And here's to 2019

Here's to wealth, health, happiness and more holidays in 2019!

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Up in the air . . .

THE UK Civil Aviation Authority has published its initial review of how airlines allocate seats to passengers.

CAA research concluded that, for most people, having to pay in advance to sit together was one of their biggest concerns. The findings were further reinforced by the number of consumers who contacted the CAA directly for advice.

Seating policies varied between airlines operating in the UK, which meant those flying with some airlines were more likely to report being separated from their group than those flying with others.

The CAA report revealed consumers were most likely to spend £5-£30 per seat, per journey, but seats could cost up to £100.00.  Collectively, consumers may be paying between £160 million to £390 million per year for allocated seating.

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Prestigious Travel Award for The Women's Travel Group

THE Women's Travel Group has again won a prestigious travel award from Travel Weekly Magazine. The Silver Magellan Award for 2018 honors the company's outreach to solo women looking for a travel group to join.

The Women's Travel Group has offered small group quality tours for women for 26 years and often chooses new and unusual destinations for women who have already traveled a great deal: Iran, Namibia, S Africa, India, Albania etc. Hotels are 4 star, meals in restaurants and guides are trained to cater to the intellectual needs of women travelers. Trips sometimes have speakers and always have unique visits.

The market for women's travel is barely touched by the large travel corporations; this boutique tour operator tries to fill that gap while providing hand holding for those taking their first trip. Some of the trips are co-organized by Sita World Tours of Encino CA, who have worked with The Group for many years.


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Saving Patagonia's legendary Torres Trail

SOUTHERN Explorations, specializing in crafting custom small-group trips and itineraries to Latin America, has partnered with the Torres del Paine Legacy Fund to help save Patagonia's legendary Torres Trail. 

Visits to the trail in world-renowned Torres del Paine National Park have rapidly increased. The trail can now receive as many as one thousand hikers a day. Such intensive use has resulted in serious deterioration of the trail and addressing these impacts is now an urgent priority.

Under its partnership agreement with the Chilean National Forest Corporation (CONAF), the Legacy Fund has joined AMA Torres del Paine to launch the "Tu Mejor Huella para el Paine" (Your best footprint for Paine) campaign.

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Egypt sees increase in foreign visitors

RENOWNED for its rich culture and history dating back 4,000 years of Pharaoh and Pyramids, #Egypt also has a lot more to offer - a paradise on earth and magic of Egypt Western Desert.  According to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), the country has received at least 730,000 tourists in February 2018, achieving a 35 percent increase compared to the same month last year.

Egypt Western Desert Tours has seen an increase of foreign visitors group tours for eco-tourism from the UK, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe along with new markets from Asia; South Korea, China, and Malaysia. 

According to the latest Oxford Business Group (OBG)’s, the positive outlook for Egypt’s tourism was backed by the increase in visitors by 54% in 2017 to 8.3 millionGroup travel jumped 66.5%, indicating resurgent interest from package tour operators, and the January-February period saw a 39% year-over-year increase in the number of tourists from the UK - another traditional source of arrivals.


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Love to do it? Hate to plan it?

Travelling with friends and family? A new survey conducted by the world's leading travel search engine reveals that nearly 50 percent of Americans are stressed out when travel planning for friends and family, with the U.S. ranking second among the most stressed out of all the countries polled.

Enter KAYAK Trip Huddle, a new tool to help take the pain out of planning group travel. KAYAK looked at some of the top pain points for planning trips – choosing accommodations, selecting a destination and coordinating travel schedules, which collectively stress out 57% of Americans – and created a tool to address each and every one of them. 

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New bucket lists for senior women travellers

RECENT research indicates that women over 50 have new expectations about destinations. To satisfy this new demand, The Women’s Travel Group has added places overlooked by more commercial companies. The Women’s Travel Group has been offering tours for 26 years. All trips use 4-5 star or best available hotels, include many meals, and unusual sightseeing and often festivals. The company brings in speakers on controversial or political themes. Groups are small ranging from 10-18.

Coming up in 2018:

• Northern Ireland
• Sardinia with Rome
• Southern Spain
• Oaxaca, Mexico
• Brazil including Salvador

In 2019:

• Albania with Corfu
• Ethiopia
• Southern India
• Sri Lanka
• Iceland and Finland

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Fly Emirates and experience Europe with a friend

THERE'S never been a better time for Australian travellers to visit #Europe with Emirates’ competitive companion fares for those who book before 27 February 2018. Travellers can select from #Emirates’ extensive European network or visit the stunning city of Dubai, for bookings of two to nine passengers who fly and book together. 

For travellers stopping in Emirates’ hub Dubai, there are experiences awaiting them from the moment they arrive, from the city’s ultramodern architecture to the luxurious shopping centres. Travellers continuing to Europe can choose from 40 European destinations to create their ideal holiday experience.

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London travel cards for groups

VISITORS travelling on London’s transport network in groups can get a ‘seamless’ travel experience by buying Transport for London’s (TfL) Group Day #Travelcards online before they arrive in #London. 

Group Day Travelcards are available for groups of 10 or more people. They offer the opportunity to use a variety of different modes of transport when travelling in London and are available online for the first time.

By buying online from the TfL Visitor Shop, visitors travelling in groups can get their cards before their trip and start using them as soon as they arrive in London. The cost-efficient Group Day Travelcards are also available to buy from ticket machines at underground tube stations across London.

VisitBritain commercial director Carol Dray said: ‘Navigating a new city can be stressful, especially when you’re travelling in a large group, so we’re thrilled to be making this process easier by giving visitors the option to purchase their Group Day Travelcards online and begin exploring London’s fantastic sights from the moment they arrive. The Group Day Travelcard is a ‘must have’ pass for any large group travelling on London’s extensive transport network.’

The cards can be used after 9.30am weekdays as well as anytime at weekends and national holidays at the cheaper price of £8 per adult and £4 per child. This compares with £12.10 and £6 for individual adults and children with a standard Day Travelcard. Groups must travel together when using the card.

The cards are valid on underground trains, The Docklands Light Railway, London Overground, TfL Rail and most national rail services within London fare zones 1 to 6. They can also be used on all London buses.

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How to book for group travel

AIRPORT PARKING AND HOTELS (APH) has created a guide comparing airline policies for group travel bookings. 

The research compares 19 airlines operating in the UK, including British Airways, easyJet, and Ryanair, and compares the minimum number of passengers required for a group booking, payment terms, booking conditions, and changing and cancelling tickets.

To qualify for a group booking, the minimum number of passengers required to travel together ranges from seven passengers with Aer Lingus to 20 with Ryanair. Travellers should keep in mind that their preferred cabin will affect the number of passengers required for a group booking. Among four of the airlines researched, including Air Canada, the standard 10 person minimum group booking is reduced to six when passengers opt to fly business class. At the other end of the spectrum, groups exceeding 60 people are not permitted to travel on the same flight with easyJet.

When looking at the terms for payment, the full sum is required at time of booking when travelling with five of the airlines researched, including Virgin Atlantic, Aer Lingus and easyJet. Of the 15 airlines that do not require a full payment at time of booking, 10 ask for a deposit at the time of booking, which ranges from £25 per person with Monarch to £100 with Qantas.

For larger groups, it can sometimes be difficult to provide information on each passenger in advance. Two of the airlines researched – Emirates and Virgin Atlantic – demand all travellers' names at the time of booking. But 18 of the airlines compared ask for passenger names to be provided at a later date, and this timeframe varies from at least 60 days ahead of departure with Air France to 72 hours with SWISS Air.

For those who are travelling en masse and want to sit together, six of the 19 airlines researched state that group seating will be reserved where availability permits. To add a personalized touch to a special trip, Emirates offers customized menus and headrests with a group's image of choice, providing they are confirmed at least 15 working days prior to travel. Likewise, for an extra-special occasion, exclusivity or larger group bookings, Qantas offers the option of chartering an entire aircraft. 

The research is available in the Know Before You Go section of the APH website at www.aph.com/group-travel

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Ryanair targets agents and touts free air fares

A RYANAIR website for groups will seek to take business off travel agents as the airline strives to further drive down air fares – even raising the prospect of free tickets.

The carrier will launch a website for group bookings in September to counter the trade, which it claims directs group bookings to the more expensive legacy carriers.

Ryanair chief marketing officer, Kenny Jacobs, said: ‘Groups have often been left in the hands of travel agents who often steer them down the legacy carrier route.”

Also in September, Europe’s largest low-cost carrier will unveil a schools trip-booking service, Ryanair School Travel, which it describes as a ‘dedicated travel agency for school tours’. Mr Jacobs said school tours ‘cost too much’ and the service would offer savings and more choice.

Ryanair also revealed its latest plans to drive bookings to its website and reduce air fares. Asked whether the carrier intended to stick to its vow to reduce fares to an average of €25 (£19.84) chief executive Michael O’Leary indicated it may go even further. ‘I would like to say average air fares for Ryanair will be €10 (£7.93) in the next five years,’ he said. ‘Why not free or €1 (79p) in 10 years’ time? Why can’t we keep driving down the cost of air travel? The more optional [ancillary] services we can sell, the more the underlying air fare can fall.’

Destination guides, featuring targeted information and offers, are due to be added to the Ryanair website in July.

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