roberts of Princess said that

the cruise line were disappointed to have to withdraw the facility as the ship had been joined by many American guests. He said Crown Princess and her sister ships would continue to call at Dublin but the irregularity of calls made embarkation difficult to manage.

European season for 2021 sees the largest-ever number of cruise ships in Europe in 2020, five vessels. three of which will be based in Southampton,

Grand Princess, Island Princess and Crown Princess.

Princess will base Island Princess, Crown Princess and Regal Princess in Southampton throughout summer 2020, offering 1.4m cruise nights -- a 30 percent increase over 2019.

In 2021, Princess will base its two newest ships, the 3,660-passenger Sky Princess and Enchanted Princess, which is set to debut in Southampton June 2020 in the Mediterranean.

NEW STENA DUBLIN SHIP MAY GET 5th ROTATION

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tena are considering a fifth rotation for the new Stena , which will replace Superfast X on the Dublin Holyhead route sometime after January.

Currently there are four rotations on the route, which takes 3 hours 15 minutes with a two hour turnaround for

I

the ship.

The new craft brings 50pc extra freight capacity, an enhanced passenger experience and considerable fuel savings.

Diane Pool says that fuel consideration will determine whether the extra rotation is added, as the journey team

needs to be shortened and possibly turnaround time.

Turnaround times will likely be affected by the proposed Brexit of October 2019.

Stena are avoiding giving an exact launch date for the ferry on the route but Superfast X will remain on the route

Diane Poole of Stena

CLIA PLAN IRISH CRUISE MONTH

rish Ferries new build 777 in Flensburg is still awaiting a keel laying.

The ferry was ordered by Irish Ferries from FSG in January 2018. With a length of 226 meters and a width of 32.2 meters, it would be the largest ship

ever built in Flensburg.

German media are reporting that whether this ship will be built, however, will depend on the financing, as stated in the Siem report.

The same applies to two ferries for Australia. If the construction time financing

for the three ships were to collapse, the yard would no longer have any orders.

Flensburger ship building company has had 700 employees on short-time since May due to the high losses incurred in the construction of the WB.

Yeats for Irish Ferries and consequent liquidity difficulties. The previous parent company Siem Industries has registered a loss of €111 million for FSG in 2018. Delivery of the French ferry “Honfleur” has been postponed

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 27

AFLOAT

CLIA PLAN AGENT EVENT IN DUBLIN

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ruise Lines International Association is to host a Dublin Cruise Showcase on Friday September 13 on board Princess Cruises’ Crown Princess in Dublin.

It is the first ever industry wide cruise event dedicated to the Irish market

and follows two years of lobbying by leading cruise figures based in London.

The cruise lobby group say that the showcase is open to all Irish travel agents, including nonCLIA members.

Details of the programme have not been

released but the body says it will include a tour of Crown Princess, including lunch onboard, the cruise showcase will offer expert CLIA advice on latest trends, cruise experiences and sales opportunity.

The Dublin Cruise Showcase is free to attend.

n 0900 - Guests arrive Berth 33, Dublin port n 0930 - 1000 - Guests embark n 1000 - 1100 - Welcome and CLIA Presentation n 1100 - 1230 - Ship Tour n 1230 - 1430 - Lunch n 1430 - 1500 - Guests leave Crown Princess

AMAWaterways named its 23rd ship, the 156-passenger AmaMora, at a riverside ceremony in Lahnstein, Germany, in the heart of the Rhine Gorge. AmaWaterways president and co-founder Rudi Schreiner said AmaWaterways has four more ships in the pipeline, with the potential for another AmaMagna-style ship and possibly a newbuild in Egypt, although neither decision has been confirmed, AmaMora hosts a new wellness program that provides five onboard exercise classes each day, led by a wellness host, plus guided walks, jogs and cycling ashore in every port of call.

AmaWaterways earlier launched AmaMagna the 22nd river ship in its fleet. twice as wide as a typical river vessel, n Grein, Austria.

CRUISE MONTH CLIA are planning a cruise month in September in Ireland , something Andy Harmer describes as “an opportunity for us to put resources in the hands of agents so that in September they can pass it on to their customers. They can talk about cruise in a positive way..We will supply things like sales guides and key information. We will set up a whole tool box for them. It is up to them what brands they chose to sell. But it means that, as an industry, we can start breaking down some of the barriers that we face in all markets around the world.

BUDAPEST city government have

Fishing for cruise customers has proven difficult for the Irish travel trade

The lost decade

Ireland cruise figures back to pre-recession levels

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he Cruise Lines International Association calculated that 48,300 cruises were taken by Irish passengers in 2018, up 8.3pc for the second successive year.

The figures show that cruise from Ireland has only now recovered to pre recession levels, although industry figures from the pre-CLIA days were not officially collated and are

IRISH AFLOAT 2011 41,780 -3.2pc 2012 40,114 -3.9pc 2013 35,440 -11.6pc 2014 31,523 -11pc 2015 35,972 +14.1pc 2016 41,200 +14.5pc 2017 44,600 +8.3pc 2018 48,300 +8.3pc

disputed by cruise lines.

The average age remained consistent at 48 years, slightly below the average age for Europe cruise passengers.

Andy Harmer of CLIA said figures showed that Irish passengers aged between zero and 39 years were the highest ever recorded last year.

With cruise lines continuing to expand their offerings both onboard and ashore, ensuring that there is something to suit every age and taste, Caribbean (43 years) and Mediterranean (47 years) attracted the youngest age demographic, “likely due to being popular destinations for families,” according to Andy Harmer

of CLIA. The Mediterranean make up 45pc of cruises sold (Western Med 37pc, Eastern Med 8pc), followed

by Caribbean (24pc) and Northern Europe (10pc).

Harmer says “As more cruise lines homeport ships in Dublin – this year Celebrity Cruises and Princess Cruises both have ships sailing round trip from the city cruise around Europe has never been easier.

“Ireland relies a lot on airlift to reach tis cruise embarkation points,” Andy

Harmer says. “It is amazing that the Irish average age is so much younger than Britain. It is a very different market and relies on word of mouth to spread the cruise news.”

Andy Harmer of the Cruise Line Industry Association says one of the things we have had in Ireland as you grow the number of people who take a cruise, they tell their friends and family. They automatically tell people that cruises are amazing.

WHERE WE CRUISE

Western Med Caribbean N Europe Eastern Med

2016 2017 2018 17,000 19,000 18,000 10,000 10,000 12,000 3,000 3,000 5,000 5,000 4,000 4,000

lifted their ban on certain vessels from turning around in front of the city’s lighted Parliament building between 7pm and midnight. This required cruise ships to travel further down the river and turn around outside the city, resulted in some lines deciding to stop the nightly “illumination cruise” past Budapest’s landmark buildings. Tauck, Uniworld, U River Cruises and CrosiEurope didn’t offer illumination sailings before, so they were all unaffected by the ban. Uniworld and U both dock close enough for passengers to see the Parliament building without sailing in front of it, and CroisiEurope passengers can see the building illuminated on arrival or departure to Budapest.

CARNIVAL Panorama successfully completed sea trials in the Adriatic after its construction in Marghera, Italy, and heads to its homeport in Long Beach, California.

ALLURE of the Seas will undergo a

58-day, $165m dry dock in late winter/early spring 2020 to install new top-deck amusements, including the Ultimate Abyss and trio of Perfect Storm water slides, a Music Hall, an expanded Giovanni’s concept and completely redesigned Adventure Ocean kids’ and teens’ spaces. This follows the news that Oasis of the Seas will undergo a virtually identical overhaul later this year.

IRISH FERRIES announced wine cruises from €298 each way, groups of four people can travel directly to France from Dublin and back with a car and cabin included.

CARNIVAL V are to add a Carnival Corporation to add a pier at Half Moon Cay Cruise Port. Carnival Vista has recently emerged from dry dock four days earlier than originally expected,

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 28

THE FLYING COLUMN ETHIOPIAN Airlines will operate its Addis Ababa-Dublin services via Brussels via Brussels instead of Madrid from October 28, 3w with B787. It is not yet clear if it offer fights on the Brussels-Dublin sector.

RYANAIR said it will increase its Maltese operation from 6 to 10 based aircraft over the next three years. Malta Air will also operate all the Ryanair French, German and Italian bases – 50 aircraft with 11 already in place.

AEROLUS and Nebula Innovations launched a proprietary software product called InstantBSI that supports the borescope process for any aircraft engine, regardless of age or type. Fergal Whelan-Porter, CEO of Dublin-based Aeolus Engine Services said InstantBSI delivers a “revolutionary solution” through the use of interactive engine maps and quick display of findings, including photos and videos. “InstantBSI is a licensed pay per usage product, accessible on any digital device,” Whelan-Porter explains.

ALC Air Lease Corporation announced the

delivery of one new Airbus A321-200neo LR aircraft on long-term lease to Aer Lingus. This Airbus aircraft, featuring CFM International LEAP-1A33 engines, is the first of eight A321200neo LRs scheduled to deliver to the airline through 2020 from ALC’s Airbus order book.

AER LINGUS CEO Sean Doyle said IAG results represented a solid performance in a challenging market. “We continue to focus on delivering further cost efficiencies for the business in order to improve our competitiveness. The challenges being experienced throughout the European Short Haul market underline the need for Aer Lingus to focus on improved competitiveness.”

DATALEX now expects to record a cash operating loss of $4m-6m for 2018, considerably higher than its previous forecast of a loss of $1m-$4m. It said shareholders would be updated on the result of this review - as well as the firm’s outlook for 2019 and 2020 - at its AGM, currently due to take place on September 17 with result published ahead of that.

IATA submission on the 2019 Draft De-

termination on the maximum levels of airport charges at Dublin Airport argues that is no surprise that faced with an effective challenge, that a monopoly airport like Dublin negatively reacts to the CAR draft determination with threats to stand down works and revaluate the delivery the much-needed capital expenditure program. IATA says, if at all, there appears to be areas in which we believe that the CAR may have been too conservative in its approach.

ACI Airports Council International Europe

submission on the 2019 Draft Determination on the maximum levels of airport charges at Dublin Airport warned that global and longtrend evidence shows that per unit operational expenditure can start to increase at a certain passenger volume, in the range of 15-30m passengers a year.

RYANAIR is to operate Girona-Bremen 2w in the coming winter.

Enda Corneille;s Emirates briefing at 25 Fitzwilliam Square: Third daily flight not possible at the moment

B777 Dilemma

Emirates say that DAA have no stand for third flight

A

third daily flight from Dublin to Dubai is highly unlikely because of capacity constraints at the airport.

Emirates supports Dublin airport’s plan, particularly Pier 5 which the airline’s Ireland manager Enda Corneille says would open up a lot more Boeing 777 stands.

Dublin airport at certain times is full. The times that we were looking at for a third flight would have clashed with the its busiest time.

There needs to be a development in infrastructure to enable us to grow the way we want to grow.

There is only stand at the entire airport that can handle a Boeing

777. Hence our support for the plan,.

Therein lies capacity. Our growth ambitions have to be in line with what is possible.

At a briefing in Dublin, Corneille said that Emirates load factors of 85pc on Dublin-Dubai were above average for the airline and more in line with short-haul load factors in the industry.

“We are frequently asked about Belfast, Shannon and Cork but the motorway system is too good and you have to be mindful of the population spread as well. The logical next step would be to add a third flight. That would depend on a lot of things.”

An A380 is now highly unlikely to

come on a revenue flight to Dublin, given the decision of Airbus to end its production. “The runway and the airport are not designated for category F of which the A380 is a category F. I don’t know if the terminal capacity will be category F also.”

“If you want to expand it is either more capacity or you up the gauge of the capacity you have.”

“If you open a third frequency you open up a third band of connections.

It is a planning decision t be taken by our planning department at the right time but it is largely moot at the moment because the capacity is not there.”

CITYJET AIR NOSTRUM MERGER APPROVED

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U Commission has approved a joint venture between Fortress Investment Group of the US, and Air Investment Valencia of Spain to combine the activities of CityJet of Ireland and of Air Nostrum of Spain.

Fortress is a global investment management

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firm. Air Investment Valencia, through a subsidiary, is an aircraft dry lessor and provider of fleet supply services and routes between Europe and Africa through charter flight and wet-lease services.

The US noted that CityJet and Air Nostrum overlap in the provision

of wet-leasing services.

The Commission concluded that the proposed transaction would raise no competition concerns, because the companies have moderate market shares, a sufficient number of competitors remains on the market and the barriers to entry are low.

Cityjet’s Pat Byrne

CAR AIR COMPLAINTS UP 56pc

he Commission for Aviation Regulation Annual Report 2018, said rights and facilities for passengers were at the forefront of travel in 2018. n Record passenger num-

bers at Dublin Airport saw approval of €269.3m capital investment programme with €2 bn draft capital investment plan under consideration n 4,420 passenger queries handled resulting in 2,319

valid complaints, up 56pc. n Passenger Advisory Group established for Dublin Airport consisting of 13 organisations representing the diverse range of passengers at the airport. n CAR licensed 16 air car-

riers, 45 ground handlers and 231 tour operators and travel agents. n Progress made in merger of Commission with Safety Regulation Division of IAA to form new regulator in 2020.

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 29

THE FLYING COLUMN BELFAST City Airport signed an

agreement with NI Department for Infrastructure which removes the seats for sale restriction and introduces new measures for controlling noise at the airport: n noise control contour n quota count system n departure noise limit n penalty system for late flights n approach descent approach for all landing aircraft. n fixed electrical ground power at all aircraft stands n Noise Insulation Scheme offering funding for sound insulation to residential properties

Michael O’Leary CEO of Ryanair, Thomas Reynaert CEO of Airlines4Europe, Christina Foerster CEO of Brussels Airlines, Willie Walsh CEO of IAG, Airlines4Europe media briefing in Brussels,

More MAX woes

Aircraft unlikely to be back in skies until January

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ith characteristic directness, Michael O’Leary called on aircraft manufacturers Boeing to get its shit together over delays to Max. Speaking to Travel Extra in the margins of the A4E conference in Brussels, O’Leary said Ryanair’s growth plans for winter will be curtailed by delays in the only aircraft on its order book. “We are looking at realistic prospect we will have to

slow down. I have no doubt the Max will come. The question is when. The aircraft is perfectly safe. The issue of software has been identified.”

Boeing Q2 results headlined the task facing the aircraft manufacturer in continuing to engage global regulators and customers on safe return to service of the 737 MAX. Boeing’s CEO warned that if the B737 MAX return to service is delayed much beyond the anticipated

Q4 return to service, reducing production from the current 42/month or a complete production shut down could be decided.

CFO Greg Smith said delivering the produced but stored MAX will occur over several quarters, without elaborating what this means. O’Leary said: “You cannot suddenly deliver 50 aircraft at the same time. We can only take aircraft at a rate of six a month.”

AER LINGUS CONCERN OVER UNDERPASS

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er Lingus has warned hub operations will be hurt by the location of Dublin airport’s proposed West Apron underpass.

The airline’s submission on the 2019 Determination on airport charges notes that US CBP operations will

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grow to 50 daily departures over the 5-year regulatory period.

“The Helios model assumed these to have been almost wholly confined to piers four and five. This assumption undermines efficient hub operations and Aer Lingus is clear that US CBP departures will also need

to operate from Pier 3 and remotely.”

The airline was disappointed only one runway mix plan was considered, mixed mode between 0600 and 0800 and segregated the remainder of the day, increasing taxi times for those airlines utilising Piers 4 or 5

Ireland, France, Spain, Britain and Austria employing tens of thousands of EU citizens and operating 588 aircraft.

“As required by the EU, IAG’s airlines submitted plans on ownership and control to the national regulators in Spain, Ire-

AER LINGUS

submission on the 2019 Draft Determination on levels of airport charges at Dublin Airport supports the treatment of the US Preclearance charge as an airport charge within the price cap rather than an unregulated commercial revenue.

RYANAIR expects high fuel prices and overcapacity in Europe short-haul to lead to further airline failures this winter creating growth opportunities for Ryanair’s 4 airlines.

ACI EUROPE reacted with dismay to the call by Transport & Environment for the closure of all small regional airports across Europe unable to achieve profitability within 5 years.

RYANAIR redesignated its B737 MAX 200 as B737-8200, echoing references to the B737-8200 in the FAA Type Certificate LUFTHANSA CEO Carsten Spohr described Ryanair’s move to charge less than €10 for tickets on certain German routes as “irresponsible”, saying the airline won’t be pushed out of its home market.

HEATHROW The Menzies team at London Heathrow completed their first live Mototok pushback on at T2 for Aer Lingus.

This is the first use of the new remote-controlled pushback device at LHR, outside of British Airways’ T5.

Aer Lingus CEO Sean Doyle

IAG DOWNPLAYS BREXIT WORRY

AG said it was confident regulators will accept its Spanish ownership as Brexit looms.

In its quarterly results, it stated: “IAG is a Spanish company. Its airlines have long-established Air Operator Certificates and substantial businesses in

LAUDA CEO Andreas Gruber said he expects a €50m loss this year – down from a wider loss of €140m in 2018 as Lauda grapples with the impact of rising fuel costs, low fares and higher pay. He described the company’s Vienna operation is “high cost,” putting plans to deploy four extra aircraft there this winter in doubt. Ryanair could a establish its own base there at a lower cost, with 4 B737s.

land, France and Austria.

“Those regulators confirmed that the plans would satisfy EU ownership and control rules in the event of a no deal Brexit. The plans don’t require EC approval but, as with all EU operating licences, the EC has the right under EU law

to investigate and, where appropriate, request the regulators to implement corrective measures.

“The Westminster Government has not required British Airways to submit any remedial plans for a no deal Brexit.

LOGANAIR made a pre-tax profit of £1.01m for the year to the end of March, its first full year of operation under its own brand as Scotland’s Airline.

DURHAM Tees Valley Airport, operated by Stobart Group, has reverted to its earlier name of Teesside International Airport.

AIR ANTWERP, a joint venture be-

tween CityJet and KLM, had its first Fokker 50 aircraft delivered. Air Antwerp has applied for an AOC with the Belgian Federal Public Service Mobility and will offer scheduled flights from Antwerp Airport.

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 30

THE FLYING COLUMN NSP A new National Search and Rescue Plan provides for a re-balancing of the previous “maritime-centric” SAR Framework to encompass aeronautical and land SAR more comprehensively, setting out the role of IAA and An Garda Síochána. The plan addresses key lessons arising from tragic accidents involving Search and Rescue services in Ireland over the last three years.

FINGAL Proposed amendments to The

Fingal Development Plan as identified under the upcoming Dublin Airport Local Area Plan has identified a need to include a ‘variation’ within the Fingal Development Plan with regard to ‘noise contours’ and rural housing policy, as applied to certain areas within ‘inner noise zones.’

RYANAIR announced a major new training partnership with Polish-based international flight school, Bartolini Air, to deliver a Ryanair/Bartolini Air Mentored Pilot Training Programme. Over the next 4 years, 300 new pilots from across Europe will be recruited and trained by Bartolini Air in Lodz and Olsztyn-Mazury Airports.

DUBLIN Airport is installing an auto-

matic visual docking guidance system on all aircraft contact parking stands. AVDGS is an electronic display above aircraft parking stands which provides real time information to pilots as they are parking aircraft on arrival or pushing back for departure. The new system has an added safety feature with an infrared high-definition camera that scans the aircraft parking area for any possible objects that could affect the safety of the arriving or departing aircraft. This camera detects large objects on the ground like equipment or baggage, which may block the stand and cause knock-on delays.

RYANAIR wants the High Court to quash a decision of the Aviation Regulator ordering the airline to compensate a number of people affected by last year’s strike action. Mr Justice Seamus Noonan granted Mr Hayden SC for Ryanair leave to bring judicial review proceedings and also put a stay on the CAR’s May 31st decision in relation to the five compensation claims pending further order or determination of the case. He also gave the CAR liberty to apply to vary the order. The application was made on a one-side only represented basis and comes back to court later this year.

RYANAIR Michael O’Leary said Ryanair a surplus of 500 pilots and some 400 cabin crew “because resignations have dried up to effectively zero since the start of 2019” and Ryanair “will need about 600 less pilots and cabin crew for summer 2020.”

AIRBUS has a study under way on using

the A380 production facility at Toulouse to add an automated A321neo final assembly line.

UNITED is promoting ConnectionSaver, an app that messages customer’s detailed directions to their connecting gate and equips employees with technology allowing them to identify situations where connecting flight can be held a few extra minutes for customers attempting to make tight connection.

Mike Kelly’s photograph of the A321LR taking off on first revenue flight to Hartford

A321LR arrives

Twin engine aircraft serves Hartford and Minneapolis

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er Lingus first Airbus A321LR, one of eight of the long-range twinjet type has entered service.

It arrived in Dublin from Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport and flew to Hartford a week later.

The aircraft (EI-LRA) is powered

by CFM International Leap-1A en-

gines. Aer Lingus agreed two years ago to take seven of the variant from US lessor Air Lease, before committing to an eighth from the company later in the same year.

It is fitted with a two-class cabin featuring 16 business-class and 168 economy-class seats.

Airbus says the operator will use

the aircraft to serve the US east coast.

The carrier has already identified Minneapolis, Montreal and Hartford as A321LR routes.

Aer Lingus has since expanded its commitment to the re-engined A321neo family with an order for a further six aircraft – all of them the A321XLR, the longest-range variant.

RYANAIR: ‘TOO MANY STANDS IN DAA PLAN’

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yanair has claimed that the future profile of flight and passengers at Dublin airport overstates the likely demand even at 40m passengers.

It considers the estimated number of aircraft stands required is

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too high and does not support the west apron vehicle underpass.

Ryanair strongly questions the need to retain runway 16/34 due to the minimal benefit it will provide for the ongoing investment required for its upkeep.

It says incorporating the dividend policy of the entire daa group purely into Dublin Airport for the purpose of the financial viability assessment is unfair and not reflective of a ‘notionally efficient’ airport standing alone.

Michael O’Leary

RYANAIR PROFITS DOWN 21pc

yanair reported a quarterly profit after tax of €242.9m, 21pc down on last year due to a late Easter, and cancellation over 1,100 flights due to

ATC strikes, indicating business has been becoming more seasonal and more dependent on Q2.

The airline said “the two weakest markets were Germany, where

Lufthansa was allowed to buy Air Berlin and is selling this excess capacity at below cost prices, and Britain where Brexit concerns weigh negatively on consumer confidence and

spending”.

Germany is the major European market where its capacity share is low where it needs to increase volume and revenue to achieve medium-term targets.

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 31

THE FLYING COLUMN

Setting the pace

Ryanair to be Europe’s largest with 14.8m July pax

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yanair’s growth rate is back at 9pc after the airline reported it carried a record 14.8m passengers in July. The equivalent growth in the twelve months to July 2018 was 4pc.

July is traditionally the airline’s second busiest month of the year so Ryanair have expect to break 15m in August, the sixth airline in history to do so. So far in 2019 Ryanair is ruining 3.1m passengers ahead of the Lufthansa group and 18.7m ahead of IAG and is on course to become Europe’s largest airline. Ryanair’s growth figure was 13pc for May and June 2019, but were boosted by the inclusion of passenger numbers from Lauda, which were not included in

2019

2019

July June May Apr Mar Feb Jan 2019

July June May Apr Mar Feb Jan

97pc 97pc 96pc 96pc 96pc 96pc 91pc

LUFTHANSA Group reported rev-

enue of €9.63bn for Q2, up 4pc, and adjusted EBIT of €75m, down 25pc. Long-haul business continued to perform strongly, especially on transatlantic and Asian routes. Short haul is under pressure from low-cost carriers trying to capture market share with low prices. Eurowings, which is most strongly affected by the tense situation in the European market is to cut capacity by 25pc.

Michael O’Leary and Kenny Jacobs the 2018 per-acquisition figures.

Load factor remained at an industry record level of 97pc. Rolling annual is 148.2m, up 10pc on the troubled twelve months to July 2018.

Ryanair recently cut its growth

starting preliminary planning for a move to join BA in Heathrow T5 from T3.

forecast from 7pc to 3.5pc due to the delay in delivery of the Boeing 737MAX. Ryanair operated 81,000 scheduled flights in July.

Lauda contributed 0.6m of the 14.8m total.

2018 Dec 10.3m Nov 10.4m Oct 13.1m Sept 13.1m Aug 13.8m July 13.1m June 12.6m May 12.5m April 12.3m Mar 10.0m Feb 8.6m Jan 9.3m

2017 Dec 9.3m Nov 9.3m Oct 11.8m Sept 11.8m Aug 12.7m July 12.6m June 11.8m May 11.8m Apr 11.3m Mar 9.4m Feb 8.2m Jan 8.77m

2016 Dec 9m 8.8m Nov Oct 10.9m Sep 10.8m Aug 11.5m Jul 11.3m Jun 10.6m May 10.6m Apr 9.90m Mar 8.5m Feb 7.4m Jan 7.48m

2015 Dec 7.5m Nov 7.71m Oct 9.68m Sep 9.55m 10.4m Aug Jul 10.14m Jun 9.5m May 9.5m Apr 9.0m Mar 8.5m Feb 7.4m Jan 7.48m

2014 Dec 6.02m Nov 6.35m Oct 8.4m Sept 8.5m Aug 9.4m Jul 9.1m Jun 8.3m May 8.2m Apr 7.8m Mar 5.2m Feb 4.5m Jan 4.6m

2018 Dec 12pc Nov 11pc Oct 11pc Sept 11pc Aug 9pc July 4pc June 7pc May 6pc Apr 9pc Mar 6pc Feb 5pc Jan 6pc

2017 Dec 3pc Nov 6pc Oct 8pc Sept 10pc Aug 10pc July 11pc June 12pc May 11pc April 14pc March 10pc Feb 10pc Jan 17pc

2016 Dec 20pc Nov 15pc Oct 13pc Sept 12pc August 10pc July 11pc June 14pc May 16pc April 16pc March 28pc Feb 28pc Jan 25pc

2015 Dec 25pc Nov 21pc Oct 15pc Sept 12pc August 10pc July 11pc June 14pc May 16pc April 16pc March 28pc Feb 29pc Jan 30pc

2014 Dec 20pc Nov 22pc Oct 5pc Sept 5pc August 4pc July 3pc June 5pc May 4pc April 5pc March -4pc Feb 7pc Jan 7pc

2018 Dec 95pc Nov 96pc Oct 96pc Sept 97pc Aug 97pc July 97pc June 96pc May 96pc Apr 96pc Mar 95pc Feb 95pc Jan 91pc

2017 Dec 95pc Nov 96pc Oct 96pc Sept 97pc Aug 97pc July 97pc June 96pc May 95pc April 96pc March 94pc Feb 95pc Jan 90pc

2016 Dec 94pc Nov 95pc Oct 95pc Sept 95pc August 96pc July 96pc June 94pc May 94pc April 93pc March 94pc Feb 93pc Jan 88pc

2015 Dec 91pc Nov 93pc Oct 94pc Sept 94pc August 95pc July 95pc June 93pc May 92pc April 91pc March 90pc Feb 89pc Jan 83pc

2014 Dec 88pc Nov 88pc Oct 89pc Sept 90pc August 93pc July 91pc June 88pc May 85pc April 84pc March 80pc Feb 78pc Jan 71pc

RYANAIR MONTHLY GROWTH FIGURES SINCE 2014

9pc 13pc 13pc 10pc 9pc 13pc 11pc

firm order for 60 Airbus A220-300 aircraft, with an additional 30 purchase options and 30 acquisition rights. The first aircraft should be delivered in September 2021.

AMERICAN Airlines is reportedly

RYANAIR MONTHLY PASSENGER NUMBERS SINCE 2014

July 14.8m June 14.2m May 14.1m April 13.5m Mar 10.9m Feb 9.6m Jan 10.3m

AIR FRANCE has committed to a

RYANAIR MONTHLY LOAD FACTOR SINCE 2014

UNITED is promoting Backstage, a

unique engagement experience for its 25,000 flight attendants, hosting 34 events for 800 flight attendants at a time with a similar Backstage event next year for nearly 15,000 customer-facing employees who serve its customers both at airports or over the phone.

AIR FRANCE-KLM said it ids to

retire the ten A380s from the Air France fleet by 2022, and study of the replacement of 10 A380s by no more than nine new generation aircraft currently on the market, A330-900neo, A350-900, B787-9;. The B777 and B777X were not mentioned. Maintaining the A380 would imply around €400m capex through to 2026 for cabin refurbishment, shop visits and airframe structural checks of the seven best aircraft.

UNITED has rolled out our first of our

specialized B767-300 with high premium seat counts for service fares in cities with unmet business class demand. All flights from Newark and Chicago to Heathrow are scheduled to be operated by this new fleet type later this year followed by Switzerland in 2020. Approx half of the remaining B767s will continue to operate in a typical configuration to destinations not needing as many Polaris seats.

BLUE SWAN DAILY list of the world’s 100 largest aviation markets based upon departure seats in 2018 includes Ireland in 43rd place.

RYANAIR Louise Phelan, a former senior PayPal executive, is to take over as Senior Independent Director in summer 2020 following the then retirement of current SID Kyran McLaughlin from the Board.

AIR NOSTRUM reported 2018 a profit after tax up 46pc to €19m, with revenues up 94pc to €501m. It operated 62 routes at 45 airports and transported 4,724,520 passengers, up 8.5pc, with a seat factor of 73.7pc, more than five percentage points above the 2017 record.

LENANE Precision, an engineering company based at Smithtown near Shannon, has won a ten-year contract to supply machined components to Bombardier Aerospace, creating five new jobs over the next 12 months.

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 32

THE FLYING COLUMN RYANAIR told investors that the Boeing 737MAX would return to service January 2020 at the earliest, pending approval

by European aviation safety regulator EASA. Delays in relaunching the 737 MAX will result in fewer aircraft being delivered to Ryanair in 2020 with the original target of 58 aircraft, now adjusted o 30. As a result, Ryanair reduced its projected passenger growth rate from 7pc to 3pc. Ryanair’s high-density 737 MAX configuration allows for 4pc more seats than its current 737s, and burns 16pc less fuel.

IAG Results for Quarter 2 are the usual complex mix reported Group capacity up 5.4pc, traffic up 6.6pc and a solid increase in operating profit in Q2 to €960m (14.2pc margin, down 0.4 pts). Aer Lingus margin was 18.4pc, down 1.6 points on last year.

Employees was up 0.2pc, suppliers up 2.8pc, assets down 0.2pc, fuel up 12.4pc. Return on Invested Capital increased slightly to 15.6pc from 15.5pc, Aer Lingus was 24.4pc. For the year 2019, planned capacity growth is now 5.0pc, compared to 5.3pc previously. Aer Lingus growth is expected to be 3.2pc in Q3 and 4.7pc in Q4.

RYANAIR The European Commission has found that the marketing agreements concluded between the local Association for the Promotion of Touristic and Economic Flows and Ryanair at the airport of Montpelier are illegal under EU State aid rules. Ryanair now has to return €8.5m of illegal State aid. The Commission is investigating further agreements at Frankfurt-Hahn and the Spanish airports of Reus and Girona.

SHANNON is the first airport in the country to take delivery of new High Reach Extendable Turret fire tenders. The two new fire vehicles were by Rosenbauer in Austria.

The new tenders reduce the risk to firefighters in aviation fires as they can extinguish flames by remote control from the cab. Shannon Airport has also recruited new firefighters after a process that saw applicants whittled down from 500 to 10.

RYANAIR Licensing authorities in

Austria, Ireland and Poland have confirmed that there is no risk to the airline licences held by the Company’s subsidiaries Laudamotion, Ryanair DAC and Ryanair pursuant to EU Regulation No. 1008/2008. In addition, the Company’s subsidiary, Ryanair UK, secured a British AOC.

NOISE Almost 4,000 complaints have

been lodged over noise from Dublin Airport in the first half of 2019. However, the DAA has revealed that 3,147 complaints were from one person, which makes up around 82pc of the grievances. The person, who lives in Ongar, West Dublin, made an average of more than 17 complaints per day about noise from aircraft.

Dublin Airport passenger profile 2018 shows increasing travel by skilled workers and the 50-65 age group. Two-thirds of transfer passengers are North American residents.

RYANAIR ascribes a value of €99.6m to the slots acquired with Lauda.

Peter Kearney and Sean Patrick of IAA watch Don Thoma speak at the launch of Aireon Alert,

No more MH370s

Irish based data centre to monitor aircraft movements

T

here will be no more missing aircraft on the scale of the MH370, according to Don Thoma of Aireon.

He spoke at an event where the Irish Aviation Authority team at the North Atlantic Communications Centre in Ballygirreen, County Clare, Ireland, launched the world’s first ever global aircraft location and emergency response tracking service.

Until now, only 30pc of the Earth’s surface was monitored through conventional ground radar surveillance.

Aireon ALERT, will have access to exact location information for aircraft in distress on-demand, which will dramatically benefit global emergency response efforts.

Thoma recounted Aireon’s role in the grounding of the B737MAX. “We have started collecting information on all aircraft movements around the world, from takeoff to landing.

“The power of that became known when the Ethiopian 203 incident occurred.

“We happened to be attending the global air traffic control summit in Madrid. Our engineers pulled the data on that aircraft as well as the Lion Air aircraft. It became apparent there were similarities.

We are not aircraft accident investigators. We have no basis to make any assessment. But the investigators requested the information and within hours that information became essential to make a quick assessment and decision to ground the Boeing 737Max fleet.”

AERCAP NEW TECH MIX ‘HIGHEST IN WORLD’

C

EO Aengus Kelly said Aercap’s portfolio is 53pc new technology aircraft, “the highest percentage of any major aircraft lessor in the world.”

“Just as importantly, for the last eight years AerCap has avoided or-

dering any end of line current technology aircraft.”

AerCap reported net income of $331.5m for 2019 Q2. The order book is approx 90pc placed through 2021 including 47 of 50 Embraer 190 E-2. Approx 95pc of lease rents through 2021

are already contracted with the average current lease expiring 2026 Q4.

99.4pc fleet utilization rate for the second quarter of 2019.

Last year 11 aircraft were repurchased for $894m (6 A320neo, 4B787-9, 1 Embraer E190-E2.).

Aengus Kelly

GROWTH AT DUBLIN MAY STALL

D

ublin airport operators DAA says existing airline schedules for Dublin in W19/20 indicate marginal growth of less than 1pc versus the previous year.

Moreover, 2020 is a leap year and adjusting for this results in flat capacity versus Winter 18/19.

This is a clear indication

that the strong growth rates that have existed in Dublin Airport are waning. Just one route has been listed for summer 2010 (Marseilles 3w, Ryanair).

Slot constraints on the runway will continue until the opening of the new runway in Summer 2022, while the stand and terminal constraints will not

be alleviated until 2024, following the completion of the CIP 2020. In general, there are no slots available for a new daily Summer service between the hours of 06:00 to 19:59 or additional Aer Lingus or Ryanair based short-haul services.

The CAR has voted against some or all of the

slot growth proposed by Dublin Airport in two out of the three Summer season’s to-date Summer 17 & Summer 19.

DAA says its initial forecast of 2.1pc passenger compound annual growth rate CAGR is still valid compared to 3.01pc by the CAR.

CORK

1st April 2020 The Imperial Hotel

DUBLIN

76 South Mall, T12 A2YT

EXHIBITOR PROFILE • Health Resorts & Spas

• Airports

• International Hotels/Resorts

• Attraction Tickets

• Insurance

• Bed Banks

• Media

• Car Rental

• National/Regional Tourist Organisations

• Destination Marketing • Ferries • Financial Services including Credit Cards

Hotel Riu Plaza The Gresham 23 O’Connell Street Upper, D01 C3W7

VISITOR PROFILE

• Airlines

• Cruise Companies

2nd April 2020

• Technology and Communications Companies • Theme & Leisure Parks

Travel Agent Proprietors, Managers and Frontline Travel Professionals.

PROMOTION OF THE SHOW A comprehensive promotional programme will ensure a high turnout of travel agent proprietors, managers and frontline travel professionals.

FREE EXHIBITOR & VISITOR CAR PARKING

• Ticketing Agents

• Golf Resorts and Related Services

• Trade Associations

• Ground Handling

• Tour Operators

• Travel Agents

BOOK YOUR STAND NOW!

ORGANISERS

CONTACTS

The Irish Travel Trade Show is organised on behalf of The Irish Travel Agents Association by Business Exhibitions Limited 59 Rathfarnham Road Terenure Dublin D6W AK70

Maureen Ledwith - Sales Director t: +353 (0)1 291 3700 • e: maureen@bizex.ie Paulette Moran - Sales Manager t: +353 (0)1 291 3702 • e: paulette@bizex.ie Angela O’Rourke - Business Development Manager t: +353 (0)1 291 3705 • e: angela@bizex.ie

www.irishtraveltradeshow.com 126311 TRADE SHOW SEPTEMBER 2019_V2.indd 1

02/08/2019 13:10

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 34

GLOBAL VILLAGE

Inside the Travel Business

TRAVELPORT have reached fifty

Trip Assist customers across five continents, following the recent signing of agreements with leading travel agencies such as CT Travel (UK), Ezfly (Taiwan), Cisalpina Tours (Italy) and Top Viajes (Mexico).

TRAVEL CORPORATION

hosted an evening BBQ event in Marco Pierre White’s Courtyard Bar & Grill in Donnybrook to launch the 2020 Insight Vacations USA & Canada Brochure, transporting guests to the event on Insight Vacations customised coach.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN’s loyalty scheme for trade agents, Club Rewards is giving away five places to give away at the special event on Tuesday September 17th at Cliff House Hotel Ardmore to agents who send their favourite photos from their fifth or 50th birthday party, and tell why they should win.

The event is in celebration of Royal Caribbean’s 50th Birthday The full day event will consist of afternoon activities, Annual Trade Partner Awards and a Cocktail Party with evening entertainment. Entries to be submitted to RoyalTradeEvents@rccl.com before August 19. Winners will be announced August 23.

CLAIMS The ITAA have written to the Law Society complaining about a solicitor who is inviting claims from holiday makers who have been injured on holiday so they can open proceedings against travel agents.

Gardens of the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos in Cordoba

ECTAA for forum

ITAA to host Sec General of European travel lobby

E

ric Drésin, the secretary general of the European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Association is the TIGRE WEB Greyce Inacio of latest to join the line up Club Travel won pair of return tickets to any at the Irish travel Agents long-haul destination on the Air France KLM Association conference in Network in their incentive for group bookings Cordoba, on October 18 made through the online group tool Tigre Web ECTAA was founded on AgentConnect.biz. in 1961 at Bad Kreuznach (Federal Republic of GerSKAL Dublin’s 2019 calendar is: Sept 10th. Cassidy’s Hotel, Parnell Sq. October 8th. many) by the national associations of travel agents Herbert Park Hotel Nov 12th. Guinness Storeand tour operators of the 6 house, Dec 10th. President’s Lunch, Fitzpatfounding Member States rick’s Castle Hotel Meet 12.00 Noon. of the Common Market.

PRINCESS Cruises launched three Other national associations guarantees to the trade: joined ECTAA with the n ensure sales, guest services and contact cen- successive enlargements tre teams, to be on hand for agents seven days of the European Union. a week via Princess call centre with online chat ECTAA recently filed n to deliver profitable growth for its partners a complaint against the with additional incentives including free sailairline trade association ings, monetary rewards, gifts and experience IATA with the European days and n bring more agents on board to experience the brand during cruise calls to Ireland.

TRAVEL COUNSELLORS

Ireland now has 80 members in the 26 counties nd 38 members in the six counties.

AMADEUS Content from 16 airlines,

such as Finnair and Qantas, have been integrated into the backend,

HILLS BALFOUR appointed Caroline Moultrie as new managing director.

The former executive vice president of the WTTC joins on September 16.

AWTE is in the middle of renewals and

now has 100 members with approximately 10 new members in the past month

competition authority for breach of articles 101 and 102 of the EU Treaty. This follows years of failed negotiation They say negotiations with IATA to modernise the commercial relationship between travel agents and airlines has nothing to do anymore with the former agent-principal relationship. “Airlines have entered into direct competition with travel agents on the distribution of air tickets while the classical commission-based remuneration schemes have been abandoned.”

“Airlines impose very strict, unilateral and disproportionate contractual constraints on travel agents for the distribution of

tickets, namely through the IATA Passenger Agency Programme.

The Passenger Sales Agency Agreement, which every IATA accredited agent has to sign, was drafted 40 years ago and is no longer in line with the economic reality.

ECTAA has always strived for a level-playing field between all distribu-

tion channels to preserve the interest of consumers and businesses. All attempts made by ECTAA to modernize the PAP and achieve meaningful changes have systematically been rejected. Travel agents have no say in the decision-making whatsoever and are powerless when it comes to setting the rules.

ITAA CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

THURSDAY Golf FRIDAY ITAA conference/ Dinner at the Bodega de Sociedad de Plateros de Cordoba.

SATURDAY Viana Palace and patios walking tout

Mercado Victoria Banos arabes Alma de Cordoba mosque visit Gala dinner at Cordoba palace and convention centre SUNDAY Departure for airport or Post fam tour

IRELAND UNSCATHED

BY SUPERBREAK FAIL

R

egulator Cathy Mannion and the ITAA have reported that no Irish customers have come back to them after the failure of York based Superbreak and Laterooms.

An estimated 23,000 LateRooms and 19,000 Super Break customers have future bookings

with the Group, which commenced operations in Ireland in 2016.

Tracey Pye and David Costley-Wood from KPMG have been appointed joint administrators to Laterooms Limited (trading as LateRooms.com), Superbreak Mini-Holidays Limited (trading

as Super Break) and Malvern Travel Technology Limited, after parent company Malvern Group ceased trading last week.

Superbreak offered 1700 hotels spread across some 400 British cities and towns and an additional overseas database of 3,500 hotels.

Hugo Kimber of Malvern

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 35

Inside the Travel Business

GLOBAL VILLAGE TRAVEL TRADE SHOW

The ITAA’s Irish Travel Trade Show will double up in 2020 with an exhibition in Cork on Tuesday, April 1 and a new Dublin venue, the Gresham Hotel on O’Connell St on Wednesday, April 2. Business Exhibitions says that the Dublin show will totally revamped as a result of consultation with exhibitors. Pat Dawson, CEO of the ITAA, said, “the Munster trade found it difficult to attend the Dublin show. With this in mind, we have decided to bring the show to them to save time.”

TUI Tour operator TUI AG held to its forecast while warning that it is battling overcapacity this summer in the Spanish holiday market ITAA CEO Pat Dawson, president John Spollen and executive officer Jean maxwell.

Double bonding

ITAA roadshow find agents pay for Tour Op cover

T

ravel agents are over-bonding by up to 15pc, thanks to a confusing regulatory system, the Irish travel Agents have concluded as a result of a nationwide research and discussion roadshow.

The roadshow visited Dublin, Galway and Cork, and featured question and answer sessions with the Commission of Aviation Regulator.

“One of the revelations of the road show is that agents are lodging a lot of their cash unnecessarily,” Pat Dawson CEO of the ITAA said. “ They are double bonding sectors of

their sales that are covered by tour operators.”

The roadshow also uncovered double bonding by corporate websites.

“If you have a B2B agreement with your business clients, that turnover should come out of your bonding.”

Dawson says “the tour operators who offer the deal as an organiser are proving very attractive. Because of the Package Tour Directive tour operators are gaining a bit, with factors such as insurance claims. If you do not have a pending claim the in-

creases are only 8pc or 10pc, so you are awaiting the hour and the day when there is a claim.”

The issue will be addressed at the forthcoming Irish travel Agents Association conference in Cordoba, where Josephine O’Reilly of the commission of Aviation Regulation will speak on the subject.

There will be an expert from Cooney Carey who will talk about succession and sale of travel agencies, as there is considerable interest in that area. The theme of the conference is 2020 Vision and Beyond.

WORLDCHOICE BIDS TO BOOST HOME OPTION

T

ravel agencies are surveying members to find how many homeworkers are involved in the business, in a bid to stave off competition from dedicated home working agencies such as Travel Counsellors.

Carol Anne O’Neil of Worldchoice wrote to members saying: Some of you may have received communications from Travel Counsellors about the benefits of home working and the possible opportunities from becoming a mem-

ber.

If any of you are thinking about this business model going forward, can you please contact me as there may be better and more commercially viable options available to you.

T

Tobago, using the Thomas Cook Airlines service out of Manchester in the winter months, or Virgin Atlantic out of Gatwick year round.

Tobago say the programme will highlight the island’s ‘unspoilt, untouched and undiscovered’

price received a small;l boost on the news that Turkish holiday tycoon Neset Kockar has bought a 6.71pc stake in the business.

BOOKING.com could be forced to

pay at least €150m in unpaid VAT on private holiday rentals booked through its websites, according to reports. Italian authorities are allegedly looking into whether the online giant is liable for the tax owed on payments made to the site between 2013 and 2018. The payments were for rental properties advertised on the site by private individuals, not professionally-run hotels booked through the website as these are already registered to pay the tax.

WENDY WU Tours new MD in London Glen Mintrim will be responsible for ‘driving the company’s ambitious three-year growth and development plans as well as widening and developing the operator’s important focus on the trade’. He says wants to develop links with agents.

FCM Travel Solutions has created a virtual gateway to its negotiated fares, rates and booking options, giving customers what it calls “access to its business travel content via multi-channel online and offline sources from across its global network. ”FCM say clients will have access to specialist fares from 420 airline partners, 112 global rail providers, and car hire deals in 97 countries TRAVEL CENTRES will be

Carol Anne O’Neill

TOBAGO AGENT TRAINING LAUNCH

he Tobago Tourism Agency has launched a new online training programme for agents and booking rewards platform.

Agents in Ireland can log their bookings and earn points towards a prize draw for free holidays to

THOMAS COOK ailing share

rebrand, sea and beaches; eco adventures and nature; romance and weddings and local culture, people and heritage.

Features include six modules, selling tips, sample itineraries and opportunities for incentives and fam trips. Stephen Smith

manager for the Tobago Tourism Agency says, “they can sell holidays to Tobago with confidence.

It encourages agents to log their bookings towards rewards including places on a mega-fam trip which is being planned for the end of the year.

returning to the recently refurbished Killashee Hotel for their 15th annual conference on November 8th and 9th with a yet-unnamed keynote speaker for Friday afternoon and Royal Caribbean as headline sponsor.

TRAVELPORT have appointed Phil Donnelly as new Chief People Officer based in Travelport’s global headquarters in Langley, Berkshire, England.

TRAVEL SOLUTIONS

launched their 2020 NCL Epic holiday packages, meaning customers will be able to take advantage of NCL’s new ‘Free at Sea’ – where customers can choose two of four great offers to enhance their holiday”.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN

has appointed Martin MacKinnon as two country sales director based in London.

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 36

WINDOW SEAT Last month in numbers

148.2m Number of passengers carried by Ryanair in the twelve months to July 2019

14.8m Number of passengers carried by

Ryanair in July 2019, a record for one month.

u25,000 Value of a watch transported by Emirates cargo to Hong Kong.

75 Number of days Dublin airport processed more than 100,000 passengers to end July.

17.4pc Rate of increase of Irish tourism to

Australia, the second highest from a major market.

3.5pc New growth target for Ryanair, halved from previous estimate of 7pc.

-3.8pc Decrease in visitors from Britain to Ireland since 2016 pre-referendum figures.

EXPLORING THE INNER SELFIE

R

osita Boland asks in this collection of nine journeys from nine different moments in her life, why is it that a woman travelling alone, as she has often done for months at a time, is perceived to be “brave”, whereas men who travel alone are entirely unremarkable?

“You are only brave or courageous when you are afraid of something but still do it. I have never been afraid of travelling alone.”

There were things along the way that cause her deep fear. Most terrifying was an overloaded bus with bald tyres on mountain roads with sheer drops. Describing such a bus

Elsewhere by Rosita Boland is published by Penguin Ireland

trip in 1995 along a section of the Indus Highway in Pakistan, she writes, “the road began to take on the sensation of fiction, the bus appeared to be levitating in thin air, so narrow was the road, and so close were the wheels to its bare edge.”

“The landscape was almost savage in its nightmarish beauty. I was barely able to comprehend its vast, surreal scale. Outlandish, I thought.

Not of this world. “ Later in the same chapter she is stuck in a tiny village where no women appear in public, she waits

for an aircraft that is repeatedly delayed. Being by herself out in the world has never scared her.

She says the chief joy of travelling alone is the simple act of just doing it: crossing that invisible border in your head before you ever leave home, by deciding you want to see the world anyway, even if it means doing it by yourself.

“What’s the alternative if you don’t happen to have a partner at certain times in your life but still long to travel, as I do? Stay at home and never go anywhere?

Busman’s holiday: Pearse Keller Every month we ask a leading travel professional to write about their personal holiday experience. This month: Pearse Keller of Keller Travel.

M

y earliest memories of family holidays was each year we would head off to Jersey. My parents had honeymooned there and now they were returning with their three kids, meeting up with some families that they had befriended on their first trip.

Our hotel was right on the beach and here we learnt the art of Cricket through our English friends, we even drove there once from B’sloe, taking the ferry to Wales and onwards from Weymouth to Jersey, six of us (granny came too) in a vauxhall viva,with no air conditioning, rear seatbelts or car seats.

I suppose an advert in the Evening Herald changed our holiday and

H

life plans for the next twenty years. Waiting in the Aisling Hotel while my father waited for my mother to return from the shops he came upon an advert for a caravan for Sale.

It was on the South Circular road and two hours later it was his for 300 Pounds, while we did a few practice runs to Enniscrone, Lough Key Forest Park.

It was time to venture further afield, we sailed from Cork to Roscoff on Brittany Ferries first sailing and La Baule was our first port of call, that trip we made it as far as Lourdes and that was my first experience of the famous baths.

The following year we made two trips to France (which I thought was magic) but I was too young to understand that dad had a plan. Jumping forward almost forty years we have holidayed & worked in this beautiful country which

An ad for a caravan made Keller travel campsite specialists is so diverse in scenery, gastronomy and people.

You can travel from region to region and immediately notice the extreme change in architecture and even the attitude and friendliness of the locals.

The mountains, the Sea, the cities, it’s all there. I still love nothing better than being beside the ocean with a chilled bottle of white and a dozen oysters.

France to me has been the ‘true’ busman’s holiday as this destination is the mainstay of our business.

My kids who have now flown the nest were fortunate to spend many weeks

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

idden away in the small print of Ryanair’s accounts is a tasty success story.

What will save Ryanair’s dough?. “We are the largest seller of ham and cheese panini in Europe”, finance director Neil Sorahan claims.

He has compared the Swords based airline’s sales to putting “the equivalent of 455 7/11 convenience stores in the sky every day”.

The growth in ancillary sales, up

27pc to #800m, was surprising, given that Ryanair have relaxed their baggage policy and made it easier for passengers to book online without having to clear a virtual Grand National of hurdles.

Ancillary sales are rising.

Ryanair kept the amount of revenue it made from each passenger flown flat even as average fares slumped 6pc. This is just as well given that plans for growth have been thrown into chaos by the

troubles engulfing the Boeing 737 MAX, the only aircraft type on its order book.

Regulators are still a long way off approving Boeing’s fix for the a deadly software problem. The aircraft is unlikely to return to the skies this year.

With the airline’s announcement that profits had fallen 21pc yearon-year in the three months to the end of June, those panini are more important than ever.

each summer at resorts where they made friends for life, when they were old enough they came back to work there (no such thing as a free lunch).

I therefore like to escape the first week of March to somewhere like Lanzarote and all the better if we get a room at The Princesa Yaisa. I enjoy travelling (I would have loved to have been a pilot) and have been fortunate to have been to some great places,Vietnam and South Africa are among my favourite and for pure relaxation you can’t beat a cruise.

What’s on the bucket list? Argentina (someone tell Cathy).

IN YOUR NEXT TRAVEL EXTRA: Available to Travel Agents or online September 16 2019

SKI & SNOW ISSUE Park CityFlachau Val Thorens Wagrain SNOW TRENDS

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 37

MEETING PLACE

inner and Andrea Linda Collins, Kirstin Sk llidays at the Las Ho Schneider of American blin, Vegas roadshow in Du

Katja Spitz of Las Vega s Maverick and Tryphava CVA, Dan Flores of na Cross of Las Vega s CVA at the Las Vegas roadshow in Dublin,

Out and about with the Travel Trade

Olwen McKinney of Amadeus and Jenny Rafter of Aer Lingus, Travel Industry Golf Society at Palmerstown house,

Mairead Keegan of Clickandgo and Dawn Conway of Sunway, Celebrity Reflection in Dublin

ffy onnor and Caitriona Du Chloe Walsh, Kelly O’C Las Vegas roadshow in Oonagh McCullagh of Ommac and Gerry Boyle, Irish and British party during IPW in Anaheim of Cassidy Travel at the Dublin,

Liz Wright and Lisa Do orl Vegas roadshow in Du ey of Tour America, Las blin,

dy tte McGough of Cassi Áine Brennan and Anne roadshow in Dublin, s Travel at the Las Vega

Louise Daly and Berna rd Nolan of Cassidy Travel, Las Vegas roa dshow in Dublin,

Dee Burdock of Ameri can Richardson of American Holidays, Bladhana Hunter of Aer LIngus, Holidays and Andrea IPW in Anaheim

pd Cheryl Cleworth of Tro Rachel McAnaspie an s roadshow in Dublin, ga ical Sky at the Las Ve

Sarah Wynne and Ela ine McManus of Club Travel, Las Vegas roa dshow in Dublin,

Rebecca Cunningham, Elaine King and Colleen and Franc McCafy Hull of Indigo tickets dse Lin Butler of Bookabed and Ciara Mooney of Freeat the Las Vegas Delta?air France/KLM dom Travel at the Las Vegas roadshow in Dublin, frey of , roadshow in Dublin

Alan Preston and Will Walsh of Clickandgo at the Claire Doherty of Travel USA Ireland and Tony Department chair of Visit Las Vegas roadshow in Dublin, Lane of Visit USA dru ing IPW in Anaheim

Paula Usher and Mairead Keegan of Clickandgo at the Las Vegas roadshow in Dublin,

ling Dunniece of AmerDeirdre Whelan and Ais ine Quigley of Keith rol , ican Holidays with Ca gas roadshow in Dublin Prowse Travel, Las Ve

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 38

MEETING PLACE

vel, Conroy of Cassidy tra Chloe Byrne and Jade the Alex Visit California event at

Sarah Appleton and an d Counsellors , Las Vega Criona Buggie of Travel s roadshow in Dublin,

Out and about with the Travel Trade

Michael English of Celebrity Cruises and Bernie Shannon Fitzharris and Lieneke Hodnett of Burke of Travel Centres, Celebrity Reflection in American Holidays at the Las Vegas roadsh ow in Dublin, Dublin

Riona McGrath and Tara Hynes of Travelport with Philip, Tanya and Jamie Airey, Travel Industry arles and Lisa Kearney sh O Reilly, Karen Ch , Tri Golf Society at Palmerstown house, gas roadshow in Dublin of Best4travel, Las Ve

Travel, Des Abbott of Helen Kelly of Platinum re Dunne of The Travel Darren Hutchinson of Strand Travel and Carmel Cla Aylward of The Travel Broker, Celebrity Reflecd Des Abbott Travel an dshow in Dublin, tion in Dublin roa s ga Ve s La at Broker

Michael Wareham of Pa don Reed of Bliss wedd pillon Group and Braning chapel. Las Vegas CVA event

rTravel and Sharon Ha Brian Gillespie of Oasis lebrity Reflection in , Ce ney of Cassidy Travel blin Du

Karen Maloney and Ste ven Pierce, Etihad inn novation centre in Abu Dhabi

Tom Travers of the Hotel Beacon New York and Aoife Gregg of United, IPW in Anaheim, June 3 2019

Liz Wright and Veronica with Aoife Gregg of Un Flood of Tour America ited, Irish and British pa at the Fifth Rooftop ba r during IPW in Anaheimrty

rAmerica and Susan Fa ow Brenda Clarke of Tour s roadsh ga Ve s La s, ga Ve an kas of Cosmopolit in Dublin,

John Booty and John Warr of Wendy Wu with Barry Hamm Tom Kiernan of Ask Susan, Emirates event at the Indigo tick ond of Sunway and Lindsey Hull of ets, Las Vegas CVA eve Irish Open in Lahinch, nt

Erin Lynch and Lauren Kelly of Booksbed , Visit California event at the Alex

eill biz and Carol Anne O’N Don Shearer of Travel in tion flec Re Celebrity of Worldchoice Ireland, blin Du

SEPTEMBER 2019 PAGE 39

Out and about with the Travel Trade

cy McLoughlin of Tour Ciara Andrews and Tra dshow in Dublin, roa s America, Las Vega

Bernie Burke of Travel Ce of Machine Guns Vega ntres, Tiffany Watkins s Travel Centres, Las Ve and Dominic Burke of gas CVA event

and Liz Wright of Tour Aoife Gregg of United eim America, IPW in Anah

Paula Cross of Platinu m of Platinum travel at the Travel and Sinead Mintl Las Vegas roadshow Dublin, in

g ilfinders with Aoife Greg Dave Hayeems of Tra y Da nce de en ep Ind , ited and Brian Reilly of Un ssy, July 3 2019 event at the US Emba

Dave Hayeems of Tra ilfin ham of Papillon Group, ders and Michael WareLas Vegas CVA event

MEETING PLACE

Veronica Flood and Liz Marian Benton of Map Travel, Miriam Skelly of Wrigh wit h Aoife Gregg of United t of Tour America Navan Travel and Tanya Airey of Sunway, Travel , Sunset on Huntingdo n Be ach during IPW in Anaheim Industry Golf Society at Palmerstown house, , June 3 2019

Ross Waters and Niamh Doherty of Tour America, Celebrity Reflection in Dublin

ie bate Travel and Valer David O’Hagan of Dona s, Celebrity Reflection ise Murphy of Celebrity Cru in Dublin

Tiffan Tryphavana Cross of Las Vegas & NYC, Michael Me y Watkins of Machine Guns Vegas and Kim ad Doorley of Shandon Travel and Maureen Ledwith. Ve e of The School Tour Company of the Las gas roadshow in Dublin of Business Exhibitions at the US Embassy ,

of Aer Lingus, r and Lisa Hammond nte Hu a dre An Lauren Fitzgerald and Charlene Griffin of Cassidy in Anaheim, Knott’s Berry Farm, IPW Travel, Las Vegas roadshow in Dublin,

Martin Skelly of Navan Travel, Jamie and Philip Marie By rne Airey of Sunway, John Galligan of John Galligan of Sky To of Abbey Travel and Melissa Rugg urs, Las Vegas roadsh Travel and Joe Tully of Tully’s Travel, ow in Dublin,

Emma Reilly and Joanne Hegarty of Wallace travel, Las Vegas roadshow in Dublin,

Siobhan Scanlon of Air Frank McCaffrey and y celebration at the resiFrance/KLM, Bastille da ssador ba dence of the French am

★ ★★★★

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EXHIBIT! 123821 TE APRIL_ HWS 2020 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

e: angela@bizex.ie

e: maureen@bizex.ie

3/13/19 1:23 PM