Trravel Extra June 2016 USA issue

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SIMON SHOPPING COMPETITION Y n i e W CROISIEUROPE COMPETITION d a r R LOS ANGELES AER LINGUS RETURNS T PE Ryanair to tie with Lingus?

Harmony of the Seas

Delta anniversary

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IRELAND'S PREMIER SOURCE OF TRAVEL INFORMATION

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JUNE 2016

VOLUME 20 NUMBER 6

USA issue What your clients should know about America 2016

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How free to roam?

Is this really a new ear for European mobile users

uropean unit roaming rates have been reduced from 19c a minute to 5c a minute under the latest change in EU roaming regulations.

Incoming rates have been reduced by a fifth from 5c to 1.14c. Both rates will be reduced to zero under the next round of Eurotariff reductions on June15 2017.

Outgoing text messages, reduced from 6c to 2c will be reduced to free from June 2017.

Data transfer rates which were reduced from 20c/mb to 5c/mb will also be free from June 2017.

The three Irish-based operators had already installed roaming plans to take account of the new charges.

European Union roaming regulations apply to the 28 members of the EU plus the three non-EU members of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). The regulations do not apply to Switzer-

land, Jersey and Greenland.

The European Commission fist launched a consumer website on

roaming tariffs in order to highlight the issue in vOctober 2005, which included €12 for a 4-minute call.

CANCUN A big hit with the

MONTEGO BAY Luxu-

didly as this regular winner of world’s most liveable city awards, take a trip to the lookout to get your bearings,stroll the seawall,try the boat tours,and go island hopping, check out gardens and easy access to great mountain resorts.

EXPEDIA’s Global Millennial Traveller Report in eight markets: Australia, Brazil, China, England, France, Germany, South Korea and US, showed 1 in 4 millennials think it is important for people to comment on the holiday photos they post on social media, rising to 46pc of American millennials, 2 in 3 millennials want an authentic holiday experiences above all else when travelling and 31pc felt that having an authentic experience and having people comment on their photos are equally important.

GRACELAND Elvis Presley’s

Graceland celebrated its 20 millionth visitor.

BARCELONA’s mayor Ada Colau

has proposed a tax for day visitors to the city.

Roaming charges will be zero within the EU from June 2017

rious all inclusive product with nearby ziplining, river rafting, canyon tours to see crocodiles and the fatuous palm-fringed beaches.

HARTFORD Once home to MONTPELIER Lively Mark Twain, his house is the pick of the local attractions. Great launch point for the leaf and ski playgrounds of upstate New York and New England. Hang out in the Mortensen Riverfront Plaza.

NEWS

SWITZERLAND Under a Customs Regulation change in Switzerland, EU residents can only drive a CH license plated vehicle within Switzerland or if they are returning to their residence in the EU, but nowhere else in the EU. This is applicable to all Swiss care rentals.

SIX NEW DESTINATIONS FOR 2016

Irish as soon as it launched, a curving headland of beaches and resorts, with great Yucatan experiences nearby, headlined by Chichen Itza.

JUNE 2016 PAGE 3

and studenty ancient city with easy reach to the Med and the Pyrenees, the treasures of Languedoc are within easy reach.

VANCOUVER Few cities celebrate their waterfront as splen-

VIGO Galicia’s second destina-

tion from Ireland, with its famous Puente de Rande, is close to some of the best beaches in Europe, Playa del Vao, Playa Samil and Islas Cies.

Hike the Senda del Agua.

IRELAND themed land will open at Germany’s Europa Park

DISNEY has reintroduced free dining when booking a Disney moderate, deluxe or deluxe villa resort or free breakfast for Disney value resorts.

WENDY Wu Tours unveiled a brand new 11-day tour for winter 2017 where travellers can spend a day at the Sapporo Snow Festival.

EU mobile roaming charges were reduced this week. The maximum cost of making a call has been reduced from 19c to 5c per minute plus the domestic network’s price. The charge for downloading data has been reduced from 20c per MB to 5c per MB plus the domes network’s price.

EURO 2016 championship will be played

under a state of emergency after the French government extended their emergency powers imposed in November. Foreign Affairs minister Charlie Flanagan urged fans to register with the DFA in advance of the tournament as part of a first eleven travel tips for fans.

CRUISE FROM GRAN CANARIA OR TENERIFE NEXT WINTER. CANARIAN FLAVOURS Flights from Dublin, 6th January 2017, Full Board from

€ 979

per person*

Call In store Prices are subject to availability. Terms & Conditions apply.

JUNE 2016 PAGE 4

THE KNOWLEDGE Travel Extra Advertising & Subscriptions 6 Sandyford Office Park Dublin 18 (+3531) 2913707 Fax (+3531) 2957417 Editorial Office Clownings Straffan Co Kildare Managing Editor: Gerry O’Hare gerry@travelextra.ie Editor: Eoghan Corry eoghan.corry@ travelextra.ie Publisher: Edmund Hourican edmund@bizex.ie Sales Director: Maureen Ledwith maureen@bizex.ie Accounts and Advertising: Maria Sinnott maria@bizex.ie Picture Editor: Charlie Collins pix@travelextra.ie Sunday Supplement & Online: Conor McMahon conor@travelextra.ie Chief Features Writer: Anne Cadwallader anne@travelextra.ie Contributors : Eanna Brophy eanna@travelextra.ie Marie Carberry marie@travelextra.ie Carmel Higgins carmel@travelextra.ie Cauvery Madhavan cauvery@travelextra.ie Sean Mannion sean@grafacai.ie Ida Milne ida@travelextra.ie Catherine Murphy cathmurph@yahoo.com

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CONTENTS

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3 News Where to go, how much to pay 6 Hotels: News 8 Postcards: News from the trade

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14 Destinations: The season ahead 12 Los Angeles: Lingus returns 14 USA What;s new 2016 22 Rivercruise: Flow increase 26 Car hire: Changing gear

28 Flying: Airline and airport news 32 Afloat: A quantum leap 34 Global Village Inside the travel industry 36 Window seat: Our columnists 37 Pictures: Out and about

The great dollar grab

hile everyone is complaining about new airline fees, the hidden charge has moved into the hotel industry Last year, US hotels took in a record $1.75bn in ancillary charges, up from $550m in 2002.

Though not the preserve of the Americans, extra charges seem to develop and expand at a faster rate on the other side of the Atlantic than in Europe. Roger Dow of the US Travel Association told Travel Extra during a press conference at Pow Wow 2012 in Los Angeles that his thinking on excess charges is that the market will prevail and tourists will avoid the resorts that impose excessive surcharges.

Customers call them hidden charges, hoteliers call them profit points.

No longer are expensive telephone systems a profit point as cell phones and internet services such as Viber and Skype make them redundant.

We are not just talking about the gratuity dance that takes pace for every service in a US hotel by underpaid employees. In some cities, employees are not paid at all and required to subsist on gratuities.

Even if the employees are paid the legal minimum wage, the US tax system expects them to be earning a substantial stipend in tips, effectively asking the hotel or restaurant guest to pay the wages of the employees.

Older fees were more straightforward. Use the phone, the mini-bar, room service, or the in-room

That wil be extra, sir

movies, and it's going to cost. Nowadays the game is much more about wi-fi charges

PARKING This is an old an enduring gripe. Valet parking has been mandatory in many hotels since the mid noughties (that is if they know you have a rental car, some customers simply avoiding declaring it) and it can be as much as $50 a night, a notorious fee charged in San Francisco. You then have to tip the valet guy $2 for the trouble of brining you back your car.

PACKAGES

Has someone sent you a delivery? It can cost you $5 for the hotel to accept a package delivered to your room.

DAILYResort charge

rates can reach $25 plus taxes per night per room in some hotels. The charges have been extended to cover services

that would be regarded as the norm among many people’s holiday expectations, things like towels and showers as well as services that many guests would be unlikely to require. A typical list of services covered by the resort charge in one hotel is: local, toll-free, and credit card calls. Internet access, coffee and tea, nightly turndown service, use of the spa, access to self parking facilities.

SAFE: Some hotels

are charging for having a safe in your room even if it’s not used. You can hardy demand that the safe be removed form your room either.

AIRCON: With

higher energy bills, hotels are charging up to $80 a day for turning the air conditioning on in your room.

MINIBAR: You

don’t have to consume

anything from your mini bar to be charged for using it anymore, you get charged from minibars with sensors that bill guests if they move something around. Hotels then charge a “restocking fee.”

WIFI

An old bugbear. The norm is $10 a day but can be up to $30 an hour in certain five star hotels. An anomaly is that the higher grade the htoel the more likely it is to charge for wifi.

Small family run hotels and motels are less likely to charge for wifi. One Hyatt Travel Extra has encountered charges $20/day whilst guests could find free WiFi at the window from adjacent coffee houses.

BACK EMPTY: A new development for 2013 has been the requirement from certain car rental companies that the car is returned empty,

instead of the old out full, back full system.

The idea is that the car rental company will do you “a favour” by allowing you to return the car empty, then hit you with a massive surcharge for the fuel costs. The traditional model for car hire is that the vehicle is expected to be returned with same amount of fuel as when it was picked up: usually “out full, back full”, occasionally “out empty, back empty”. With competition between rental companies intensifying, many firms have moved to an “out full, back empty” rule with customers paying inflated rates for petrol or diesel that they may not be able to use. Some contracts commit customers to paying an unavoidable charge with no refunds, with no idea how much the charge may be. recently Travel Extra’s editor was quoted three rates by a car hire company, $4.33 a gallon at the local pumps, $3.89 a gallon for a ‘no refunds’ fill to go, and $7.88 a gallon if the car had to be filled on return.

SUNBEDS A

common complaint from the sun resorts of Florida is the excessive charge for use of chairs and cabanas especially given the rates that are charged for accommodation.

CHECKOUT A late check-out charge can take on a different meaning when check-out is moved to early in the morning.

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JUNE 2016 PAGE 6

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HOTELS

SWEDEN’s Icehotel has revealed plans for a permanent sub-zero ice experience – including bar, art gallery and suites for overnight stays – available 365 days of the year. Like every winter for the past 26 years, construction of the forth-coming Icehotel is about to take off in Jukkasjärvi, Swedish Lapland. The ice from the Torne River is transformed to art sculptures and architecture that is set to attract thousands of visitors before it melts away in spring.

MARRIOTT International plans to open an additional five Moxy Hotels in key European cities in 2016, including Munich, Eschborn and Berlin in Germany, Oslo in Norway and Aberdeen in Scotland.

ACCORHotels has revealed that in 2015 it opened 229 new hotels or a total of 36,172 rooms, at a rate of two hotels every three days. the accelerated expansion drive focused on Asia Pacific with 39% of rooms opened (14,000 new rooms) and Europe with 37% (13,500 new rooms). In 2015, the Group opened 44 new hotels and 3,843 rooms in Paris and the French provinces IHF Western Branch Annual Hospitality Ball

in the Ardilaun Hotel raised €3,390.30 for local charity Jigsaw Galway. Pictured presenting the cheque are: John Ryan of, Ardilaun Hotel & Shay Livingstone, Chairman of Galway Irish Hotels Federation andThe Connacht Hotel and Justin McDermott of Jigsaw Galway.

Jigsaw Galway is a free confidential support service for young people (15-25) living in Galway city and county.

STARWOOD Hotels & Resorts said it expects to grow its Middle East portfolio by 100 hotels by 2020.

B&B Ireland announced a partnership with its French counterpart, CléVacances.

CHOICE Hotels signed an agreement

with Equinox Ventures to develop its brands across the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

AIRBNBexpects 200 of its hosts for an

event on May 7 to talk taxation, insurance, cleaning, and home design. Airbnb says the average host is 44 years old and 14pc of all hosts are retired and 43pc self-employed. Airbnb launched its “Live There” advertising campaign this month.

ACCORHotels which serves 150 million

meals a year announced intent to reduce food waste by 30pc and a large part of making that happen will be the planting of vegetable gardens at some of their hotel sites.

RADISSON Red opened in Brussels IHF The Irish Hotels Federation called for a

strong tourism focus from government on regionality, value for money, and more state investment in tourism.

KILLYHELVIN Lakeside Hotel in Enniskillen celebrated their 40th year in business.

ACCORHotels group said that it intends to reduce food waste by 30pc and to plant its own vegetable gardens at a number of properties.

What is in a name? The Burlington hotel in 2008

Burlington bloom

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American owners stand to make €50m profit from sale

he former Burlington Hotel now the Doubletree Hotel Burlington Road is likely to show a profit for its owners when it sells. It is on the market for between €140m and €180m.

Precinct Investments paid €117m for the Gresham in 2004, while developer Bernard McNamara forked out €288m for the Burlington Hotel in 2007.

The prices however will be much higher than they were even a few years ago. The Gresham was valued at €48m a year ago. Blackstone bought the Burlington for €72m in 2012 and completed a €17m refit of the property last September adding the hotel to its Doubletree by Hilton

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brand.

John Greenleaf of Doubletree by Hilton told Travel Extra the group was seeking further investment opportunities in Ireland following the Morrison and the former Burlington Hotel.

He said that the previous owners of the Burlington Hotel wanted to sell the name separately so the group had to change the name to the more cumbersome Doubletree by Hilton on Burlington Road.

The former Burlington will now likely have a profit of more than €50m for Blackstone.

STR data shows that Revpar in Dublin is now among the highest in Europe. Adien Murphy told the IHF conference in Killarney that revpar in

Dublin city centre has grown €20 over three years.

Property agent JLL said although Ireland's hotel demand and supply dynamics were rapidly evolving, there is still value left in Irish hotels.

There were more hotel transactions in 2015 than any year since at least 2000 and transactions are now very much back at peak levels.

The Gresham Hotel in Dublin is likely to sell for comfortably more than its €80m asking price after first round bids.

US investors are among those leading the charge for the iconic Dublin hotel. Alanysist say that the final price is likely to be between €5m and €10m above its asking price.

MARRIOTT COURTS DIRECT BOOKING

arriott has launched a broadside against Online Travel Agencies and travel agencies alike, one of the biggest by a major hotel group.

Members of Marriott’s loyalty programme are being offered a new booking rate, Members Rewards, with discounts of between 2pc (weekday) and 5pc (weekends) off the lowest available public rates for non-premium rooms.

The rates, which came into effect in mid-April, are confined to those who

book direct via the website, mobile app or call centre.

Marriott does say it will also be available via “select corporate travel professionals”.

Last February, Hilton started offering discounts of up to 10pc on room rates for its 4,500 hotels worldwide for Hilton HHonors members who book direct.

Hilton also offers loyalty scheme members the ability to choose the room they want when booking on the hotel chain’s mobile app.

Hyatt offer discounts for its Hyatt Gold Passport members of up to 10pc on rooms booked direct via its

website or mobile booking app. The deal only applies to North American and Australian hotels at present but is likely eventually to be rolled out worldwide.

Industry analysts also expect the 92m members of the InterContinental Hotels Group Rewards Club ,which claims to be the world’s biggest hotel loyalty scheme, to be offered a similar direct booking discount deal soon.

Hoteliers have long complained about the commissions that OTAs charge them, typically ranging from 15pc to 30pc depending on room type and loca-

tion, but they also fear that their brands are being devalued by the OTAs’ priceorientated approach.

CEO of the of the German Hotel Association Markus Luthe scared delegates to the IHF conference in 2013 with his presentation on how first OTA’s and now search engines have moved from supplying search facilities to what he called “customer-napping” hotel clients.

Chain hotels, which account for about 70pc of the US market and up to 60pc in Europe focus on being brand managers rather than property owners.

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Barefoot luxury

New 5 star beach resorts boost demand for long haul

series of luxury hotel opening in Asia in the cong months will boost long haul travel.

Leading the charge of luxury hotels are St Regis in Langkawi, Ritz-Carlton Koh Samui, Shangri-La at the Fort, Manila, New World in Petaling Jaya west of Kuala Lumpur, The Patina Capitol in Singapore, Shima National Park in Japan, New World Langfang Hotel in Hebei Province and Kempinski h Fuzhou, COMO The Treasury has already opened in Perth, Australia.

Shangri-La Hotel, | Hunghom Bay in Hong Kong will tower over the bay at 18 storeys, housing over 500 rooms as well as restaurants and shops.

Padma Resort Ubud overlooks the enchanting bamboo forests of Payangan in Ubud

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NEWS

SCOTLAND’s pet-friendly holiday prize was won by ten year-old mongrel Becky, recently returned from her trip which she enjoyed as part of her prize courtesy of Stena Line and VisitScotland, from Stena Line and three night’s accommodation at the luxury dogfriendly Trigony House Hotel in Dumfries and Galloway. A survey for VisitScotland found that holidays with pets had an average spend of an extra £126 compared to holidays without pets, while over two thirds consider their dogs as family members when booking holidays.

IRELAND’s overnight stays to Germany are up 9.5pc in February.

LAS VEGAS’s new adrenaline attraction Speedvegas had a ceremonial opening ALGARVE Tourism Association launched new golden tees to celebrate the region's 50th year of golf.

SAMSONITE is to roll out suitcase tracking technology by the end of the year

US CITIZENS MAY REQUIRE EU VISA

he European commission proposed the suspension of Schengen visa waivers for US and Canadian visitors.

This is because the US requires visas from citizens of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania.

This is not going to be solved easily. While Croatia and Poland are close to visa waiver status and could get it if the rejection quota guidelines are altered (Roger Dow has been lobbying for this), Romania is

JUNE 2016 PAGE 7

Towels of the trade

still a way off visa waiver status.

This matter comes at a moment when European cohesion – and its borderless travel zone - is under some stress. Austria has just introduced a “border management plan” at the Brenner pass, and spot checks are occurring at or near frontiers throughout Europe.

“Whilst we have every sympathy with the Commission, they are victims of their own process. It is important that the European

economy does not become a victim too. The business of accommodating US and Canadian visitors is an enormously important industry for Europe. We effectively sell them services worth approximately €50 billion: it is an export industry on the same level as the automotive sector. Millions of jobs are dependent on it.

Nothing on this scale has been threatened before, so it is difficult to make estimates. But when a visa regime is imposed we

would expect leisure travel (which, including visiting friends and relatives) makes up over 80% of this total, to suffer a fall in magnitude of roughly 30%.

Mario Bodini, Chairman of ETOA, said “There should be reciprocity, but is not a €15 billion and 600,000 jobs problem. And reciprocity is a principal widely ignored in visa circles: Europeans enjoy far more freedom to travel around the world than the world enjoys coming to Europe.

FLORIDA ’s Tourism Industry hosted a

record 105m visitors in 2015.

NATIONAL

Car Rental’s Priority Service was extended to frequent business renters at 25 European Airports

FERRARI in China.

UNESCO

plans to open a theme park

designated the entire Isle of Man a Biosphere Reserve.

UBER Following the lead of United Airlines, Uber is offering up to $10,000 to hackers that can identify flaws in their app’s security.

DISNEY has reintroduced free dining

when booking a Disney moderate, deluxe or deluxe villa resort or free breakfast for Disney value resorts.

WENDY WU

Tours unveiled a brand new 11-day tour for winter 2017 where travellers can visit the Sapporo Snow Festival.

BERLIN is cracking down on Airbnb

users who rent out entire properties instead of single rooms.

EUROPEAN RAIL WITH VOYAGES-SNCF For all of your leisure and business rail requirements across Europe Train travel in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands and more Choose from 100s of European destinations View fares, hold options and book online in just a few clicks

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www.voyages-sncf.eu

JUNE 2016 PAGE 8

POSTCARDS FROM THE TRAVEL SCENE

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he celebrations for EI145, the inaugural Aer Lingus flight on the recommenced route to Los Angeles was a quieter affair than the San Francisco inaugural, This reflects the differences between Lingus’s two Californian routes. There were 48 connecting passengers of the 105 on board, from England, France, Germany, Linate in Italy and a man from

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lbufeira Tourist Board and 12 partners hosted agents at a series of workshops in Belfast, Dublin and Cork.

Ms Pereira Futcher the Portuguese Ambassador to Ireland with Joana Machado and Luis Pereira of the Albufeira Promotion Bureau hosted 70 agents at the Dublin event in the Spencer Hotel.

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niworld hosted trade and press at separate events in The Residence on Stephen's Green to tell agents they have extended their offer for three months of a free river cruise to agents who book three river cruises.

John Grehan ("book six and I will travel with you," he said—he was joking, we think) reminded the trade that Uniworld was the only fully inclusive rivercruise company, "Others say they

Edinburgh who had never flown before.

Speaking at the gate event Keith Butler said that a third of Aer Lingus passengers originate outside Ireland.

Picture shows Aer Lingus cabin crew pictured before the inaugural flight: Roberto Menna, Ivan Crowley, Siobhan Cusack, Niamh Dunne, Shona Keaney, Melanie Kialka, Laura Howlett and Patrick O’Shea

Albufeira accounts for 40pc of the beds on the Algarve and the Irish market is their 5th most important. Picture shows Rui Poupinha of Visacar, Joana Machado of Albufeira Promotion Bureau, Pereira Futcher Portuguese Ambassador to Ireland, Luis Pereira of Albufeira Promotion Bureau, Carla Dias of Garvetur and John Sisson of Dublin Airport.

are all inclusive, but with us all drinks and gratuities are covered" Sharon Jordan spoke about Uniworld’s worldwide programme (including the pioneering Ganges programmes that sold out within days of their launch last year). Eilish Wall updated guests on the Red Carnation group and reminded agents to think Red Carnation when booking London properties. Picture shows Sharon Jordan and John Grehan at the event

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urkish Airlines hosted 73 players at the K Club for the 21st of 100 qualifiers for the 2016 Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup. Thomas Muldoon won the individual stableford competition with 43 points to progress to the Grand Final in Antalya in October and November.

Former Westlife member and half of the newly formed Boyzlife, Brian McFadden was runner-up with a score of 40

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ryphavana Cross, Kelly Sawyer and Dublin born Caroline Coyle of the Las Vegas CVA hosted travel agents at a table quiz in The Marker Hotel to publicise the city’s tourist programme for 2016. Winner was Alice Carrick of Tour America.

The city sent a trade mission of 12 suppliers, including many of the major resorts and attractions such as machine gun Vegas to Dublin for their first visit

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he TIGS President’s Prize at Druids Glen, sponsored by Etihad, was loquaciously hosted by Peter O’Hanlon.

The speech was the highlight of the event and maybe the TIGS calendar.

Peter said in his speech that one of the absentees was afraid he might miss the flight if he came to the event. “I asked, What time on Friday are you flying? He said not until next Wednesday.”

points whilst Clem Walshe finished third on 38 points. Anne Nolan and Keith O’Riley won the nearest-the-pin prizes.

The first qualifiers took place in Dar Es Salaam, Mumbai and Doha in February and the 2016 series takes place across the globe, in destinations including Hong Kong, Great Britain, South Korea, Japan, China, Spain, the United States, Portugal, Italy, France, Greece, Argentina, Brazil and Turkey.

in two years. The new green park on the strip, the revamped night club called Intrigue in Wynn which has innovative quiet areas, and Mr Chow’s restaurant.

Picture shows Caroline Coyle speaking at a lunch event for travel media earlier in the day. Over the course of the day Las Vegas hosted 22 product managers for breakfast in the Shelbourne Hotel, 28 media at lunch in the residence, and 80 agents at the table quiz.

Martin Dempsey of Dempsey Travel in Navan was the men's winner with an impressive 42 points playing off 11.

Niamh Byrne of Ask Susan Travel won the ladies with 25 points. Picture shows Beatrice Cosgrove of sponsors Etihad, Miriam Skelly of Navan Travel and TIGS President Peter O'Hanlon at the event.

And it was not that bad. The speech was just 15 minutes long.

JUNE 2016 PAGE 10

POSTCARDS FROM THE TRAVEL SCENE

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anada has been the star performer among destinations served from Dublin airport.

The airport MD Vincent Harrison told 65 guests at a function in the Canadian Embassy on Thursday. The pre-launch event was to promote the Dublin to Vancouver 3w direct service which Air Canada Rouge commences on June 10, the only widebody service to Canada this summer with a 280-seat Boeing

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udrey Murray and Caroline Collins, who have been with Delta Airlines since it opened in Ireland, led the celebrations of the airline’s eventful 30 year presence at Shannon Airport.

The event marked the first flight of the summer and the first with the larger 767. Andrew Murphy, chief commercial officer at Shannon, reminded the trade that flights continue until October 24.

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er Lingus's Cork to Dusseldorf route was launched last month by the German ambassador, Matthias Höpfner.

Aer Lingus will operate the twice weekly service on Wednesday and Sunday in addition to the year-round Munich service.

Cork Airport Managing Director, Niall MacCarthy said: “We’ve worked with colleagues here and in Germany to

767-300 aircraft in a two class configuration, operating until October 9. Flights will depart Dublin at 11.35 on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, arriving at 13.35 in Vancouver. The return service will depart Vancouver at 15.05 arriving in Dublin at 08.35 the next morning.

Canadian ambassador Kevin Vickers, pictured here with Eamon Flanagan, told guests that the Dublin flights were shorter than some internal flights.

In Delta’s eventful 30 year stay, they have been headed up in Ireland by Dan Merrill who set the operation up, Rhianna Quinn, Maureen Dunphy, Joanne Richardson and Siobhan Scanlon Picture shows Shannon’s acting CEO Mary Considine being photographed by Oisin McHugh with Audrey and Caroline. Music was provided by barber’s shop quartet 4inabar. And yes, they sang, come fly with me.

build the business case for this route as we see the significant potential in the German market, highlighting how it will be supported and marketed in both locations.” Picture shows Niall McCarthy, Managing Director, Cork Airport, John Paul O'Shea, Cork County Mayor; German Ambassador to Ireland Matthias Höpfner, Yvonne Muldoon, Director of Sales, Aer Lingus and Chris O'Leary, Lord Mayor of Cork.

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elebrity Cruises and Travel Centres hosted travel agents at L’Ecrivain, the restaurant owned by avid cruisers Sally Ann and Derry Clarke.

Derry and his wife Sallyanne are both regular cruise enthusiasts and for many years their cruise line of choice has been Celebrity. It was an obvious choice for the event, Lorraine Quinn of Celebrity cruises says.

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lorida is anticipating a record 100,000 visitors from Ireland in 2016.

This is according to Colin Brodie from Visit Florida who hosted 70 members of the travel trade at an event in the Morrison Hotel. Colin is due to retire in June, so IPW in New Orleans is the last event which he will attend in his career representing Visit Florida.

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os Angeles tourism hosted seven Irish travel writers who travelled on the inaugural.

Highlight of the visit was a hike through Griffith Park, LA’s most utilised film location for views of the city and the Hollywood sign, while the group visited the arts district, an inner city craft brewery and some of the city’s hottest dining spots.

The host hotel was the iconic LA Ath-

Agents pictured with Lorraine Quinn of Celebrity Cruises and Derry Clarke include: Dominic Burke of Travel Centres, Clare Dunne of The Travel Broker, Catherine Myler of Newbridge Travel, Ciara Mooney of Freedom Travel, Jeff Collins of Best4 Travel, Sarah of Best4Travel, Jackie Spain of K Travel, Emily of K Travel, Fiona Kelly of Freedom Travel

Developments in Florida this year include a new roller coaster opening in SeaWorld and the Incredible Hulk at Universal Studios.

Irish people tend to visit the state when it is at its hottest and most humid but there are signs that this may be changing. Aer Lingus will have four flights weekly from September Picture shows John Keogh from Aer Lingus with Colin at the event.

letics Club in the city centre. "Downtown is back is the message," Francine Sheridan of Los Angeles tourism, who came to Dublin to wave the team off, told Travel Extra that downtown is back.

Picture shows Irish travel writers hosted by Aer Lingus and Los Angeles CVA: Lucy White, Brian Farrell, Stephen Breen, Martin Breen, Paula Donaghy, Lesley Ann Horgan, Claire McCormack and Eoghan Corry.

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JUNE 2016 PAGE 12

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DESTINATION USA

ven the street names sound like film script dialogue, Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, palm trees sitting high up with the traffic below which is usually so stereotypically clogged and immobile you are disappointed when it moves.

Los Angeles a movie set come to life, the iconography of our film and music culture and when you come, it is like revisiting a childhood home, a smile for one memory, a frown for the next, but isn't it lovely to be back.

Cut to the next scene.

Downtown is back.

Los Angeles has proclaimed this to the world's tourists whose have long been turned east to Santa Monica and Venice, north east to Universal and south to the playgrounds of Orange County.

The Broad Museum which opened near the Walt Disney Concert Hall on South Grand Avenue in September still has queues outside it every day.

Harry Potter’s talking hat is calling more visitors to Universal Studios, since a smaller version of the Orlando Wizarding World opened this April.

There is much to see, and, from Dublin a new way of seeing it. Aer Lingus resumed their Los Angeles service in May. The last of the three trophy routes that had to be abandoned in the recession is back.

C

elebrity culture is what fuels the fast paced monolith that is Los Angeles.

People who come from Ireland find it harder to be impressed. We have a re-

observatory itself is where James Dean met his nemesis. Just over the hill, Bronson Cave, a small protrusion on the hillside served as Adam West’s Batcave.

Americans worry sometimes that their culture is not as old our as coated in easel paint as Europe's. Instead their culture is sitting right on this place between the hills and sea, from here shone the silver screen that enchanted the world throughout the 20th century.

Tiocfaidh ár LA Eoghan Corry in the City of Angels Los Angeles skyline from Grifith Park

lationship with our own celebrities that likes to keep them at shoulder height and touching distance, so being told in a restaurant that the Kordaches sometimes stopped by is not as impressive as it might be otherwise.

But after a few days you begin to share the wonder. Echo Park, a watery refuge that has seen a decline and $45m worth of rejuvenation is now introduced in as the neighbourhood where Leonardo DiCaprio grew up.

Gardiner street elementary, where Michael Jackson went to school. You get the picture, or pictures.

L

os Angeles has its own written code and you can see it everywhere, the billboards (never conventional), shop signs (Esmeralda Alfaro, abogados de immigracion),

LA ‘A” LIST

n Silver Lake and Mitchelorena stairs n Juice Served Here, 3827 Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90026, juiceservedhere.com n Echo Park, just had $45m refurb n Angel City Brewery,

and window posters (Earthquake supplies sold here). It is different from even its Californian suburbs, of which there are many that bountiful and beautiful, and certainly different from San Francisco and San Diego.

The cocktail playground of the hipsters sounds like poor competition for the rollercoasters is of Universal Studios Disney and Knotts Berry farm but, after a day, it grows on you and after another while, you understand why.

We are so immersed in movie culture it is nice to find, and climb down the sides, of the creative well from which all these cultural references are drawn.

Only here could you find someone explaining convincingly how a hedonistic lifestyle can be put to rights by a glass of juice in the morning.

The juice bars are a

n Zinc Café, 1115 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90012, eatwinsome.com n Griffith Park Hike with Bikes & Hikes LA, bikesandhikesla.com n Grand Central Market, grandcentralmarket.com

tourist attraction in themselves. They come with names that would normally grace trendy cocktails (scobie, the pixie, green easy, cream party, the pipe cleaner) and with similar prices.

At “Juice served here” we were told but the charcoal juice acts like a magnet in your system “you don't digest it, it goes through your system and drags the bad stuff with it.” Party all night but, hey, my charcoal lemonade will solve the problem in the morning.

It also serves usefully to drag the dollars out of the wallets of the Los Angeles hipster community.

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rom the heights of Griffith Park you get a side view of the Hollywood sign (“this is the only landmark this city has other from the scientology centre,” a quote from Friends with Benefits) and if you back to Skyline that was Misty and hazy and our morning.

And from here, more importantly, you get to see the border where the hipsters city ends and the Valley, home of Valley girls, begins.

Griffith Park is Los Angeles most used movie location. A mountainy estate purloined by Colonel Griffith J. Griffith, a 19th century Glamorgan immigrant whose life makes OJ Simpson’s look like a boy scout, it was handed over to the young city (population 10,000) in 1896. The hike through Griffith Park should be on everyone’s LA-list. We were guided up the narrow paths by Stephen Spano.

The sights are so familiar you get dizzy trying to remember which movies they came from.

Each rock and turn on the sandy path must have made dozens of cameo appearances.

The last section back towards the observatory brings you were with the road back to the future filling the car chase. The

H

ollywood itself, even for anyone who likes their movies, will be a disappointment. There is nothing to see here, like a film set which still has the road cordoned off but where the scene has long stopped shooting.

The Walk of Fame has its curiosities. The very end Star, right beside the pawn shop, is dedicated to the dead-end boys, and it as is always interesting to measure the distance in footpath in for pavement between people hated each other in real life.

The Dolby Theatre, where the Oscars are held has a three-storey shopping arcade nearby with a fantastic night club that Travel Extra visited for research purposes in 2012, but during the day it is not so much a parade of stars but of selfie sticks and multilingual giggles, teenagers who have come for little other than to say “I was there.” Which is just as well, because there is little else to see.

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ar from sunset boulevard, the sun went down on Los Angeles city centre sometime around 1947 and is only beginning to rise again now.

Every city in the world

n Aer Lingus operates a four times weekly year-round service direct from Dublin to Los Angeles. Lead-in fares including taxes and charges start from €479 each-way for travel during July and August. For further information visit aerlingus.com. n Eoghan Corry travelled as a guest of discoverLosAngeles.com and stayed at Los Angeles Athletic Club, 431 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014, laac.com

JUNE 2016 PAGE 13

DESTINATION USA has a disused warehouses it would love to dress up into something nice and invite to the cocktail party.

Los Angeles did this by labeling its wart of warehouses the arts district, as if it were the left bank of Paris.

The abandoned industrial buildings have been covered with graffiti to

liven them up and in that over-stated celebratory American way, after a while they do have that artistic feel.

Each of our group posed with the most celebrated mural/graffiti icons, Colette Miller’s angel's wings and when you look back it seems this is going to be as representative of the spirit of

Los Angeles is any of the skyline photographs that we all crammed into our camera cards.

Angel City brewery somehow found its way into one of the warehouses and here you get LA’s take on the craft brewery movement that is spreading south form Seattle and Portland: flavoursome IPAs fol-

clockwise: griffith Park entrance, LAX airport, Echo park and arts district

lowed by the strangest beer I have ever tasted, all cinnamon and Tabasco.

You can also try pink sea salt, grapefruit, sage honey, salted caramel goza, banana, peppers, lime juice, srirachelada and agave syrup. The pint of plain, apparently, in not your only man around here.

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os Angeles is a city which abandoned its city centre for so long, you are surprised to find it has one.

We stayed at one of the most important locations of that old city centre: Los Angeles Athletic Club (former members Walt Disney and Mary Pickford), still going strong with, in an overpriced city, what looks like bargain basement rates for membership.

There is an art deco feel to the entire building

SURF ALL THE WAY TO

THE USA. High-speed Wi-Fi now available on all transatlantic flights*.

© 2016 Delta Air Lines, Inc. *Excluding the Johannesburg to Atlanta service.

and the pool is deep and laned in a way hotel pools are never built anymore.

There are that glory of a Ballymore Eustace childhood, handball alleys. Above this shrine to old fashioned exercise you find a boutique hotel with huge rooms and that fresh smell of air conditioned comfort.

When one of my colleagues commented on how unusual the hotel pool was. I opined that undiscovered occasion the hotel was built on top of the pool rather than the other way round.

A

measure of the fall and rise of the city centre of Los Angeles is Pershing Square.

A leafy haven the centre of downtown life through the first half of the 20th century, it declined rapidly under the

siege of the automobile suburbs and was turned into a car park in 1952, its palm trees sent to the new Disney resort.

It was an eyesore by the time JFK came to stay for the 1960 Democratic Convention in the Biltmore hotel that overlooks the square, the place where the male prostitutes hung out in John Rechy’s 1963 novel City of Night.

When I last stayed in downtown four years ago this was warned to me as a dangerous place and I was met by panhandlers and dollar seekers along the walk to and from the spot.

This time I walked it alone and in the dark, unthreatened. There were people pulling food out of bins. Downtown LA may be back sometime, but not yet.

  Star ted 4th May 2016

Explore more of North America with Aer Lingus      Get more of North America on your doorstep as we expand our transatlantic network with three new routes to Los Angeles, Newark and Hartford, Connecticut. So whether it’s the East or West coast you want to explore, we’ve got America covered. With twelve direct flights and over 140 connecting routes across North America, flying with Aer Lingus is the smart way to the U.S.A. Los Angeles

Newark

Check out the land of glitz, glam and fame! Soak up the sun on Venice Beach, shop till you drop on Rodeo Drive or go star spotting in Hollywood. We are now flying five times per week direct to Los Angeles.

With daily flights from 1st September, there are now even more ways of getting to New York and exploring the East coast. Or why not explore New Jersey – the Garden State – and enjoy a seaside break along the Atlantic coastline.

Hartford, Connecticut Whether you are travelling on business or visiting family and friends, you can now fly direct to New England with daily flights to Hartford from 28th September 2016.

 Star ts 1st September 2016

  Star ts 28th September 2016

Travelling with Aer Lingus is the smart way to North America Pre-clear U.S. Customs and Immigration and before you leave Arrive in the U.S. as a domestic passenger New improved Business Class experience with fully lie flat seats Top class entertainment including new release movies, TV boxsets, classic movies, TV, games and music videos Wi-Fi and mobile network available on our A330’s, keeping you connected as you fly Fly direct to ten airports across North America Vast network of onwards connections in the U.S.A.

For more information on our exciting new routes please visit aerlingus.com

A couple of destinations A supersized choice Smart has North America covered, with new routes to Newark, Hartford and Los Angeles

fly direct to: los angeles new york washington boston chicago

orlando san francisco toronto newark hartford

over 140 connecting routes

JUNE 2016 PAGE 16

O

DESTINATION USA

rlando is as divided as old Berlin ever was.

On one end of Orlando’s famous 11-mile long International Drive you have the mouse, on the other end you have the wizard. Never the twain.

Geography in Orlando is divided into two spheres of influence, Disney in the south, Universal n the north, with a demilitarised zone somewhere along the middle near Seaworld.

No surprise, then, that the shoppers (increasingly shopjocks as well as she-shoppers) who may be rivalling the themeparking mad among the international visitors to Orlando, also have two choices, the Disney sided outlet mall and the Universal sided outlet mall.

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utlet malls, originally an opportunity for manufacturers to offload damaged or out of season product, now have a life of their own.

Some 41 years after the first one opened, those who come in search of the savings of 25pc to 65pc claimed by the re-

Coupon d’Etat

tailers can usually find something not worth leaving behind, even if it means a second suitcase home.

So where to start? It’s all about the brands, apparently.

Orlando Vineland in the southern end of the Drive (Disney sphere of influence) has the higher end brands among its portfolio of 160 stores.

Orlando International Premium outlets in the

north (Universal sphere of influence) has more stores, 180 in all.

Many are duplicated in both outlets, but the bargain bins, though similar, do not always match.

There is another outlet Market Place which is more local in Orlando, and probably better at finding the local product that is becoming so difficult to trace on American shopping expeditions.

IT’S A MALL WORLD AFTR ALL

n Florida Mall 1.8m square feet of shopping with 250 unique entertainment, retail and dining options. 8001 S Orange Blossom Trail (407) 851-7234 www.simon.com/mall/the-florida-mall n Orlando Vineland 8200 Vineland Avenue with higher end brands among its portfolio of 160 stores, (407) 238-

Eoghan Corry goes shopping at two ends of International Drive in Orlando

7787 n Orlando International Premium outlets has 180 stores. 4951 International Drive (407) 352-9600 n Outlet Market Place is more local in Orlando, 5269 International Drive (407) 352-9600

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he outlets are the lure, the real meat is in the Florida shopping mall where the big brands like Apple Mac, non discountable but unavoidable are to be found.

This being Orlando, Florida Mall has got a theme park of its own this Autumn, the bright coloured Crayola Land.

Disney has imagineers, these guys have crayonologists.

One of the restaurants is a theme park in itself, the phenomenon known as America Girl where you dine with a bright

S

pink doll at the end of the table. At the end of the meal I was teaching her nursery rhymes in Irish. It gets to you like that.

hopping is like that, much more than shopping, the therapy that goes way beyond retail therapy. .

At Last Resort Dick’s restaurant based in Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets, waiters specialise in being rude to customers. Highlights included “here’s your drinks, sort it out,” “My name is Stephen unfortunately I am stuck with you guys,” and “how was

your meal, I don’t really care but I am required to ask.” How many waiters always wanted to say that?

The sign at the door says: “if the world didn't suck we'd all fall off.”

What did I learn? Follow the Brazilians They win the world cup at shopping every time. And read the coupon book as carefully as you would the docket at a race meet.

As we left the guy in the queue had a tee shirts saying: “some people read shirts I think you are one of them.”

Retail therapy indeed.

n Eoghan Corry travelled to Orlando with Aer Lingus who fly Dublin to Orlando daily EI121 at 14.00 with additional frequencies next winter over Christmas, mid-term and Easter, The aircraft is an A330-200 in 24-228 configuration.

Fares start from €510 each way including taxes and charges. See aerlingus.com.

Clockwise: Stephen the purposefully rude waiter at Dick’s Last Resort, the doll themed American Girl restaurant in the Simon Shop Florida Mall, mal activity, shoppers and Jackie Vasquez outlining the plans for Crayola. Main picture: Crayola-land

JUNE 2016 PAGE 17

ALASKAExplore

more than half-million acres of the Chugach State Park, some 223 city parks and more than 300 miles of trails by foot or bike in the Municipality of Anchorage.

Or, take a day trip to see glaciers and wildlife in Prince William Sound or Kenai Fjords National Park, watch bears in Katmai National Park and Preserve, kayak among glaciers in a remote lake accessible by a whistle stop train, or go fishing for salmon and trout in remote lakes or streams. After each adventure, enjoy the creature comforts Anchorage is known for – a delicious meal in a locally owned restaurant. www.Anchorage.net

ANN ARBOUR

is highlighting dining experiences and cultural

DESTINATION USA

events.

graded, JFK Library.

ARIZONA developments include the Legoland Discovery Center at Arizona Mills, which is due to open this year.

CALIFORNIA:

Outlets at San Clemente, a new Spanish villagelike shopping center that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. Among the 70 retailers are Calvin Klein, Cole Haan, GUESS, H&M, Levi’s, Nike, Under Armour and more.

VIP perks abound: loyalty program with exclusive lounge, valet parking, complimentary Wi-Fi, baggage check and stroller or wheelchair rentals.

ARIZONA: Scottsdale has got a new vibe, with a new live music experience, LiveWire. This 14,000square-foot space in the Entertainment District downtown features a broad spectrum of favorite artists, comedians and national touring acts: Wiz Khalifa, DJ Steve Aoki and Boyz II Men are already on the calendar this spring.

BOSTON Mario

Batali has opened one restaurant in the Seaport with much bigger plans for the Back Bay, RunBase opened its first US location near the

Chicago skyline

Marathon finish line, the EMK Institute has been

unvleiled, and a great lineup of Spring Forums

is on tap at the recently re-opened, and up-

CALIFORNIA: The Broad, LA’s latest museum opened in autumn and focusses on the renowned contemporary collection of Eli and Edythe Broad; it will feature a roughly chronological timeline, with works from the 50s

by Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg;

JUNE 2016 PAGE 18

DESTINATION USA

Route 66 promotion. We will be rolling out the program at IPW for media and tour operators to begin planning for.

We have plenty more to talk about at IPW this year, from additional brewery tasting rooms in the downtown area to new hotel developments that have already broken ground and remodels in the works.

60s Pop Art by Andy Warhol, Ed Ruscha and Roy Lichtenstein; and 70s and 80s works by Keith Haring, JeanMichel Basquiat and Jeff Coons. Contact: www.thebroad.org

CHICAGO Skydeck Pie in the Sky package which is a three-course meal catered by Giordano’s on our 103rd floor. It is a great idea for a romantic date night or a fun treat for the whole family with VIP access to the 103rd floor and the glass Ledges that extend 4.3 feet outside of the building. The package is offered daily after we close to the public, so reservations are for 10:30 PM April through September and 8:30 PM October through March.

LAComing this spring

to Universal Studios

HENRY FORD

Hollywood is Springfield – The Simpsons Ride, a new attraction that will bring to life the hometown of America’s most famous animated family. It will feature fa-

mous spots such as Krusty Burger, Luigi’s Pizza, Moe’s Tavern and Duff’s Brewery.

FLAGSTAFF is

hosting a 66 kicks on

Museum and at the Ford Rouge Factory Tour features Roadside America – Through the Lens of John Margolies. Visitors to the Rouge Complex will get a reimagined view inside the automotive and social innovations taking place at the plant producing Ford’s all-new aluminum-based F-150, winner of the North American Truck of the Year at the North American International

Auto Show.

FLORIDA In September, 2016 the City of St. Augustine will be celebrating its 450th Birthday with street festivals with live entertainment , historic reenactments, commemorative ceremonies, fireworks, birthday cake and more. We’re even expecting royalty! But you do not have to wait till September to be part of the celebration. Through 2016 visitors to Florida’s Historic Coast can experience the excitement in the Nation’s oldest city at nearly 60 authentic attractions and historic sites and explore 42 miles of pristine Atlantic Coast beaches.

FLORIDA: Sawgrass Mills in Ft. Lauderdale now has a complimentary Shop N Drop service where your

purchases can be stored in a safe location without dragging the bags throughout the center as you continue shopping.

Add to that perk new concierge-level assistance, with friendly, multilingual ambassadors offering directions and tips, and a new Sawgrass Mills Circle Bus that runs throughout the day and evening, connecting guests to each of the mall’s main entrances.

FLORIDA: The

historic Everglades Wonder Gardens in Bonita Springs—one of Florida’s original roadside attractions—has reopened after a major renovation. The lush, 3.5-acre botanical jungle features newly created paths, a pink flamingo pond, an alligator pool with 40 gators and a swinging bridge above them, and a butterfly

MAKE A DISCOVERY 

VALLEY FORGE HIGHLIGHTS NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK KING OF PRUSSIA MALL PHILADELPHIA PREMIUM OUTLETS MORRIS ARBORETUM CHANTICLEER ESTATE & GARDENS GLENCAIRN MUSEUM SKIPPACK VILLAGE AMBLER MAIN STREET

   

(1 hour 30 minutes

by Amtrak rail)

(1 hour 5 minutes

by Amtrak rail)

   

 

The Countryside of Philadelphia is easily accessible by both Amtrak and SEPTA Regional Rail & Rail Transit

BRANDYWINE VALLEY HIGHLIGHTS LONGWOOD GARDENS BRANDYWINE BATTLEFIELD   QVC STUDIOS UNIQUE LODGING MAGICAL MAIN STREETS (2 hours by Amtrak rail) HORSE FARMS WINE TRAILS BRANDYWINE RIVER MUSEUM OF ART

(1 hour 30 minutes

by New Jersey Transit)



ATLANTIC CITY HIGHLIGHTS WORLD FAMOUS BOARDWALK LUCY THE ELEPHANT ABSECON LIGHTHOUSE, 3RD TALLEST IN THE USA HISTORICAL WINERY TOURS TAX-FREE SHOPPING AT TANGER OUTLETS 8 CASINO RESORTS DOLPHIN WATCHING DINING ON THE BEACH STEEL PIER, EAST COASTS PREMIER AMUSEMENT PIER

PHILADELPHIA HIGHLIGHTS THE BARNES FOUNDATION PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART READING TERMINAL MARKET CITY OF PHILADELPHIA MURAL ARTS PROGRAM ROCKY STATUE AND ROCKY STEPS TAX-FREE SHOPPING NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER INDEPENDENCE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK ONE LIBERTY OBSERVATION DECK

www.discoverPHL.com www.doatlanticcity.com

www.countrysidePHL.com

(travel times via rail to/from Philadelphia)

JUNE 2016 PAGE 19

DESTINATION USA

Central Park, New York

house, among many other attractions.

An art gallery features the landscape photography of award-winning local photographer, and new manager, John Brady. Admission is $12.95 for adults; $10.95 for seniors; $7.95 for children 3-12; and free for children under 3.

Group rates for 10 or more are available. Contact: www.evergladeswondergardens.co

FORT WORTH National Cow-

girl Museum and Hall of Fame has begun renovation of its galleries and public spaces using hologram technology to bring Annie Oakley alive and share her story in her own words.

Three international firms are collaborating on the project; renovation of the first floor is already underway andreopened last summer.

HAWAII: Hula lessons, imu cere-

mony, complimentary cocktails, expansive buffet, dynamic revue, they all come together at “Voyagers of the Pacific,” a new luau show at the Royal Kona Resort on the Big Island. With a backdrop of Kailua Bay, the sunset revue showcases the stories, song and dance of Hawaii’s ancestors, capped by the thrilling, and dangerous, Samoan fire knife dance. Show days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.

The cost is $88 for adults; $41 for children 6-11; children 5 and under, free.

MUSEUM attractions in the

USA—New York’s Museum of Modern Art, The Guggenheim and The Frick Collection, as well as the Hirshhorn Museum and, soon, the entire Smithsonian collection in Washington DC are banning the selfie-stick, a relatively recent invention that allows smartphone users to extend their reach by several feet when they attach their smartphone to it in order to take selfie photos. Perhaps the best rationale is contained in the brief policy statement regarding all photography by The Frick

Collection at One East 70th Street in New York City: “Still photography without flash for personal use by means of phones, hand-held cameras and tablet devices, is permitted only in the Garden Court, and may not include objects there which are explicitly prohibited by notice. Selfie sticks are not permitted. Videography and use of a tripod are not permitted at any time.

When taking photographs, please be courteous to other museum visitors by not blocking their view or impeding their movement.”

HOUSTON Be the Astronaut”

at Space Center Houston allows visitors to explore the technologies that make space travel possible, with a simulated rocket launch and by piloting a spaceship. You’ll land in multiple worlds are 1:1 simulations from lunar and Mars space programs and drive a rover at the moon’s north pole, among other fascinating opportunities. Tickets are $20.95 for adults; $15.95 for children (4-11 years) and $18.95 for seniors (65 years and older). Astronaut Audio Tours are available at an additional cost. More than $1.5 billion is being invested in the area around the George R. Brown Convention Center alone, including a new Marriott Marquis Hotel and improvements to the convention centre.

LAS VEGAS Las Vegas continues to evolve with the recent debut of the first park on The Strip – justly named The Park – and the largest arena in Las Vegas – the 20,000-seat T-Mobile Arena located between Monte Carlo and New York-New York. Also, hotels including Bellagio, ARIA, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage, Monte Carlo, New York-New York, Luxor and Excalibur have debuted new rooms, suites, restaurants, convention space, shows and nightclubs in the last few months with more to come later this year.

PAGE 20 JUNE 2016

DESTINATION TURKEY

Pristine beauty to be found at the toe of Turkey T he Mugla province is located in Turkeys south west and holds the longest stretch of coast in the country- bridging the Aegean with the Mediterranean Sea. With its stunning natural beauty, temperate climate, plentiful sport and recreation options, wealth of historical sites and excellent resorts and infrastructure, the Mugla province is home to some of Turkey’s major tourism centres – with the popular towns of Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye and Oludeniz all decorating Mugla’s stunning coastline.

Mugla’s roots come from the ancient Anatolian civilisation of Caria. As a major city of Caria, Mugla has been home to a number of cultures, peoples and rules; from the Greeks to the Egyptians, and later from the Persians to Alexander the Great himself. The land

has an abundance of historical riches, from sites to see and its wider geography, to its continued colourful infusion of the past with the present within its lifestyle, culture and inhabitants.

The region’s 1,100 kilometres of coastline is dotted with unspoilt beaches, beautiful bays and islets; inland, forests and mountains provide a breath-taking backdrop to the coast.

T

op natural attractions in Mugla include Oludeniz, one of Turkey’s most scenic beaches; the Iztuzu Beach, a protected nesting site for loggerhead turtles; and Dalyan, known for its hot springs and mud pools. The Halicarnassus Mausoleum in Bodrum (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World); the ancient ruins of Knidos, Telmessos, Kaunos (among others); Lycian rock tombs; and the

Bodrum Underwater Archaeology Museum are among the region’s major historical sites.

The town of Bodrum on Turkey’s Aegean coast is one of the Mediterranean’s most enticing and upmarket towns with whitewashed houses on the hillsides leading down to two beautiful blue bays with the 15thcentury Castle of St Peter dominating all. A beguiling mix of ancient, medieval and modern enchants, with everything from historic monuments and fashionable bars to bougainville-draped alleyways bursting with shops.

Marmaris, Fethiye and Gulluk support traffic of more than 100,000 yachts and boats annually – providing an exciting means of exploring the region in seclusion and comfort whilst relishing the year round favourable climate.

The splendid Marmaris Castle with fantastic vistas across Marmaris was first built by the Ionians (1044 BC) and later restored during the era of the Alexander the Great; the Castle was then rebuilt and widened by Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent during his campaign for the Greek island of Rhodes in 1522.

C

alis Beach is two and a half miles of long, dotted with restaurants and is a beautiful spot to watch the sunset.

Icmeler is located in a protected bay, is ideal for water sports. It’s a cosmopolitan resort and its popular beach is fringed by stylish hotels. Its broad and sloping sand beach means its ideals for children and The region of Fethiye is well known for its golden beaches, particularly the blue flag beach of Oludeniz;

being one of the most photographed in the Mediterranean. Along with basking in the sunshine of this beautiful area, paragliding at nearby Babadag Mountain is also an enticing pastime the area offers.

Gocek is a great day out from the Akkaya Valley, with the opportunity of sailing from one of its four marinas serving the region (Club Marina, Skopea Marina, Municipality Marinas and Port Gocek Marina).

Datca is great for natural outdoor activities such as; nature walks, trekking, windsurfing, and cruising.

Yalanci Bogaz strait and village is situated opposite Marmaris, separated by water. The bay itself is renowned for its peace and tranquillity, as well as its frequent visits by sailboats with boats docking on its marina.

JUNE 2016 PAGE 22

RIVERCRUISE

Flowing even faster

T

River cruise continues to grow disproportinately for the Irish travel trade

CroisiEurope brings the paddle steamer back to Berlin

he rush to the river is gathering pace.

More Irish custiomers want to cruise and there are more opportunitied for them to do so.

Last year 28 new river cruise ships were launched. There are now 336 passenger cruise ships plying the rivers of the world, up from 125 in 2000, and 20pc of them are younger than five years old.

With the new ships and ship designs have come new destinations and new shore side excursions.

Agents said that all inclusive cruise and river cruises are one of the biggest trends in 2016 so far. From Ireland, the Danube is the major cruise destination, fol-

lowed by the Rhose, with the Rhone and the Duoro trailing behind. There are effectviely six river cruise companies which dominate the market although up to 12 others are seeking business out of Ireland.

It is still a small sector.

There are just 840,000 river cruisers (36pc of them German) compared with 21.3m ocean cruise passengers.

O

utside balconies have become the norm on river cruises and schedules are tweaked to offer the finest scenery during daylight.

In fact 2016 will be another best year ever for river cruise out of Ireland,

Mass Viking launch in Amsterdam

well ahead of the Celtic Tiger days. This follows five years during which this segment of the industry has seen already high growth rates increase year on year out of the Irish market, The age Group buying cruises tends to be over 65 retired people with disposable income. Although the recession created a demand for discounted holidays, River Cruise passenger numbers have kept growing each year.

With all this growth, it is important for River Cruise customers to understand that they need to book well in advance so they can book the most popular cabins (those with balconies) as ships are smaller than the ocean

going variety.

Consumers have become more familiar with the product, air access to the main riverport cities increases,, the boats become more luxurious and the major players in the river cruise industry become more innovative.

River Cruising is growing in popularity because: n Clients want something different to an Ocean Cruise n Word of mouth is greatly spreading for this product n The ship is your floating luxury hotel n Fewer passengers (average of 150) than ocean vessels n More personal space on board n More intimate envi-

ronment for sharing experiences and developing new friendships n No lines for embarkation/disembarkation n No tendering n No seasickness n Fine Dining with wine included n Internet, Hollywood movies, satellite television and music library included at no charge n City Tours with professional guides included n Visit destinations that ocean cruises cannot reach n No checking into hotel after hotel n Unpack once and settle in for a relaxing vacation. n No riding in buses for hours on end; no traffic n Most long distance travel is done in the evening so daytime can be spent visiting cities, towns, museums and historic sites n Time in cities and towns is maximised on a river cruise versus travelling to/from destinations by coach.

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urope's waterways can be experienced in a variety of ways including self skippered boats, short tour-cruises and canal

barge. But it is the river cruise sector that has seen the biggest change.

These may range from older ones whose price points have been driven down by the rush to more luxurious craft by the big lines, to the newest ships, inspired by classic ocean yachts, which have spas, gyms and, wi-fi access. A few of the newest have pools, though these are sill a rarity for river cruise vessels.

River cruise combines the advantages of an ocean cruise with those of a bus tour, river cruises show you the best of Europe, Russia and China, and bring passengers small quaint villages as well as the large cosmopolitan cities.

One of the main comforts is that you only have to unpack your bags once, and that all you need is provided on board.

Most offer all-inclusive meals and many have additional services such as spas featuring relaxing massages and facials.

Some also include wine with dinner.

The cruise lines offer local evening entertainment, lectures and demonstrations.

Shore excursions

JUNE 2016 PAGE 23 hosted by an English speaking local guide are part of the experience.

These may be charged separately and it is worth checking before you book for a client as it can have a significant impact on the price.

More companies are including excursions as part of the package price, in contrast to what is happening in the ocean cruising sector.

In Russia you can cruise Moscow and St Petersburg. African River Cruises combine safari and visit the Chobe River, South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Tanzania, New itineraries include New destinations the Snake River, the Mississippi in Ameirca and Australis.

The number of Mekong cruises is grwoing. Uniworld has a

RIVERCRUISE

A

Arrival on board Uniworld’s lavish design

Ganges cruise, the first in India.

ndy Harmar of CLIA, which works with 18 river cruise companies,

says there are three reasons why the river cruise experience is changing.

“Ship design has transformed the experience for cruise guests. Alternative dining, spa treatments, double decker gums, on

board pools, cinemas, ice skating rinks, means that customers now are starting to get a real picture of what the onboard experience is like. “ The experience offered by each of the river ships

to your clients are completely different, because of the way that these ships are being designed, the features that these ships offer, the dining experience, the entertainment. That means that we

are growing up as an industry.

Shore side experiences are also important, with new access to walking tour, vineyards, wander through markets or historical places. The investment that the cruise line put in to these excursions and the way we support them will influence the future trends in shore excursions.

The reason that river cruise is changing so fast is that the customer is changing too.

The river cruise customer of today is different form the river cruise customer of five years ago or the river cruise customer of five years time because they want to site do, not site see.

It is no good nowadays to pull up on the bus and have a look at the view and get back on the bus. It is about experiencing and

Win!

A Bordeaux River Cruise Here’s your opportunity to cruise and discover the Bordeaux region and it’s vineyards, on board Europe’s finest River Cruise line, CroisiEurope.

Simply go to www.cruisescapes.ie/croisieurope-travelextra and answer the questions. (T & Cs apply) This competition is exclusive to TRAVEL Extra readers

                        

Ph: 01-2941000

JUNE 2016 PAGE 24

RIVERCRUISE authenticity, it is about touching and doing, learning to cook, learning how to make wine, it is about making cheese, as an authentic experience.

Soft adventure is a major trend on ocean cruising. The same can be said about river cruise, especially in faraway places like Asia.

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ratuities are included in Uniworld’s prices, which John Grehan says makes them a truly all inclusive company.

Like its sister ships, the SS Antoinette and River Beatrice, the latest addition to the fleet SS Catherine is an elegantly appointed vessel with a bright, cheerful decor full of personal touches brought in by the Tollmans.

It follows the pattern of Uniworld design and decoration with original hand-selected art, classic furnishings, and old world antiques rich in character. The two-deckhigh lobby of features an elaborate Murano chandelier, a cascading waterfall and a glass-enclosed elevator. Among the unusual features is an interior pool SS Catherine will sail Uniworld's seven-night Burgundy & Provence itinerary, which includes visits to Lyon, Avignon and several other destinations in southern France.

Uniworld have been especially active in the Irish market, with the team headed by Sharon Jordan. Their big selling point is the fact that shore excursions are all inclusive.

Uniworld are regarded as European specialists with ten ships plying the waters of the major European rivers, In business for more than 30 years, their launch of the allsuite River Beatrice in 2007 changed standards through the industry.

They have expanded to become a world wide operation with more than 20 countries on their itinerary, and more than 500 sailings a year. They have interests in Asia and Egypt, offering cruises on the Yangtze, Mekong and Nile Rivers Uniworld also operates (though does not own) the famous MS Litvinov, a sleek 220-passenger, 423 foot cruiser that is a popular Russian river cruise vessel.

All cabins on Uniworld’s river cruisers are outside. They range from standard cabins to luxury suites and the deluxe rooms include floor to ceiling windows.

Uniworld is one of the few river cruise companies to handle all of their own hospitality and hotel management efforts, as well as food delivery. “At the forefront of everything we do is attention to detail” Sharon Jordan says.

“No corners are ever cut at the expense of our guests. With the popularity of river cruising growing and more ships being built, Uniworld’s goal is to not be the biggest but to deliver a consistently outstanding experience to our guests.”

Uniworld offers cleaning service twice a day and the beds come with wool blankets and fluffy duvets.

Dining aboard consists of breakfast and lunch buffets. Dinner is open seating and menus often feature country-specific themes.

Many ships have spas or fitness facilities and a few have pools.

Medical facilities, beauty salons, lounges, and large sun decks are options on which Uniworld boat you chose.

Entertainment is of the quiet variety, and is often by local musicians, guitar players and/or singers.

Shore excursions with local guides can be arranged with the Cruise Manager.

Next up for Uniworld is the SS Maria Theresa, launched in spring 2015, named after the Archduchess of Austria and Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, who reigned from 1740 to 1780.

The ship will sail this very region on Uniworld’s European Jewels itinerary from Budapest to Amsterdam. She will also sail on Tulips & Windmills, European Holiday Markets, and Grand Christmas & New Year’s Cruise.

Uniworld continues to be a trade only supplier with no direct booking function on their website.

Sharon says this means agents can recommend the Uniworld website to clients with confidence knowing that the website is purely an information service. .

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roisiEurope feature vessels on every single river in Europe with 500 departures on more than 30

CLIA’s rivercruise conference takes place in Amsterdam in October

Playing the deck

rivers and canals spanning 100 itineraries.

Alan Lynch MD of Cruisescapes, CroisiEurope’s representative in Ireland. says that CroisiEurope, a family run business, is responsible for the construction, ownership and day-today operations of an entire fleet of river cruise vessels that are capable of carrying between 100 and 200 passengers.

Currently in the midst of an ambitious newbuild programme, CroisiEurope will have a fleet of 46 river cruise vessels by the end of

2016.

This also includes several “hybrid” river cruise vessels capable of transiting the Mediterranean on unique river and ocean itineraries. With nearly four decades of experience in offering, river cruises.

This allows the operator to concentrate on providing it’s passengers with exceptional food, excellent service and creative itineraries that are designed to appeal to both experienced and novice river cruisers alike.

The MS Elbe Princesse, a paddle powered ship launched in April, which will cruise from the centre of Berlin to the centre of Prague all year round. The MS Elbe is a sister ship to the MS Loire Princesse which was equally greeted by crowds as they came to see something not seen before; a river cruiser on

the Loire. The crowds cheered as they knew this was history in the making.

CroisiEurope’s defining features are, its shallow-draft river cruise vessels. By reducing the amount of the ship that exists below the waterline, CroisiEurope can sail into the heart of cities – like Strasbourg, where CroisiEurope is headquartered – while other river cruise operators are forced to dock on the other side of the Rhine, in the German town of Kehl, and bus guests in. The key CorisiEurope selling points are: n CroisiEurope gets to the heart of the towns that other companies bus their clients in. n They offer sailings on nearly every river in Europe, with itineraries in Asia, Russia and unique coastal cruise in Croatia. n They are Europe’s largest River Cruise operator, with over 500 departures and over 100 itineraries. n Because of Croisieurope’s size they nearly always have availability. n They construct, own and operate all their vessels. n They offer French Canals by barge, extending to other canals in Europe in 2017/18

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iviera Travel, headed up in Ireland by Stephen Sands, have launched their 2017 River Cruise products, Riviera offerings include the brand new fivestar MS Jane Austen, MS Charles Dickens, fabulous five-star MS Lord Byron, MS William Shakespeare, MS Swiss Sapphire, MS Swiss Corona and MS Swiss Tiara, or the four-star superior MS Swiss Ruby and MS Douro Spirit, with 84pc of our cabins boast French Balconies affording superb views; breakfast in the cabin; on-board

JUNE 2016 PAGE 25 classical concerts in Vienna highlighting the city’s musical heritage and tea and coffee making facilities in all cabins.

According to Stephen “Our clients often tell us we have a style unique in tour operating - a real family ambience; we have been told by clients ‘it was like travelling with family’ and ‘it was like coming home’.

“This is what we set out to achieve: treating our clients as individuals, tailoring our service to be flexible and catering for all needs. Our staff operate at the ‘sharp end’ with managers spending significant time overseas, researching, checking and meeting clients to ascertain likes and dislikes.

“If you want to take part in everything that’s fine, but if not, that’s fine too. If you want to see the sights on your own, no one will put any pressure

RIVERCRUISE

Bicycles made for more than two

on you not to.

“This is something our clients really appreciate – the freedom to explore.”

“We are passionate about being an independent company, not part of a

large, multinational, impersonal organisation.

This independence and our investment in research and people mean we’re free to create the cruises, and provide the

best value for money. “ The Main to the Danube is their latest itinerary.

EUROPE’S FINEST RIVER CRUISES Rhine, Danube, Moselle, Main, Rhône or Seine

FOUR BRAND NEW FIVE STAR ALL SUITE SHIPS FOR 2017

Selected departures up to November 2016 and April to October 2017 Five days from 849pp, Eight days from 1,299pp or 15 days from 2,769pp Price includes: • Return flights from Dublin • Beautifully appointed four-star superior and five-star cabins with hotel standard beds, private bathrooms and river views • Exceptional full board cuisine

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ma Waterways founded in 2002 by river cruise pioneer Rudi Schreiner, are represented in Ireland

by Sunway.

• A choice of eleven cruises, see the website to view our videos • Very extensive and fully inclusive touring programmes • Escorted by an experienced cruise manager

For a brochure, to check availability or to book Call: 01 905 6300 Visit: www.rivieratravel.ie Holiday organised by and subject to the booking conditions of Riviera Travel, Chase House, City Junction Business Park, Malahide Road, Northern Cross, Dublin, D17 AK63. Fully licensed and bonded by CAR (T.O. 257). Per person prices based on two sharing a twin cabin. Single cabins available at a supplement. Additional entrance costs may apply. Images used in conjunction with Riviera travel. Cruise duration dependent on selected itinerary.

Destinations have increased. AMA began cruising the Rhine and Danube. Now theye cover Russia, Portugal, France, Vietnam and Cambodia, Kenya and Myanmar was intorduced last year.

Ama uses 14 ships in Europe with six ships based elsewhere and operates exclusively for the English speaking market.

Ama offers French balconies and marble appointed bathrooms and most offer fitness centres, beauty salons, gift shops, and splash pools.

An alfresco dining area adjacent to the main restaurant can seat 32 passengers for a separate three-course dinner. Seating in this dining area must be reserved in advance.

They say limited hours drinks package is cheaper than other all-inclusive tiver cruises

JUNE 2016 PAGE26

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CAR HIRE 2016-7

ominated for many years by the big three rental firms, the buisness of car hire has become more interesting in recent times. Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s agent has about 20 firms to choose from, and each has a unique attraction of interest to your client.

First thing to point out is that the cheapest car hire deal may not necessarily be the best one for your client. Many will arrive in the agency concentrating solely on price.

They can almost always save money and safeguard against expensive unexpected charges by going through a travel agent.

Point out that, with the help of an agent, charges are shown up front at the time the booking so consumers can make the right choice and compare prices easily. Going it alone offers no such safeguards.

Tease out what they will need from their hire car - for example, how many passengers and bags do they need to fit into the vehicle?

If they are travelling with children, they may want a family hire car with five doors while if they are travelling to a destination with high temperatures, air conditioning will be a priority.

Don't assume that they will pay the same price for identical extras with the same car hire company in different destinations. A car seat in Faro costs Eu20 more than in Nice. A satnav costs Eu40 more in Nice than in Faro.

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riving a rental vehicle abroad can be stressful and expensive if they don't prepare. Get a check-list for your client: Check the driving licence is valid and make sure they have all parts of it together and ready to pack before they go away.

And, well in advance,

Driving forces Car hire has changed beyond recognition These streets were made for driving

find out whether they'll need an International Driving Permit (available form the AA) to drive where they are going. A credit card is necessary to leave a deposit at the rental desk.

Research what is legally required to have in the car when they are driving in their destination and remind them to check these items are in the hire vehicle before they set off. Not having certain equipment, such as reflective jackets, can result in fines.

Remind them to get the emergency number from the rental company in case of a breakdown.

Not knowing the driving laws - such as speed and drink driving limits in the country they are visiting could result in inadvertently breaking the law.

As you would at home, shop around for petrol when away and look out for competitive prices in local supermarkets and petrol stations rather than relying on motorway stations. Find out whether the vehicle runs on petrol or diesel as well as what

the fuel is called where they are.

Research common road signs in the country visited. Remembering to stick to the correct side of the road for the country they are in and being aware of road signs in a different language will help navigate around a new place without stress and worry.

Warn about unexpected extra costs. Fuel is an increasingly prominent one.

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any car hire companies now have fuel empty policies where consumers are charged for a full tank of petrol when they pick up the car and told to return it empty with no refund for unused fuel.

Consumer research has shown that unavoidable fuel charges can triple the price of a rental, turning what seemed like a good deal to potentially a very expensive one.

When clients pick up their hire car with a full tank of petrol they are charged for it at a price set by the car rental com-

pany, not the local pump price which is almost always lower.

They are then expected to return the car with an empty tank at the end of their rental period. So they are aware what the company's policy is, check with it before booking, Some of the extras the client simply won't want.

Others are more obvious.

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ar hire excess insurance (also known as excess waiver insurance) is useful to buy as it prevents having to pay any excess charges should their hire car be damaged or stolen.

Many drivers who have had their fingers burnt will be wary of dropping this. This can add on as much as Eu45 a day. Excess insurance to bring their waiver costs to zero costs a typical Eu120 for a week but one company is charging Eu200 in Barcelona If they don't take it they could be liable to pay a typical Eu2,000 if the car gets damaged or stolen or even more: one com-

pany's starting excess in Faro is Eu3,000.

Taking out excess waiver insurance here in Ireland rather than with their car supplier is generally cheaper. A standalone policy is significantly cheaper and gives they greater levels of cover and protection in case of accident or damage to their vehicle.

If clients wait until they get to the rental desk to purchase this, they're likely to be met by a pushy salesperson trying to an expensive policy.

Standalone car policies are available at a better rate for the client and commissionable for the agent.

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lients travelling with children or needing to rely on a sat nav while they are can prevent steep daily rental charges by prebooking.

Hiring a child's car seat costs a typical Eu60. The most expensive was in Milan at Eu100.

Borrowing a satnav typically costs around

Eu75. It is most expensive at Eu120 from one company at Heathrow. If they already have a portable satnav, they can usually buy a card compatible with the country they are visiting to put in it. Alternatively, they can buy a new satnav that covers both the UK and Europe for around Eu50Eu60.

Adding an extra driver, particularly one under the age of 25, can raise the price of their car hire significantly in some cases more than the price of the actual hire.

An extra driver over 25 costs around Eu60. This can vary: with one company in Barcelona they pay Eu90.

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ertz won the Irish Travel Industry Award for 2013, succeeding the 2011 and 2012 champions Holiday Autos.

They say they experienced excellent growth and positive feedback from trading partners throughout 2015 which continues into the start of

JUNE 2016 PAGE 27

CAR HIRE 2016-7 2016 and they plan for further integration with the travel trade to ensure that all agents have a point of contact here in Ireland that can deal with any queries promptly.

Paul Manning says “we see the Travel Trade as a valued partner now more than ever as customers turn back to their local Agencies for advice and value that they can trust when reserving their travel arrangements.

Hertz also employs over 1,200 people in Ireland through their rental locations, head office in Wexford and our European Services Centre in Swords, as Paul Manning says, “making us your local Car Hire Company for the road ahead.”

“We are humbled to have been voted Best Car Hire Provider and promise to respond to this accolade with further improvements and pro-

Among the olive trees

motions throughout the year.

“We are constantly striving to improve our products and services through initiatives such as Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, Carfirmation, Hertz Collections and many other offerings which are all designed to make the car

rental process faster, easier and more pleasant.

With Hertz your customers can choose from premium on-airport locations to multiple downtown locations throughout the world, transparent rates with no catches, competitive one way fees and much more,

I

giving you more options when making your car hire reservation.”

nternationally the big trend in the car hire market is the comeback of car-sharing after a false start ten years ago.

The roadscape for car

sharing was transformed when Zipcar and Flexcar merged to create a single brand in 2007. In 2011 Zipcar’s IPO valued the company at $1bn and the big boys started to sit up and take notice. Other companies are now contending that car-sharing can be the future of car

rentals.

In America, startups FlightCar and Hubber recruited airline passengers to make their own cars available for short-term rentals while they were out of town.

Avis Budget paid $500m last year for leading car-share operator Zipcar and its 750,000 members. Hertz added self-service technology (Hertz 24/7) for hourly rentals to thousands of cars in its fleet. The service is now available in some 300 locations in six countries.

Enterprise got into the act by combining several acquisitions to create Enterprise CarShare, and then acquired Zimride, which matches drivers with passengers online.

   

                    



     

JUNE 2016 PAGE 28

THE FLYING COLUMN

RYANAIR announced a third aircraft

will be based in Warsaw Modlin next winter.

Domestic flights Warsaw to Gdansk and Wroclaw (each 3 daily)will move from Modlin to Warsaw Chopin. Planned new routes are Poznan-Alicante (1w), Warsaw Modlin – Belfast International (2w), Birmingham (3w), Edinburgh (3w), Leeds/Bradford (2w), Newcastle (2w), Porto (2w), Toulouse (2w) and Valencia (2w).

Aviation with Gerry O’Hare

ETIHAD Airways announced a deal with

WME | IMG to become a sponsor to 17 fashion week events around the world annually.

ROUTES Europe was handed over from Krakow to Belfast, where the conference will be held in 2017.

CHINA Southern become the 157th airline to adopt Travelport Rich Content and Branding.

AWAS placed an A330-300 into storage

after it came off lease from Singapore Airlines and placed two A330-300s on long-term lease for Hong Kong Airlines

RYANAIRMichael O'Leary predicted

that Ryanair's profits would fall by €10-20m in the three months from January to March as a result of the Brussels attacks and air traffic control strikes.

SHANNON Airport is the main spon-

sor of this year’s Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Ennis.

WOW air launched a Snapchat competi-

tion, calling on entrants to submit a Snap Story to snaptraveler.wowair.com. The winners will each visit four destinations serviced by the airline and document their travels on Snapchat.

Shannon Group reported post-tax profits of €7.3m for 2015. Passenger numbers at Shannon Airport were up 5pc last year.

BOEING will deliver a record number of aircraft to Turkish Airlines this year: six 777300ERs and 20 Next Generation 737-800s.

RYANAIR announced four winter 2016

routes from Belfast International to Gdansk, Warsaw and Wroclaw, in addition to the seven routes announced earlier to Alicante, Berlin, Krakow, Lanzarote, Malaga, Milan and TenerifeCITYJET are the new sponsors of London GAA’s senior championships.

SHANNON Vantage’s Matthew Thomas succeeded Neil Pakey as chief executive of Shannon Group next month.

IAG announced a deal with tech firm Gogo

to provide inflight WiFi.

BELFAST International Airport’s April

traffic was up 16pc to 400,000 passengers.

LUFTHANSA Business class passengers on Lufthansa will be provided AKG N60 noise-cancelling headphones from January 2017.

ETIHAD Airways partnered with Travelport’s MTT to launch its iPhone app.

AVOLON announced the deliver of its

first A320neo.

Ryanair and Aer LINgus: Friends again?

The EI-FR riddle

A

Will Ryanair feed Aer Lingus long-haul routes?

er Lingus and Ryanair are close to a passenger transfer deal, Willie Walsh has claimed.

The pair have been in talks since last year about the possibility of Ryanair feeding passengers from its European network to Aer Lingus’s long-haul flights. On Thursday, Mr Walsh said he would be “surprised” if

the two do not reach agreement. “It’s inevitable,” he said.

Ryanair have said that talks with Aer Lingus had initially been fruitful but had seen little progress in recent times.

Wilie Walsh was speaking as British Airways launched a new service from Heathrow to San Jose in California, the capital of the US tech industry, at the same time as Aer Lin-

WHO IS NEXT ON THE STOBART SHUFFLE?

S

tobart Air appointed Stobart Group chief executive Andrew Tinkler as its new chairman following the sudden departure of former Ryanair executive Tim Jeans from the role he'd held for just six months.

Sean Brogan, along

with Stobart Air management, is understood to have submitted an offer to the carrier. The Stobart Group owns 45pc of Stobart Air, with 40pc held by Invesco Perpetual.

Broker Cenkos owns 10pc, while former Aer Arann chairman Padraig Ó Céidigh owns 5pc.

"To standardise the airline's governance structures, Andrew Tinkler, Jonathan Brown and Yvonne Deeney have been appointed directors to the airline's companies. Mr Tinkler has been appointed Stobart Air chairman," a spokesperson for Stobart Air said.

gus were launching their LA flight.

He said that Aer Lingus had nothing to fear from Norwegian Air Shuttle’s plans to launch a low-cost transatlantic service using a subsidiary based in Ireland. “Aer Lingus is the long-haul low-cost operator. It has been doing it all along.”

He said that Ryanair had some “very interesting” destinations from Aer Lingus’s point of view.

Sean Brogan

THE FLYING COLUMN

Aviation with Gerry O’Hare

Game changer

JUNE 2016 PAGE 29

US CBP in Dublin will have five extra officers processing trans-Atlantic flights in summer 2016.

DUBLIN €2m trans-Atlantic lounge being fitted out airside of US CBP, 51st & Green, could be soft opened as early as July.

AER LINGUS

passenger traffic in April 2016 was 6.3pc up on Apr15 with a passenger load factor of 76.1pc, down 2.1 percentage points. Cargo carried was down 21.4pc.

RYANAIR is on course to overtake

EasyJet as the biggest airline in Britain this year, Michael O'Leary has said with more aircraft this winter in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, and Stansted

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O’Leary hails the duel savings of Boeing 737-max

Boeing 737-max in Ryanair livery

ichael O’Leary says Ryanair’splanned use of Boeing's new "game changer" aircraft, the 737 MAX 200, "would transform" the airline's cost base.

"Last year, fuel accounted for about

45pc of our total cost, and if we can reduce that by a double-digit number [with the MAX], it means we're again getting closer and closer to my idea where we can lower our averages fares from €45 to €25, and double our traffic from 100 to 180, 200m passengers."

He repeated his claim that Ryanair could not cheaply source a fleet of long-haul aircraft due to a backlog of orders from Gulf carriers.

Any potential for no-frills transatlantic services was “off the table for at least five years”.

SKYSCANNER The most popular airports where travellers self-connect in Europe were: Dublin, Barcelona, London Gatwick, Amsterdam Schiphol and Madrid, according to the study, which was drawn from Skyscanner’s 50m monthly users AER LINGUS is on target to join the

oneworld alliance next year, when it should also be able to benefit from BA's joint venture with American Airlines. "The next big integration issue will be Aer Lingus coming into the joint business on the transatlantic. That will require some systems changes," Willie Walsh said.

NEW! Air Canada rouge non-stop service

Dublin to Vancouver 3 TIMES WEEKLY COMMENCING 10 TH JUNE ‘16

Flights conveniently timed to connect with Air Canada’s extensive network serving 60 Canadian and 52 US destinations.

For more information please contact us at 01 6793958 or aircanada@premair.ie

26703 AC - TRAVEL EXTRA MAY 16 HPH.indd 1

04/04/2016 18:23

JUNE 2016 PAGE 30

THE FLYING COLUMN

GOOGLE maps technology has been extended to allow passengers view Aer Lingus business class. Business Class fully lie flat seats have been added to Aer Lingus’ Boeing 757 aircraft to match “the levels of comfort, storage and space” on the A330 fleet (except with more throne seats). The inaugural flight of the newly-fitted 757 was made in February from Shannon to Boston and four additional aircraft will be fitted with the new business class cabins by mid-May.

Aviation with Gerry O’Hare

TRANSATannounced a new premium economy Club Class.

DONEGALAirport was voted one of the world’s most scenic airport landings in a poll conducted by PrivateFly.

FLYBE selected CTC Aviation for Pilot

Recruitment Roadshow in Dublin.

There were reports this week of a near collision between and Aer Lingus aircraft and a drone at Charles de Gaulle airport.

RYANAIR announced three new winter

services from Cork to Gran Canaria, Malaga and Tenerife bringing the total to nine. Cork Airport installed their long awaited second airbridge at a cost of €450,000.

DUBLIN airport passenger numbers con-

tinued to increase by 17pc in March to 2.1m.

The number of passengers using Dublin Airport as a hub is up 71pc to 51,000.

DELTA Air Lines Announces March

Quarter Profit.

DALMACcontinued its major European Recruitment Campaign for Ryanair, no previous cabin crew experience is required, applicants must be over 18 years of age.

BELFAST International Airport passengers were up 12pc in March to 370,000.

JET2 .com announced a new service from Belfast to Girona for Summer 2017.

ETIHAD Airways and Avianca signed a codeshare partnership MULTI CITY

A subtle policy change

by USA-based airlines means that customary multi-city ticketing can no longer use the lowest available fare on each segment. Instead, the new policy combines the highest refundable fares available on each segment and returns a round-trip single price that is substantially higher than if a consumer purchased separate one-way fares.

AIRFINANCE

The 19th Annual Global Airfinance Conference is confirmed for January 17th - 19th 2017 in Dublin.

CWT A Carlson Wagonlit Travel analysis of 6.4m air booking transactions suggested women book their flights 1.9 days earlier than their male counterparts and pay an average of around 2pc less for their tickets than men.

FOYNES union.

hosted a Pan Am workers re-

SINGAPORE Airlines signed up for Amadeus Revenue Management technology.

Norwegian trans-Atlantic may start as early as August 1st

P

An August start

Cork and Shannon services to Boston may go ahead

ending formal approval from the US Department of Transportation (DoT), Norwegian CEO Bjorn Kjos said the airline’s Irish subsidiary, Norwegian Air International, is targeting a August 1 launch date for its proposed Cork to Boston flights.

The European Commission has obtained a mandate to initiate arbitration under the EU-US Open Skies agreement in a bid to resolve the impasse over the US foreign air carrier permit for Norwegian Airline’s Irish subsidiary, Norwegian Air International.

D

Four US Congressmen introduced a bill in the House of Representatives in a bid to prevent the issuing of the permit.

Cork Chamber has urged members to make submissions to the DoT stressing the importance and benefits of the proposed service on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Transportation Trades Department of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, the largest federation of unions in the US, joined with the European Cockpit Association, the Air

Line Pilots Association, the International Association of Machinists, the Association of Flight Attendants, and the Transportation Workers Union, to seek a 10-day extension of time to file objections.

The Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association filed a similar request.

All parties said the extension is needed so they can submit “as consolidated a response” to the DoT’s tentative licence approval plan as possible. The unions have also cited the “novelty and complexity of the issues” in this case.

T1 IMPROVEMENTS ANNOUNCED

ublin Airport announced €10m investment in the T1 arrivals hall and façade.

The development includes new flooring, a replacement ceiling, the removal of desks from window areas, relocation of all

restaurants to one area and concentration of services such as the Tourist Information Office, bus, travel and the information desks in one area.

Floor replacement is underway and hoarding will be in place around different

areas of the Arrivals Hall until the project is complete in the coming months.

Screens currently positioned in front of the Arrivals Hall exit doors will be removed so that customers meeting and greet-

ing friends and family will have an unobstructed view as they come through from the baggage hall.

Terminal 1 is 44 years old and has handled 400m passengers during that time.

er Lingus says it will delay expanding its services from Dublin if the infrastructure was not there to support it.

Echoing what Stephen Kavanagh said to Travel Extra earlier this year,

Willie Walsh chair of Aer Lingus and Ceo of IAG said “we cannot keep putting aircraft there if we have nowhere to park them.”

Bottlenecks at Dublin Airport could threaten its long-term expansion plans.

Success is putting pressure on aircraft parking and taxi-ways, leading to delays for disembarking passengers.

He said that the new runway is needed but stressed that it would have no impact on the current prob-

lems, which he warned that the airport needs to tackle quickly if it is to fulfil its ambitions to develop a hub for transatlantic flights.

He said that Aer Lingus and British Airways customers do not want to be bussed from their aircraft.

A

LINGUS SEEKS INFRASTRUCTURE

PERFECT

HARMONY

HARMONY OF THE SEAS IS ALMOST HERE! Onboard the world’s largest cruise ship, guests can look forward to a host of fantastic experiences, including some brand new exclusive features: • The Perfect Storm, an exhilarating trio of waterslides • Ultimate Abyss — the tallest dry slide at sea • The first ever two-storey Wonderland restaurant • Seven distinct, individual neighbourhoods to explore • Thrilling activities like the Zip Line and FlowRider® surf simulators • Entertainment including the hit musical Grease With so much to discover onboard, this extraordinary ship is sure to be a hit with guests of all ages. Launching on 20 May, Harmony of the Seas will offer sailings in the Western Med throughout summer 2016.

7 night cruises to Italy & Spain with direct flights from Dublin to Barcelona*

SEE CRUISINGPOWER.IE FOR DETAILS *subject to availability on selected sailings only

JUNE 2016 PAGE 32

AFLOAT

DACIA partnered with Stena Line. Passengers are offering up to 50pc off sailings from Ireland to Britain and up to 20pc off sailings from Ireland to France when they order and register a 161 Dacia before May 31.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN

announced that its internet service VOOM is now available across its fleet.

IRISH FERRIES is providing transport and logistics support for the Garda Chris Crossing charity boat row across the Irish Sea in aid of the National Neurosurgical Centre at Beaumont Hospital. The crossing will take between 12 and 15 hours to complete and will happen some time in late May or early June, depending on weather conditions.

CARNIVAL’s Adonia became the first

US cruise ship to dock in Havana in decades.

NCL Norwegian Cruise Line signed a partnership with Emerging Markets Communications to provide its on-board WiFi.

ROYAL Caribbean will continue its Dynamic Dining programme on Anthem of the Seas.

CUNARD ’s Queen Mary 2 will add two

new dining venues, Carinthia Lounge and The Verandah, and refurb existing restaurants.

OCEANIA Godmother Claudine Pepin, daughter of French chef Jacques Pepin, christened Oceania Cruises’ 684-passenger Sirena in Barcelona.

HURTIGRUTEN

will introduce its young explorers programme to MS Midnatsol from November 2016 to March 2017. The programme, aimed at passengers aged seven to 13, features activities focused on the environment.

DISNEY

Cruise Lines relaxed the dress code at its adult-only restaurant, Palo, allowing passengers to wear jeans.

MSC Design features on MSC’s Seaside Class design will give more outdoor space and three walkways with glass balustrades and a glass floor will give guests the feeling that they are walking on water. The first of three ships will come into service in December 2017 and will sail year-round from Miami.

IRISH FERRIES is supporting An

Garda Siochana’s Chris Crossing charity boat row across the Irish Sea in air of the National Neurosurgical Centre at Beaumont Hospital.

CLIA will host the 2016 Technical & Regulatory Forum in London.

SILVERSEA

celebrated one year-togo until the christening of its new flagship Silver Muse with commemorative on board all eight of Silversea’s ships around the world.

NCL Jeremy McKenna was appointed Nor-

wegian Cruise Line’s head of sales for Ireland and Britain

HOLLAND America’s new 2,650-pax

Koningsdam commenced sailings from Rome.

New to the line features include a 270-degree LED screen in the main theatre.

Harmony of the Seas cruises to its pre launch sailing out of Southampton

R

Harmony party

Record number of Irish agents on Royal pre-launch

oyal Caribbean hosted 200 trade partners from Ireland on the pre-inaugural sailing from Southampton on Friday May 20 until Sunday May 22.

This made the outing the largest ever Irish trade event on board a cruise ship and the largest exodus of travel trade on one outing since the ITAA conferences in Benalmadena in 1996 and Algarve in 1999.

Ben Bouldin speaking about the importance of hosting agents over a period of days rather than port ship visits, which is like seeing the ship with the lights off.

“The Irish are well represented,” Ben Bouldin of Royal Caribbean says. “The likes of Tour America, Clubworld, Oasis, and American Holidays, they tend to over index versus their counterparts. They are bit more flexible in terms of staff trying to get time off than the likes of Thomas Cook of TUI.” “I don’t think there are too many cruise lines that, that would put anywhere near as many as agents so that was literally go out of our way to make sure that we put the right focus into it.

“We don’t penny pinch. We want agents to have a great experience.

They get to eat in great restaurants.

They can drink when they want to drink. They get the chance to really see the ship. They experience as a guest “When you visit a ship for the day is it is not the same. It is like seeing the ship with the lights off.

“Any time the ship is in a port, it is on a turnaround day. It is never fully operational at port because the service staff are probably taking a break.

It is in between shifts. When you sail you get the real experience and it is quite different so the beauty of having the benefit of doing two Harmony sailings for two nights with agents on each one is something that you shouldn’t take for granted.”

He said Harmony has boosted Royal Caribbean’s sales out of to Barcelona this year. “Allure had a fantastic season last year. If we are honest we probably sold it too quickly. We probably left rate on the table.”

“We have had a better, more planned approach to Harmony. I guess we have learned from Allure

because we had a ship of that class before. Because of Allure we had a fan base for that class of ship.”

“We are well sold on Harmony, in fact it is quite difficult to get cabin classes now particularly for families, looking for third and fourth occupancy. It is pretty well sold out.”

“While she is a third in class ship the reality is that she is going to be quite different in many different ways and built in the different shipyard from her two sisters.”

“She is 20pc more efficient and she has got features like Wonderland, Jamie’s, we have got the ultimate abyss which is a ten storey water slide.”

“The ship is wider, and actually it feels like noticeably wider when you are walking through the central promenade. It is 33 centimeters longer.

“Having the Central Park makes a big impact on the holiday but the realty is that, it will feel quite different.”

“In the past, we used to shy way from saying we had the biggest ship in the world, but with the changing of the guard, Michael Bayley is quite happy to say we have the biggest ship in the world.”

JUNE 2016 PAGE 33

AFLOAT

LEGOLAND® WINDSOR SHORT BREAKS Dublin Port vessel Shackleton and Ponant L’Austral in Dublin port

Dublin plans take shape

D

Record 113 cruise ship calls in 2016

ublin Port Company say it is busier than it was during the boom, with an average of 20 ships a day arriving during the first three months of 2016.

Dublin Port has already embarked on a major €230m project to expand its facilities.

That scheme will be completed in four years.

The Alexandra Basin Redevelopment will deepen and extend berths, enabling it to handle bigger vessels and facilitating their berthing closer to the city centre.

The port’s head of corporate communications.

Pat Ward said that the port would be able to ac-

commodate two cruise ships of 330 metres as well as other 220 metre ships at the same time when redevelopment is completed at the end of a five-year plan.

The port could be ready for the 2020 cruises stop on the question of a terminal to rival the house in Southampton, Amsterdam or Barcelona, Ward said.

But he warned that it could not be justified until report had a greater turnover of cruise ships.

He said the Port Authority were looking at mixed development which would encompass a hotel and exhibition space to complement the

Conference Centre.

These areas could then be used as a terminal when required with full security scanning facilities and check-in area.

He said that over the last two years the cruise industry has shown that it has huge interest in Dublin as a cruise home port.”

Last year, 93 cruise ships with 149,000 visitors called to the port.

The European Investment Bank has provided €100m in finance for the Alexandra Basin project.

It is part of a major masterplan for Dublin Port that is designed to steer expansion to cope with growth up to 2040.

Book your clients a great value theme park hotel short break to LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort with Stena Line from only €639 for a family of four.

With over 55 rides, fantastic live shows and attractions set over 150 acres of parkland, the LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort is a family destination that is not to be missed! Plus there are many family adventures to enjoy together with Pirate Falls:Treasure Quest, Viking River Splash, Laser Raiders and the ALL NEW Exclusive 4D Movies at the LEGO 4D Movie Theatre!

Book your ferry, hotel and LEGOLAND® park tickets all together with Stena Line today for the best price guaranteed!

Price includes: • Return Stena Line ferry travel from Dublin to Holyhead, Rosslare to Fishguard or Belfast to Liverpool with your car.

• 2 nights 4 star hotel accommodation within easy driving distance of the park for 2 adults & up to 2 children under 16 sharing the same room.

• One day LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort entry ticket for 2 adults & 2 children under 16 (upgrade to a 2 day ticket from just €11pp extra!)

FAMILY OF 4 FROM ONLY

639

€

Everyone deserves a break.

Book online at

agent.stenaline.ie or call reservations on 01 907 5399 Prices valid on selected days, dates and sailings, subject to availability. Deduct €53 if only one child travelling.

Terms and conditions apply. Holidays sold by Stena Line Travel Group AB. Fully licensed and bonded (TA0733).

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Brick and Knob configurations, the Minifigure, DUPLO and LEGOLAND are trademarks of the LEGO Group. ©2016 The LEGO Group.

JUNE 2016 PAGE 34

GLOBAL VILLAGE

Inside the Travel Business

LOWCOSTBEDS, Amadeus, Blue

Insurance, Classic Collection, MSC and SAS trade training days: Sligo, May 10. Limerick, May 12. Cork, May 17. Waterford, May 24.

Venues to follow.

SABRE added the option for airline tickets and ancillary products, rail and service fees through its virtual payments system.

TRAVEL DEPARTMENT

celebrated its 20th birthday at Fiorentina Restaurant on Parliament Street. Speaking at the event, founder Bob Haugh, credits the company’s survival to innovation and customer service. He remarked at the pace of change in business: “20 years is quite a milestone for us.

The average life expectancy of a business is just 12 years.” For the next 20 years, “who know what it has in store,” he said. “Maybe we might float the business… if we do decide to go public, I hope you’ll all buy a share.”

IZMIR Tanya Airey of Sunway says most customers are transferring to Izmir after the cancellation of the tour operator’s Bodrum flights last week. The cancellation means Sunway have one weekly charter to Turkey this summer, down from four in 2013.

EXPEDIA and Amadeus IT Group today announce a new global, long-term agreement.

The agreement enables Expedia to offer air, car, rail, cruise, and hotel products through the Amadeus global distribution system, and adds Orbitz Worldwide brands in addition to the Expedia, Hotwire, Travelocity, Wotif Group, Expedia Affiliate Network and Egencia brands covered by the previous agreement AIR FRANCE/KLM’s London

based two country manager Warner Rootliep, who hosted trade partners at Chapter One Restaurant in Dublin with Valerie Metcalfe of FCM, and Sheila McCarthy of HRG.

AFFORDABLE Caitriona Doyle,

Laura and Martha of Curragh Travel won the Affordable Car Hire Free Lunch Friday competition. Every month Affordable draw an agent from the bookers of the previous month to win a free lunch on a Friday.

SKAL Marketing director of Fáilte Ireland Noel John McLoughlin and Keelin Fagan gave a presentation on Dublin—A Breath of Fresh Air at Skal’s function in the Conrad.

TRAVELPORT Mobile Agent, de-

veloped by Travelport and TTS, was extended to Windows-powered phones. Travelport Mobile Agent currently runs on over 10,000 different mobile devices.

CWT Kurt Ekert is replacing Douglas An-

derson as President and CEO of Carlson Wagonlit Travel.

UNIWORLD hosted agents on board

the SS Antoinette on their Castles of the Rhine cruise, complete with Alsatian Wine Village tours, Vinegar tasting at the Doktorenhof Estate, a visit to the Heidelberg Castle, spa treatments and lots dining and wining.

Uniworld luxury, automated fans in the bar

P

All aboard ITAA Conference takes to water for the third time

reparations for the 2016 ITAA annual conference, to be hosted

by Uniworld on a rivercruise ship on the Danube, were being finalised as we went to press.

Cormac Meehan addressed the issue of holding the conference abroad after his election as president of the ITAA. “I would like to encourage as many people as possible to go to the conference whether it is at home or abroad.”

If it is sustainable to do it at home it will be done at home. I talked to Fahy’s in Galway and their big issue is that it costs them an extra day each way to go to a conference if it is abroad.

We have to decide what is the purpose of the conference. Primarily it is a networking event. It has to be provided at a level that is affordable and

T

accessible to our members.

Our analysis is that there is very little difference between the cost of having it at home or abroad but it is reliant on sponsorship. To achieve the level of sponsorship necessary to sustain it at home would be a big ask at 1976 Killarney 1977 Killarney 1978 Wexford 1979 Tralee 1980 Ennis 1981 Limerick 1982 Limerick 1983 Limerick 1984 Waterford 1985 Cork 1986 Wexford 1987 Limerick 1988 Killarney

the moment.

I am not saying it is not a desirable event. The last time we had it at home was in Portlaoise. It was a one day event. People came and went. The feedback from it was not very positive.

ITAA CONFERENCE VENUES 1989 Killarney 1990 Killarney 1991 Limerick 1992 Limerick 1993 Killarney 1994 Tralee 1995 Killarney 1996 Benalmadena 1997 Ennis 1998 Killarney 1999 Algarve 2000 Tralee 2001 Galway

2002 Newcastle 2003 Killarney 2004 Citywest 2005 Citywest 2006 Santry 2008 MSC Poesia 2009 Portlaoise 2010 Malaga 2011 Seville 2012 Istanbul 2013 Granada 2014 RCL Quantum 2015 Jerez

AMERICAN HOLIDAYS UP FOR SALE

wo of TUI’s Dublin operations American Holidays and Travelmood have been put up for sale along with about 50 other companies in the SHG group.

The companies will continue to trade through the

process and business will be unaffected.

Crystal Ski and Thomson Lakes & Mountains will not be sold and instead were transferred to the business in Ireland an Britain with effect from today.

TUI said while Crystal Ski and Thomson Lakes & Mountains have strong synergies and vertical integration with the core Tourism busines A statement by TUI said the fact there was little vertical integration with the

core tourism businesses and the number of brands were strong arguments not to combine the portfolio under the TUI brand.

The disposal of the Specialist Group portfolio is supposed to happen in one transaction in autumn 2016

Inside the Travel Business

JUNE 2016 PAGE 35

GLOBAL VILLAGE

TTG AWARDS Pamela Brownlee of

Flyaway Travel won most forward thinking agent at the TTG awards in Birmingham. Tom Donohue won best Irish agent and Sandra Corkin of Oasis the best agent from the north.

Dublin once had a Viking queen called Aud the Deep-minded. Ballina now has their own.

FUNDAY This year’s Travel Funday

takes place on August 28th 2016 in Wanderers Football Club, Donnybrook, Dublin 4. The 2016 Travel Funday team is Sharon Jordan of TTC, Ciaran Mulligan of Blue Insurance, John Grehan of TTC, Yvonne Muldoon of Aer Lingus, Paul Manning of Hertz, Volker Lorenz of Amadeus, Philip Airey of Sunway, Fiona Foster of Innstant, Rhona McCann of FCM, Dave O’Grady of ETravel, Kristin Skinner of American Holidays and Sharon Lyons of Travelport.

TOPFLIGHT say they have improved

Dominic Burke in 1980s shirt speaking at the 2015 Travel Centres conference

Mullingar bound

T

Travel Centres conference for Killarney in 2017

ravel Centres conference for 2016 wil take place in the Mullingar Park Hotel, Mullingar.

The dates are November 11th and 12th.. Last year’s event celebrated the 1980’s with a theme of Back to the

Future.

Dominic Burke of Travel Centres referred to speculation as to what the consortium has in mind for suppliers and delegates this year:” ‘All I can say is that it will be fun, entertaining and relevant, just like it is every other

year’.

Provisional dates have also been announced for next year’s event which will take place in Killarney at the INEC on November 18th and 19th. The conference hotel will be the Brehon.

Sunway turns 50

S

Registration of family firm was on April 23rd 1966

unway a third generation family business, celerbated 50 years in business on April 23rd, the anniversary of the company’s registration.

The tour operator offers the Irish holidaymaker a choice of over 70 destinations worldwide including: Summer and Winter Sun, Mary Denton, Tanya Airey and Deirdre Sweeny Worldwide, USA & Sunway was founded in long, has remained ChairCanada, Cruise, River 1966

by Roy Beatty. The man of Sunway since 1974.

Cruise, Sunsail, Neilson, Mark Warner Beach Clubs, company then passed to Tanya’s husband Philip Club Med, Escorted Tours, Roy’s daughter, Madeline Airey is a Director of the Adventure Tours, Wed- Kilbride in 1974 and to his company and her cousin Tanya Brian McGovern is Finandings & Honeymoons and granddaughter, Airey in 1998. cial Director.

Santa visits in Lapland.

Tanya’s father Jim FurSunway originally

opened in Blackrock as a corporate and leisure travel agency, and in 1991 started tour operations with Morocco being its first destination.

Sunway won the European sun (second time), specialist and long haul (fourth time) tour operator awards at the 2016 Irish Travel Industry awards.

Tanya Airey’s awards include: Image Business Woman of the Year, a Travel Trade Industry Achievement Award and Irish Travel Industry Award for her contribution to the Irish travel industry.

conversion rates by 20pc and increased average margin for both Topflight and our Travel Agents with a sales process that ensures the first quote provided to a customer matches requirements more exactly. Maurice Shiels, Topflight’s Sales Manager, says improvements have been particularly significant for our multi-centre itineraries in USA, Canada, Mexico and Thailand and their Cruise and Stay programme.

FALCON Cancun in Mexico and Mon-

tego Bay in Jamaica are back on the Falcon holidays programme for 2017. Falcon/ Thomson/ TUI will also have additional flights to Costa Dorada in Spain, a new Splashworld resort in Tenerife and a range of luxurious hotels branded A La Carte. Falcon’s new-look incorporates the parent company TUI’s distinctive red smile, evidence of further integration within the brand.

CARTRAWLER signed a partnership with Spain’s national train operator, Renfe. Picture shows CarTrawler’s Michael Cunningham and Aida Ordains.

ETIHAD Airways hosted agents at their regional event at Riva’s restaurant Dundalk

MALTA Irish freelance travel writer Yvonne Gordon has been shortlisted for the International travel writer award at the Malta travel awards.

SUPERBREAK launched a guaran-

teed free place groups policy. For every 20 adults travelling, the 21st will be accommodated for free.

FINLAND Pat Dawson CEO of the Irish Travel Agents Association gave a presentation on the evolution of dynamic packaging to Finnish travel

GRENHAM Travel was named family business of the year at the Athlone Business Awards.

LIAM LONERGAN was 203rd on

The Sunday Times’ 2016 Irish Rich List. His wealth was estimated to be €58m

AIR FRANCE/KLM signed up for Travelport’s Rich Content and Branding.

JUNE 2016 PAGE 36

WINDOW SEAT

Last month in numbers

138,000 Number of passengers using Dublin as a hub in first three months of the year, up 60pc.

12,166 Flights per week from Dublin which will be available this summer

380 Number of Irish travel agents who are currently members of the Club Royal scheme.

141 Number of flights per week from Dublin air-

port to America this summer, (151 in September)

108 Number of baggage options offered on each Ryanair booking, now down to six

€4bn Cost of MSC’s mega ship order from

STX France’s St Nazaire shipyard

1Metre: Clearance on Ovation of the Seas as it navigated the canal to the North sea from Papenburg

N

HOTEL FOR A NOMADIC INSTINCT

ooteboom revisits 30 years of enlivening travel essays, spanning four continents on a lifetime's journey.

Woven through the stories is his dream of an ideal nomad's hotel.His imaginary room resembles a Balinese hut, with a ceiling fan driven by a buffalo and its picture window overlooking Manhattan.

From his desk he hears the distant crashing of surf on a beach, senses a breath of Galician autumn wind and eats Viennese Sachertorte.

Throughout there is a sense of always floating several inches above the ground lends an appealing mystery to the places he visits.

Nomad's Hotel by Cees Nooteboom is published by Vintage

At the Ritz in Barcelona, the mirror on the cupboard opens toward the bed: “this mirror must have reflected a thing or two, but it remains silent as the earth into which so many of those guests have already disappeared.”

In Zurich he admires the choreography of the swans in the lake. On the great square in Isfahan, where he conjures the heyday of mighty Persian Shah Abbas, who “once stood, lay, or sat, while watching the polo matches and races far below him, the sides of the big terrace closed

off, the silk curtains billowing in the wind.”

Nooteboom get excited about things he doesn’t understand, signs and languages he can’t decipher, a culture that rebuffs him and the refreshing shock of the wholly unknown.

The secret is the intensity with which the author observes his experiences. This is a jewel of a travel book, free of pretension, full of easy adventure, fresh with childlike wonder for the world.

Busman’s holiday: Dee Burdock

Terryglass and, on right, St Pete Beach

Every month we ask a leading travel professional to write about their personal holiday experience. This month: Dee Burdock, chair of Visit USA Dublin

I

was a late starter when it came to travel, not having ever flown on an Airplane before the tender age of 18yrs! I like to think I have made up for it over the years but as a kid we holidayed every year in the West, Achill Island.

U

The memories of it will last me a lifetime – being one of the youngest of 8 siblings, there was never a dull moment!

The days seemed long and sunny and sometimes if we were lucky we would even get to see a Baskin Shark in Clew Bay. If you were to ask me what my favourite holiday spot in Ireland was, I would have to say a little village in North Tipperary right on Lough Derg called Terryglass.

I have been going there since the 80’s

and have been bringing my own kids there since they were babies. We love being out on the water and enjoy a bit of watersking when the weather is good and when the weather is not so good, then you can’t beat the Guinness in Paddy’s Bar or the Derg which are the only two pubs in the village.

I really enjoy traveling to the USA as part of my Product role for American Holidays and have enjoyed quite a few holidays there but I have a particular soft spot for Florida!

The Beaches are beautiful and Orlando is so much fun. I really enjoyed

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

ntil the first of the Always getting Better plans, transferring with Ryanair would be enough to send a shiver down the spine of a European business traveller.

If passengers wanted to book two separate flights, they were welcome to do so. Ryanair had no intention of holding their hands.

Michael O'Leary, Ryanair's chief executive says that the airline will soon begin trialling airside transfers

at London Stansted and Barcelona El Prat. A deal with Aer Lingus is in the offing, if IAG’s Wilie Walsh is to be believed.

This is revolutionary, a departure from Ryanair's point-to-point business model that brings it closer into line with the hub-and-spoke operations of traditional network carriers.

Ryanair will begin accepting, and presumably guaranteeing, onward bookings.

Already millions of Ryanair pas-

sengers self connect, pass through customs and immigration, collect their checked baggage, and then endure security again, a time-consuming process, that made Ryanair reluctant to guarantee its connections.

Airside transfers would smooth the process. Thye will put through-tickets on thewebsite. With each step the distinction between Ryanair and the full-service airlines he slags is diminishing.

bringing my girls there when they were old enough to enjoy and remember it.

You get so used to selling it to families but it’s only when you get to experience it with your own family that you realize how magical it is for kids! And of course when you’re kids are happy on holidays then you are too.

They are all adults now but as a family we went back to Orlando and St.Pete beach last year and still had great fun, it also helped that I was very lucky in winning $2500 in the draw at IPW so my credit card had a little holiday as well. .

IN YOUR NEXT TRAVEL EXTRA: Available to Travel Agents or online June 15 2016

THE FIFTH CANARY Lanzarote Gran Can Tenerife Fuerteventura LA GOMERA Wintersun

JUNE 2016 PAGE 37

MEETING PLACE

eiro d Ana Carolina Escud Sabrina Vonsowski an it Vis d an d ha Eti the vel at De Moura of Club Tra n eo Od Australia table quiz in

Carol Anne Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill of Worldchoice Ireland an d Audrey Headon of He adon representation at the Irish Travel Industry Tra de Show at the D4 ho tel,

Out and about with the Travel Trade

Adam McKnight of A2B Transfers with Bevereligh Pamela Brownlee of Flyaway Travel wit h Adam Roche and Nicola Potte Fly and Lee Osborne of Bookabed whohosted r of Encendo at the Iris h Travel Industry Trade agents n the Dean Hotel, Dublin Show at the D4 hotel,

Linda Leacy and Sinead Casey of Mackin Travel on board Ovation of the Seas where Royal Caribbean hosted agents for a pre launch event

of gus and Mary denton Colette Murphy of MD Travel and Darach CulliIvan Beacom of Aer Lin nt eve rs sfe d and A2Btran gan of Darach Culligan Travel at the Bookabed Sunway at the Bookabe rch Ma , blin and A2Btransfers event in the Dean Hotel, Du tel, Ho in the Dean

Sharon O'Rourke and John Seymour of USIT at an event in the Imperia l Hotel in Cork to promo te Iberia Expressâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Co rk to Madrid route

Lee Osborne and Beverleigh Fly of Bookabed with Masud Parvez and Li Yi Wei of Prime Marketing at the Irish Travel Industry Trade Show

d m the US Embassy an Finola Cunningham fro A US it Vis the at er America Polly Beech of Discov Roadshow in Dublin

Barry Hammond of Su nway and Francine Sh eridan of Los Angeles CV B at the Visit USA Road show in Dublin

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JUNE 2016 PAGE 38

MEETING PLACE

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UL Arena, Limerick SATURDAY 18th & SUNDAY 19th FEBRUARY 2017 EXHIBITOR PROFILE • Adventure Travel

• Hotels

• Airlines

• National and Regional

• Airports

Tourist Organisations

• Caravans & Motorhomes

• Overseas Property

• International Camping Sites

• Weddings & Honeymoons

• Car Rental Companies

• Over 55’s Holidays

• Coach Tours

• Rail Holidays

• Cruise Companies

• Theme & Leisure Parks

• Ferries

• Travel Agents / Tour Operators

• Golf • Escorted Tours

• Travel Related Services

• Health Tourism

• Tourist Attractions

• Home Holidays

• Travel Accessories

BOOK YOUR STAND NOW! VENUE

2017 DATE AND TIMES

ORGANISERS

CONTACTS

UL Arena University of Limerick Limerick Ireland t: +353 (0)61 213 582 www.ulsport.ie

Saturday February 18th 12.00pm - 5.30pm

Business Exhibitions Limited 59 Rathfarnham Road Dublin, D6W AK70 Ireland t: +353 (0)1 295 7418 f: +353 (0)1 295 7417

Maureen Ledwith - Sales Director t: +353 (0)1 291 3700 f: +353 (0)1 295 7417 e: maureen@bizex.ie

Sunday February 19th 12.00pm - 5.30pm

www.holidayshow.ie

Paulette Moran - Sales Manager t: +353 (0)1 291 3702 f: +353 (0)1 295 7417 e: paulette@bizex.ie

Featuring:

Wedding & Honeymoon Destinations at Home and Abroad

Date for your diary:

YOUR TRADE DAY Friday 27th January, 2017 VENUE

RDS Simmonscourt | Simmonscourt Road Ballsbridge | Dublin 4

EXHIBIT

Please contact Maureen Ledwith, Sales Director t: + 353 (0)1 291 3700 | e: maureen@bizex.ie or Paulette Moran | t: + 353 (0)1 291 3702 e: paulette@bizex.ie

To find out more log on to:

www.holidayworldshow.com

DUBLIN

HOLIDAY WORLD 2017 SHOW DATES RDS SIMMONSCOURT

Fri Fri Sat Sun

Jan Jan Jan Jan

27th 27th 28th 29th

10am 1 pm 11am 11am

-

1pm 6pm 5.30pm 5.30pm

Trade Trade Trade Trade

Only and Public and Public and Public

BELFAST

HOLIDAY WORLD 2017 SHOW DATES TITANIC EXHIBITION CENTRE

Fri Jan 20th Sat Jan 21th Sun Jan 22th

1 pm - 6 pm Trade and Public 11am - 5.30pm Trade and Public 11am - 5.30pm Trade and Public