Latest performance figures released by Network Rail show that East Midlands Trains is still Britain’s most punctual long-distance train operator – and are getting even better. The figures released for the period of September 19 to October 16, show that East Midlands Trains’ punctuality was 94.3%. This marks a year of year improvement of 1.2%. These figures also mark a significant 22 month run of East Midlands Trains holding its position at the top of the long distance league table. With the improvements made, the moving annual average (MAA) has now improved to 93.1%, which represents the company’s highest ever MAA. Mark Steward, Operations Director for East Midlands Trains, stated: “We are pleased to once again be named as Britain’s most punctual long distance train operator. “As well as making vast improvements to our long distance services, we have made some significant advances to the punctuality of our local services, resulting in East Midlands Trains also being named as most improved regional operator. “This is testament to the hard work of our people and their steadfast commitment in delivering a punctual and reliable service for all of our passengers.” East Midlands Trains is investing more than £30 million to improve its fleet of trains. The investment programme includes engineering modifications to deliver improved reliability as well as additional benefits for passengers such as on-board WiFi on all London services, improved CCTV and a bright new look across all of the company’s trains.
Category: Travel
Menorca Tourism will be unveiling a range of new tourist initiatives and attractions designed to emphasise the important British historical influences on the island at World Travel Market 2010. The announcements will take place at 3pm on November 10, 2010, at stand EM165, and will include specific details of calendar events, visitor attractions and island literature. There will be a special focus on the launch of a new annual event for British tourists – the representation of Menorcan society during the 18th century around Mahn, Mahn Harbour and Es Castell. The attractions, which will take place during the first two weeks of May, includes re-enactments of day-to-day life during the period including traditional dress, home and work, games and even old vocabulary. Details will also be unveiled on the 300th anniversary of the building of the Isla Del Rey military hospital, which is situated on an island in the Port of Mahon. During the 18th century, Menorca had three different countries own the island as opposing forces looked to control the Mediterranean. For 74 years it was under British rule, which left a deep imprint on the island, mainly around the strategic port of Mahn, the second largest natural harbour in the world. Bernardo Orfila, general manager at Menorca Tourist Board, said: British heritage cultural network is being developed to be enjoyed both by tourists and locals. It will include elements encompassing architectural, cultural, ethnological and gastronomic experiences, all of which will be unveiled at WTM 2010.As part of the preparations this year saw Menorca’s famed Cam de Cavalls, a historical route that follows the whole coast of the island, officially reopened following a €1m restoration programme. Measuring 184 kilometres, the Cami de Cavalls, or Horses Path, has a history dating back to the 13th century, and in the 18th century was used by the British as a coastal boundary trail to assist good communication between the watchtowers and shore batteries. World Travel Market will be held at ExCel London from November 8 to 11, 2010. It is the premier global event for the travel industry.
TM Thursday Programme Tackles Biggest Headaches Facing Industry As evidence mounts about the failure of the EU Package Travel Directive, WTM World Responsible Tourism Day’s Thursday programme is to try to unravel the problems causing what is described as “a nightmare of non-stop confusion, a complete muddle.” A pile of evidence has been collated by the EU on the issue with countless submissions by industry associations. World Travel Market hopes that by highlighting it at the event, attended by more than 100 tourism ministers, the session will help play a part in its resolution. “Time and again consumers are coming unstuck about what are their rights, while at the same time, the industry is not even sure who should be paying refunds when travel companies go bust”, said Fiona Jeffery, chairman of World Travel Market. “The failure of struggling companies, the ever present threat of holidaymakers who go online to buy several travel products and incidents such as the volcanic ash crisis have all proven that the directive is simply not working. “It has become a nightmare of non-stop confusion, a complete muddle that is causing considerable hardship and heartache to both consumers and the industry. The EU says that more than half of all people who buy flights, hotel rooms and hire cars online risk being left without compensation if companies fail under outdated law. A total of 56% of travellers are estimated to use the Internet, rather than high street travel agents to organise their own trips, but protection safeguards have not been put into place to deal with the digital age. ABTA director John De Vial is chairing the debate and confronting the difficulties are law professor, David Grant, Nikki White, ABTA’s Head of Destination Strategy and Services, insurer, Alan Lumsden and Sue Hurdle, Chief Executive of The Travel Foundation. The session ‘Sustainable Excursion’s’ is at ExCeL London NG Room 4/5 at 11.00 am on 11 November. Although the WTM World Responsible Tourism Day keynote events will take place on the actual day, Wednesday 10 November, an expanded Thursday programme will also challenge and examine some of the problems facing responsible tourism. The question of how the industry can be sure that the economic benefits of travel and tourism go to the communities that most need them will be dealt with in ‘Poverty Private Sector, Beyond Trickledown (12.30, NG Room 6/7, Thursday 11 November). Chaired by Prof. Harold Goodwin, speakers are; Adam Stewart, CEO, Sandals Resorts International; Richard Hearn, Village Ways; Gavin Bate, founder of Adventure & Alternative and the Moving Mountains Trust; and Amy Carter-James, of Galudo. Later in the day, the WTM World Responsible Tourism Thursday Programme will delve into an equally controversial subject which, unlike the EU Directive, has received little publicity. Tourism to Sacred Sites Tourism to sacred sites is a fast growing sector, often related to ancient places of worship. Sacred destinations and places of pilgrimage associated with the mainstream faiths such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Sikhism will be examined in this important and intriguing session, chaired by Dr. Simon Woodward, International Centre for Responsible Tourism (‘Travel to Sacred Sites’,14.00 , NG Room 8, Thursday 11 November). Joining him will be The Very Reverend Michael Sadgrove, The Dean of Durham Cathedral and a noted theological author, talking about the cathedral and surrounding World Heritage Site; Nayef Al Fayez, Managing Director, Jordan Tourist Board on the Baptism Site in the Jordan Valley; Ozgul Ozkan Yavus, Director for Tourism & Promotion, Istanbul 2010 on the principal mosques in Istanbul; and Fleur Burrows, Consumer Marketing Manager, Tourism Northern Territories, Australia, who will speak about Uluru, the ancient Aboriginal site, better known as Ayers Rock.
one of the industry’s fastest growing sectors – can be an absolute minefield, Fiona Jeffery, Chairman of World Travel Market “ the premier global event for the travel industry – claimed this week. Although the industry is starting to discuss sports tourism more than ever before, she said that the difficult and sometimes controversial questions about sports tourism are simply not being addressed. Undoubtedly sports tourism is a tough legacy for everyone, she said. But the myth is that those who successfully bid for a major sporting event automatically win the golden jackpot. It can be an absolute minefield. The rewards are indeed extremely high, but so are the risks. “This has been clearly illustrated by the problems surrounding the Commonwealth Games in India. Jeffery said that World Travel Market, among the first to raise the profile of sports tourism within the global industry, is setting out to dispel many of the commonly held views about the sector at an important keynote debate on the opening day, Monday 8 November at ExCeL, London. A high-level panel of experienced sports tourism experts will examine the dangers that can often cause more harm than good. Speakers include: Marthinus van Schalkwyk, South Africa Minister of Tourism; Taleb Rifai, Secretary General UNWTO; Marc Bennett, Head of Sports Division, TUI; Chris Foy, Head of 2012 Games Unit, Visit Britain; Tom Jenkins, Executive Director, European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) and Richard Shipway, Lecturer in sports tourism at Bournemouth University. The session will be moderated by former British middle distance runner and the man who turned around the finances of UK Athletics David Moorecroft. Lessons have been learned from major international sporting events such as the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, a financial disaster when the city faced debts for many years afterwards, said Jeffery. The costs of staging an international sporting event can be prohibitive; venues are often not properly utilized afterwards and sometimes fall into disrepair. Unless a destination/region has a long term business plan, integrating the sporting event into its strategic vision over 20 or even 30 years, as well as ensuring that the opportunities pre and post a sporting event are fulfilled and measured exhaustively, they are unlikely to reap the considerable benefits. There is also little understanding that not only is this an opportunity for host cities, but also for other towns and cities throughout that country to dovetail other tourism events, competitions, sports, festivals and promotions to maximise the surge of incoming visitors. Jeffery said that there are other issues too which are equally troubling. Ticket pricing, the expensive acquisition of corporate hospitality that can exclude the public and overseas visitors, merchandising and, of course, security are just some of the issues which need greater discussion and transparency.The free debate is aimed at agents/operators/hotels/venues involved in sports tourism; those who are thinking of trying to get involved in this lucrative sector; potential host cities; national tourist boards; and towns/cities in countries that have already won bids to stage major international events. Sports Tourism: Its a Tough Game “ but Some Win is at World Travel Market on Monday 8 November, 15.00-16.30 hrs, Platinum Suite 4, ExCeL London. The conference supports World Travel Market’s first-ever Sports Pavilion which has some of the world’s most iconic stadia exhibiting including Wembley, Lord’s (Cricket), Wimbledon (Tennis) and Twickenham (Rugby). English Premier League teams exhibiting including Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea.
ACI World’s August PaxFlash and FreightFlash confirms the softening of growth expected for the second half of the year. International traffic expanded by 6.3 percent year-on-year trailed by a 4.9 percent growth in domestic traffic resulting in an overall passenger number increase of 5.6 percent in August. TABLE 1: SUMMARY WORLDWIDE TRAFFIC RESULTS, August 2010 (% CHANGE) August 2010 over August 2009 YTD Jan-August 2010 Rolling 12 months to August 2010 PaxFlash International passenger 6.3 7.0 5.2 Domestic passenger 4.9 4.6 4.5 Total passenger 5.6 5.7 4.8 FreightFlash International freight 19.0 28.4 21.3 Domestic freight 7.1 10.1 8.7 Total freight 15.1 21.7 16.6 As in previous months Asia-Pacific and Latin America-Caribbean topped the other regions with double digit international passenger growth of 11.6 percent and 17.4 percent respectively (Table 2). Remarkably in Latin America-Caribbean none of the 34 airports in the sample registered a decline in total passengers in August. São Paulo-Guarulhos the biggest airport in the sample registered a whopping 31 percent increase while Mexico City only grew moderately (3.5%). Domestic traffic in the region grew event stronger (+19.2%) than international passenger throughput (+17.4%). With the exception of Salvador (+19%) all 15 Brazilian airports in the sample expanded by more than 20 percent driven by international and domestic traffic alike. In Asia-Pacific only Bangkok Suvarnabhumi recorded a mild drop in passengers (-0.5%) whereas the other 36 airports in the sample all reported growth led by airports in China and India. An 11.6 percent increase in international was supplemented by 9 percent growth in domestic passenger resulting in 9.9 percent overall growth. The Middle East (+1.3%) experienced a marked slowdown in air travel as the Ramadan season covered the best part of August reducing travel activity which also had some effect on passenger numbers in other regions such as Africa, Europe and Asia-Pacific. ACI Director Economics, Andreas Schimm comments, “While it is normal to see growth numbers coming down as we start to compare growth against growth, it is positive to see that the number of airports that still lose traffic reduced drastically with some regions showing nothing but positive figures in the sample. Further softening of growth rates can be expected during the last 4 months so that worldwide passenger numbers are expected to increase between 4 and 5 percent in 2010″. In the freight market, international freight for the first time since November 2009 grew less than 20 percent significantly down from its 35 percent peak in May (Table 3). The Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region registered the slowest international growth rates at 10.6 percent and 17.1 percent respectively. The other regions retained growth above 20 percent lead by Africa (+35.3%) and North America (+23.8%). Domestic freight was accelerated by a 9.1 percent increase in North America which contrasted with a modest 3.1 percent growth in Asia-Pacific. Schimm comments: “Total freight growth in August of 15.1 percent was lower than the 12-month rolling average of 16.6 percent which indicates a sharp softening of the recovery. The relatively moderate numbers in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East which account for half of the international air freight market could point to further slowing of trade.”
United and Continental Airlines have completed their merger, creating the largest airline in the world by revenue. Following the deal both companies will become wholly owned subsidiaries of United Continental Holdings. The company has begun trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol UAL. Glenn Tilton, who will serve as non-executive chairman of the board in the new company, stated: “This sets us on a path to create the world’s leading airline from a position of strength, with one of the industry’s best cash positions, industry-leading revenues and a competitive cost structure.” Board members at the new airline were confirmed. The 16-member board includes six independent directors from each of United and Continental, Mr Tilton and Jeff Smisek, who will serve as president and chief executive officer. Additionally, the board has two union directors: Stephen Canale and Captain Wendy Morse. “We are delighted to announce the successful completion of this merger,” Mr Smisek said. “With great people, an unparalleled global network, the best new aircraft order book among US network carriers and a commitment to superior products and services, United is well positioned for a bright future.” With approximately $9 billion in unrestricted cash at closing, United expects the merger will deliver $1 billion to $1.2 billion in net annual synergies by 2013. Transaction Information The new company’s corporate and operational headquarters will be in Chicago, with a significant presence in Houston, the company’s largest hub. As a result of the merger, Continental shareholders will receive 1.05 shares of United Continental Holdings common stock for each share of Continental common stock previously held. UAL Corporation shareholders will now own approximately 55 per cent of the equity of the holding company and former Continental shareholders will now own approximately 45 per cent, including in-the-money convertible securities on an as-converted basis.
DFDS Seaways has won an Oscar of the travel industry for the fourth successive year. The World Travel Awards named DFDS Seaways as Europe’s Leading Long Sea Ferry Operator 2010 at its European awards ceremony. The award follows DFDS Seaways acquisition of Norfolkline, which makes it one of Europe’s largest ferry companies, operating both passenger and freight routes from England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Lithuania. The World Travel Awards are recognised as the highest accolade within the travel industry and are voted for by more than 185,000 travel industry professionals. Andrew Crowe, head of sales at DFDS Seaways said: “To win a prestigious award four years running demonstrates how committed we are to maintaining our excellent product range and onboard experience.Now in its 17th year, the star studded awards ceremony to celebrate the cream of the travel industry was held at the Rixos Premium Belek, Antalya, Turkey on the October 1st. DFDS Seaways puts its successive wins and current high passenger numbers down to its quality onboard offering with restaurants, bars, live entertainment and Kids’ club and exceptional customer service. John Crummie, DFDS UK managing director said: “This is a marvellous achievement for the company and our employees who work hard to provide a high standard of service to our customers.†“It is a great honour to be thought of so highly by fellow travel industry professionals and to hold the title for four years is something that we as a company are very proud of,he said.
