Travel Weekly, 20 February 2009
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TWcruise: All the latest news on the water front
9 OF Analysis: Rebuilding India’s PAGES tourism industry page 20 JOBS
February 20 2009 | Connecting today’s travel industry | www.travelweekly.co.uk
Pride London director urges travel firms to engage with the gay community – pages 7 and 22
PICTURE: REX FEATURES
Think pink Promotion! Fight scams now Win two Premium MPs get behind Economy tickets travel industry’s with Virgin Flightstore war on fraud page 27 > Page 3 A REED BUSINESS PUBLICATION ISSUE 1,959
Destinations Dynamic packaging update page 65
NEWS
Mystery Shopper Cambridge agents rush to find a last-minute ski holiday: page 32
Pride London director says LGBT community is wary of travel firms ‘cashing in’
‘Engage with market to attract pink pound’ “The minute a tour operator says it is going to do a gay programme, we would wonder why”
Edward Robertson [email protected] Travel agents and operators trying to court the pink pound need to actively engage with the gay market if they are to win loyalty. Pride London director Colm Howard-Lloyd, who organises the annual festival, said companies wishing to target the lesbian gay bisexual and transgender market must be prepared to first give something to the community to prove its intentions are genuine. He said: “It’s all very well to say: ‘Here’s our gay-friendly offering,’ but the minute a tour operator says it is going to do a gay programme, we would wonder why. “We know how valuable the pink pound is and we are really quite cynical about anyone taking advantage of it. We’ve seen through all that and that’s why the organisations that actively work with the community and support it are the ones we trust. “Travel companies that sponsor Pride realise there’s a bit of give and take. If they spend money with us then it sends a sign to us that they’re serious about our market and not trying to cash in.” Howard-Lloyd added that travel companies could prove their commitment to the LGBT
very well but it is not different. The one thing a gay/lesbian travel agent can do is tell me what it is like in a destination and its appeal.” Howard-Lloyd was speaking at the European Symposium on Gay and Lesbian Tourism in London last week.
For daily news go to
www.travelweekly.co.uk Travel firms can sponsor LGBT events such as London Pride to prove their commitment to the market
‘So gay’ ad campaign pays off The controversial advertising campaign ‘so gay’, which caused widespread controversy, is still paying off for Amro Worldwide. The gay and lesbian specialist operator launched the campaign in July 2008 to highlight the gay credentials of six US partner destinations. The publicity it attracted saw the South Carolina Parks, Recreation and Tourism department request posters be removed from London Underground. The move generated worldwide media coverage and is still making newspaper headlines, most recently when South Carolina PRT department director Chad Prosser was questioned by the state’s lawmakers in January over office absences. Amro Worldwide managing director Andrew Roberts said: “One of the comments was: ‘If [Prosser] had been in the office he may have known about [the campaign] and never have let it through.’”
market by sponsoring a number of festivals and events. However, he warned companies that they cannot just buy their way in, they must be able to prove their companies adhere to gay-friendly employment practices in order to qualify. Howard-Lloyd also said many LGBT travellers will still often look for specialist travel agents to help them secure the bookings they need rather than resorting to the internet. He added: “Expedia is all
THE UK LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER TRAVEL MARKET IN FIGURES 63% – the proportion of the market booking their holidays online. 60% choose to holiday away from well-known holiday hotspots. 33% feel more secure going to a gay-friendly resort. 48% didn’t agree that they were being affected by the credit crunch. 81% have credit cards. 49% use their credit cards when paying for their holidays. 52% pay off their credit card balance each month. Of the 3,600 respondents to the survey run by LGBT specialist technology company QSoft Consulting, 88% were male. Although it was run last September, the survey was re-run earlier this month with 2,700 respondents and exposed negligible changes to the results. www.travelweekly.co.uk
February 20 2009 | Travel Weekly | 7
TRAVEL WEEKLY SAYS
Support the gay market Penny Wilson Editor-in-Chief
T
here’s money in the gay market and many travel agencies would do well to focus on the pink pound when looking to differentiate themselves in a hardening economic climate. But take note: if you’re perceived to be bleeding this market for the sake of a quick buck, you’ll lose out. Listen to what Pride London director Colm Howard-Lloyd has to say (see page 7). The gay community is well aware of how valuable its pink pound really is, and it’s pretty cynical about anyone taking advantage of it. So what to do? Howard-Lloyd says companies targeting the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender market have to
engage with it. In other words, you have to give something to the gay community to get anything back. You have to be prepared to get involved in
“Companies targeting the gay market have to engage with it”
Howard-Lloyd, could be enough to turn these travellers to specialist agents rather than using the internet.
A new look at complaints
It’s encouraging to hear of TUI Travel’s planned move to empower agents to deal with complaints (see page 12). This would mean a shift of minor complaints from its Manchester call centre, which would in turn deal with campaigning more complex matters. Critics will for something accuse TUI Travel of contemplating a close to the gay cost-cutting exercise, but negative community’s heart. comments could be misplaced. Yes, it Be ready to may mean agency staff find they have support festivals too much on their plates, in which case and create sympathetic workloads will have to be reviewed. But marketing. Most of all, in truth this will breathe new life into you have to deliver the high-street shops. The move is also in type of holidays that gay recognition of the need for complaints people like, in places to be dealt with efficiently by people they will feel secure. who understand the business and That means truly customers. Our beleaguered banks understanding their should follow suit! needs and psyche. Deliver fantastic customer service For practical advice for travel and that, assures agents, see www.gazetteers.com
GET IN TOUCH WITH TRAVEL WEEKLY Editor-in-Chief Penny Wilson 020 8652 8230 Managing Editor Martin Couzins 020 8652 3239 Editorial Assistant Patricia Thomas 020 8652 8230 News News Editor Michelle Perrett 020 8652 8237 Chief Reporter Juliet Dennis 020 8652 8238 Reporter Edward Robertson 020 8652 8253 [email protected] Reporter Ian Taylor 020 8652 8301 Online Reporter Chloe Berman 020 8652 8234
Features/Supplements Editor Karl Cushing 020 8652 8258 Deputy Editor Joanna Booth 020 8652 8242 Community Editor Emily Ashwell 020 8652 8241 Production Production Editor/ Art Editor Flora Ioannou 020 8652 8226 Chief Sub Editor Megan Turner 020 8652 8257 Senior Sub Editor Stephanie Krahn 020 8652 3881 Website Web Production Manager Nicki Rose 020 8652 3711
22 | Travel Weekly | February 20 2009
Web Editor Nathan Midgley 020 8652 8235 Sales Group Head of Sales Richard Strom 020 8652 8674 Head of Sales Jackie Anderson 07788 184 114 Key Account Manager Jo Rix 07717 341 221 Key Account Manager Neil Dummer 020 8652 3812 Key Account Manager Mary Rega 020 8652 8214 Key Account Manager (maternity leave) Natascha Henderson 020 8652 8218
Telesales Manager Lisa Roberts 020 8652 4550 Senior Sales Support Administrator Jan Hallett 020 8652 8295 Sales Support Administrator Sarah Eager 020 8652 4573 Accounts Administrator Jackie Lowe 020 8652 8286 Production Manager Nicolas Pears 020 8652 4851 Marketing and Events Events Executive Angela Hamilton-Jones 020 8652 3803 Events Business Manager Kirsty Sales 020 8652 4034
Head of Marketing Vaughan Gordon 020 8652 3307 Marketing Manager Jenny Shaw 020 8652 4526 Search Marketing Executive Kate Duffy 020 8652 3810 Recruitment Sales Team 020 8652 3022 Recruitment Production Executive Perry Gray 020 8652 8363 Publishing PA to Publishing Director Alison Killick 020 8652 8208 Publishing Director TWgroup Simon Ferguson 020 8652 3936
Lifetime Vice-President Trevor Harding 07788 184 090 Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS Tel 020 8652 3799 Fax 020 8652 3956 (Editorial) Fax 020 8652 3873 (Sales) To e-mail members of staff: first name.last [email protected] Annual subscription rates UK £110; Europe €261; ROW $335. Student rate £55 (copy of student card must be submitted with order, valid for UK students only). All subscription orders and enquiries should be directed to: Travel Weekly,
Quadrant Subscription Services, Rockwood House, Perrymount Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 3DH. Tel: 01444 445 566. Single copies £2 per copy (inc p&p). Orders should be sent to: Travel Weekly, Copy Sales Dept, Reed Business Information Limited, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS. Tel: 020 8652 8295. Copyright © Reed Business Information Limited 2009. UK Registered Number 151537. Materials in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without permission. Trademark Travel Weekly used under licence from Reed Publishing (Nederland) BV Registered at the Post Office as a
newspaper. ISSN#00 49 4577. Printed in England for the proprietors, Reed Business Information Limited, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5AS, by Polestar, Colchester. Classified advertising prepress by ITM Publishing Services.
Connecting today’s travel industry
www.travelweekly.co.uk
9 OF Analysis: Rebuilding India’s PAGES tourism industry page 20 JOBS
February 20 2009 | Connecting today’s travel industry | www.travelweekly.co.uk
Pride London director urges travel firms to engage with the gay community – pages 7 and 22
PICTURE: REX FEATURES
Think pink Promotion! Fight scams now Win two Premium MPs get behind Economy tickets travel industry’s with Virgin Flightstore war on fraud page 27 > Page 3 A REED BUSINESS PUBLICATION ISSUE 1,959
Destinations Dynamic packaging update page 65
NEWS
Mystery Shopper Cambridge agents rush to find a last-minute ski holiday: page 32
Pride London director says LGBT community is wary of travel firms ‘cashing in’
‘Engage with market to attract pink pound’ “The minute a tour operator says it is going to do a gay programme, we would wonder why”
Edward Robertson [email protected] Travel agents and operators trying to court the pink pound need to actively engage with the gay market if they are to win loyalty. Pride London director Colm Howard-Lloyd, who organises the annual festival, said companies wishing to target the lesbian gay bisexual and transgender market must be prepared to first give something to the community to prove its intentions are genuine. He said: “It’s all very well to say: ‘Here’s our gay-friendly offering,’ but the minute a tour operator says it is going to do a gay programme, we would wonder why. “We know how valuable the pink pound is and we are really quite cynical about anyone taking advantage of it. We’ve seen through all that and that’s why the organisations that actively work with the community and support it are the ones we trust. “Travel companies that sponsor Pride realise there’s a bit of give and take. If they spend money with us then it sends a sign to us that they’re serious about our market and not trying to cash in.” Howard-Lloyd added that travel companies could prove their commitment to the LGBT
very well but it is not different. The one thing a gay/lesbian travel agent can do is tell me what it is like in a destination and its appeal.” Howard-Lloyd was speaking at the European Symposium on Gay and Lesbian Tourism in London last week.
For daily news go to
www.travelweekly.co.uk Travel firms can sponsor LGBT events such as London Pride to prove their commitment to the market
‘So gay’ ad campaign pays off The controversial advertising campaign ‘so gay’, which caused widespread controversy, is still paying off for Amro Worldwide. The gay and lesbian specialist operator launched the campaign in July 2008 to highlight the gay credentials of six US partner destinations. The publicity it attracted saw the South Carolina Parks, Recreation and Tourism department request posters be removed from London Underground. The move generated worldwide media coverage and is still making newspaper headlines, most recently when South Carolina PRT department director Chad Prosser was questioned by the state’s lawmakers in January over office absences. Amro Worldwide managing director Andrew Roberts said: “One of the comments was: ‘If [Prosser] had been in the office he may have known about [the campaign] and never have let it through.’”
market by sponsoring a number of festivals and events. However, he warned companies that they cannot just buy their way in, they must be able to prove their companies adhere to gay-friendly employment practices in order to qualify. Howard-Lloyd also said many LGBT travellers will still often look for specialist travel agents to help them secure the bookings they need rather than resorting to the internet. He added: “Expedia is all
THE UK LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER TRAVEL MARKET IN FIGURES 63% – the proportion of the market booking their holidays online. 60% choose to holiday away from well-known holiday hotspots. 33% feel more secure going to a gay-friendly resort. 48% didn’t agree that they were being affected by the credit crunch. 81% have credit cards. 49% use their credit cards when paying for their holidays. 52% pay off their credit card balance each month. Of the 3,600 respondents to the survey run by LGBT specialist technology company QSoft Consulting, 88% were male. Although it was run last September, the survey was re-run earlier this month with 2,700 respondents and exposed negligible changes to the results. www.travelweekly.co.uk
February 20 2009 | Travel Weekly | 7
TRAVEL WEEKLY SAYS
Support the gay market Penny Wilson Editor-in-Chief
T
here’s money in the gay market and many travel agencies would do well to focus on the pink pound when looking to differentiate themselves in a hardening economic climate. But take note: if you’re perceived to be bleeding this market for the sake of a quick buck, you’ll lose out. Listen to what Pride London director Colm Howard-Lloyd has to say (see page 7). The gay community is well aware of how valuable its pink pound really is, and it’s pretty cynical about anyone taking advantage of it. So what to do? Howard-Lloyd says companies targeting the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender market have to
engage with it. In other words, you have to give something to the gay community to get anything back. You have to be prepared to get involved in
“Companies targeting the gay market have to engage with it”
Howard-Lloyd, could be enough to turn these travellers to specialist agents rather than using the internet.
A new look at complaints
It’s encouraging to hear of TUI Travel’s planned move to empower agents to deal with complaints (see page 12). This would mean a shift of minor complaints from its Manchester call centre, which would in turn deal with campaigning more complex matters. Critics will for something accuse TUI Travel of contemplating a close to the gay cost-cutting exercise, but negative community’s heart. comments could be misplaced. Yes, it Be ready to may mean agency staff find they have support festivals too much on their plates, in which case and create sympathetic workloads will have to be reviewed. But marketing. Most of all, in truth this will breathe new life into you have to deliver the high-street shops. The move is also in type of holidays that gay recognition of the need for complaints people like, in places to be dealt with efficiently by people they will feel secure. who understand the business and That means truly customers. Our beleaguered banks understanding their should follow suit! needs and psyche. Deliver fantastic customer service For practical advice for travel and that, assures agents, see www.gazetteers.com
GET IN TOUCH WITH TRAVEL WEEKLY Editor-in-Chief Penny Wilson 020 8652 8230 Managing Editor Martin Couzins 020 8652 3239 Editorial Assistant Patricia Thomas 020 8652 8230 News News Editor Michelle Perrett 020 8652 8237 Chief Reporter Juliet Dennis 020 8652 8238 Reporter Edward Robertson 020 8652 8253 [email protected] Reporter Ian Taylor 020 8652 8301 Online Reporter Chloe Berman 020 8652 8234
Features/Supplements Editor Karl Cushing 020 8652 8258 Deputy Editor Joanna Booth 020 8652 8242 Community Editor Emily Ashwell 020 8652 8241 Production Production Editor/ Art Editor Flora Ioannou 020 8652 8226 Chief Sub Editor Megan Turner 020 8652 8257 Senior Sub Editor Stephanie Krahn 020 8652 3881 Website Web Production Manager Nicki Rose 020 8652 3711
22 | Travel Weekly | February 20 2009
Web Editor Nathan Midgley 020 8652 8235 Sales Group Head of Sales Richard Strom 020 8652 8674 Head of Sales Jackie Anderson 07788 184 114 Key Account Manager Jo Rix 07717 341 221 Key Account Manager Neil Dummer 020 8652 3812 Key Account Manager Mary Rega 020 8652 8214 Key Account Manager (maternity leave) Natascha Henderson 020 8652 8218
Telesales Manager Lisa Roberts 020 8652 4550 Senior Sales Support Administrator Jan Hallett 020 8652 8295 Sales Support Administrator Sarah Eager 020 8652 4573 Accounts Administrator Jackie Lowe 020 8652 8286 Production Manager Nicolas Pears 020 8652 4851 Marketing and Events Events Executive Angela Hamilton-Jones 020 8652 3803 Events Business Manager Kirsty Sales 020 8652 4034
Head of Marketing Vaughan Gordon 020 8652 3307 Marketing Manager Jenny Shaw 020 8652 4526 Search Marketing Executive Kate Duffy 020 8652 3810 Recruitment Sales Team 020 8652 3022 Recruitment Production Executive Perry Gray 020 8652 8363 Publishing PA to Publishing Director Alison Killick 020 8652 8208 Publishing Director TWgroup Simon Ferguson 020 8652 3936
Lifetime Vice-President Trevor Harding 07788 184 090 Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS Tel 020 8652 3799 Fax 020 8652 3956 (Editorial) Fax 020 8652 3873 (Sales) To e-mail members of staff: first name.last [email protected] Annual subscription rates UK £110; Europe €261; ROW $335. Student rate £55 (copy of student card must be submitted with order, valid for UK students only). All subscription orders and enquiries should be directed to: Travel Weekly,
Quadrant Subscription Services, Rockwood House, Perrymount Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 3DH. Tel: 01444 445 566. Single copies £2 per copy (inc p&p). Orders should be sent to: Travel Weekly, Copy Sales Dept, Reed Business Information Limited, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS. Tel: 020 8652 8295. Copyright © Reed Business Information Limited 2009. UK Registered Number 151537. Materials in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without permission. Trademark Travel Weekly used under licence from Reed Publishing (Nederland) BV Registered at the Post Office as a
newspaper. ISSN#00 49 4577. Printed in England for the proprietors, Reed Business Information Limited, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5AS, by Polestar, Colchester. Classified advertising prepress by ITM Publishing Services.
Connecting today’s travel industry
www.travelweekly.co.uk
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