13 minute read
Remember The Travel Corporation’s Stanley Tollman
“Book it through the site, book it through the portal,” said Walker, addressing the issue of unwieldy call centre hold times that have been the bane of travel agents throughout the pandemic. The phone should be seen as a last resort, he added, while acknowledging that “tour operators need to do a much better job at handling the volume of calls.” Walker also touched on the silver lining of the pandemic: “This is a time that the services of a travel professional will be critical. Consumers know that, and the industry knows that.” Service fees also came up. “If you weren’t a believer [in professional fees] before [the pandemic], I hope you’re a believer now,” said Adamo. “You need to charge for your time, for your services, full stop. And you need to charge the right amount. I'm not talking $20 or $25. You need to charge a legitimate fee for your services.” Agents also shouldn’t have any clients travelling without proper insurance, he added. Another panel discussion at the ACTA Summit, ‘Setting Your Standards through Professional Fees’, dealt exclusively with the importance of travel advisors making sure they see their own value, and charge for it, with service fees. Flemming Friisdahl, founder and owner, The Travel Agent Next Door, moderated the panel, which included Chelsey Wheatley with CAA Atlantic, TTAND advisor Becky Kershaw, and Ottawa-based travel advisor Norm Payne. The panelists were forthcoming about what they charge, and why. “Professional fees are something I’ve championed since day one,” said Payne. “I’ve always instinctively felt that travel agents should be charging a fee.” The ACTA Summit also included a presentation by Jennifer Hendry, Senior Research Associate, Conference Board of Canada, who cited Canadians’ growing reserves of discretionary income for post-pandemic travel spending, and pent-up travel demand. The vast majority - 89% - of Canadians say they miss travel, said Hendry. The stats also show the highest travel intentions in over a year, however only 1 in 10 of those say they plan to travel outside of Canada. Confusion over travel requirements, from testing to accepted vaccines, will continue to suppress demand. Travellers right now “are reticent,” she said, adding “they need your assurances … to help close the deal.” TORONTO — The travel industry has lost a true visionary and innovator with the recent passing of Stanley Tollman, Chairman of The Travel Corporation (TTC). A much beloved patriarch, Tollman passed away in France, surrounded by his family, following a battle with cancer. He was 91. Under Tollman’s leadership, TTC, which celebrated its centenary in 2020, has become one of the most renowned family-owned and run travel businesses in the world. A man from very humble origins, Tollman was born in the small fi shing village of Paternoster in the Western Cape of South Africa in 1930. There, his family ran a modest hotel where the lavatories were outdoors and a young Tollman roamed barefoot. At the age of eight, his family moved to Johannesburg where his parents acquired another hotel and it was during this time that Tollman’s work ethic, curiosity and passion for the world of hospitality began to take shape. In 1954 he married Beatrice Lurie, beginning an extraordinary love story and partnership that has lasted almost 70 years. Their journey in hospitality began right away, when in 1954 they used their wedding money to purchase their fi rst business venture – the Nugget Hotel in Johannesburg. As a young hotelier, Tollman worked tirelessly and was driven by his relentless pursuit of perfection. With this ethos in place, the young Tollmans soon became some of the leading hoteliers of South Africa. In the mid-1950s, their Hyde Park Hotel put them on the global stage by being the fi rst to bring world-famous artists to South Africa, including Marlene Dietrich and Maurice Chevalier. Their reputation as world-class hoteliers grew even further with the opening of the fi rst fi ve-star and allsuite hotel in South Africa, the Tollman Towers. Simultaneously, Tollman’s interests across all segments of the tourism industry came together with the creation of The Travel Corporation, which included the purchase of Trafalgar Tours. As a man of values, Tollman was unable to accept the racist apartheid policies being enforced in South Africa at the time. He was one of the fi rst to boldly invite black guests and performers into his luxury hotels despite the ruling government’s policies. Sadly, government policies forced Tollman to shift his focus beyond South African borders, and together with his wife and four children, he left South Africa in 1976. Rebuilding in England and then the United States, Tollman continued to expand and innovate in the travel industry over the decades. He had a special affi nity for Canada, making his fi rst trip abroad as a young man to Hamilton, Ontario to visit relatives. He opened TTC’s fi rst Canadian offi ce in Toronto in 1968, beginning with the guided tour brand Trafalgar. He travelled across the country, personally hosting travel presentations and visiting travel advisor partners. With the success of Trafalgar, Tollman later purchased and brought Contiki, the leading youth travel company, to Canada in 1989, followed by premium guided tour brand Insight Vacations in 1994. In 2003 he acquired Canadian-based Lion World Travel, and was also instrumental in bringing Uniworld, the most-awarded luxury river cruise line, to the Canadian market in 2004. Today, Canada represents the third largest travel market for The Travel Corporation. TTC has since grown to become a portfolio of 40 award-winning brands. Tollman’s travel businesses, pre-pandemic, carried over two million travellers annually worldwide.
Recovery for the airline industry is happening, slowly but surely, however the latest stats from IATA underscore the massive challenges still on the horizon. Net industry losses are expected to reduce to US$11.6 billion in 2022, after a $51.8 billion loss in 2021. And net 2020 loss estimates have been revised to $137.7 billion (from $126.4 billion). All in all, that means total losses for the airline industry in 2020-2022 could reach $201 billion, according to new figures released by IATA. Total passenger numbers are expected to reach 2.3 billion in 2021. This will grow to 3.4 billion in 2022 which is similar to 2014 levels and significantly below the 4.5 billion travellers of 2019. Demand (measured in RPKs) is expected to stand at 40% of 2019 levels for 2021, rising to 61% in 2022. VisitScotland has launched a new travel trade platform called Discover Scotland 2022. The new event series comprises an online B2B event called ‘Discover Scotland: Reconnect 2022’ featuring five regional showcases. These showcases, known as ‘Discover Scotland: Live Showcase,’ will take place in May and September 2022 to promote trade-ready-Scottish tourism businesses to key international buyers on the ground in Scotland. In 2022, Discover Scotland 2022 will replace the longstanding annual VisitScotland Expo, featuring a new format designed to mitigate the challenges of the pandemic and build on the success of Scotland Reconnect 20/21. Scotland Reconnect was held virtually in November 2020 and was successfully repeated in April 2021 as an alternative to live events during the pandemic. More than 7,000 pre-arranged business meetings took place over the three days in April.
Silver Spirit
CRUISE LINES
Silversea Cruises has launched its first international television commercial. Part of an integrated, multi-channel advertising campaign that includes print, digital, and social media, the 30-second television spot is now appearing on major national television networks and streaming platforms in the U.S. and the U.K. and will also roll out in markets around the world. The TV commercial invites curious travellers to rediscover the world and features Silversea collaborator and world-renowned photographer Steve McCurry. From his suite aboard the ultra-luxury Silver Spirit, McCurry pens an open invitation, addressed ‘To the Curious,’ in which he writes: "To all of you who have been yearning to travel: It's time. The world is reopening. Open up to the world.”
Atlas Ocean Voyages has expanded its complimentary insurance coverage with the launch of the Atlas Assurance protection program. As part of the program, medical coverage includes emergency evacuation and return home transportation; emergency prescription and eyeglasses replacement; payment guarantee of medical expenses; dispatch of physician or specialist; worldwide hospital and physician referral, return of dependent children; and more. Travel services include lost document assistance; 24-hour emergency travel arrangements; embassy and consular assistance; traveling companion transportation; and more. Guests also are covered with worldwide legal and bail bonds assistance.
Quinta Eden Villahermosa
HOTELS
Preferred Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest independent hotel brand, has welcomed 19 new members to its global portfolio this summer. These include: The Dupont Circle Hotel (Washington D.C.); Montage Big Sky (Montana); Hotel Haven, and Hotel Lilla Roberts (Helsinki, Finland); The Leela Bhartiya City Bengaluru (Bengaluru, India); Mercer Hotel Sevilla, and EME Cathedral Mercer (Seville, Spain); Quinta Eden Villahermosa (Villahermosa, Mexico); Sommerro (Oslo, Norway); Capellan de Getsemani (Cartagena de Indias, Colombia)); Bellwether House (Savannah, Georgia); Grosvenor House Suites (London, U.K.); Alsace Hotel (Los Angeles); Smyth Tribeca (New York); Marijani Beach Resort & Spa (Zanzibar); Daytona Grande Oceanfront Resort (Daytona Beach); The Scottsdale Plaza Resort (Arizona); HS HOTSSON Smart Guadalajara Autónoma (Guadalajara, Mexico); and Hacienda Encantada Resort & Residences (Cabo San Lucas, Mexico).
Iberostar Hotels & Resorts has opened its first hotel in Peru: Iberostar Selection Miraflores. Having opened on Oct. 1 in Lima’s city centre, the five-star hotel features 18 floors, at the top of which sits a stunning rooftop infinity pool. It also boasts the Cosmos Level, a new concept offering exclusive spaces within the hotel as well as other perks like concierge service and private meeting rooms. Guests can also enjoy two specialty restaurants – Ortega & Huamán and Tapería 27 Tapas – both led by renowned Peruvian chef Carlos Testino.
The Transat team at Toronto's in-person agent event
Transat back in person: “We’ve built Transat by supporting travel agents”
MISSISSAUGA — It wasn’t hard finding Transat’s Toronto office on Monday – all you had to do was follow the music. A DJ played front and centre at the company’s in-person agent event on Oct. 4, its first since the start of the pandemic, and the first in a series of agent events that also includes Toronto, Hamilton, Montreal and Quebec City this month. Approximately 100 travel agents registered for yesterday’s Toronto event, which was held outdoors and with COVID-19 protocols in place, including mask wearing and proof of vaccination. And despite the overcast skies, people danced in the rain, overjoyed to be together again. “We really wanted to take a chance to have fun and put fun back in this industry,” Nicole Bursey, Commercial Director at Transat tells Travelweek. “We’ve got a great day planned with music, we have a food truck and we have some information to share with agents as well.” Most notable, says Bursey, is the launch of a Virtual Training Academy on Oct. 26, during which a brand new hotel-sharing tool will make its debut. “Without a printed brochure, we know agents need to have a tool where they can share hotel information with their clients. So we’ve got a great hotel-sharing tool that we’ll be launching and I’m sure that agents will be happy to have that,” she adds. In addition to the Virtual Training Academy and the new tool, Bursey is reminding agents about Transat’s other agent-friendly initiatives, including the ability to add Option Flex onto their file and check their refund status online. “I think anything that gets an agent off the telephone lines to our call centre is important,” says Bursey. “Transat, as well as others, are really suffering with being able to staff up the call centers. These new tools that allow agents to avoid a phone call is what we’re all about.” Heading into the winter season, Bursey says the company is “really excited” about its program, which will include some 50 destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America, the United States and Europe. In Europe specifically, where Transat recently resumed service to the U.K. and Portugal, she adds that bookings have been on the rise. “For the last few months, a lot of Europe travel has been people visiting friends and relatives. We’re really looking forward to when Canadians can feel more comfortable about travelling to Europe on true vacation and we’re starting to see a good pickup in sales,” she says. When it comes to momentum heading into the winter months, Bursey adds that the company is coming off a “better than anticipated” summer. Air Transat returned to the skies on July 30, following a six-month pause due to the pandemic, starting with just three commercial flights and culminating with 24 routes to 16 destinations in Canada, the United States, the South and Europe. “It was a modest program, with domestic really leading the way. But there certainly were a number of Canadians who had that pent-up desire to go somewhere sunny, to go somewhere south, so our South program did quite well,” she says. In addition to the resumption of flights, the summer was also marked by a “whack of refund requests,” as Bursey says. After securing government financial aid back in April that allowed Transat to borrow up to $700 million in additional liquidity, the company announced that it would start offering refunds to travellers who were issued a travel credit due to COVID-19. The deadline to submit a refund request was Aug. 26. “We’re just finishing up the last few files to actually get money back in people’s bank accounts, which we wanted to support wholeheartedly,” says Bursey. “We’re happy it was able to happen and we were also thrilled that we could also protect agent commission for those files.” Adding that commission protection was “critical” for the company, Bursey says that agents have always been and always will be a central figure in Transat’s success. “We’ve built Transat by supporting travel agents. We don’t want that to ever stop,” she says. “We know that this pandemic has hit them really hard, as it has hit all sectors in travel. But we were there to support our travel agent partners. “Now there are still tough decisions to be made and we can’t always make decisions that are popular to the travel agent community but I really hope that they understand that we do consider them in our decisions.” When asked how morale has been among its agent partners, Bursey says it’s been a bit of a mixed bag, as it has been with Transat’s own team. “You feel like there’ve been a couple steps forward and then something pushes you back a bit. But I think for the most part, more agents are back to work, more of our staff are back to work, and it’s been really optimistic but with a little bit of realism thrown in there,” she says. “But we’ve learned a lot along the way and we’ve developed new tools that will make agents’ job easier when they do come back to full servicing new business.”
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