Travel Extra July 2019

AER LINGUS MIDDLE SEAT SOLUTION ROUNDS OF GULF WINTER KINGS CANARIES SINGING SUCCESS Celebrity success in Dublin

IPW in Anaheim

Pairs air show

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U YO DE A R R T PE PA

IRELAND'S PREMIER SOURCE OF TRAVEL INFORMATION Free

JULY/AUGUST 2019

VOLUME 24 NUMBER 7

Canary sun song

What your client should know about wintersun 2019-20

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JULY 2019 PAGE 3

www.travelextra.ie

How’s the crack?

Willis Tower glass box experiences another closure

A

n attraction at Chicago’s tallest building was closed temporarily after minor cracking was found in the protective coating of its glass floor.

The cracks were in the coating of glass enclosures that are known collectively as The Ledge. Visitors can walk into the four glass bays that are some 1,350 feet (411 metres) high and extend just over 4 feet (1.2 metres) beyond the building.

A Willis Tower official says the coating acts as a screen protector and was replaced. The official said no one was ever in danger, but it’s scary stuff if you’re standing on the cracking glass.

This is not the first time the glass cracked. In May 2014 it cracked as visitors were taking photos.

UBER says it will remove riders from their app if they repeatedly misbehave while getting a ride.

HOT STUFF A passenger’s carry-on

Travel Extra’s Eoghan Corry on Willis Tower in 2013

HALIFAX Westjet move their MINNEAPOLIS Aer

sonal with Ryanair this summer.

sun route this summer.

ing a Sheremetyevo service.

LISBON TAP launched Dublin double daily, opening S America

SHENZEN: Hainan started a third Chinese route February 25

see prices plunge on route

Dublin

Cork to Europe’s wedding capital.

Air Baltic started March 31

2w resumed Ryanair route after short interruption.

Arkia Israel

St John’s service April 20

BODRUM Dublin 2w sea-

IBIZA Shannon’s signature new

BORDEAUX Dublin 2w seasonal with Ryanair this summer.

KIEV Dublin 2w seasonal with Ryanair this summer.

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

Aer Lingus

HEATHROW plans to spend £50m on new 3D scanners across its four terminals by 2022, enabling passengers to keep liquids and laptops in their hand baggage. The computed tomography (CT) scanners, used in hospitals to scan patients, produce more detailed images that allow security staff to assess cabin bags with electronics and liquids inside. are offering guests the opportunity to enjoy the island’s famed pink beaches for extra night, free. The packages are available this summer from the likes of the Fairmont Southampton, Elbow Beach and The Reefs.

AALBORG one of two new Danish destinations from Dublin

CALGARY

DISNEY Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim opened on Friday May 31. The Walt Disney World version is scheduled to open in Orlando on August. 29.

BERMUDA Nine resorts on Bermuda

DESTINATIONS TO WATCH

Dublin from

NEWS

LOURDES Ryanair 2w will MALTA Ryanair service form MARRAKESH: Dublin

from Cork

HOLIDAYS WITH UNLIMITED WATERPARK ACCESS Whether you fancy floating down a lazy river in Spain or riding rapids in Turkey, we’ve got the full line-up of destinations for Summer 2020.

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

Lingus 2019 destination.

bag ignited as it was going through a security checkpoint at Yeager Airport in Charleston.

Two lithium batteries attached to a charger in the bag caused a small explosion. Airport police extinguished the flames, and here were no injuries or flight delays. The passenger continued on to the flight.

ONLINE The Colorado Supreme Court MOSCOW: Pobedoa are list- has ruled that online travel companies do not NICE: Aer Lingus from Cork resumed May 1 SPLIT: Ryanair June 1 from

TALLINN Dublin 1w from TEL AVIV: Dublin 1w from TORONTO:

Norwegian commenced Hamilton on March 31.

have to pay accommodation and sales taxes in the ski resort town of Breckenridge.

AMBASSADOR The US Senate

has confirmed the appointment of Edward Crawford as new US Ambassador to Ireland.

There has not been a US Ambassador to Ireland since January 2017.

UBER Expedia were forced to pay $325,000 to settle US. government allegations that it improperly helped 2,221 people, including some Cuban nationals, with travel services travel inside Cuba or between the island and places other than the United States, part of a renewed US economic campaign against Cuba

FREE

CHILD P L AVAIL AB ACES LE NE X T SUMME R

JULY 2019 PAGE 4

THE KNOWLEDGE

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

Editor emeritus: Gerry O’Hare gerry@travelextra.ie 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

www.travelextra.ie

8 Postcards: News from the trade 10 IPW: The China syndrome 12 Wintersun: Canary islands roundup

16 Malta: Bus stop of the Med 20 Thailand: Island hopping 20 Extremadura; Hidden Spain 24 Paris air show 25 Topflight in Lake Garda

26 Afloat: A quantum leap 28 Flying: Aer Lingus order XLR 33 Obituaries Tony Barry, Jan Kaminsky 34 Agent: Insurance costs 34 Window seat: Susan Kiernan

The Wintersun runs

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intersun holidays all come with one central problem, where can you get guaranteed sunshine without flying a sector length that defeats the pit of a seven day break?

winter climate is its consistency. The sun shines reliably for a good nine or more hours a day, with day-time temperatures reaching about 28C. Sea breezes and low humidity mean it rarely feels too hot. The sea remains at 26-27C throughout the winter.

3.5 HOURS

Madeira: Guide price

u1,500 half board. It is

mild and sub-tropical year round. Average temperature Jan-Feb about 17C. New, family-oriented and child-friendly hotels are helping Madeira change its image as a destination aimed solely at the more mature traveller.

3.5 HOURS,

Morocco: Guide price

u800 B&B. Constant

winter sun is not guaranteed, Jan and Feb temperatures are about 17C. Agadir is a popular choice, the main reasons for its popularity include its year-round sunshine with just the occasional unpredictable rainy day, its wide sandy bay and the backdrop of the snow-capped Atlas mountains.

3.5 HOURS,

Tunisia: Guide price u800 B&B. Flight time 3 hours. Constant winter sun is not guaranteed: Jan and Feb temperatures are about 17C in the north, higher in the south near Jerba and the desert. Hammamet stretches nearly 10 miles around the bay. Port el Kantaoui is a compact purpose-built resort developed round a neat modern marina. Radiating out from here are a succession of ever more grandiose hotels that

Santiburi Beach Resort, Thailand

have gradually mushroomed along the sandy coastline.

4.5 HOURS,

Canaries: Guide price

u1,000 half board. Im-

mensely popular because of the high standards through the resorts. Expect about half-a-dozen rainy days each month, seven hours of sun per day and temperatures reaching 22C-23C. Don’t expect the sea to be more than 20C, however, and check that your accommodation has a heated pool. There are escapes to the north of Tenerife and some spectacular walks in Gran Canaria for those who tire of resort life.

4.5 HOURS,, Cyprus Guide price

u800 B&B. Cyprus

has the most reliable winter climate in the Mediterranean and stays warm much later in the

year, the average sea temperature is still 19C at this time of year. Rain is recorded on about 10 days a month), but temperatures normally top 17C and the earlier in the autumn or later in the spring you go, the warmer it is.

5 HOURS,, Egypt. No direct flights from Ireland due to political situation. Guide price u1,000. December days are reliably warm with virtually unbroken sunshine, average peaks in Sharm el Sheikh on the Red sea or Luxor on the Nile are around 25C, with 10 hours of sunshine a day, very low humidity and virtually no rain. Aswan, farther up the Nile, has a similar climate, although fewer sites and a much smaller choice of hotels. Spending more on a top-rank hotel will mean better food, and a better pool.

7 HOURS,, Dubai: Guide price u1,400 room only.

Dubai/Abu Dhabi is the new Caribbean,. Beaches are superb, sun is almost guaranteed, super-sleek hotels are opening.

Shopping is not as good value as it as but other activities include golf and desert safaris, 9 HOURS,,

Caribbean. Guide price (Barbados): u2,400 all-inclusive. The Caribbean winter climate can vary according to the location of each island, but even on the wetter ones, such as St Lucia and Tobago, February is one of the driest months of the year. And when it does rain, it is most likely to fall as a heavy shower towards the end of the afternoon, rather than ruin the entire day. The main attraction of the

9 HOURS, Direct flights to Miami and Orlando so one flight daily to the state of Florida: Guide price u1,400 room only. Theme parks, beaches and keen prices make Florida a favourite winter-sun standby for Irish visitors. By March the American visitors have gone and the weather is still very comfortable. Average maximum temperatures are up to 27C, with nine hours of sun, and only seven rainy days in the month. Evenings can get cool, but the average sea temperature doesn’t drop below 23C. The Gulf coast is more sheltered and warmer than the Atlantic side.

11 HOURS

Thailand: Guide price

u1.400 room only (Phu-

ket) Flight time 11-13 hours (to Bangkok one stop via Abu Dhabi , Doha, Dubai or Istanbul.

The Thai maritime climate is not as consistent as Goa’s, but it will be hot, 30C or more, and there will be a good nine hours of sunshine a day. The biggest problem is the wind, the north-easterly monsoon wind blows through the winter. This affects east coast resorts such as Koh Samui. Phuket is more sheltered and drier. The sea is 27C-29C.

BOO KN

OW !

Cork to

Malta

â‚Ź52 From

.01

*

* One way incl. taxes & charges. Price correct as of April 5th 2019.

Terms and Conditions apply. See ryanair.com or an authorised ITAA agent for details.

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JULY 2019 PAGE 6

HOTELS

www.travelextra.ie

IHF The IHF called on the government to address the cost of insurance claiming that 62pc of its members have seen average hikes of 28pc in insurance costs over the last 12 months FLINT Belfast hoteliers Ben and Peter

Ringland received planning permission to add a £1m rooftop bar and restaurant at Flint hotel on Howard Street with seating for 220 people.

SALTHOUSE Ballycastle’s new

£2.4m 24-bedroom four-star hotel and spa The Salthouse is set to open in time for the British Open golf tournament on July 17, developed

by Denis and Therese McHenry, and i located on Dunamallaght Road.

ANDREW’S LANE Appalachian Property’s plan to add another floor and 20 more bedrooms to the136-bedroom, eightstorey hotel on the site of Dublin’s former Andrews Lane Theatre have been turned down by Dublin City Council.

PORTMARNOCK Hotel & Golf Links of north Co. Dublin is on sale with a guide price of €50m. US investment group Kennedy Wilson purchased it for €27m in 2014 and spent €11m upgrading its 134 bedrooms, banqueting and conference facilities.

HENDRICK The Hendrick hotel has

opened in Smithfield of Dublin under GM Stephan Ernest with 259 works of art and 146 rooms that include power showers, televisions and smart storage nooks.

LUTRELLSTOWN Castle Resort

is proceeding with a significant investment that will allow the venue to increase its bedroom count from 12 to 20.

CONRAD Dublin’s Conrad Hotel is

being sold to European hotel investor Archer Hotel Capital BV for €118m. The Conrad is 47.8pc owned by both Hilton Worldwide and the Cashel Fund and 52.2pc owned by Aviva.

MARKER Dublin’s five-star Marker

Hotel is for sale with a guide price of €125m.

Planning permission has been granted for an extra 60 bedrooms, a rooftop bar and brasserie, increasing the bedroom count from 187 to 247.

APPOINTMENTS Recent appointments include Kilkenny born Michael Skehan as GM of The Morgan Hotel of Dublin’s Fleet Street, Peter Loughnane as the GM of Ballymaloe House and Restaurant. Patrick Shields as GM of Cliff House Hotel, Ardmore, Martina Rafferty as GM of the Waterfront Hotel, Donal Cox as GM of Lough Eske Castle, Stefan Lundstrom as GM of The Galmont, Galway and Sinead McCarthy as GM of The Brehon, Killarney HILTON marked its milestone 100th an-

niversary May 31. Founded by Conrad Hilton in 1919 in Cisco, Texas, it has 17 brands across 113 countries with 5,700 properties.

FERRYCARRIG Reeds Restaurant was awarded double AA Rosettes for the third year in a row.

NEVILLE Hotel Group are in talks to

John Loughran, Owner, Sandymount Hotel accepts the European WTA award for greenest hotel in Europe from World Travel Awards founder Graham Cooke in Madeira,

I

Mission Madeira Four Irish winners at European leg of WTA’s

reland picked up four awards at the European leg of James Cooke’s World Travel Awards at a gala ceremony in Madeira.

Epic won Europe’s best visitor attraction, Jameson Distillery Bow St won Europe’s Leading Distillery Tour, Sandymount Hotel won Europe’s Leading Green Hotel and The Convention Centre Dublin won Europe’s Leading Meetings & Conference Centre.

Seamus Conlon’s Cruise.co.uk won Europe’s Leading Cruise Travel Agent. CWT won Europe’s Leading Travel Agency FCM travel manage-

ment award, and TUI group the best tour operator.

Turkish Airlines won Europe’s best airline, Zurich the airport award and NCL the cruise and DFDS the ferry award.

The awards are organised partly on an a selection panel of hospitality experts and person an internet survey which means some contenders mobilise public support. Awareness of the awards varies across markets, but since Ireland became involved Belfast Titanic centre, Guinness Storehouse and Spike island have won the best attraction award.

Portugal topped the list of European wide winners yet again with 22, including the best tourist board award, Italy had 12, Turkey 10, England eight, Spain seven, Greece, Russia and Spain had six, Scotland and Switzerland two, Cyprus and France and Germany one each.

In the country section, Irish awards were given to Adare Manor and Titanic Hotel Belfast for leading hotel, Dromoland Castle for boutique hotel, InterContinental Dublin and Hilton Belfast for business hotel, Hertz for car rental company 2019.

Presidential Suite @ Conrad Dublin

TETRACH’S PLAN FOR HOWTH

M

ichael McElligott of Tetrarch Capital said the redevelopment of Howth castle would be led by our own very positive and rewarding experience of reshaping and transforming the five-star

D

Mount Juliet Resort He promised a “comprehensive and diverse master-plan for the entire estate that will appeal to a broad church of stakeholders and, in particular, to the local community. We will also be working closely

with key stakeholders to preserve the beauty, amenity and accessibility of Ireland’s Eye. The master-plan for the estate to include a luxury hotel on the site of the existing Deer Park Hotel building, a championship

golf course on the Deer Park Golf Course, a leisure centre, retail space, and sports amenities.

Tetrarch recent;ly completed its acquisition of Howth Castle and Demesne from the Gaisford-St Lawrence family.

DINGLE COMPLETES REBUILD

ingle Skellig Hotel celebrated 50 years this year with the completion of 32 additional guest rooms including five roof top guest rooms with their own balconies taking in the panoramic views across Dingle Bay. The new bedroom addition includes 5 Deluxe Balcony Suites, 6 De-

luxe Executive Sea View Suites, 16 Deluxe King Rooms and 5 Deluxe Family Rooms including a selection of interconnecting options.

The design for the new rooms as well as the upgrade and redesign of The Blaskets Bar and Bistro was created by Meitheal Design Partners in Cork.

The new bedroom ex-

tension and Atrium works at the hotel is the most significant work undertaken in the hotel since it was built in 1968 by Gaeltarra Eireann as an incentive to encourage job promotion and growth in Gaeltacht areas.

The hotel included 48 en suite guest rooms and an outdoor swimming pool.

32 guest rooms were added

on in quick succession to allow for the cast and crew of Ryan’s Daughter to take up residence.

The hotel now offers 152 guest rooms, swimming pool, gym, spa, children s crèche and kids club, extensive banqueting facilities as well as the new relaxed dining spaces including The Atrium and The Binn Ban Brasserie.

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POSTCARDS FROM THE TRAVEL SCENE

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opflight turned to their ever obliging friends in the travel trade to celebrate their role as a sponsor of the Bollinger Best Dressed Competition at the Punchestown Racing Festival.

The Punchestown Festival, long a sporting highlight of the Irish calendar comes at the end of the National Hunt season and has a growing social dimension.

D

ublin airport’s spring round of route launches commences March 31, with Air Baltic’s new route to Riga.

We expect our 4w service, hoping to expand, we will grow the route and have a market share of 30pc. Martin Gauss CEO of Air Baltic told Travel Extra. It is a perfect schedule, 7.30 from Riga to arrive 08.35 in Dublin. Dublin has another airline with connectivity over the

V

al Murphy and Michael English of Celebrity Cruises completed two days of trade hosting with a presentation to a group of 45 agents on a morning visit, another group of 25 agents on an afternoon visit and a third group of 16 owner managers on board Celebrity Reflection.

They also hosted key MICE customers overnight as part of Reflection’s overnight in Dublin as it completed the

Kate Nally McCormack from Longford was named as Bollinger Best Dressed 2019.

Picture shows Sarah Kelly of Best4travel, Nicola York of Justsplit, Kelly O’Connor of Cassidy Travel, Shauna Kelly of Topflight, Michelle McManus of Cassidy Travel and Mary St John of Cassidy Travel, Topflight sponsored Bollinger Best Dressed Competition at the Punchestown Racing Festival.

North Atlantic and the return flight is a very good time to come to Riga. Prices on the website range from €39. They also have business class with middle seats free. We only have to fill 150 seats with a modern fuel efficient Airbus 220 compared with competitors.”

Picture shows Agita Kurzeme of AirBaltic and Evija Pugaca of the Baltic DMC Group at an event to promote the route to the Irish trade.

last turnaround on embarked of its five rotations from Dublin port this spring.

Michael English reported that bookings from Ireland were up 20pc on last year (see page 25) and that the cruise line was in dialogue with Dublin port about planned capacity cuts for cruise ships. Picture shows Michael English speaking at the owner/manager event.

Val Murphy was among 1,000 Irish who booked a cruise to Norway’s fjords.

A

flood of publciity has followed Turkish Airlnes’ media trip to Istanbul to sample the new airport and some of the city’s charms.

These included the three signature attractions of Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque and Topkapi, a Bosphorous boat ride and a surprise Turkish bath and massage in Cagaloglu Hamam, founded in 1741.

The focus of the trip was the new, spacious and stylish Istanbul airport, to

T

eam Ireland stil remains undefeated in its matches with Team England since the golf international was inaugurated but it was a close run thing.

In the latest fixxture Team Ireland won 9 ½ to 8 ½ as the Irish and English travel industry contested the fourth Celtic Cup matches at Dale Hill Golf Club and Chart Hills Golf Club in Sussex on May 1-3.

N

obody needs another shirt, everybody needs a beautiful moment,” said Desirée Bollier of Bicester Village Shopping Collection.

It was one of many points to emerge from a World Travel and Tourism Council event at the Kildare Village, the first WTTC event in Ireland for many years. She talked about the crossover between shopping and tourism during

which all the Turkish ailrines operations have transferred making transit easier than at Ataturk.

Picture shows Onur Gul of Turkish Airlines, Nicola Brady Travel Writer, Ian Bloomfield of ITTN, Jim Murty travel writer, Fionn Davenport, Neil Fetherston Travel Writer, Marguerite Kiely of RSVP, Eoghan Corry editor of Travel Extra Ireland, Donal O’Keeffe of the Irish Examiner

Picture shows the winning Irish team: Philip Airey of Sunway, Declan Power of Shannon airport, Volker Lorenz of Camino Ways,, Alan Sparling of ASM, front: Michael Doorley of Shandon Travel, Clem Walshe of LocalMarketing.ie, Peter O’Hanlon of Travelfinders, Niall McDonnell of Classic Collection, Dermot Merrigan of Irish Ferries, Tony Collins of Topflight and Pat Dawson CEO of the ITAA

a panel discussion with Sarah Miller of École Hoteliére, Niall Gibbons of Tourism Ireland, Ray Hernan of Aer Rianta International, Leah Wang of Ctrip and Meribel Rodriguez of the World Travel & Tourism Council.

Leah, who studied in UCD, outlined the scale of Ctrip’s Chinese operation and her delight at being welcomed home by Irish immigration as she came through Dublin airport.

JULY 2019 PAGE 9

POSTCARDS FROM THE TRAVEL SCENE

K

enya tourist board and Air France KLM hosted 44 key travel trade at an event in the Morgan Hotel in Dublin to commence a four season tour of Ireland and Britain.

Suppliers on the night included Essa Bott of Atua Enkop, Monica Mistry of Pollmans Tours and Safaris and Frank McCaffrey, KLM on behalf of Kenya Airways. Frank McCaffrey said connections from Ireland through CDG are

in the same terminal, and even easier through Amsterdam where the connection is a ten minute walk. Excess baggage and ancillary seats can be booked.

The alliance offers KLM from Belfast, six Air France and four KLM daily from Dublin and Air France to Paris and an Aer Lingus codeshare to Amsterdam from Cork.

Picture shows Nicola of the Kenyan tourism board speaking at the event.

€FAMILY 499 OF 4 FROM

FERRY TRAVEL + 2 NIGHTS HOTEL + ONE DAY PARK TICKETS

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ast year’s captain Dave Conlon was overall winner at the Travel Industry Golf Society outing to a shower sodden Esker Hills where 33 members took to the tee.

Esker, designed by Christy o’Connor and opened in 1997, is known for its signature third hole, a 490-yard par four, and a lengthy 170-yard par three.

Picture shows Declan Power and Isabel Harrison of event sponsors Shannon

Airport, overall winner Dave Conlon of Travelport and TIGS captain Dermot Merrigan of Irish Ferries.

The remaining TIGS fixtures are ■ Friday July 26 Beaverstown Donabate.

■ Tuesday September 10 Killeen Castle Dunsany (captain’s Prize).

■ Thursday October 3 The Castle Golf Club Rathfarnham, sponsored by Travel Extra.

SAIL AND STAY AT ALTON TOWERS THIS SUMMER Off Park Accommodation 4 ★ Jurys Inn, Derby from €499 per family* 4 ★ BW Plus Moat House, Stoke from €535 per family* 3 ★+ Quality Hotel Stoke-on-Trent from €539 per family* On Park Accommodation 3 ★ Splash Landings Hotel from €629 per family* 3 ★ Alton Towers Hotel from €690 per family* All Prices Include:

S

ilversea hosted 52 travel agents and their guests, the most hosted on a single cruise, aboard Silver Shadow to experience a 3-night voyage Nice to Barcelona, stopping in Marseille with a day at sea to explore the ship.

The stop in Marseille included a complimentary morning shore excursion. On board dining options included Italian cuisine in La Terrazza; dinner alfresco at The Grill and a gala dinner

in The Restaurant.

Silversea ships offer ocean view suites and a butler, all-inclusive amenities such as complimentary premium wines and spirits, in-suite bar, 24-hour dining; and complimentary Wi-Fi. Picture shows Kathy Core and Suzanne Reynolds of Cassidy Travel, Luke Clarke of Silversea and Clare Dunne and Marie Corrigan of The Travel Broker.

•

Return Stena Line ferry travel from Dublin to Holyhead or Rosslare to Fishguard 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.

JULY 2019 PAGE 10

IPW 2019 in ANAHEIM VISA Waiver is back on the agenda in Washington, Roger Dow confirmed at IPW with Poland likely to be the next country granted visa waiver status followed by Brazil.

SAN DIEGO

Hotel del Coronado has just spent $200m In renovations

ALASKA tour companies are experiencing an increase in customers booking trips to see the receding glaciers of the nation’s only Arctic state before they lose access to them.

ARIZONA the International Dark-Sky Association has named the Grand Canyon an International Dark Sky Park.

VISIT USA

published an analysis of the Irish market for a series of meetings with sister organisations and key partners at IPW. Visit USA signed up its 77th member at the show, Visit Portland. The organisation s to revamp its visitusa.ie website to make it more accessible to the consumer market, as well as its traditional site visitors from the trade.

Caroline Beteta of Visit California, Harry Sidhu Mayor of Anaheim, Roger Dow of US Travel, Jay Burness, Opening of IPW in Anaheim

BIOMETRIC

entry-exit screening has become “a system-wide reality,” following its introduction at Orlando International Airport, Roger Dow of US Travel says. “I am proud to say the US leads the world in this cutting-edge technology. It helps security officials keep track of who is coming and going and makes travel both more secure and more efficient

ORLANDO highlighted their status, revealed just before IPW, that they are the most visited destination in the USA with 75m visitors.

LAS VEGAS reported 45m visitors in 2018, a record 20pc are international.

CALIFORNIA new Michelin guide, featuring 90 starred restaurants with 118 stars.

PAPILLON Group announced a new name at IPW: Grand Canyon Group.

SAVANNAH are planning an event in September at Dunbrody museum in Wexford.

TIJUANA

is now a gateway to California as part of the expansion of the airport and opening of a new bridge to San Diego.

ENTERTAINMENT at IPW in-

cluded the beach Boys touring group, led by former original Beach Boy Mike Love, Snoop Dog, Jason Derulo and members of the Disney on Broadway musicals.

IPW media numbers were up 13pc, with

500 media joining 6,000 attendees. Irish attendees included Dee Burdock, Colleen Butler, Nicola Cox, Olivia Crossey, Claire Doherty, Veronica Flood, Beverleigh Fly, Aoife Gregg, Lisa Hammond, Andrea Hunter, Tony Lane, Oonagh McCullough, Róisín O’Sullivan, Bládhana Richardson and, Liz Wright.

IPW 202 takes place May 30 –June 3 in Las Vegas.

PRE-CLEARANCE could add

new countries “very soon” according to Roger Dow, with Stockholm first to feature. It is currently available in 15 locations in six countries including Dublin and Shannon.

Ireland a top 20 hit

Summer of 212 flights likely to keep Ireland in charts

I

reland has held its place as the Ireland’s position peaked at 12th lin-Minneapolis/St. Paul from 7 to 5 USA’s 20th largest overseas in 2004 when international visitors weekly, Dublin-Philadelphia from 7 market (which excludes Canada to the USA were in sharp decline to 5 weekly and Shannon-New York and Mexico) in the first few months from most markets but struggled to from 6 to 4 weekly, and the groundof 2019. maintain a top twenty position after ing of the B737 Max caused Stewart According to figures released by the Lehman recession seriously hit from 14 to at 7/8w and Providence Wilbur Ross’s Department of Com- overseas travel from Ireland and air- from daily to 3/4w. Norwegian’s merce, Ireland sent 99,710 visitors to lines withdrew direct services.

Cork and Shannon transatlantic the USA to end March 2019, down That trend has been reversed with flights have been cancelled.

9.1pc.on the first three months of 178 weekly flights from Dublin and According to Visit USA in Dub2018. January was up 1.2pcpc and 34 weekly flights from Shannon this lin the average stay in the US is 11.5 February up 7.9pc, but March saw a summer, an average of 30 a day. nights, and the average advance trip particularly large drop of 23.9pc on Original schedules projected even decision time is 110 days. During March last year, partly due to a later more flights but aircraft delivery their stay in the USA, 21pc of Irish Easter. delays meant Dublin-Hartford was travellers will travel between US Ireland was overtaken by Nether- reduced from 7 to 6 weekly, Dub- cities. lands, Taiwan and Ecuador and IRELAND TO USA TWENTY YEAR TRENDS lost its 17th position last year, Year Pos Total Change Year Pos Total Change Share two places lower if Canada and 2009 16 411,203 -23% 1998 21 232,391 +7% Mexico are included in the fig1999 22 246,394 +6% 2010 20 360,012 -4% ures, which they are not under 2000 21 285,697 +16% 2011 20 353,640 -4% US practice (see chart).

2001 21 276,806 -3% 2012 25 335,063 -5.3% 0.5% Ireland’s placing is expected 2002 18 259,687 -6% 2013 26 381,981 +14.0% 0.5% to climb again in the coming 2014 23 401,373 +5.1% 0.6% 2003 17 254,320 -2% months when summer seasonal 2004 12 345,119 +36% 2015 20 451,364 +12.5% 0.6% services resume.

2005 14 383,640 +11% 2016 26 443,005 -1.9% 0.6% The 2018 total came with 2006 14 414,423 +10% 2017 26 483,615 +9.2% 0.6% 400 visitors of the peak in Irish 2007 14 491,055 +18% 2018 19 530,802 +9.8% 0.7% traffic to the USA in 2008 when Source US Dept Commerce, position inc Mexico/Canada 2008 14 531,198 +8% it was in 14th place.

U

US LOSING MARKET SHARE

S travel officials are hopeful that Brand USA, the industry’s destination marketing organization, will be reauthorized by the American government in 2019 – a year early – for another five-year term. Its

current mandate expires in September 2020.

The move would provide stability at a time when travel to the US is “falling behind” the rest of the world, according to Roger Dow. “International travel to

the country increased by 3.5pc in 2018, but well behind the global long-haul increase of 7pc. Moreover, America’s share of the global travel market has dropped from 13.7pc in 2015 to just 11.7pc in 2018. Dow showed a clip

from Donal Trump’s 2019 State of the Union, where Trump starts by saying the US wants international visitors. His next line contained a crack about illegal immigration. “The point is, there is hope,” Dow said, to laughter from the room,

JULY 2018 PAGE 11

IPW 2019 in ANAHEIM

Claire Doherty of Travel Department chair of Visit USA Ireland and Tony Lane of Visit USA, at the Fifth Rooftop bar, during IPW in Anaheim,

Roger Dow speaking at IPW 2019 in Anaheim

“Please do not weaponise travel’

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hina’s new advisory against traveling to the United States was condemned at IPW by Roger Dow of US Travel and Caroline Beteta of Visit California, who appealed to authorities not to weaponise travel, in answer to a question from Travel Extra.

China’s Ministry of

Culture and Tourism issued an travel alert for the US, noting the high frequency of shootings, robberies and theft in the country. “Announcements such as this can have a chilling effect, “ Dow said.

Christopher Thompson of Brand USA downplayed the new policy requiring nearly all visa

applicants to provide details of their social media history for five years, including passwords.

“The requirements for visas have already been in place for visa waiver country, so the policy is already in existence, just expanded.”

US Travel protested a recent redeployment of customs and secur-

ity officials to the Mexico border (731 from the northern Canadian border) further threatens to “result in turmoil for business and leisure travel” Brad Dean, CEO for Discover Puerto Rico, said the island is experiencing “an unprecedented rate of recovery” after Hurricane Maria.

Chris Thompson chair of Brand USA (left) and Roger Dow of US Travel Association (right) with Liz Wright of Tour America, winners of Chairman’s circle award

Roger Dow of US Travel left) and Chris Thompson chair of Brand USA (right) with Bladhana Richardson and Dee Burdock of American Holidays winners of Chairman’s circle award

Beverleigh Fly and Colleen Butler of Bookabed, Irish and British party

FLYING TO USA

DUBLIN 178 trans-Atlantic flights Atlanta 7 (Delta 7) Boston 21 (Aer Lingus 14, Delta 7) Charlotte 7 (American 7) Chicago 28 (Aer Lingus 14, American 7, United 7) Dallas Fort Worth 7 (American 7) Hartford Connecticut 6 (Aer Lingus 6) Los Angeles 7 (Aer Lingus 7) Miami 2 (Aer Lingus 2) Minneapolis-St Paul 5 (Aer Lingus 5) New York - JFK 21 (Aer Lingus 14, Delta 7) New York - Newark 14 (Aer Lingus 7, United 7)

New York - Stewart 7 (Norwegian 7) Orlando 4 (Aer Lingus 4) Philadelphia 12 (Aer Lingus 5, American 7) Providence Rhode I 4 (Norwegian 4) San Francisco 7 (Aer Lingus 7) Seattle 5 (Aer Lingus 5) Washington Dulles 14 (Aer Lingus 7, United 7) SHANNON 34 trans-Atlantic flights Boston 7 (Aer Lingus 7) New York - JFK 13 (Aer Lingus 6, Delta 7) New York – Newark 7 (United 7) Philadelphia 7 (American 7)

Dee Burdock of American Holidays, Bladhana Richardson of American Holidays and Andrea Hunter of Aer Lingus,

JULY 2019 PAGE 12

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wo generations of Irish holiday makers associate the Canary Islands with some of the most memorable and pleasant days of their lives, a European destination with duty free cigarettes, year round sunshine and some of the best tourist nightspots on the trail.

The islands have long been secured in their position as capital of Europe’s wintersun market.

The guaranteed sunshine options are limited, Malta, Cyprus, Tunisia, Morocco, Madeira and the four islands. Otherwise holiday makers are flying for eight hours, and often through more than one airport.

Th Irish like to go in summer as well. Last year 24pc of the Irish visitors to Spain ended up in the Canaries for at least one visit, some many times.

If any of the individual Canary Islands was a country they would be among Ireland’s top ten most popular outbound destinations.

Irish visits to the Canaries were up 8pc last year to 520,000 and the islands report an increase on top of those figures in the first months of 2018. The figures are the second highest in the history of Irish tourism to the Canaries, ahead of the of 2008 peak.

Irish people are more familiar with Puerto del Carmen than with some of our own provincial towns. It is the most popular among Irish holidaymakers having overtaken Santa Ponsa in recent years. In Lanzarote 271,687 Irish Trips represent 9pc of total tourist to the island in 2014 In Fuerteventura (31,592) they are 2.3pc of total, Gran Canaria (72,349) 2pc and in Tenerife (118,393) 2pc.

Playa del Inglés was one of the first towns to come into existence solely for holidaymakers: it tells us everything we

Canary Islands had best year from Ireland in 2016 Signature sand dunes in Gran Canaria

560,422 Irish can’t be wrong

need to know that Mulligan’s is the most prominent of the social venues there.

Most Irish people would name Puerto Rico as the resort on the southwest coast of Gran Canaria. 10 miles west of Playa del Inglés, than the Caribbean island.

They attract three times the number of holiday makers that Greece and her islands does. Lanzarote and Gran Canaria, the two most popular, each attract more visitors than Turkey.

“The Irish have a special welcome here,” Tobias Pujol on Gran Canaria says. “They like to party.”

The love affair, as love affairs do, goes deeper than that. Juana Rosa Aleman says the Irish are the best clients to the island of Gran Canaria. “We receive a lot of

visitors: the numbers are astonishing in comparison with the population of the country.” Only Norway compares with Ireland in the proportion of people that come to Gran Canaria.

Urs Rohrig hosts many of them at the Hotel Marina Suites in Puerto Rico. He has the needs of his Irish guests down to a tee. The Irish spend more money on holiday than any other nation, he says..

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veryone knows there are more than four Canary Islands without being sure of the names of the others: most people get La Gomera and stop at that.

There are seven, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Fuerteventura in order of visitor arrivals from Ireland,

La Gomera – beautiful but a tad expensive to get to, the mountainous La Palma and the diving idyll of El Hiero.

Canary Islands history was defined by their geography. Fuerteventura was the first island to be “discovered” and conquered by the Spanish, leading to an almost pre-ordained squabble over the islands between the Portuguese and the Spaniards and eventual extinction of the indigenous people who had welcomed St Brendan, the Guanches, after they lost their unequal battle against more technological opponents in 1495.

Within decades the new world had been discovered and the Canary Islands became the first meg-hub of trans-Atlantic travel and commerce, at the heart of the trade

inherited by his successor as Aer Lingus CEO, Michael Dargan.

Exactly 50 years ago, on May 30 1967, they sent it to Madrid, with the combination of optimism and the descending feeling that nobody was going to Franco’s capital on holidays.

The advertisements throughout the empire on of the time are full of which the sun never set. promise and possibilities, reland’s association especially the possibility with the Canaries of Iberia connections to came about, as these the south of Spain and things do, by accident. the Canaries (Iberia was The Canaries was an then the fastest growing impoverished backwater airline in the world). when the first charters One advertising camstarted arriving paign visualised from Sweden IRELAND’S what was happenin the 1960s.

VISITORS ing on a Spanish It was too disbeach in December tant for Irish 2006 431,000 “just three hours minds, what 2007 422,000 from Dublin.” few tourists 2008 474,000 Agents knew travelled there 2009 424,279 better. They started arrived on a 2010 353,506 advertising Tener£110 cruise.

2011 395,871 ife for 90 guineas.

Back in Col- 2012 375,234 The price came linstown Aer 2013 407,666 down to 76 guinLingus were 2014 422,195 eas in 1970, and trying to work 2015 442,583 by 1973 the travel out what to do 2016 465,203 industry had comwith one of 2017 520,000 bined to offer the their new Boe- 2018 560,422 first direct flights, ing 711s ora joint effort to fill dered in a fit of one of the new Aer expansionist exuberance Lingus 747s, for £66.

by Jeremiah Dempsey a The love affair was few years earlier and now born. .

I

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LANZAROTE

the favourite, is the most volcanic of all, the Isla de los Volcanes, It measures just 40 miles from north to south and 13 miles east to west.

The landscape is stark and stony, peppered with 300 volcanic cones, a moonscape that leads to lush valleys full of vegetation.

Unesco declared the entire island a biosphere reserve in 1993. New development must be balanced against the need to preserve the island’s heritage and environment.

That means that the tourist resorts, noisy and boisterous as they are, are easy to escape. The best trip is to Timanfaya the so called Fire Mountains to have lunch cooked by the volcano. The lava slopes and craters can be ascended by camel.

Cueva de los Verdes (Jameos del Agua) is a memorable system of volcanic caves extending some 3 miles to the sea; they are the home of blind albino crabs, usually only found at 200 metres below. One cavern is used as a nightclub.

Montañas del Fuego.

You can also take sea trips by schooner to Arrecife to Papagayo beaches. Mirador del Rio in the north is a famous viewing point from which the island of Graciosa (the graceful one) can be seen.

Yaiza village wins the

Malpais en Tinguaton_55 “Best Kept in Spain” award year after year for its pristine white painted houses. Each Sunday there is a market in the old inland town of Teguise from 8am. Some operators offer a day trip to Marrakech, a short flight away.

Marina Lanzarote opens in Arrecife this year. Claiming to be the first Luxury Refit Centre in the Canaries, sailors can make use of its 820-tonne hoist and repair services, in addition to shore side leisure facilities.

Cruising expert Jimmy Cornell has set up the Atlant i c Odyssey non-competitive rally.

The inaugural event will take place in the newlyopened Marina Lanzar-

ote, Arrecife, November 9 to 15. Visitors can participate in ecological activities in conjunction with UNESCO. Highlights of the event include talks and seminars for visiting cruisers.

The Jameos del Agua will reopen for winter.

Set on a volcano cave, the auditorium can hold 600 people for concert and dinner events.

The Tapas Fair takes place in Puerto del Carmen, September 26-27.

Visitors can sample products and wines from local restaurants in one location.

The event coincides with International Tapas Day Teguise village hosts the Tasting Lanzarote Food & Wine Festival on November 28 and 29. Chefs from Spain and the rest of the Canary Islands will host cooking demos and prepare more “avant-

it is also the only place on the island you can get married.

If you want to escape the crowds go west to Playa de Guigui, a two hour hike through a roadless landscape, or the slightly more accessible Playa de Tasarte, with its single bar, which has an asphalt road to the last kilometre.

Gran Canaria’s winter temperatures average 19 garde” dishes using local days a week, with even- degrees. Evenings can be ingredients. Visitors can ing shows. The capital chilly, but still average experience the food mar- Las Palmas, a sizeable 14 degrees.

The chances of rain ket or attend exhibitions city and port, offers the in the Taste Room. Other best shopping opportun- peaks during winter, attractions include a ities, with some good coming in two or threefood-inspired film series. duty-free bargains. La day bursts. The island The Royal Ocean Ra- Vegueta is the historic gets about two day of cing Club transatlantic quarter where Columbus rain each month during race starts at Puerto Cal- called en route to the summer, increasing to New World and in the six days between October ero in November. eccentric 18-room Hotel and March. However, it’s G CANARIA Madrid the clocks are worth bearing in mind second most popular, has stopped at July 17 1936, that locals class a rainy a circular coast road with when Franco was gov- day as any day where a number of steep moun- ernor and invited by Eng- there is a shower.

The upside of the rain tain roads striking inland lish supporters to go fight is that the winter showers for fascism in Spain. to the central mountains, The most famous bring out the greenery, which reach an altitude beaches are in the south, which makes for an atof 6,400 feet. where the Malpalomas tractive landscape for In the north are winter walking. green valleys, pine VISITS OVERALL & IRISH Visitors are encourtrees and abundant aged to rent a car and 2,890,051 290,585 sub-tropical crops Lanzarote search for “water5,758,323 149,762 and flowers. The Tenerife falls” in the barranGran Canaria 4,402,945 81,890 south is dry and cos. desert-like. Its Fuerteventura 2,123,951 36,707 Gran Canaria in274,238 337 538 square miles La Palma vites LGBT visitors can be explored to Maspalomas for by tour bus, jeep sand dunes do a good im- the Winter Pride festival, safari or hire-car.

Sioux City, just out- pression of Africa. Puerto in November.

Fiesta del Charco takes side Playa del Inglés, is Mogan has a wide range a spaghetti western film of water sports including place mid-September, set (the Hard Ride, 1975) jet ski trips and paraglid- with fishing and other now turned into a Wild ing. If you propose some- water competitions.

Fiesta de la Naval , a West theme park open 6 where above water-level,

Clockwise Lanzarote burnt landscape, Malpais en Tinguaton, Playa Famara, Eoghan Corry paragliding in GC, terraced fields in GC

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maritime festival commemorating the 1595 attacks by Francis Drake, takes place early October in the La Isleta district.

Atlantic Rally for Cruisers takes place November 29. The yacht rally departs Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Fiesta de Santa Lucia takes place in December.

TENERIFE is the old maiden, largest of the Canary Islands at 795 square miles just slightly smaller than Louth, so there is plenty to explore.

It has a great variety of subtropical and high altitude landscapes, flora and fauna which reflect its volcanic origins and proximity to Africa. It was the first big destination in the islands for Irish holiday makers but for a period was regarded as the preserve of newlyweds and retired.

Some theme parks, Sky Park Tenerife, and two expansive waterparks Aqualand Costa Adeje and Siam Park have gone some way to changing that and reimposing its family appeal. There are also half a dozen animal parks.

There is no escaping the outstanding excursion here: Mount Teide (El Pico), the 12,402 foot volcanic mountain which dominates the island was once accepted as the tallest in the world.

Visitors can also day-trip south to see Las Cañadas

National Park with its lush verdant scenery in the Oratava valley and moody deserted volcanic landscapes.

There is a 3,000-yearold dragon tree at Icod.

There are medieval shows at San Miguel (a “Knight” to remember) and a variety of water based experiences.

The Singha waterslide opens at Siam Park this winter. No launch date has been announced yet.

The slide is 200 metres long with lots of bends to hurdle thrill seekers over small jumps at high speed.

Adrián Hoteles launched an online shop to allow guests to prebook experiences at any of the group’s three hotels in Costa Adeje, including gastronomy experiences, spa treatments and private tennis lessons. The group launched

teide from La Gomera

event takes place every five years to commemorate the Treveljo volcano eruption of 1706.

There will bonfires and fireworks on the Bay of Garachico, with the nearby mountains THE MARKET serving as a backWith partner 50pc drop.

Partner and children 14.1pc The ProfesOther family 8.1pc sional WindsurfFriends 7.8pc ers Association Travelling alone 5.5pc World ChampionSingle w children 1.6pc ships comes to El Work colleagues 0.3pc Médano beach, August 3 to 9. If you’re not into watersports, the Babymoon Package there will be concerts and for parents to be — a last family activities on the holiday before the baby beach as well. arrives. The package inTenerife celebrates cludes a romantic dinner, the 125th anniversary of couple’s massage and spa Agatha Christie’s birth treatments. at the Agatha Christie Fuegos del Risco takes International Festival in place August 2. The Puerto de la Cruz, Nov-

ember 9 to 15. The full programme has yet to be announced, but there will be films and plays celebrating the crime novelist who visited Puerto de la Cruz in 1927 and wrote The Man from the Sea while she was there.

FUERTEVENTURA has almost

guaranteed sunshine, supposedly only 15 days of the year without, and is the quietest of the four biggies.

They claim 3,000 hours of sunshine throughout the year, with temperatures sustaining throughout the winter.

The lowest sea temperatures will drop is 19 degrees, offering good conditions for surfing,

diving, fishing and other water sports.

There are 150 beaches, some considered among the best in Europe, with clear waters ideal for snorkelling and diving, miles of soft, light sands, rising to wind-blown dunes in places, sloping down to clear waters.

At Nuevo Horizonte they constructed Lagos de Antigua, a sea-water swimming lake with restaurants and shops nearby.

Acua Water Park is open until November 10, and Oasis Park will remain open during the winter season.

Rainbow Fuerteventura, the island’s winter gay pride festival, takes place in Corralejo this December, final dates to

be announced. There will be a host of events including volleyball tournaments, concerts and parties.

The International Kite Festival takes place November 6 to 8. Day one starts with a free-fly on the beach and is the day to collect your commemorative t-shirt. All day Saturday, kite flyers will demonstrate their skills right until sundown. Sunday is the big day though: 150 kites are distributed to visiting children who are invited to colour the kites. Parachuting teddy bears will drop sweets from the sky and there will be raffles. The final event is a kite combat, where stunt kites battle it out in the sky. Last man flying wins.

Clockwise: Puerto Rico- GC, Playa Blanca Lanzarote. Teide under snow, Fuerteventura-La Oliva, Teguise-Fundación César Manrique

JULY 2019 PAGE 16

DESTINATION MALTA

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e do not know the extent of the negotiations but they must have been intense.

In May 2019, Ryanair Holdings agreed to purchase Malta Air, a Maltese start up airline, into which Ryanair will move and grow its Malta based fleet of six B737 aircraft.

Apparently, Ryanair wanted to buy Air Malta but the government shot down the idea, proposing a subsidiary instead.

It was claimed the government will have a veto when it comes to issues related to sale of the airline to third parties.

Ryanair already delivers 3m passengers a year to Malta, including routes from Belfast, Cork and Dublin. What happens next, if Ryanair’s previous record is anything to go by, is an unprecedented tourism boom for an island hat has so many conquests it is known as the “bus stop of the Caribbean.”

This latest, Irish invasion, is good news for the ancient island.

Bus-stop of the Med Malta prepares for a Ryanair-led revolution

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St John’s Co-Cathedral, tourists are the latest invaders

he bus-stop of the Med analogy means lots of cross-references to different and conflicting cultures. Arabic words abound in the language.

St Paul’s catacombs lurk

under the modern streets, the funerary picnic sites as gloomy as they ever were.

The Phoenicians rolled through, followed by the Greeks and the Romans and the Arabs whose

MALTEASER : A SAMPLE ITINERARY

n Day one: 12.10hrs Arrival on FR 7242. Mdina, Meridiana Wine Estate, check in at hotel n Day two: Valetta, Upper Barrakka Gardens, St John’s Co-Cathedral, Grand Master’s Palace, Cross over to The Three Cities by traditional boat, Lunch at Riviera Della Marina Cospicua, Senglea and Vittoriosa, Restaurant Vittoriosa, Return to hotel n Day three: Cirkewwa for ferry

crossing on Gozo, Ggantija Temples, Nadur - Belvedere point, Victoria/ Rabat, Citadel Gran Castello. Lunch at Rikkardu Citadel, Ta Mena Estate Wine Tasting, Dwejra Azure Window, Fungus Rock, Return to Mgarr Ferry n Day four: Sliema Creek Harbour Cruise, 10.30hrs Departure for Harbour Cruise, Palazzo Parisio, Naxxar, Lunch at Café Luna, return flight FR 7243

place names still dot the island and whose words perforate the language, the Normans were followed by the Knights, chosen from the aristocracy of Europe they brought their best architects and engaged in competitive palace building.

Caravaggio’s finest painting of all, the largest and the only one with a signature, is in St John the Baptist cathedral.

The Beheading of John the Baptist is the keynote of the Knights of Malta’s

multi-faceted construction as ever but the big change in recent years is the way the paintings in the Blessed Host Chapel at the other side of the building have been restored.

Romance comes with all this history. There are terrific wine estates to be visited.

Maltese folk music is easily accessible and enjoyable. For the real thing, have a listen to Claudio Baglioni singing Wied Ghasel U Jien and shed a romantic tear

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alta’s promotional material showcases its sunwashed beaches, Ghajan-Tuffieha with its famous reddish sand or Ramla Il-Hamra in Gozo.

The Azure Window in Dwejra, an impressive natural arch standing some twenty metres high, is one of the most instagrammable blue water spots on the Med, humming with wet-suited divers that might belong in the Caribbean. A Chines couple got married here, underwater.

n Luqa airport (MLA) is served from Cork by Ryanair 2w, from Dublin by Ryanair 5w and from Belfast byJet2 and Ryanair 2w

Clockwise: Valetta harbour from Upper Barrakka Gardens, Ggantija Temples, traditional boat, St Paul’s catacombs, citadel from above

This is misleading.

Malta is ridiculously crowded, with 420,000 people living on an island half the size of County Louth.

The 54 villages on Malta and 14 on Gozo are within a few fields of joining up with each other.

It also means traffic.

The small roads are full of cars, nearly one per head of population.

The famous old buses are gone, consigned to the postcard stalls, but the new transportation system has very narrow and clogged roads to manoeuvre,, so allow some extra time for that airport transfer.

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DESTINATION MALTA

View from Ggantija Temples to Cathedral of Santa Marija he flight had more than its fair share of anxious brides bearing white wedding dresses they feared might crease. There are nearly 400 churches in Malta,

one at every turn of the road.

Always most prominent building along the landscape is the parish church. This place has three times as many

churches as pubs, the Irish eye will quickly gather.

The church wedding is still important to a lot of Irish people and Malta with its easy bureaucracy

and three day residency, the civil function’s close relationship with the church wedding, and preponderance of churches and good hotels makes a nice wedding destination.

A wedding in Malta will set you back an average of Eu4,500, compared with the average of Eu23,000 at home.

The variety is enormous. Plates can come in at Eu15 with some good options at Eu30.

There are close cultural, economic and religious connections. One of the oldest traditional wedding venue hotels, the Phoenician, is Irish owned.

There are over 300 restaurants as well and

everybody has decided to chase the wedding business. You can get married in a vineyard (Ta Mena Estate in Gozo), a historic palace (Palazzo Parisio, Naxxar). and aforementioned underwater.

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efore you depart for home trip upstairs to Club 22 for a drink with a view and down to Barcelona, and a trip along the strip in Paceville, where the raucous ribaldry would leave Ayia Napa behind.

Malta of the 400 churches now has seven gentlemen’s clubs. Some people call it progress.

KNIGHTS TO REMEMBER: PLACES TO SEE IN MALTA & GOZO

n Mdina Malta’s first capital city during the time of the Knights of Malta, a colonial settlement of Imperial Rome nicknamed The Silent City. n Meridiana Wine Estate Ta Qali, vineyard which took root in 1985 as a result of a conversation between Mark Miceli-Farrugia, a trader in wines for over 20 years, and a Bordeaux oenologist, pioneering mission is to produce “World-Class Wines of Maltese Character” made from wine-grapes grown exclusively in Maltese soil, until then, all “Maltese wine” was produced from a mixture of table-grapes, imported wine-grapes, and sugar. n Valetta Upper Barrakka Gardens occupying the elevated space on the ramparts of St Peter and St Paul Bastion, laid down in the mid 17th century to provide a peaceful retreat for the Knights. n St John’s Co-Cathedral baroque

work of art built between 1573 and 1577 with works of art by Mattia Preti and Caravaggio. n Grand Master’s Palace, seat of the President and Parliament of the Republic of Malta, armoury housed in two halls of the magisterial palace contains some fine examples of medieval armour and weapons used by the Knights of St John and their adversaries. n Gozo, island reached from Cirkewwa by the Gozo Channel ferry (25 mins) island name means joy named by the Aragonese when the Island fell under their possession in 1282. n Ggantija Temples oldest freestanding structures in the world, excavated from 1816 - 1820, comprising two Neolithic temples dating c.3500BC, 7,000 years ago n Nadur - Belvedere point with the Maltese Garden at Kenuna, one of the

most magnificent views in Malta. n Victoria or Rabat, which means suburb, administrative centre of Gozo, with law courts, hospitals, schools and Basilica of St George rebuilt in 1693 following an earthquake. Market stalls are set-up daily in the main square. n Citadel the Gran Castello, the old capital of Gozo and centre of activity since neolithic times with impressive battlements and views around the Island over fields dissected by rubble walls. Cathedral of Santa Marija watches over the remains of old houses including the Norman House, transformed into a Folklore Museum. n Ta Mena Estate Wine Tasting the first agritourism complex in the Maltese islands where guests will be in touch with nature and tradition, enjoying typical foods, wines, extra virgin olive oil and liqueurs. n Dwejra, the Azure Window, 20m

high natural arch over a secluded bathing pool surrounded by sheer cliffs, connected to the open sea by a small tunnel.

Fungus Rock 60-metre monolith where grows a rare tubular plant that was believed to cure dysentery and many other illnesses. n Sliema Creek Captain Morgan’s Harbour Cruise, renowned for its detailed commentary which unfolds the history of Valletta and the Three Cities connected with the two Great Sieges of 1565 and 1942, historical forts, battlements and creeks which can only be admired from the sea.. n Palazzo Parisio, Naxxa, magnificent Palace with surrounding gardens acquired by Marquis Giuseppe Scicluna in the middle of the 19th century from the Parision family and turned into Malta’s most opulent aristocratic home.

Clockwise: Signs in Valetta, horse drawn carriage, Dwejra Azure Window, the shrinking field s under siege from a population of 420,000

Malta.

More than we could ever tell.

Looking for a new destination to sell to your Clients? Malta has it all.

City breakers can enjoy a trip to Valletta; ‘The Sunniest City in Europe’, families can experience adventure holidays, music enthusiasts can lose themselves in eclectic festivals and the

LGBT+ can relax in a supportive and friendly destination. All the while basking in over 300 days of sunshine a year.

It’s never been easier to visit the Maltese Islands; Ryanair currently operates from Dublin Airport and started operating from Cork Airport twice-weekly in April 2019.

Valletta; ‘The Sunniest City in Europe’ City-breakers can discover Malta’s capital Valletta, perfect for a weekend’s exploration. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to elegant winding streets, stunning historical monuments and an abundance of waterfront dining options that can be explored completely on foot. The city’s beautiful baroque architecture and rich heritage earned Valletta the accolade of being last year’s European Capital of Culture.

Home to the oldest structures in the world History buffs can discover over 7,000 years of history. The Islands’ scenery and architecture provide a spectacular backdrop to explore megaliths, medieval dungeons and ancient cities; the destination is positively mythic. There are three UNESCO World Heritage sites found on the Maltese Islands; the Megalithic Temples, the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum and the City of Valletta. The Megalithic Ġgantija Temples were created 1,000 years before the Egyptian Pyramids and is the oldest free-standing structure in the world.

enthusiasts have every reason to check out this Mediterranean hotspot.

Calling all adventure enthusiasts The sparkling Mediterranean-Sea offers a tranquil environment for snorkelling, kayaking and swimming; whilst the topographical island landscape encourages rock-climbing, mountain-biking and horse-rising.

The Maltese Islands were awarded second place in the ‘Best Dive Destination’ in the world category at the Diver Awards in 2018.

Malta, Gozo and Comino offer an array of unique diving experiences with an abundance of stunning reefs, natural caves and WW2 wrecks to explore.

Maltese gastronomy

Beach parties and all-night raves in castles

The flavour of Maltese cuisine is the result of a 7,000-year relationship with the many civilisations who have occupied the Maltese Islands. A tantalising melting-pot of cultures including the Sicilians, Romans, Spanish

and French have influenced the unique blend of Maltese cooking.

Visitors can enjoy local specialities including Pastizzi, a delicious savoury filo pastry pasty filled with either rich ricotta cheese or mushy peas; Fenek, rabbit stew and Malta’s national dish; and Kunserva, a sweet concentrated tomato paste, which is delicious spread on bread.

Malta has become a popular destination for the clubbing and festival scene, allowing travellers to party all night and spend the following day relaxing on picturesque beaches in the warm Maltese sun. Malta attracts a number of music festivals to its shores each year, including Annie Mac’s Lost and Found, Isle of MTV, Glitch Festival and Earth Garden, all featuring high profile acts.

With accommodation and flight packages to suit all budgets, music

Maltaireland.com FLY DIRECT TO MALTA

VisitMalta

@VisitMaltaUK

BECOME A MALTA & GOZO EXPERT www.learnlgbtmalta.org www.learnmalta.org

JULY 2019 PAGE 20

DESTINATION THAILAND

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he flight from Suvarnabhumi to Samui island was short and transformational.

Not long after landing we were strolling pleasantly through Zazen Boutique Resort, a pastoral gem of shrubbery, arches and pools until it yielded up its biggest jewel, beach-side villas that when you opened your door your decking trail to the sea quickly lost itself under Bophut beach’s sands.

Equally pleasant was our conversation into the night on fine food and hospitality with Zazen’s MD and Belgian Alexander Andries.

Our home for the subsequent two days was the Santburi Beach Resort, laden with facilities from a fully-equipped gym and Thai boxing ring, a spa and wellness centre that included tapping (hammering) your back with a mallet and wooden ‘chisel’ should you care to subscribe to it. Swimming pools were plentiful in the villas and a large swimming lake to the back of the hotel.

Paving stones were naturally decorated by fallen orchid petals.

This large and luxurious resort required calling buggies due to its spread.

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e bid goodbye to Samui island the following day and headed to Koh Phangan.

Samui struck

over the coral reefs of Ngam Noi, Ngam Yai and Koh Ga-Loke. But before that came another wonder, the size of Chumphon’s fishing fleet which we passed on our way to open sea.

There had to be thousands of these wooden vessels moored along the banks. Sea fishery patrol boats were also moored there. Vessels who failed to meet regulations were painted in red and white stripes to prevent them stealing out to fish. Fishing is still a major industry for Thai communities.

Sean Mannion goes island hopping in Thailand Ngam noi fishing boats At Panviman Resort a very genial group general manager Surasak Tharapatn joined us as we were entertained by a special beach dance.

Panviman Resort is unique, it is set on the side of a mountain or so it appears for the most part and a journey on the buggy steeply uphill would bring Percy French to your mind: “Are you right there, Michael, are you right?”

The room design sometimes uses the massive granite as your backing wall, something not vi-able in colder temperatures of the west of Ireland.

Rising damp would spring quickly to mind.

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he luxury was all to fleeting. It was replaced by a slight suffering on a bicycle ride down through south Samui’s coastline.

Our leader was professional cyclist Bundit Boontan who, mercifully, stuck with the pace of the peleton until we finished at a coconut farm around 15km later.

Seeing a farm full of coconuts might remind rural Irish of hayshed load of turnips.

The humble coconut, which this farm processes around 60,000 a month, has a myriad of beneficial uses, from food and drink to cooking and cocktail ingredient. The husks are converted into charcoal

O for fuel, some regions use them for building houses and artists make a living cutting them into beautiful forms

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e bid goodbye to Samui island the following day and headed to Koh Phangan. At Panviman Resort a very genial group general manager Surasak Tharapatn joined us as we were entertained by a special beach dance performance.

Panviman Resort is unique, it is set on the side of a mountain or so it appears for the most part and a journey on

the buggy steeply uphill would bring Percy French to your mind: “Are you right there, Michael, are you right?”

The room design sometimes uses the massive granite as your backing wall, something not viable in colder temperatures of the west of Ireland.

Rising damp would spring quickly to mind

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he island-hopping continued on to Chumphon and the Novotel. The following day was for many the highlight of the trip, a day’s trip snorkelling

ut in open sea and courtesy of Siam Catamaran and a group of divers we were soon floating over a world as spectacular and unearthly in its design as a mysterious planet full of aliens.

Beneath us rose both round-shaped crusted or sharp flake-like coral.

Swimming around were shoals of glittering metallic-coloured small fish.

There were scissortail sergeants in blue and white stripes. Their cousins in zebra-like black and white followed us, curious.

We had waterproof manuals attached to our wrists for identifying these critters.

Our marine life had no such aid in working us out. A magical world in a quite magical country.

n Sean Mannion travelled to Thailand as a guest of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. He flew with Emirates via Dubai

Clockwise: Tim Podger gets waterborne, Beach dance on Koh Phangan , Fishermen, Chumphon Market , Kupu Kupu

Just back from:

TTM+ in PATTAYA

JULY 2019 PAGE 21

Sean Mannion exploring coast and nearby islands hosted by Blue Voyage

Speed dating between buyers and sellers at TTM+ T

Maya Bay stays closed until 2021

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hailand’s tourism body hosted 351 buyers, 371 sellers, and around 130 international and domestic media at the TTM+ 2019, held in Pattaya for the second successive year.

Under the theme of “New Shades of Emerging Destinations”, Tanes Petsuwan, TAT

Deputy Governor for Marketing said “emerging destinations have expanded to 55 cities offered. In 2018, we had 6m foreign tourist trips to these citie,s up 4.95pc.

“The emerging cities will be optional destinations for those who seek off-the-beaten-path holidays and repeaters looking for new products.”

Speaking to Travel Extra, Khun Supranee Pongpat, said 2018 was flat for Irish visitors at 69,074, (up 0.09pc). Jan – Apr 2019 saw numbers rise slightly by 0.86pc.

Infrastructure plans to follow the new terminal at Phuket airport, set to increase capacity to 20m passengers per annum, include a new airport

north of Phuket at Phang Nga on the main-land and a new light rail system on the island.

Ms Ponpat said the closure of the iconic Maya bay on Phi Phi will remain closed until June 2021 “The closure has allowed local ecosystems to rejuvenate and experts to plant and replenish

Supranee Pongpot, and Chiravadee Khunsub, at media interview at Clipper Corner

TTM Talk with celebrity chef Van (The Dag restaurant, Bangkok) in Tent 5.

TTM Talk with celebrity chef Van (The Dag restaurant, Bangkok) in Tent 5.

Joanna Cooke, Public Relations Tourism Author- Mr Tanes Petsuwan, TAT Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications, giving his speech at the ity of Thailand Leisure London office TAT media briefing during TTM+ 2019 at Ocean Marina Yacht Club, Pattaya.

JULY 2019 PAGE 22

DESTINATION SPAIN

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hen in Extremadura, to subvert a common saying, do as the Romans do. At the Aqua Libera Rural Hotel, half an hour outside of Mérida, they have recreated the menus of 2,000 years ago and get guests to dress in togas and laurel leave crowns.

It sounds cheesy, it turned out to be fun. You could imagine the sulkiest teenager on holiday being transformed by the illusion of Patrician power.

Our group moved from quizzical to giddy faster than you can say XXDID. Not since Caligula’s horse has such greatness been visited on the undeserving been given such status.

And if anyone contends that the Romans did not do selfies, there is always the museum back in Mérida. There they have, on display, the ancient Instagram of the empire, in toles and murals, plates and gravestones.

Y

ou cannot put a shovel in the ground without finding Roman remains here, and the best of the finds have been collected into Rafael Moneo’s national museum of Roman art (entry: €2.40), which opened in 1986.

When work started on the building, archaeologists uncovered an old Roman road, and you can see a section of it in the basement.

Bypast Eoghan Corry in Extremadura, least visited part of our most visited tourist destination

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Eoghan Corry in Mérida Roman ampitheatre A sculpted head of Augustus, now displayed in the museum, was found in a local pharmacy. Builders recently a wealth of Roman remains while demolishing a jamon factory.

The grave memorials are especially poignant, people named and their ages itemised in that cryptic way that stonecarvers did.

The amphitheatre (astonishingly, only discovered in 1910; before that, they lay hidden under fields of olive trees) would have been used for gladiatorial combats; the fictional character played by actor Russell Crowe in the film Gladiator, Maximus Decimus Meridus, took his name from the town.

he least visited province of our most visited tourist destination is surprisingly accessible.

Like Monaghan, it is halfway along the road to nowhere - a dusty, roughhewn region flanking Portugal. Its parched and infertile flatlands have long been a byword in Spain for isolation and poverty.

Access has challenged its 500 years of isolation. A new north-south motorway means it is now two hours’ drive from Seville airport (Ryanair three times weekly from Dublin).

An east-west high-speed rail line means frequently served daily airports at Lisbon and Madrid are two hours away, driveable or even busable.

Given the two million Irish visitors Spain welcomes every year almost nothing is “undiscovered”. Yet maybe this really is it. We passed through walled market town after walled market town, unspoilt by tourism, with lively market squares, each one as beautiful as the last.

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xtremadura is also surprisingly large, the province is half the size of Ireland at 41,633 sq kn of 16,075 sq miles.

It is surprisingly storied. The reputation for being a poor backwater, left behind by the economies to the east, north and south driven by industry, commerce or

tourism, is a recent one.

Isolation comes with an advantage. It has kept joys from the past, including medieval cities such as Cáceres, while letting all the ills of modern tourism pass it by.

Baking hot in summer, freezing cold in winter.

Little English spoken.

No Nerja nerds here, it is hundreds of miles from

SAMPLE ITINERARY

n Day One Ryanair FR 7146 to Seville, Zafra, Lunch in Zafra at Plaza Grande restaurant, drive to Mérida, Check-in at Mérida Palace Hotel, Tapas Dinner La Carbonería restaurant n Day two Roman tour of Mérida, Aqua Libera Rural Hotel in Aljucen, cooking class followed by a dinner at Espezia n Day three Los Barruecos natural park, Vostell Museum, Cáceres for

lunch at Torre de Sande, check in at NH Palacio de Oquendo Tapería, wine tasting dinner at La Minerva Tapas Bar. n Day four Departure to Herreruela for ham safari and lunch. n Day five departure to Bodegas Habla wine cellar in Trujillo, Tour of Trujillo, Lunch in Trujillo at Bizcocho Plaza, Ryanair FR 7157 home from Madrid Adolfo Suárez International Airport

Clockwise: Mérida Roman ampitheatre. Marco Mangut tour guide, more Mérida Roman remains and Espezia cookery school

the nearest beach.

Isolation meant this was a recruiting grounds for the conquistadores escaping for a better life in Latin America.

Extremadura a name that contains the Spanish words for “extreme” and “hard”.”

One of the finest and barest landscapes, Los Barruecos natural park, caught the eye of the Game of Thrones makers. Examine any high point in the region and you are likely to see a stork. In Cáceres, south of Plasencia, there is even a building, the palace of Las Ciguenas, named after them.

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hen wool was wealth, which is most of history until the industrial revolution, Extremadura was very wealthy indeed.

When the Romans left or assimilated, the Via de la Plata was a commercial and pilgrim path that conveyed the wealth its name suggested.

On the frontline of the Spain’s reconquista, the fortified cities are a hotch potch of Moorish and Christian influences as they fell in and out of each other’s hands over the centuries.

The conquistadores returned from Latin America to create towns and cities that, at their time,

JULY 2019 PAGE 23

DESTINATION SPAIN

were among Europe’s best. Palacios, conventos, iglesias elbow each other for road frontage.

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epper and pig seem to be the foundation of every meal.

Sweet and sour pepper, red peppers stuffed with blood sausage, In Zafra we sampled Migas, beautiful and simple, made with breadcrumbs from day before, paprika garlic and a fried egg on top.

If the peppers are a precious legacy, the pigs have been accorded world heritage status.

UNESCO has recognised Iberian ham: Dehesa de Extremadura, on its heritage list.

Juan Luis Muñoz showed us around his pig farm. The black-hoofed jamón Ibérico porkers of Extremadura are probably the most spoilt pigs in the world. They feast on acorns in the dehesa (oak forests) throughout the winter.

The hams are then hung for three years.

Shavings of this sweet, sticky ham are served up with bread, oil, olives and perhaps some cheese.

That is before we come to the 1m cherry trees, the cork trees, the unique beef from Retinto, the local breed of cattle, the Vieriu award winning olive oil, the calderata

Doing as the Romans do in Aqua Libera Rural Hotel, a recreation of a Roman house, ancient cuisine, massages and Spa in Aljucen, Tony Baillie, Eoghan Corry, John Donlon, Sorcha O’Connor, Anne Hattaway, Gillian Tsoi, front: Yadira Chaparro of Extremadura Tourism and Sara Rivero of the Spanish Tourist Board in Dublin lamb stew with potatoes and paprika. . his being off the tourist trail, not many speak English (one who did walked down the length of the bus to upbraid your correspondent for not being fluent in Spanish).

Being away from the tourist trail has its advantages: €2 for coffee and toast, €3.80 for two beers, one large.

Isolation is way underrated.

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n Extremadura is two hours from Madrid, served from Dublin year round by Aer Lingus 7w, Iberia Express 14w and Ryanair 18w. and two hours from Seville, served year round 3w by Ryanair

PLACES TO SEE

n Zafra, nicknamed Little Seville on the strategic Via de la Plata, or the Silver Route at the base of the Sierra de Castellar Mountains, the little streets cluster round the 15th century castle, formerly a Moorish fortress n Mérida founded in 25 BC and once capital of Lusitania (Spain and Portugal) has some of the finest Roman ruins in the world, open air festivals are held in the Roman theatre, UNESCO World Heritage Site. n Aqua Libera Rural Hotel, a re-creation of a roman house, ancient cuisine, massages and Spa where you can dress and dine like a Roman. n Los Barruecos natural park near Cáceres, large granite rocks carved by time with nests of white storks and other birds, film location for the ‘Game of Thrones’, Season 7 great battle between the Lannister and Daenerys Targaryen armies.

n Espezia, visitors get to try your luck at cooking traditional dishes n Vostell Museum a former 18th century wool washhouse, now a contemporary art museum opened in 1976 by the German Wolf Vostell (1932-1998), co-founder of the Fluxus movement and video art pioneer. n Cáceres a blend of Roman, Islamic, Northern Gothic and Italian Renaissance styles, 30 towers still stand from the Muslim period, UNESCO World Heritage site since 1986. n Herreruela, the “dehesa” which is the characteristic managed oak forest landscape, home to the region’s Iberian pigs and source of the prized “jamón ibérico” acorn-fed cured ham. n Trujillo birthplace of Francisco Pizarro, conqueror of Peru, whose equestrian statue stands in the Plaza Mayor and Francisco de Orellana, discover of the Amazon River

Clockwise: Los Barruecos Malpartida de Cáceres,,Vostell Museum, Roman bridge in Mérida, Cáceres, and Eoghan Corry in Los Barruecos

JULY 2019 PAGE 24

Just back from:

PARIS AIR SHOW

SpiceJet DHC8, Paris Air Show 2019

Maeve Guilfoyle, quality engineer with Takumi Precision Engineering from Limerick pictured on the companies stand at the Paris Air Show Irish ambassador to France, Patricia O’Brien meets with Arralis staff on the enterprise Ireland stand at the Paris Air Show, Dylan Carroll of Limerick: Patricia O’Brien Irish ambassador to France; Thomas Young, Belfast and Keith Kerley, Limerick, June 19 2019

Mastered in Paris

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t was not all about the aircraft at the Paris Air Show, Some of Ireland’s leading companies in the Aerospace manufacturing sector are represented with the support and assistance of Enterprise Ireland.

Participants included Arralis, ÉireComposites, Emerald Aerogroup.

Shannon IASC and Takumi. Ireland’s ambassador to France, Patricia O’Brien paid a visit

to the Enterprise Ireland stand at the show and spoke with the companies present. She met with Jean-Claude Dardelet, Vice President of “Toulouse Metropole” Airbus provided the highlight of the show when it unveiled a new long-range version of its A321neo jet, The 95 orders and commitments including six from Aer Lingus, is a modest showing for an aircraft that the company

Some of Ireland’s leading companies in the Aerospace manufacturing sector are represented with the support of Enterprise Ireland

launched at this show.

The show was overshadowed by the controversy over Boeing’s 737 Max, which has been grounded after safety features were implicated in two fatal air crashes, addressed in press briefings Dennis Muilenburg & Greg Smith and a $24 bn order for 200 MAX family jets Dómhnal Slattery’s Avolon order 140 LEAP-1A engines from CFM International

to power 70 Airbus A320neo family aircraft in its order book., valued at US$2bn at list prices, ft in addition to the 80 engines that Avolon already uses to power 40 A320neos.

Dublin-based Accipiter Holdings placed its first-ever new aircraft order for 20 Airbus A320neo aircraft. Accipiter has a fleet of mainly narrowbodies placed with 37 airlines around the world.

Ann Fitzpatrick of Enterprise Ireland, JeanClaude Dardelet of Toulouse Metropole area, Patricia O’Brien, Irish ambassador to France, Marie Marchelek of Enterprise Ireland,

Embraer E195E2 which was brought by John Slattery to Paris Air Show 2019

JULY 2019 PAGE 25

Just back from:

LAKE GARDA

Following the mammoth mountain climb with a view over Arco

Mid climb - who was brave enough to take a picture

Daring Dolce Vita on Lago Garda

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aurice Shiels, Shauna Kelly and Dannielle Beggs hosted a Topflight travel agent educational to Lake Garda hosted ten key travel trade from nine counties on a high-adrenalin trip through five resorts that Topflight feature on Lake Garda including Riva, Malcesine,

Bardolino, Desenzano and Peschiera.

Day one was spent on the resort of Bardolino with lunch at the 4* Parc Hotel Gritti. Lunch was followed by a visit to the Cantina Zeni Winery and the hospitality of the Savoy Palace in Riva.

On day two the group travelled from Riva to

Ferry from Riva to Malcesine,

Malcesine by boat on the lake, a walking tour of the historic town of Malcesine, a climbing route on the Via Ferrata and on to the Savoy Palace in Riva where the group enjoyed dinner and overnighted.

Day three was devoted to Gardaland theme park, Desenzano to the

spa at the Hotel Mayer & Splendid and dinner at Ristorante Pizzeria Garda.

On the final day, the group participated in a sailing lesson on Lake Garda, followed by Italian gelato. The resorts on garda are among the most popular on the Topflight itinerary.

Following the mammoth mountain climb with a view over Arco

Shauna Kelly of Topflight, Olivia Price of Clubworld, Linda Harte of O’Hanrahan’s Travel, Desenzano lake

Linda Harte of O’Hanrahan travel, Nicole Branagan of Cassidy travel, Susan Hegarty of Travel Counsellors, Fidelma Burke of Grogan travel, Thomas O’Donohue of Strand Travel, Olivia Price of Clubworld travel , Dannielle Beggs of Topflight , Maurice Shiels of Topflight, Jill Sheeran of Best4Travel, Dympna Crowley of Lee travel . Naomi McConnell l&J World/Barrhead Mary Toye of Atlantic travel,

JULY 2019 PAGE 26

AFLOAT CELEBRITY Equinox emerged from dry dock with Le Petit Chef animated experience, an exclusive areas for suite passengers, a new Craft Social bar. Part of a $500 million programme to upgrade every ship in the Celebrity fleet by 2023.

PRINCESS Cruises thanked the trade for the largest ever booking day in its history, at €1 deposit day on June 12, which allowed guests to secure a holiday on any Princess cruise departing on or after January 1, 2020.

Rebecca Kelly, senior sales manager Ireland, said the day surpassed all expectations and I’m sure the spike in Princess bookings many agents experienced will have made all their hard work worthwhile.” Sky Princess is hosting a preview voyage on from October 16 - 20.

BREXIT The State has spent €7.8m

on land and developing properties at Dublin Port, Dublin airport and Rosslare Europort for border checks post-Brexit.. The State has taken control of a 13,000sq m warehouse at Dublin Port previously owned by businessman Harry Crosbie, and purchased 16 acres outside Rosslare port that was owned by car dealer Bill Cullen

MSC Butcher’s Cut is to replace Eately on MSC Divina and MSC Preziosa, and the Tex-mex on Fantasia serving prime cuts from around the world, accompanied by New World wines and cocktails with swagger.

Butcher’s Cut is currently featured on MSC Bellissima, MSC Seaview, MSC Seaside, MSC Meraviglia, MSC Splendida. This summer MSC Preziosa, MSC Divina and MSC Fantasia will all feature a Butchers Cut. ROYAL Caribbean announced Kimberly

Wyatt will host a series of her exclusive ‘Bring Your Heels’ dance classes onboard Explorer of the Seas on the 21st July, 4th August and 18th August sailings from Southampton.

WATERFORD began a public consultation process seeking inputs from all stakeholders on a proposed master plan setting out how the port could develop over the 25-year period to 2044.

CMV CEO Christian Verhounig said at a gala event for new ship Vasco da Gama in Tilbury that Cruise & Maritime Voyages plans another new ship to join its fleet as early as 2020, aimed at the English and Irish market, marking three ships in three years for the line.

Vasco da Gama previously sailed for Carnival Corporation under its P&O Cruises Australia brand as Pacific Eden CSO

reports Dublin port accounted for 59.3pc of all vessel arrivals in Irish ports and 47.8pc of the total tonnage of goods handled in 2018. Irish ports handled 55.1m tonnes of goods last year, up 3.3pc on the previous year.

CUBA The Trump Administration announced new travel restrictions on June 4 that will effectively end Cuba cruises from the US carrying American citizens, creating a compensation and rescheduling nightmare for US based cruise lines. Long standing Cuba specialists MSC are not affected.

Lawn club and Aviva stadium, pictured from Celebrity Reflection in Dublin

More sailings

T

Celebrity charters mean more 2020 rotations

hree full ship charters have been added to Celebrity Reflection’s five cruises ex-Dublin in April 2020, securing Dublin’s port’s longest season hosting a cruise ship.

Michael English told a trade gathering on board Celebrity reflection in Dublin “next year will be our longest seasons sailing direct from Dublin.

We have three ship charters signed up as well as the five turnarounds.

It will be our longest season except three of those cruises are full ship charters.

“This year has been our most successful year ever in selling cruises from Ireland. The celebrity reflection has put Celebrity Cruise sin a really strong position from the domestic market. We have grown the number

of people sailing from Dublin b 20pc.

Michael English alluded to the decision for Dublin port to cap cruise ship calls from 2021 in his briefing to the event. A widely reported Dublin Port briefing document for a meeting with Transport minister Shane Ross suggests that construction work to extend the North Wall Quay can bring cruise calls back to a projected 150 in 2024/25, and 200 the following year.

This updates the port’s proposal cut cruise ship calls to the city from 172 in 2019 to 80 in 2021 “We are in dialogue about 2021, 2022 and 2023 so we are 100pc committed to next year. If there is one wish is that we can get more sales for direct cruises from Dublin. The more sales and the more people we encour-

age to sail from Dublin we the more it makes my life in getting this, our biggest ship, secured.

“Europe has continued to do well.

Our European business is up 24pc.

Where we have seen a slight slowdown is the rest of the world. Alaska is the anomaly. Alaska is up 34pc from Ireland this year.”

“It has never been a better time to be a travel agent because we see so much competition from cruise lines.

So keep selling.”.

Celebrity is having another event for the trade in early April end of March 2020 to celebrate the arrival of Celebrity Apex, the next ship in the Edge class, which launched out of Sputhampton in Spring 2020.

BRUGES LATEST TO CULL CRUISES

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ruges has joined Amsterdam, Barcelona, Palma, Venice and Dubrovnik in either imposing taxes specifically on cruise passengers or limiting the number of ships visiting.

Andy Harmer, CLIA UK & Ireland Director, said: “The cruise industry accounts for around three

per cent of total tourism to Bruges, and whilst we are small part of the overall mix, we want to be a large part of finding a sustainable solution to ensure the city works for both residents and visitors.

“There is not a onesize-fits-all solution to destination sustainability.

That’s why CLIA is act-

ively partnering with local stakeholders including destination mayors, local government, travel and tourism businesses, local NGOs and others to address immediate concerns, as well as collaborate on long-term planning.

“CLIA cruise lines have well-planned itineraries (usually more than a year

in advance) that deliver passengers at known and regular times to destinations.

Their shore excursion programs are designed carefully to minimise disruption to the local community while generating positive economic impact.

JULY 2019 PAGE 27

AFLOAT

Pont Aven returns

Three week repair discomodes trade and consumer

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ont Aven returned to the Brittany Ferries Cork-Roscoff route three weeks after the Pont Aven ferry suffered a hydraulic failure impacting thousands of people.

Difficulties in securing parts for repairs to the ship meant the vessel was out of action longer than Brittany Ferries had originally expected.

While Brittany Ferries said it was working with those affected in arranging alternative plans or refunds, some people and travel trade felt they were left in the dark.

Brittany offered passengers alternative sailings or a refund, but not on alternative ferry lines. Irish Ferries recently brought a High Court challenge to a ruling by National Transport Authority last January that, arising out of cancellation caused by delays to the WB Yeats, that the company breached EU regulations concerning the rights of passengers travelling by sea.

Brittany Ferries were besieged by people seeking information on the sailings. Extra sailings of MV Con-

AURORA Expeditions has entered into an agreement with shipbuilder Sunstone to build another X-Bow ship for delivery in 2021, sister ship to the soon-to-be-launched Greg Mortimer,

Pont Aven sailing into Cork nemara were arranged to facilitate passengers, with three turnarounds a week replacing the single turnaround of Pont Aven.

One tour operator reported that they got through the problems with relatively little hassle I suppose mainly because we were using our own accommodation in France and were able to alter dates.

If it had gone on any longer we would have had issues as accommodation would have been full and adjustments more difficult The MV Connemara has a capacity of 518 passengers, 120 freight vehicles and 195 vehicles. The Pont Aven has a capacity of 2,415 passengers and 600 vehicles.

NO ANCHOR ON NEW CELEBRITY VESSEL

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elebrity Cruises CEO and past time resident in Cork, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo says that Flora expedition ship is the first ever to be specifically designed to sail the Galapagos Islands.

Flora commenced sailings on seven-night cruises and select 10-, 11- and 16-night pack-

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ages that include either pre- or post-cruise land expeditions.

The ship, which has a 1-to-9, naturalist-to-passenger ratio with naturalists certified

by Galapagos National Park onboard. features anchorless technology that can maintain the ship’s position while also protecting the sensi-

tive sea floor. to lead the enrichment programming, Passenger comforts include the outdoor Ocean Grill, serving fresh local ingredients and seafood; an observatory and star-gazing platform; a marina stocked with Zodiacs; and a top-deck glamping experience.

through from construction to the future at sea.

The 5,200 passenger, Iona will be P&O’s biggest when it debuts in May 2020. It will be powered exclusively by liquefied natural gas.

P&O Cruises’ president, Paul Ludlow, said: “to view Iona’s SkyDome take shape was literally breath-taking -- no other

MSC’s partnership with Michelin starred Spanish Chef Ramón Freixa has extended further seeing HOLA! Tapas Bar, which originally pioneered on MSC Bellissima extend to two further ships in the fleet. The speciality dining concept will be found on board MSC Meraviglia from May 2019, and MSC Grandiosa from November 2019.

OCEANIA’s Riviera emerged from dry

dock with a new bar and lounge, new coffee bar area featuring a high-level Victoria Arduino espresso machine, and Bar Istas lounge and redesigned suites and staterooms, part of the line’s OceaniaNext fleetwide enhancement programme. Riviera recently started featuring a special six-course Dom Perignon tasting menu.

Riviera’s sister ship Marina will receive a similar makeover in May 2020.

CARNIVAL Cruise Line is introducing a new drink delivery function on their HubApp. Once a passenger places an order for pizza delivery via the HubApp, they will be asked if they would like to add a beer, soda or water to their order. The app will then prompt them to pin their location and take a selfie so they can be identified by the waiter.

DISNEY Wonder enhancements include a New Orleans-style venue that will debut on a September 2019 voyage from Vancouver to San Diego before the ship’s spring 2020 season sailing from the Louisiana homeport.

Lisa Lutoff-Perlo

P&O HONOURS IRISH SAINT

&O Cruises marked the construction of Iona, with a coin-laying ceremony at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

A bronze coin from St Columba’s famous Iona Abbey along with a slice of green Iona marble from the island were welded to the ship to bring good luck to the ship and its crew

NORWEGIAN Getaway completed its first sailing out of Copenhagen after a two-week dry dock including new venues and artwork, updated social spaces and refreshed accommodations and decor. The ship now features Norwegian’s first onboard, full-service Starbucks available in the European market and Syd Norman’s Pour House, a rock ‘n’ rollthemed entertainment venue. Getaway, which sails Scandinavian, Russia and Baltic this summer, finished work three months after Norwegian Sky completed a dry dock in February 2019. Norwegian Spirit will be the upgraded as part of the programme, in January 2020.

ship in the world has a glass dome of this quality of construction and scale.

The extent of the space on Iona has allowed us to create not only spectacular spaces for shows, entertainment, dining and wellness but also many more intimate spaces for tranquility and relaxation as well as exclusive performances. Iona will be game-

changer for holidays.”

In May 2019, the line revealed a series of new Food Heroes for Iona including Spanish chef Jose Pizarro, Norwegian chef Kjartan Skjelde and photographer and cook Marte Marie Forsberg -- along with a brand-new dining venue for the line, Taste 360.

SCENIC Eclipse successfully completed sea trials prior to launching on August 15, 2019. The long-awaited ship launch had been delayed three times, due to a series of strikes and shortage of manpower. Scenic Eclipse was originally expected August 2018.

ROYAL Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas, a frequent visitor to Cóbh, will now sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 2020,

CRYSTAL Mozart is to leave Crystal river cruises; leaving the fleet to consist solely of newer ships OASIS of the Seas is to receive a new pool deck with a water park and three-story bar, a trio of waterslides, a new-to-the-line BBQ dining venue during a 63-day, $165m refurb in November 2019,

JULY 2019 PAGE 28

THE FLYING COLUMN CATHAY PACIFIC Edward Fotheringham, Cathay Pacific regional head of marketing and sales Europe, said 80,000 people flew between Dublin and Hong Kong on the service that Cathay launched between the two cities a year ago, plus about 2,000 tonnes of Irish goods being sent out to the Far East, mainly things like seafood and pharma goods. About two out of every three passengers from Ireland are travelling onwards from Hong Kong to destinations in Australasia and the Far East that Cathay Pacific.

RYANAIR reported 13.5m passengers in May, up 8pc, at a seat factor of 97pc plus 0.6m at Lauda at a seat factor of 94pc, total 14.1m passengers, up 13pc. Ro9lling annual to May was up 10pc to 144.9m, .

AER LINGUS travellers can opt

into a 6, 7, or 8-night trip to Ireland under the new ‘Discover Your Roots’ package, which includes airfare, hotels, and a consultation with a genealogy expert to determine the exact regions in Ireland where their ancestors lived.

AVIANCA Brasil had its operations suspended by regulators until the company proves operational capacity to maintain safe operations.

AUSTRALIA’s International Air Services Commission issued a draft decision proposing to block a proposed expansion of Qantas and Cathay Pacific’s codeshare arrangements on the Australia-Hong Kong routes AER LINGUS is discussing code-

share arrangements with Loganair. Loganair currently operates Inverness-Dublin and Glasgow-Donegal and is due to add Carlisle-Dublin next month. It also operates City of Derry-Stansted, -Glasgow and -Manchester and Belfast City to a range of airports.

SMBC Aviation Capital reports profit before tax up 8pc to US$344m for the year to 31mar19, with a record $1.1 bn of overall income from continuing operations. Total aircraft assets stood at $11.9 bn, as 47 aircraft from its order book were placed.

BELFAST CITY Airport annual fi-

nancial report filed by Belfast City Airport Ltd confirmed that air passenger flow fell by 2pc to 2.51m in 2018, the third successive decline since hitting 2.69m in 2015. After setting a record 2.74m passengers during 2010 on the back of Ryanair’s short lived services, Aer Lingus moved in with five new routes in 2012, now reduced to three, two of which are seasonal.

EMBRAER’s commercial aircraft

activity is to change its company branding to Boeing Brasil - Commercial. It is not yet known whether Boeing and Embraer will rebrand the regional jet families which are being built in Brazil. The aircraft are still named the E-Jet and E2-Jet families, with “E” standing for Embraer Regional Jet.

MINISTER Shane Ross is making an

initial allocation of €8.85m in Exchequer grants to airports Donegal €884,912, Knock €5,761,738, Kerry €2,208,911 under his Department’s Regional Airports Programme

Happier times: Isabel Harrison and Declan Power of Shannon airport at the Norwegian announcement

From bad to Norse Passengers asked to make their own way to Dublin

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orwegian Air confirmed that the airline’s transatlantic passengers to and from Cork and Shannon to the US will continue to be re-routed via Dublin for the remainder of the summer.

A spokesperson for the company said the move was due to “the continued grounding of the B737 MAX by the European aviation authorities”. The airline is now advising

passengers to book their own transport and to claim expenses by producing receipts. The airline has also said passengers can rebook flights or receive a refund. Previously, Norwegian said it would bus affected passengers to Dublin Norwegian Air explained that Cork is a seasonal route and the reduced availability of aircraft has led to the removal of Shannon services

this winter.

Norwegian’s Cork and Shannon transatlantic flights had already been removed from reservations systems.

Dublin flights remain at frequencies further reduced from last year, Stewart now at 7 to 8w and Providence RI at 3-4w.

Stewart flights are upgraded to leased-in A330-300s and Providence downgraded to B737-800.

WATERFORD GETS ANOTHER €5m

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here was astonishment at the decision of Shane Ross, in principle, to give €5m of an Exchequer grant towards a €12m runway extension project at Waterford Airport, which has been no flights for three years, from its existing length of 1,433 metres to 2,280 metres.

The remaining cost of the project will be met from private investor and local authority interests who have committed to funding €5m and €2m

respectively in return for an equity shareholding in Waterford Airport. Among the private investors who have shown a willingness to commit time, money and expertise to this project are Conor McCarthy, Noel Frisby, Dawn Meats Group, Glanbia plc, Coolmore Stud, Stafford Wholesale and local authorities in Waterford, Kilkenny and Wexford.

The present runway has displaced thresholds at both ends and is narrow for B737/A320 operation

with a width of 30 metres and may require special procedures/clearance The runway, when extended, will be able to accommodate large commercial passenger aircraft such as B737s and A320s.

The Minister said that formal confirmation of the funding was dependent on the Airport being able to demonstrate, following the necessary procurement processes, that the project can be delivered for the estimated amount of €12m.

The Exchequer contri-

bution of €5m will only be paid when all upgrade works are completed and the runway is confirmed to be ready for service by the Irish Aviation Authority.

Work will commence immediately on progressing the runway extension and a planning application will be lodged for the extension of the northern end and the runway widening.

Planning permission is already in place for the extension of the southern end.

EU-WIDE DRONE RULES PROPOSED

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he European Union has published EU-wide rules on drones to provide a clear framework for what is and isn’t allowed, improve safety and make it easier for drone users to operate their craft in another Euro-

pean country.

The European Aviation Safety Agency said Tuesday that the new rules will come into force from July 2020, giving member countries and operators time to prepare. The rules will override any relevant

existing national rules.

EASA said the rules specify that new drones must be “individually identifiable,” allowing authorities to trace a particular drone if needed. They will also allow operators authorised in one EU country

to fly their craft in others.

EASA Executive Director Patrick Ky said that “common rules will help foster investment, innovation and growth in this promising sector.”

JULY 2019 PAGE 29

THE FLYING COLUMN PIONEERS Congratulations to

Aine O’Gorman and Grainne Cronin on their Contribution to Irish Aviation 2019 awards, which they received at an annual aviation gala ball. Both Aine, an Air Traffic Controller and Grainne, an Aer Lingus Pilot led the way for generations of women in Irish aviation and their pioneering roles were recognised for this achievement.

Susanne Carberry, Director of Network Revenue and Loyalty at Aer Lingus.

Middle seat move Aer Lingus moves on business class transfer traffic

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er Lingus has introduced a faux business class to enable business class transfer passengers to continue to their European destination in a more spacious environment.

AerSpace will not involve a curtain, just an empty middle seat for passengers at the from of the A320 aircraft.

Described by the airline as “not a class of travel, rather a new fare option with an enhanced product concept to meet with the changing demands of air passengers” the new product is designed to enable Aer Lingus compete with direct services to Britain and mainland Europe.

A written statement from the airline says: “It has been developed in

response to feedback from customers seeking a more premium and spacious travel experience when flying short-haul with Aer Lingus.”

As a simple higher fare proposition and a not a premium class of travel, it will also avoid the hefty Air Passenger Duty premium for business class travellers from England.

S

group operates 130 aircraft, ranging from B747 to ATR turbo prop, offering network solutions to express freight integrators and passenger airlines. In addition, the Group operates scheduled and charter flights under its own brands.

The Group’s multiple airlines provide

ASL with wide-ranging traffic rights and valuable slots at key airports across Europe, Asia and Africa. In 2018, ASL operated over 85,000 flights, carrying over 4m passengers and 357,000 tonnes of cargo. ASL Aviation has 3,000 employees of 51 nationalities.

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900 on the the summer seasonal flight which operates through September 28, and opens up 35 new unique one stop connections for Irish passengers. The route replaces the Dublin-JFK service.

She said she expected a large American take-up for the services which offers onward connections

MAAS Egeria, an Amsterdam based investment company, has acquired a majority of Dublin headquartered MAAS Aviation Group.

3DS Dassault Systèmes 3DS opened its

new office in Phoenix House, Cork, with twice the capacity of its previous docklands space.

RETAIL IN MOTION Dub-

IATA CEO Alexandre de Juniac told the

AGM in Seoul that revised financial figures show airline industry profits expected to fall by $7.5bn from the December forecast

FEDEX has decided to not renew its

contract with Amazon for US cargo delivery through FedEx Express, the unit that delivers packages on aircraft.

Hugh Flynn of ASL

DUBLIN FLIGHTS USE DALLAS D

aitriona Toner, Country Sales Manager for Ireland for American Airlines says the new Dublin to Dallas/Fort Worth route offers up to 900 daily departures to destinations across North America, the Caribbean, Latin America and Canada. .

American use the 787-

IAG Annual Results show that Aer Lingus fitted 28 of its 37 A320/21 aircraft with airflow deflectors.These help the generation of a whistling sound during a phase of descent.

Aer Lingus offset its remaining tax losses from earlier years against taxable profits in 2017. Its remaining tax liability from 2017 together with its 2018 liability was paid in 2018, total €61m.

lin-based Retail inMotion, the LSG Group’s on-board retail expert brand, is proud to announce that it has been awarded the prestigious contract for the management of the travel retail program for Cathay Pacific Group, covering both Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon.

ASL HOLDINGS TAKEN OVER BY STAR CAPITAL

TAR Capital, a European fund manager, has completed the acquisition of ASL Aviation Holdings, originally announced in February.

Headquartered in Dublin, ASL is a global aviation services provider with operations on six continents. The

EU-CHINA The European Union and China signed an agreement on civil aviation safety and a horizontal aviation agreement to strengthen their aviation cooperation. All EU airlines will be able to fly to China from any EU Member State with a bilateral air services agreement with China under which unused traffic rights are available. Up until now, only airlines owned and controlled by a member state or its nationals could fly between that state and China.

to Certainly there will be a significant amount of US point of sale to Ireland and the American love coming to Ireland.

American are getting new gates in Dallas which will allow the airline to expand even more. All international arrivals and departures in Dallas go to terminal D so the Dal-

las arrival point, despite pre-clearance in Dublin, is Terminal D. American Airlines do not use a handling. “Everything above the wing we do ourselves in Dublin,”Caitriona Toner says.

Since March American have 57 staff in Dublin and are handling their own check-in.

KEFLAVIK Airport May passenger numbers show major reductions following the collapse of WOW Air. Total numbers were down 30pc to 580,701 with local passengers down about 20pc and transferring passengers down 46pc.

BOMBARDIER stated it would explore strategic options for the CRJ regional jet programme.

LUFTHANSA Group is to rebrand narrowbody aircraft of Brussels Airlines in the Eurowings livery.

AIR FRANCE is to cut 465 ground

staff jobs from its domestic services as it reduces short-haul capacity by 15pc under pressure from LCCs and high-speed trains.

JULY 2019 PAGE 30

THE FLYING COLUMN DUBLIN AEROSPACE is investing €10m in a new facility in Ashbourne Co Meath that will service aircraft landing gears. It is expected to open next year, will also see Dublin Aerospace hire additional staff.

TROOPS 750,000 foreign troops, the vast majority from the US, have been given permission by the Government to pass through Irish airports or airspace in the past five years.

Much more at ASG New Dublin flight ops and dispatch

customers include Hibernian Airlines, Stobart Air and SAS

TAP-Air Portugal is preparing the ground

for an expected initial public offering of its shares. TAP, which was partly privatised in 2015, is 50pc owned by the Portuguese state.

Private consortium Atlantic Gateway, led by Brazilian-US airline mogul David Neeleman, has a 45pc stake. TAP employees hold the remaining 5pc.

US CBP US Customs and Border

Protection introduced an extended hours preclearance service at Shannon Airport from the beginning of June. Shannon has five remaining trans-Atlantic vices and 34 trans-Atlantic flights a week to Boston, JFK and Newark 7 and Philadelphia.

DUBLIN AIRPORT CEO Dalton

Philips told senior staff that the State company’s board is “standing down” work on a €2bn expansion timed for 2020-2024, blaming the uncertainty created by the Commission for Aviation Regulation’s proposals to cut the ceiling on the airport’s average passenger charge to €7.50 per head for 2020-2024 from €9.30.

FLYBE

is withdrawing from an SAS wet-lease contract for 5 ATR 72-600s two years ahead of schedule, as SAS has chosen a new operator, Nordica (Estonia), reportedly by agreement.

QANTAS

plans to fully takeover Alliance Airlines, pending ACCC review of the Alliance’s ownership structure.

SWISSPORT

Ireland was fined €24,000 for using green low tax diesel fuel at Shannon Airport.

SAS Scandinavian Airlines will stop selling duty-free goods on board its aircraft, in response to what it describes as changing consumer habits and the increasingly strong demands for airline sustainability. SAS vice president-commercial Karl Sandlund said. “this will reduce the overall weight of our aircraft, which in turn will save fuel and cut emissions.

QANTAS

has asked manufacturers to present their “best and final offer” by August for long-haul aircraft capable of the 21-hour trip between Sydney to London launching in 2023. A decision is due in late 2019..

SAA CEO Vuyani Jarana has resigned, and is prepared to work a three-month notice period until end August. South African Airways appointed Zuks Ramasia, previously general manager for operations, as Acting CEO.

Christine Ourmieres-Widener and María José Hidalgo are the only women on the IATA Board for 2019-20.

FlyShe initiative

IATA recognises Christine year after Akber faux-pax

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hristine Ourmieres-Widener has said boys and girls should be encouraged to aspire to the same jobs from an early age.

The departing Flybe CEO, formerly CEO of Dublin based Cityjet, the Inspirational Role Model accolade at the IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards, the Flybe CEO said the industry must steer away from outdated views regarding job roles in aviation.

She thanked IATA and Qatar Airways for working to establish the inaugural awards, ironically 12 years after incoming IATA chair Akbar Al baker said that “a woman could not do my job.”

Christine said “young girls need to be encouraged to have the same dreams and ambitions as young boys—two plus two equals four, whether you are a girl or a boy.”

“Gaining an aeronautical degree or

qualifying as a pilot should automatically be seen as achievable by all, regardless of gender. This attitude needed to be instilled at an early age.”

Ourmieres-Widener was recognized for inspiring young people and young women to join the aviation industry, having worked as an engineer on Concorde.

She also introduced the FlyShe initiative, designed to change aspirations and create opportunities.

BUSES TO BE GIVE 4AM PRICE INCENTIVE

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ublin Airport will offer incentives for bus and coach companies to provide 24-hour services as part of a new bussing tender process.

The aim is to make it easier for travellers and staff to get to the airport ahead of the busiest 0430 to 0630am

check-in, which buses serve badly.

A third of airport users currently use the bus.

Traffic to the airport is highest in the early hours least served by existing services. The plan particularly targets increased bus connections for travellers in Kildare,

Meath, Wexford and Limerick, as well as for the approximately 17,000 workers based at the airport. The tender terms include potential hefty discounts for bus operators, which currently must pay €5 per departure from premium stops nearest T1 and T2 and €3 from other stops.

Vincent Harrison: Incentive

MICHAEL’S MALTEASER MOVE

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ichael O’Leary said Ryanair plans to add over 50 more aircraft to the Maltese register after Ryanair Holdings has agreed to purchase Malta Air, a Maltese start up airline.

Ryanair will move and grow its Malta based fleet of six B737 aircraft allowing Ryanair to grow its already sizeable presence

in Malta, 3m customers pa, and access non-EU markets such as North Africa from Malta.

Completion of the deal is planned for the end of June, following which Ryanair Holdings will n switch 6 Malta based aircraft to the Maltese register n 200 Malta based crew move onto local contracts paying local Maltese taxes

n increase its Malta based fleet to 10 aircraft within three years and create over 350 jobs n brand its Malta based fleet in Malta Air colours for Summer 2020 n move Ryanair based aircraft from France, Italy and Germany onto the Malta AOC. This will allow these crews to pay their income taxes locally in France,

Italy and Germany instead of Ireland where they are currently required to pay income taxes under Irish AOC. Ryanair had initially expressed an interest in Air Malta but the government shot down the idea, proposing instead that the Irish company open a subsidiary operating on a Maltese Air Operator’s Certificate

JULY 2019 PAGE 31

THE FLYING COLUMN

Eu261 strike fight

Ryanair says strikes ruling will be overturned in court

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yanair CEO Michael O’Leary says that decisions requiring Ryanair to pay compensation in the event of pilot strikes will be contested in courts across Europe.

Some regulators, including CAR I Ireland, have advised consumers they can seek Eu261 compensation from airlines in the event of strikes.

O’Leary says that the precedent upon which that precedent is based, TUIfly in 2016, is a bad one.

TUIfly said a wildcat strike provoked by the company’s announcement of a restructuring plan in 2016 was not liable but lost the case at the EU’s highest court. Ryanair is facing similar action following a series of strikes in 2018.

“The TUI Fly precedent was a bad one because it was a bad precedent.

It was wildcat strike that was specifically by what was manifest mismanagement by TUI. It was a bad case, and a bad case makes bad law.”

“On the routine side, the courts in France and in Germany, France and Spain are much more used to strikes.

They will see that if they make Iberia responsible for all the Spanish pilots strikes and Air France responsible for compensation for all the French pilots strikes they will bankrupt the airlines.”

“So far we have been uniquely suc-

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RYANAIR has been using airbridges at Frankfurt T2 since May due to 20 minute bus rides to remote stands.

AER LINGUS identified its one mil-

Willie Walsh and Michael O’Leary: EU261 liability for strikes interpreted differently for IAG and Ryanair cessful in the courts. We won court rulings in Spain, in France and Germany and in Ireland most recently on the Eu261.”

“It is quite clear, as it is to most airlines, that this is a strike that is outside our control. If it was within our control there would not be a strike.: “If ATC have a strike we are not expected to pay the compensation.

Whereas if our pilots go on strike, we do.

“To me there is a huge discrepancy there. It also runs the risk of giving the unions too much power.

They would bankrupt Air France if Air France has to pay compensation

every time the unions go on strike.

“You would give unions a huge financial weapon to repeatedly keep striking just so they can cause maximum Ey261 damage.

I think in general times legally strikes are generally treated to be force majeure.

“We accept with an comply with the right to care for people. We have a real problem. And I think we will win in the courts ultimately, that you cannot expect and airline with an average fare of €30 to be providing compensation of €300 every time or pilots or cabin crew go on strike.”

conclusion of IATA’s 75th Annual General Meeting in Seoul.

He said challenges included protectionism, high taxes and trade wars, “but probably the greatest challenge of all is sustainability.”

A resolution on the environment was passed by the AGM calling

on governments to implement CORSIA, the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, Further resolutions related to slots, radio frequency identification for baggage tracking, IATA’s One ID initiative and facilities for disabled passengers

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show n Dublin 6,534,616 +7.57pc n Cork 475,095 +10.67pc n Shannon 301,641

-5.10pc n Knock 142,713 +8.67pc n Kerry 68,606 +4.84pc n Donegal 9,062 +6.16pc Shannon includes transit numbers.

Shannon was particularly hit by the B737 MAX

lionth transatlantic passenger to fly with the airline during 2019. Laura McGrory and Graham Woods, a recently married couple from Dunleer in Co Louth, made the milestone trip travelling on flight EI143 from Dublin Airport to Seattle.

RYANAIR is to add Dublin-Marseille 3w in summer 2020.

BERNAL

Institute at the University of Limerick UL and SkyNRG is to explore the potential of a regional Sustainable Aviation Fuel supply chain in Ireland, with a focus on academic collaboration at UL.

AER LINGUS say their long-haul

schedule will offer a record 3m seats to North America in 2019.

PRESTWICK Airport is being put up

for sale by the Scottish government. The airport was taken into public ownership six years ago after it was threatened with closure following heavy losses.

RYANAIR became the first EU airline to release monthly CO2 emissions statistics, which show an average of 66g CO2 per passenger/km in May 2019. It claims that high fare competitors such as Lufthansa, BA and AF-KLM currently generate over 120g per pax/km.

Carsten Spohr: IATA chair

SHANNON FALLS AS CORK RISES TTAS Quarterly Aviation Statistics for 2019 Q1 report

Electronics, has announced plans to provide significant support for the extension and renovation of the Shannon Aviation Museum, which has been in existence since 2007 with co-funding for a recent grant for the Museum from the Department of Rural and Community Development 2018 Towns and Villages Renewal Scheme, delivered through the Clare County Council.

CATHAY PACIFIC A campaign

by Cathay Pacific aims to showcase the Hong Kong airline’s dedication to becoming “one of the world’s greatest service brands.”

LUFTHY CEO TAKES OVER AS IATA CHAIR

arsten Spohr has been appointed as the 78th Chairman of the International Air Transport Association The Lufthansa Group CEO has served on the IATA BoG since May 2014 and succeeds Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al-Baker following the

SHANNON’s largest employer, Ei

grounding with the loss of Norwegian’s transatlantic service and of Air Canada’s resumption of services.

If sustained through the summer and autumn the total numbers for the year

would be: n Dublin 33.9m n Cork 2.65m n Shannon 1.77m n Knock 8,385k n Kerry 3,830k n Donegal 51k

VIRGIN Australia and Virgin Atlantic applied to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for authorisation to enable them to cooperate in relation to services between Australia and Britain and Ireland via mutual mid-points in Hong Kong and Los Angeles, and any future mutual connection points with arrangements to be formalised in a formal cooperation agreement if authorisation is granted. Virgin Australia and Virgin Atlantic are also seeking interim authorisation to give effect to the full range of conduct for which authorisation is sought.

GREAT DANE Airlines launched

scheduled services 21Jun from Aalborg, Denmark, to Edinburgh, Dublin and Nice. The full-service carrier will initially operate two Embraer E195s it says were purchased from Ireland-based Stobart Air.

JULY 2019 PAGE 32

THE FLYING COLUMN AER LINGUS passenger numbers

in May were down 0.3pc on May18 to 1.08m.

RPK was 3.9pc up with passenger load factor 80.4pc, up 0.5 points. Cargo carried was up 8pc. For IAG as a whole, passenger numbers were up 4.1pc to 10.4m, with traffic up 6.0pc with a 1.5pc increase on International European routes and a 4.7pc increase on North American routes.

DUBLIN Airport is taking part in a trial that uses biometrics to help passengers travel between two airports in conjunction with Bristol Airport and an airline partner, the first biometric trial that enables passengers to use the same biometric system at their departure and arrival airports and with their airline.

QANTAS In Perth to mark the first

anniversary of the Qantas London to Perth service,Alan Joyce said 61pc of passengers are from Australia, 31pc from other countries. Qantas has seen a 30pc increase in passengers travelling between London and Australia via Perth, and a 7pc increase inbound. Load factor is 94pc, average flight times are 16 hours and 5 minutes, with the fastest flight being 15 hours and 15 minutes. Most popular meal in Business Class is Cone Bay Barramundi and the Beef and Yorkshire Pudding, and Guinness beef pie with potato mash in economy. Deloitte Access Economics said the route generated $100m in free publicity and drove 1.1m visitor nights in W Australia.

AIR FRANCE-KLM is increasing

capacity by 2pc for the 2019 summer season, +1.3pc for long-haul passenger operations, +1.2pc for medium and short-haul passenger operations and +9.3pc for Transavia’s low-cost operations.

AF/KLM French and Dutch transport

ministers agreed to put in place a working group which by June will deliver its conclusions on how to improve the Air France KLM alliance after the Dutch government purchase of a 12.68pc stake in AF-KLM and intention to increase it to 14pc almost matching the 14.29pc held by the French government led to a fall of about 10pc in the share price. Asked in Brussels about his relationship with Air France CEO Ben Smith, KLM CEO Pieter Eibers said “good” and invited the next question.

SHANNON Airport to Frankfurt Lufthansa service is to double capacity to a second weekly service, Lufthansa previously operated scheduled transatlantic passenger services through Shannon 1955-59 and Germany-Shannon-US jet services in 1962.

AEROSPACE Engineering Solutions opened an engineering design office in Shannon having gained EASA Part 21 approval for its Irish base, introducing DOA AES Global, trading under Aerospace Engineering Solutions.

TAX Le Soir reported that Belgium will

join Netherlands in proposing to its EU partners to introduce a European taxation on commercial aviation, either a tax on aviation fuel, currently exempt from any tax, or VAT on airline tickets.

6 XLR for Lingus

Walsh confirms Airbus A321XLR is west coast option

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AG CEO Willie Walsh said the A321XLR longer range derivative which were ordered at Paris air show as having the potential to reach west coast USA and “definitely a fit” for Aer Lingus.

Six of the 14 IAG orders for latest evolution of the A321neo with 4,700nm range are destined for Aer Lingus. It opens up the prospects of flights as far as San Diego and Mexico City in one direction and Beijing in the order for a single aisle aircraft.

The aircraft can accommodate 180-220 passengers in two class configuration with deliveries expected from 2023.

“It gives us range, which is important, and it gives us payload security, which is equally important as well – so it is good,” Walsh said in the margins of the IATA summit in Seoul..

Walsh said the aircraft concept could also give Aer Lingus the ability to operate “multiple frequencies” which represents “one of the big opportunities” of the proposed type.

Aer Lingus already has eight A321LRs on order, with the first due to come into service in August.

Walsh says the business plan calls for another six of the type, but

Alan Joyce CEO of Qantas and Willie Walsh CEO of IAG at the the A321XLR could clearly replace some of those orders. It could also suit Iberia, and could potentially be attractive for BA and Level Airbus says the new model offer 30pc lower fuel burn per seat than previous-generation competitor aircraft. Uptake at the show was slower than anticipated with 95 new orders.

Its design offers 4,700 nmi (8,700 km) of range and feature a new

permanent Rear Centre Tank (RCT) for more fuel, a strengthened landing gear for a 101 t (223,000 lb) MTOW, and an optimised wing trailing-edge flap to preserve take-off performance.

The RCT will hold 12,900 l (3,400 US gal) of fuel, the equivalent of four 3,121 l (824 US gal) current ACTs, while it weighs like one and takes up the space of two; a forward ACT can also be fitted if necessary/

FLYBE/STOBART PLANS IRISH EXPANSION

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irgin Atlantic executive Mark Anderson, who previously ran Virgin Holidays, will lead the overhaul of Flybe after being appointed CEO of Connect Airways, the consortium that took over the English regional airline. The consortium is awaiting

merger clearance from the European Commission.

Anderson said. “we are focused on growing the airline while expanding our franchise business in Dublin, redefining what customers can expect from regional flying in the England,” “We have all the

building blocks in place: Flybe’s heritage and expertise in running Europe’s largest regional airline; strength and operational excellence of Stobart Air; magic of the Virgin brand.

Flybe CEO Christine Ourmières-Widener will step down from her role on July 15.

Mark Anderson of Connect

MOTION NO MORE AS LAUDA GROWS

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auda CEO Andreas Gruber said Ryanairowned Laudamotion will delete the word “motion” from its name for marketing reasons.

Lauda will increase its fleet in Vienna by 3 to 11

aircraft in the autumn and to 14 in summer 2020 with four bases, Dusseldorf, Palma, Stuttgart and Vienna and a fifth base outside the German-speaking area.

CEO Andreas Gruber said the airline has received

a massive feedback from airports that like to work with us, asking if Lauda could start services from them. Our fifth base could be in the Baltics or Scandinavia, but we are also looking into Eastern Europe.” Lauda has already

become the second-largest carrier in Vienna, Austria (with 8 aircraft), as well as in Stuttgart (3 A320s) and Dusseldorf (7 A320s), after the Lufthansa Group.

Four additional aircraft are based in Palma.

JULY 2019 PAGE 33

OMÓS/OBITUARY

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Co-founder of Travel Extra

ife was simpler when Tony Barry started out in journalism. Typewriters were manual, metal was hot, blacks are the carbons between the crisp pressed pages, and a journalist could park his Morris Minor, for free, outside the offices in Abbey Street all day while he was at work.

If he had not turned his hands to travel, entertainment was his other love.

He had an encyclopedic knowledge of the show band scene, and personal friendships with the stars who filled the dance halls of Ireland to capacity.

His brother Jim was lead vocals for the Memories (legend has it he got the gig because he had a

reel to reel tape recorder) and for a time Tony managed the band, alternating his late night gigs with his role as a sub editor.

The Memories best remembered track was the soccer related take on Billy Joel’s “We didn’t start the fire,’ The Game, released for the 1990 world cup.

Tony learned the old

fashioned way at st Vincent’s school of how words were important. he remained dedicated to the craft of wordsmanship to the end.

He wrote about music when he was not in the air, up close and personal with fleeting visitors such as the Beatles and real stars, like Dickie Rock and Brendan Shine.

Tony Barry receives a certificate of merit from Minister Seamus Brennan in 2006 In 1995 he had withTo his family and Coldrawn from the high ette, forever at his side intensity of daily news- and part of every converpaper life, when he co sation, the next generafounded Travel Extra tion of Travel Extra send with Gerry O’Hare and their commiserations.

John Butterly, whose The flame he lit is father Jack he succeeded bringing on all seven as Evening Herald travel continents where Travel Extra goes. Yes, all seven editor in 1975.

Holocaust to Herzegovina

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A more unlikely person to invent Međugorje or, at least, present it to the Irish market, could not have been imagined than Jan Kaminski, When he arrived on the burgeoning Irish travel scene in 1964 he might as well have been an apparition himself, handsome and wise beyond his age, full of energy and ideas.

He was the fun loving, travel agent, living and breathing the job. Lost passports, bureaucratic mess-ups, over booked hotels, border checks and name changes did not phase him.

If a quarter of the stories about him from that period are true, his life was one of hilarity and late night roguery.

No one would ever suspect there was darkness in the background.

If there was, it seemed to have been discarded like last year’s boarding pass.

How discarded cannot be sure. For Jan had already lived many lives, lives of adventure, enterprise and, also, overwhelming trauma and tragedy.

Jan Kaminski had been born Chaim Srul Zybner to parents Mindla and Saul, a Jewish family of traders in Belgorcz.

His parents, and his sisters Chana-Matla and Ryvka, per-

ished in the Belzec concentration camp, about 70km from his home town. A younger brother, whose name he could not recall, had earlier died in infancy.

He survived the annihilation of his Jewish family in November 1942 by fleeing the ghetto into nearby woods.

Aided by local farmers, he survived and eventually joined the advancing Soviet forces in 1943-44.

At the age of 11 he was a child soldier, a “mascot” in the Polish division of the Soviet Union’s army as it fought Nazi Germany during the closing years of the second World War. At the end of the war he was evacuated to a refugee camp in Italy. After a transfer to Edinburgh, he, along with other Polish émigré children, attended Holy Cross Academy.

From 1949 to 1954 her tried various jobs and had his first encounter with the hospitality industry in London’s Dorchester Hotel as a bus boy, where his social skills won new friends and opportunities.

Through the influence of Count Stanislaw Grocholski, member of the Polish government in exile in London during the war, hi was accorded a place at UC Cork.

Jan Kaminski at the Irish travel consumer awards in 2002

There he clashed with the puritan college authorities (on the premises in the company of a woman, wouldn’t you know) and switched, with Grocholski’s assistance, to Trinity College Dublin, where he obtained a degree in economics and political science in 1958.

While at TCD, he was deputy editor of the student newspaper, Trinity News His son Jas later experimented in journalism with the Sunday Tribune.

Jan ran the Last Post on the Quays, an all night eatery

when such privileges were rare, catering for the crew and passengers en route to the airport for early morning flights.

Perhaps it was there he got the idea to go into the travel industry.

He spoke seven languages, apart from his native Polish and English, Italian, Russian, Spanish, French, Serbo-Croat and utilised those skills when he founded Concorde Travel, forging trips behind the Iron Curtain.

His big break came when he became the Irish agent for

the Yugoslavian government’s agency Yugotours in 1968.

The product was not winning awards but the beaches were good and the price was right.

When, first the tours, and then the country itself collapsed, his salvation came from heaven. Since June 24 1981, six local children in a Herzegovina mountain town were claiming to see apparitions of th Virgin Mary.

Even as Yugoslavia fell apart within a decade of these event, Jan became one of the first organisers of pilgrimages to Međugorjee, The business he built was sold to Joe Walsh’s sons in 2006.

He was innovating to the end , transporting and working with the Polish immigrant community that flooded Ireland after Poland joined the EU in 2004..

Jan Kaminski is survived by his children, Orla, Jadzia and Jas. He was predeceased by his wife, Margaret (nee Breach).

Jan outlived the empires he fought for and against, and the country whose package tours he sold.

It will be a while before we encounter anyone in the travel industry who has seen so much and outlived so many. As inspiring as any mountain shrine.

JULY 2019 PAGE 34

GLOBAL VILLAGE TRAVEL TRADE SHOWx2 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 out of their busy day.”

SKAL Bob Linnane is incoming president of Dublin Skål club, .secretary is Noel Carroll and Treasurer is Margaret Cronin Skål Dublin’s 2019 calendar is: Ashling Hotel July 9th.

BBQ @ Radisson Blu Hotel, Stillorgan. (6pm) September 10th. Cassidy’s Hotel, Parnell Sq. October 8th. Herbert Park Hotel November 12th. Guinness Storehouse, December 10th.

President’s Lunch, Fitzpatrick’s Castle Hotel Meet 12.00 Noon.

QATAR Jason Kearns of Qatar Airways

and Carrie Day of Intrepid Travel hosted key trade partners at Árd Rí House Hotel in Tuam, including Grogan Travel, Keller Travel, Best4Travel, Athlone Travel, Corrib Travel, Fahy Travel, Westport Travel, Kilkelly Travel, USIT Galway and Maeve Doherty of Travel Counsellors.

AWTE The Association of Women Travel Executives AGM was followed by a development session with James Sweetman, at the Clayton Hotel Dublin Airport. AWTE is in the middle of renewals but now has 100 members with approximately 10 new members in the past month

CAMINO WAYS Robbie Smart has joined the expanding team at Camino Ways from Cassidy Travel/.

ECTAA raised the issue of airline insol-

vency protection in the frame of the commission air passenger rights study. The consultants in charge of the study participated to the Airline Insolvency Review.

PRINCESS Cruises launched three guarantees to the trade: n ensure sales, guest services and contact centre teams, to be on hand for agents seven days a week via Princess call centre with online chat n to deliver profitable growth for its partners with additional incentives including free sailings, monetary rewards, gifts and experience days and n bring more agents on board to experience the brand during cruise calls to Ireland.

LAS VEGAS Katha Spitz, new Inter-

national Markets Manager for Las Vegas CVA, made her first visit to Ireland to meet agents

TRAVEL COUNSELLORS

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

SILVERSEA

promoted Luke Clarke, popular with the Irish trade, to regional sales manager for south west England.

Inside the Travel Business

A

ETRAVEL AND WTC TO MERGE

idan Coghlan headed WTC/ Selective Travel Management and David O’Grady’s E-travel will preserve their management teams, trade names and locations of both entities after last month’s merger, first reported by Travel Extra.

“This is a true merger in the sense in the sense that blending the two businesses brings mutual benefits,” David O’Grady says.

“We are keeping the offices, operations and staffing remains unchanged.”

“The businesses remain separate. There is a small crossover on the corporate side but otherwise we do different things.

“E-travel has three elements, cruise, online and corporate whereas WTC has the trade sales, corporate and ethnic and charity fares.

Both of us are expanding. WTC have a large corporate business in the north and we have a sizeable online business and in Britain under the wedoflights brand.

We have grown mas-

sively over last five years, 300pc in three years alone, and I don’t have infrastructure WTC has, there are certain things we have that WTC does not. We now have the mix of the supplier agent relationship and will have management groups to focus on certain projects.

The combined group will employ 190 people in three office locations plus home-workers, 125 in Belfast in the Selective Travel office, 37 in Pearse St and 25 in Walkinstown.

Aidan Coghlan becomes

MD of the new group.

David O’Grady looks after the front end operations and technology side of the business, and Adrian Flynn heads up the IT department.

Jimmy and Yvonne Lennox are the largest shareholders n the new merged group, David O’Grady and Aidan Coughlan, Adrian Flynn and Keith Graham are the other shareholder.

The Walkinstown Office will be looked after by David Walsh, who returned from Kuala Lumpur to join the expanding com-

Not so benevolent

Appeal to Paschal Donohoe over seized charity money

T

rustees of the ITAA benevolent Fund, a charity catering for people in the travel industry, have made a renewed appeal to Paschal Donohoe to release €385,250 which has been seized from the fund through a legal loophole.

The €385,250 was paid by a liquidator to the Department, and the charity asked the government in 2004 to waive their right to take it.

The Department did not answer that query, or respond to any correspondence from the charity or its lawyers asking for an explanation, from 2004 to 2014.

After a complex series of transaction that resulted from the sale of shares in Galileo, when one of the stake-holders A&I was liquidated, the share holders passed a motion that surplus funds be passed to the Travel Agents benevolent fund.

The department is blaming that

Trustees John Galligan of JGT and Bepi Gaidoni of BCD Travel the motion has no legal basis as the fund belonged to other share holders, which head ceased to exist.

Although they were ignored for ten years, the charity is making a renewed appeal to Paschal Donohoe.

As journalist Sam Smyth wrote: “the State all but invited the charity to sue them. The fact is, the State knows it will never run out of money or lawyers, while most litigants run out of money and then their lawyers go away.”

WHAT BENEVOLENT FUND DOES

T

he ITAA Benevolent Fund was set up in 1993 by a group of travel agents, including the late Jim Loftus, Brenda Quinn, Liam Byrne and John Haynes to offer financial assistance to fellow travel industry members who are experiencing difficulties.

In the past 10 years, €150,000 has been do-

nated to needy colleagues.

Once trustees are made aware of a needy colleague they are appointed a trustee or if they prefer, they can select who they would like to deal with from the four board members.

The trustee will then meet with the person to discuss their particular urgent needs and address them in whatever way pos-

sible. It is very important to note that all of this work is carried out in the strictest of confidence.

The ITAA Benevolent Fund is a registered charity and is audited annually.

If you know of a travel trade colleague who may benefit from financial assistance, which is provided confidentially to any current or past member of the

Irish Travel Trade, then please contact one of the ITAA Benevolent Fund Trustees . n Audrey Headon 087 284 7067 headonaudrey@gmail.com n Barry Walsh 087 249 3919 Barry.Walsh@ joewalshtours.ie n Bepi Gaidoni 087 742 7853 bepi.gaidoni@bcdtravel.ie n John Galligan 01 207 6555 John.Galligan@jgt.ie

JULY 2019 PAGE 35

Inside the Travel Business

Compo culture

GLOBAL VILLAGE

Woman sues Irish travel agent over injury in US

T

he travel industry sources has ramped up its campaign for insurance reform, claiming that insurance cover is at a nearcrisis level has rates for business have soared amid uncertainty about reform of the personal injuries regime in Ireland.

Paul Hackett said last year’s rise in his premium had cut profits at Click&Go by 70pc as the cost of his cover has gone from €49,500 two years ago to €400,000 now.

Click&Go has a very good claims history. Over the last five years the cost of claims is less than the current €400,000 cost of the insurance cover for the business.

This means the business is unable to take on new staff, profits are being squeezed and he is unable to give his 60 employees a pay rise.

The Dublin-based firm is 30pc owned by Independent News & Media, publisher of the Irish Independent. It arranges holidays for 60,000 people a year.

Claims are so frequent in this market, with high award levels, that travel agencies are forced to get insurance cover from Britain. He said there was now only one insurer left, “so there is no competition. Insurers can quantify what the risk is going to be in the Irish market, and if a claim is made they can qualify what award a judge will make.

Irish judges routinely award damages for soft tissue injuries at four times the rate that is normal in Britain or the six counties.

Since last year, when Allied World pulled out of the Irish market, the lack of competition has been an issue.

One travel business recently saw its annual premium rise from €16k to €200k.

Rare view of the Four Courts from underneath Father Matthew Bridge A leading agent described the situ- she fractured her elbow when she ation as farcical, the quantum book as took a cruise shore excursion called a “a fiction” and the judiciaries’ treat- White Knuckle Jet Boat Thrill Ride, ment of the Personal Injuries Assess- involving 360-degree turns in the ment Board as “meaningless.” middle of the ocean.

Peter Boland of the alliance for Mr Justice Barr said he could not insurance reform has called on the find that Ms Kellett’s injury hapgovernment to pened as a result of any negligence n Establish a specialist Garda Insur- on the part of the excursion operators ance Fraud Unit in relation to the condition of the boat n Get the Judicial Council Bill en- and he could not find there was any acted by the third week in July liability on the part of the defendants. reduce sky-high awards for minor, Siobhan Kellett (aged 53) of Rockfully-recovered injuries field Green, Maynooth, Co Kildare, n Produce a schedule of forecast re- has sued English company RCL ductions for reforms so reductions in Cruises Ltd of Weybridge, Surrey, premium costs can be calculated. who operated the cruise ship FreeIn a rare decision which did not af- dom of the Seas and it was claimed fect the liability regime, Justice An- was responsible for the excursion in thony Barr said Siobhan Kellett, who St Maarten in the West Indies called was on a Caribbean cruise shore ex- “The White Knuckle Boat Ride”. cursion with her husband, signed up She also sued Panther Associates for an adrenaline-infused boat ride.

Ltd trading as Tour America of Mid“She was not able to keep herself dle Abbey Street, Dublin, where she seated as she had been instructed to booked the April 2016 holiday. do and as a result she injured herself.

She claimed there was an alleged Unfortunately, it was simply an in- failure to provide any adequate safety jury which occurred in the course of restraints, harness or belts on the jet a vigorous activity.” boat to ensure passengers were kept She had taken action against Tour safe from injury.

America and Royal Caribbean after The claims were denied.

FIONA JOINS CATHAY PACIFIC IRISH OFFICE

F

iona Noonan will head up Cathay Pacific’s sales and distribution in Ireland to grow the company’s year-old 4w route to Hong Kong.

Fiona has joined Cathay Pacific from the airline’s oneworld partner, American Airlines with what the company

calls “an aim to differentiate the airline’s products in the Irish market, strengthen travel agent partnerships and grow revenue streams.”

Cathay are one of the few airlines to operate the Airbus A350 into Dublin and the only airline flying east to offer Premium Economy, in

38-38-214 configuration. The flight arrives 7am in Hong Kong.

Two out of every three passengers from Ireland are travelling onwards from Hong Kong to destinations in Australasia and the Far East from the 80,000 people who used the service in the first year.

ITAA member event: the Package Travel

Directive and Managing Insurance Affairs Workshops with Anne Dolan will take place in Cork, Galway and Dublin in July, having been postponed from June. Agents who are unable to attend can cancel your ticket online. Peter Boland of the Alliance for Insurance Reform has been invited to attend and present. n Cork Tuesday, July 9th The Imperial Hotel, Mall Street, Cork from 6.00pm till 8.30pm n Dublin Thursday, July 18, Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Golden Lane, Dublin 8, from 6pm till 8.30pm. The Dublin event will be recorded and made available to members n Galway Thursday July 25, the Galmont Hotel, Lough Atalia Road, Galway from 6.30m till 9pm Outline schedule: n 6:00 - 6:30 refreshments n 6:30 - 7:30 Package Travel Directive (Anne Dolan) n 7:30 - 8:00 Insurance Reform (Peter Boland) n 8:00 - 8:30 Practical Guidance on managing Insurance affairs (Anne Dolan)

TUI Tour operator TUI AG held to its forecast while warning that it is battling overcapacity this summer in the Spanish holiday market

TRAVEL CENTRES will be 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”.

AMADEUS Content from 16 airlines, such as Finnair and Qantas, have been integrated into the backend, 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 SOLUTIONS hosted five travel agents onboard Fred Olsen’s Boudicca as she sailed towards Malaga. The agents spent six days onboard , which included a visit to the Portuguese city of Porto. Whilst onboard they sampled the various restaurants, took part in the entertainment programme, and had time to sit back in the sunshine and be well looked after by the Fred Olsen team onboard. Travel Solutions feature a large number of Fred Olsen cruises, with flights from Belfast or Dublin, and added value including Drinks Packages on selected departures.

Fiona Noonan

JMG Tom Maher of JMG Cruises hosted

30 key trade partners on board CMV Magellan.

JULY 2019 PAGE 36

Last month in numbers

144.9m Number of passengers carried by Ryanair in the twelve months to May.

33.9m Number of passengers to pass through Dublin in 2019 if current trends continue.

14.1m Number of passengers carried by Ryanair in May.

u5m Size of government grant to Waterford, an airport with no flights.

2.65m Number of passengers to pass through Cork airport in 2019 if current trends continue.

4,837 Number of outstanding orders for the Boeing 737MAX.

376 Number of Boeing 737MAX currently grounded worldwide.

1 New orders for Boeing aircraft in May.

R

WINDOW SEAT

EXPLORING THE INNER ELSE

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 a 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 myself 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: Susan Kiernan

Every month we ask a leading travel professional to write about their personal holiday experience. This month: Susan Kiernan of Ask Susan

W

hen I was about eight years old, my dad took me—an only child—on my first “foreign holiday”, to the exotic Isle of Man. My dad didn’t do things normally, so we flew with Manx Airlines to Douglas and returned on the steamer as it was then known.

This was the late 1950’s and I don’t know if ship stabilisers even existed then, but my abiding memory of that holiday was the return journey, rocking and rolling and being sick for eight solid hours, in the middle of the worst ever storms on the Irish Sea. How did I decide to go into the travel business after that?

Years later, when we had our daugh-

T

ter, one of the first holidays that we had “en famille” was to the USA, including Miami and the Bahamas.

Everything going grand until we arrive in Nassau, and find that our luggage was missing.

All our baby clothes including nappies were in some other airport, so we had to go shopping quickly. As we walked through the markets, we could hear the local Bahamians greeting each other with high fives and “hello man”.

From that moment , our little gem in her stroller began to say “Hello man” to every local that we passed by.

Thankfully they all loved the happy little tourist mimicking them and unlike today, probably taking offence.

The year after apartheid ended, I went to Indaba in Durban and had the pleasure of meeting President Mandela.

I then met my husband Tom in Cape Town and we arranged to play golf at the Royal Cape club.

Where the love story began: the Isle of Man The fourball ahead of us included Vice President De Klerk, who apologised to us for the machine gun carrying security guards all around the fairways.

Needless to say, Tom did his best to drive the ball as straight as possible, so as not to hit the VP. About four weeks later, we were at the Ireland South Africa Business Association dinner in Dublin and Mr De

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

he grounding of the Boeing 737MAX is not just of interest to airheads. The halting of Norwegian’s trans-Atlantic services from Cork and Shannon has real consequences for every tourist industry stakeholder in the south and west.

The dismay in Cork and Clare is minor compared with what is happening elsewhere.

Norwegian’s traffic fell 2pc in the last month, a serious blip for

an air-line whose whole business model is based on rapid growth.

In Seattle, the order book is leaking like a perforated fuel tank.

The 737 series makes up a third of Boeing’s profits and most of its order book.

Until three months ago the Boeing 737MAX had been a commercial triumph, with 370 in operation and 4,700 more on order.

With Airbus unable to deliver its A320Neo on time (to Aer Lingus’s

cost) the dependence of world aviation on too few suppliers has come to land noisily on all of us.

The travel and tourism industries are watching helplessly as projections perish.

The optimism which greeted the initial grounding of the B737MAX, that a quick fix was inevitable, has long faded.

Now there are doubts there may even be a slow fix

Klerk recognised us, as he entered, and we were one of the first people he shook hands and spoke with, much to the angst of some of the dignitaries present.

Recently we have upgraded from the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, and enjoyed two wonderful cruises with Silversea in Alaska and Europe. I really am so glad that I entered the travel business 52 years ago.

IN YOUR NEXT TRAVEL EXTRA: Available to Travel Agents or online 2017

BEDBANK ISSUE Technology what’s the latest?

DYNAMIC PACKAGING

JUNE 2019 PAGE 36

MEETING PLACE

Out and about with the Travel Trade

Sherr Sharon Lyons, Riona McGrath, Rhona Winches- Fle i Mullery of Bloomington CVB, Yolanda Great Lakes USA, Bill tcher of Great Lakes,St Yolanda Fletcher from Sherri Mullery of Bloom- ter, Joanne Madden and Tara Hynes, Golf day ephe d an s De gu pa Lin rtment and Yvonne Mu n Mills of Travel r Ae of rne By hosted by Travelport ldoon Aer Lingus, apolis event ne Min s gu Lin r Ae B, ington CV

Melanie Young of USIT Atlas Travel/Gohop, Ae and Graeme Byrne of r Lingus Minneapolis event

Polly Bond and Cathy Cullen of Tour America, Aer Lingus Minneapolis event

s and John Spollen of Bill Byrne of Aer Lingu t of the ITAA, Aer Lingus Tanya Airey of Sunway, Carol Anne O’Neill of en Worldchoice Ireland, Lee Osborne of Bookabed Cassidy Travel Presid and Helen Kelly of Platinum Travel nt eve olis Minneap

Alan Molloy and Rory Ke Lingus Minneapolis eve ane of Aer Lingus, Aer nt

n an of Neenan Travel JohA Celine and Alan Neen the ITA of t en sid pre vel Tra Spollen of Cassidy Travelport , and Nilo Sirinivasan of

Alison Johnson of Kilda re Boyce of Tourism Irelan Village and David d, ism Council event at the World Travel and TourKildare Village

Joe Conal Ronayne of Travelport and Bernie Burke of LIngus, Jean Claffey of Andrea Hunter of Aer Travel Centres, Golf day hosted by Travelport rt po Air blin Du of ey lon Walsh tours, Maura Ma xwell Solutions Ma and Susan Maxwell of

dget Nilo Sirinivasan of Travelport, Rhona Winchester, Sandra and John Downey Marie McManus of Bu of Celtic Horizo Paul Kelly of Cassidy Travel and Joanne Madden Hammond of Ae Aoife Dunphy and Ann apolis event r Lingus, Aer Lingus Min ns, Lisa ne Min s gu Lin of Travelport, Golf day hosted by Travelport r neapolis Ae , eve vel nt Tra

Greyce Inacio, Sean Mc ran of Club Travel, Ae Carthy and Regina Curr Lingus Minneapolis eve nt

Nilo Sirinivasan of Travelport, Paul Kelly of Cassidy Travel and Tara Hynes of Travelport, Golf day hosted by Travelport

G, Aer

da Fitzgerald of HR Niamh Shortt and Lyn nt eve Lingus Minneapolis

JULY 2019 PAGE 37

Out and about with the Travel Trade

y McCabe of American Kristin Skinner and Am neapolis event@ZoziMin holidays Aer Lingus mus,

Danielle Simpson and Lo Travel, Aer Lingus Min uise Doyle of Budget neapolis event

nell net, Rosemary O’Con Tom Randles of Travel Cathy Burke of Travel eil, of Lee Travel, Jack Sh O’Connell of Lee n Counsellors and Decla

Sherri Mullery of Bloom ington CVB and Yolan Fletcher from Great La da kes USA, Aer Lingus Min neapolis event -

velport, Maura Fahy of Paul Broughton of Tra wson CEO of the ITAA, Da t Fahy Travel and Pa velport Golf day hosted by Tra

Alice Jelly of Travel De pa Aer Lingus, Claire Dohe rtment, Jenny Rafter of and Stephen Mills of Trarty of Travel Department vel Department

Jenny Rafter and Yvonne Muldoon of Aer Lingus with Ciara Foley of Platinum Travel, Aer Lingus Minneapolis event

John Spollen of Cassidy Travel president of the ITAA and Jackie Clynch of Bookabed, Golf day hosted by Travelport

MEETING PLACE

Linda Collins, Fiona Lily American Holidays, Ae and Sharon Fitzharris of r Lingus Minneapolis eve nt

n Foster and Niamh Boha Kathrina Gallogly, Kevin sted by Travelport ho of Travelport, Golf day

Michael Caslin of 747 Nicky Dempsey, Katie Quinn, Anthony Crosby, Travel, Ivan Beacom of Aer Kate Ryan and Victoria Elmore , Aer Lingus Min- Lingus, Jeff Collins of Best4Travel, Aer Lin gu s Min ne ap olis eve nt neapolis event

Nilo Sirinivasan of Travelport, Philip Airey of Sunway and Tara Hynes of Travelport, Golf day hosted by Travelport

Centres, Colman Burke Dominic Burke of Travel Airey of Sunway, Golf ilip of Club Travel and Ph rt day hosted by Travelpo

Hannah Roche and Tracy McCauley of Atlas Travel/Gohop, Aer Lingus Minneapolis event

Jenny Rafter of Aer Lin gus and John Spollen of Cassidy Travel Presid ent of the ITAA, Aer Lin gus Minneapolis event

Diana Zagrodzka and Emma Harvey of Atlas Travel/Gohop, Aer Lingus Minneapolis event,

e Myler of Newbridge Mary Lee and Catherin by Travelport d Travel, Golf day hoste

JULY 2019 PAGE 39

MEETING PLACE

urance and April Drew, Mark Lee of Aiken Ins ow, RDS Dublin Sh de Travel Industry Tra

Sara Ellis of Texas To uri ATTS, Catherine Gren sm, Linda Macken of ne Caitriona Toner of Am ll Whyte of ATTS and erican Airlines,

Travel Broker and Lisa Georgina Kelly of the , Travel Industry Trade ers Thomas of Visitfland Show, RDS Dublin

Paul Nolan of APG, Ca rlos Oliveira of TAP an Fernando Pires of Ale d nte dustry Trade Show, RD jo Tourism, Travel InS Dublin

ell Hotels and Jean Maxw Scott Harman of H10 , RDS ow Sh de Tra ry ust Ind of the ITAA, Travel Dublin

Darren Hutchinson of Str Richardson of Constan and Travel and Mark tinou Bros Hotels Cypru Travel Industry Trade s, Show, RDS Dublin

Out and about with the Travel Trade

Blaithin O’Donnell and Bernadette Goldsmith of Air Canada, Travel Industry Trade Show

Jennifer Callister of R Caribbean, Valerie Mu rphy of Celebrity, Michelle Ryan of Royal Caribbe an, Maura Maloney and Da ve Cromwell of D Airpo rt,

Juana Rosa Hernandez of Gran Canaria Tourism and Lisa Tuckman of Seaside Hotels, Travel Industry Trade Show

ell iareps and Jean Maxw Jens Bachmann of Av S RD , ow Sh de ustry Tra of the ITAA, Travel Ind Dublin

Fernando Pires of Ale nte Lee Anthony McCarrick, Executive Director of Cardoso Director of Po jo Tourism, Susana rtuguese Tourism, Ca Great Lakes USA pictured with Kelly Wolgamott, Oli rlos veira of TAP and Paul Director of Travel Marketing at Michigan Event Nolan of APG

ollen of Jeanette Taylor and Mary Denton of Sunway with Visit Flanders, John Sp Marie Grenham of Grenham Travel, Travel Indus- Irma McHardy of sident of the ITAA and Robert Cassidy Travel Pre try Trade Show Dee of Happy Tours,

Aleksandra Kutser and Simon McNamara of IATA with John Spollen of Cassidy Travel President of Jean Maxwell of the ITAA, Travel Industry Trade Show, RDS Dublin the ITAA and Elena Ciuderceanu of IATA,

Tara Magee of British Airways and Fiona Noonan of Ammerican Airlines with Ann Marie Nolan.

Travel Counsellors Conference

h Ferries, Des Abbott Dermot Merrigan of Iris Carol Anne O’Neill of d an vel Tra , of Des Abbott vel Industry Trade Show Tra d, lan Ire ice cho rld Wo

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Maureen Ledwith Sales Director

Paulette Moran Sales Manager

Angela O’Rourke Business Development Manager

t: +353 (0)1 291 3700

t: +353 (0)1 291 3702

t: +353 (0)1 291 3705

e: paulette@bizex.ie

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