Alvaro Rey, general manager, InterContinental - Travel Daily Media
Alvaro Rey, general manager, InterContinental - Travel Daily Media
Alvaro Rey, general manager, InterContinental - Travel Daily Media
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Tuesday 3rd January 2012 ▶ P 1<br />
≪ FACE TO FACE<br />
<strong>Alvaro</strong> <strong>Rey</strong>, <strong>general</strong> <strong>manager</strong> at<br />
<strong>InterContinental</strong> Park Lane, arguably<br />
the happiest hotelier in London ahead<br />
of the Olympic games... READ MORE<br />
≪ EYE ON NORTH AMERICA<br />
New eco-bus tours to the Grand<br />
Canyon launch, Hilton reopens in<br />
Albany and Sheraton opens in Kansas<br />
Crown Center... READ MORE<br />
≪ FAIRMONT REVEALS 2012<br />
OPENING PLANS<br />
Hotel chain targets Eurovision and<br />
Euro pilgrims in new openings, as<br />
well as new property in Jaipur...<br />
READ MORE<br />
BOOK BY<br />
18 TH JANUARY<br />
AND SAVE UP TO<br />
£500 P/P.<br />
ON<br />
SUMMER HOLIDAYS<br />
High street stores<br />
‘should adopt Apple-like<br />
concepts’: ABTA<br />
Association reveals trends for 2012…<br />
Excessive card<br />
surcharges to be<br />
banned<br />
BOOK NOW ><br />
08453 676767<br />
BA preps for ‘cyber<br />
surfing Tuesday’<br />
British Airways<br />
has dubbed<br />
today ‘cyber<br />
surfi ng Tuesday’<br />
as it expects a<br />
rush in website<br />
visits and bookings. The airline has<br />
predicted that with many Brits back<br />
at their desk today, prospective<br />
holidaymakers will turn to travel<br />
sites to research and book their<br />
next escape. It expects today to be<br />
its busiest day with a 50% increase<br />
in traffic. “The fi rst day back at<br />
work always leads to a spike in<br />
visits to our website, and this year<br />
with the excitement of The London<br />
2012 Games and an extra holiday<br />
for the Queen’s Jubilee, we know<br />
planning holidays is going to be at<br />
the forefront of everyone’s minds,”<br />
said Andrew Crawley, commercial<br />
director at British Airways.<br />
High street travel agencies will<br />
have to create an interactive<br />
and fun store concept similar to<br />
Apple to get consumers through<br />
the doors, a new ABTA report<br />
has said. The association's 2012<br />
<strong>Travel</strong> Trends Report said that<br />
while bookings through high<br />
street had increased by 7%<br />
year-on-year, shops will have<br />
to move away from 'rows of<br />
booking agents behind desks' to<br />
differentiate from online. Agents<br />
have been advised to use their<br />
training, expertise and technology<br />
such as iPads to develop<br />
personalised inspiration for<br />
clients, who will expect a tailored,<br />
authentic holiday. Beach holidays,<br />
'adult gap', cruises and wedding<br />
Photo credit: 1000 Words / Shutterstock.com<br />
will remain popular holiday types,<br />
with all-inclusive an attraction for<br />
those on a budget and 'remote<br />
and discreet' trips favoured by the<br />
luxury market. The mid-market<br />
will continue to see the most<br />
pressure, as middle class families<br />
are most affected by the downturn<br />
and holidayed less during 2011.<br />
Meanwhile, over 55s and under<br />
24s look set to take multiple trips<br />
within the year.<br />
The eurozone crisis, high<br />
inflation and low economic<br />
growth will impact holiday spend<br />
alongside tax increases (APD and<br />
ETS) so package holidays with<br />
financial protection are expected<br />
to remain popular. Click here for<br />
full story.<br />
Airlines continue tax campaign as ETS hits<br />
Bosses at easyJet, IAG,<br />
Ryanair and Virgin Atlantic<br />
have continued to express their<br />
call to scrap APD as the Emissions<br />
Trading Scheme kicked in on<br />
Sunday. Carolyn McCall from<br />
easyJet, Willie Walsh from IAG,<br />
Michael O'Leary from Ryanair<br />
and Steve Ridgway from Virgin<br />
Atlantic combined to ‘Axe the Tax’<br />
in November before the Treasury<br />
announced it was to increase APD<br />
later this year.<br />
It has continued to call for APD<br />
to be scrapped but agreed that the<br />
environmental aspect of ETS was<br />
a step in the right direction. “Under<br />
ETS, UK airlines face paying €400m<br />
a year by 2020. Annual revenue<br />
from APD already stands at £2.5bn,<br />
and the Government wants it to<br />
rise to £3.6bn by 2016,” the airlines<br />
explained in a joint statement.<br />
Click here for full story.<br />
Excessive credit card and<br />
debit card surcharges are to<br />
be banned this year following an<br />
investigation by Which?. Fees on<br />
the sale of airline fares currently<br />
add up to another £12 on prices,<br />
while charges put up to £92 extra<br />
on holiday bookings.<br />
The ban would mean no<br />
company could make profit from<br />
the charges, which are thought to<br />
have increased 1,400% in seven<br />
years.<br />
“We want consumers to be<br />
able to shop around,” said Mark<br />
Hoban, financial secretary to the<br />
Treasury in a report from Metro.<br />
Click here for full story.<br />
£26m compensation<br />
granted from 2011<br />
collapses<br />
Around £26 million in<br />
compensation was paid out<br />
to consumers last year following<br />
24 travel company collapses, new<br />
figures have revealed.<br />
Almost 74,000 travellers were<br />
affected by company failures<br />
during 2011 with the average<br />
claim at £353, although the<br />
numbers were lower than 2009,<br />
when 189,000 passengers were<br />
hit and £47m was paid out.<br />
In addition, the research by<br />
Kelkoo showed that 71% of<br />
consumers would find it difficult<br />
financially to book a holiday until<br />
compensation has come through,<br />
which can take up to four months.<br />
The travel company has now<br />
warned that collapses during<br />
2012 could take place during<br />
peak booking periods such as<br />
early this year and summer. Click<br />
here for full story.<br />
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