Informe semanal de noticias del mercado británico de la Oficina de Turismo de Tenerife en Londres
- Brexit
BBC, 26 April 2019: 2019 European elections
The Liberal Democrats have launched their European election campaign with an «unambiguous» pledge to stop Brexit. Leader Sir Vince Cable accused the Conservatives and Labour of a «stitch-up» and said a «people’s vote» was the only way to end the Brexit «paralysis». He added it was «a pity» that fellow Remain-backing party Change UK had not agreed to running a combined campaign. The UK is due to leave the EU on 31 October, after Brexit was delayed, amid continuing parliamentary deadlock. Link
TTG, 24 April 2019: Brexit uncertainty ‘clearly a factor’ in declining travel jobs market
Travel recruitment specialist C&M has warned the ongoing uncertainty around Brexit is harming the travel jobs market. C&M Travel Recruitment reports while travel salaries continue to increase, the number of new candidate registrations in March has declined to its lowest level since 2011. Link
- Tourism industry
Buying Business Travel, 26 April 2019: Gatwick trials mobile assistance for blind passengers
Blind and visually impaired passengers at Gatwick can now receive 24/7 guidance through the airport from trained agents by using the camera on the mobile phone. The free, on-demand service can be accessed via the Aira app on a smart phone. Link
TTG, 26 April 2019: Sri Lanka: Trade reacts to FCO travel ban as tourism ministry halts visa scheme after attacks
The UK travel trade has rushed to respond to the Foreign Office (FCO) issuing a travel advisory warning against all but essential travel to the country. The move follows the Easter Sunday (21 April) terror attacks which targeted hotels and churches in and around capital Colombo and claimed more than 250 lives, including eight Britons. Link
Travel Mole, 26 April 2019: Heathrow and Luton strikes called off
Baggage handlers and check-in staff at Heathrow have suspended today’s strike to vote on a new pay offer. As a result, the strike action planned for tomorrow has been suspended and our members will be working normally. Link
Travel Weekly, 25 April 2019: Sunny Easter boosts trips to UK attractions
Hot and sunny weather helped UK attractions achieve a record-breaking Easter bank holiday weekend. The good weather “significantly increased” footfall at outdoor attractions, according to the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions.Link
- Airlines
Travel Weekly, 25 April 2019: EasyJet cuts back on nuts to help allergy sufferers
The sale of nuts is reportedly being withdrawn from easyJet flights to help protect passengers with allergies. The airline will also ban passengers from eating nut products if somebody on board is allergic to them. Link
Travel Weekly, 25 April 2019: Norwegian suffers steeper winter losses
Norwegian pledged to ensure flights are maintained as scheduled while Boeing 737 Maxs remain grounded at a cost of £45 million. The message came as the low-cost carrier reported deeper first-quarter losses of almost 1.5 billion Norwegian krone (£133.5 million) against NOK 46.2 million a year earlier. Link
- Travellers and travel agents
Travel Weekly, 26 April 2019: Instagram influencing ‘half of holidaymakers’ choices’
A new research has found that more than half of 18-65-year-olds booked their holidays based on Instagram posts. Almost a third of those surveyed said the biggest driver for choosing a holiday destination was based on how good images will look on their Instagram feed. Link
Travel Bulletin, 25 April 2019: Surfing the internet trumps swimming in the sea for British holidaymakers
A survey conducted by travel price comparison website Dealchecker found that 46% of respondents named access to Wi-Fi as a top requirement when booking a holiday, beating access to a swimming pool at 42% and a swimmer-friendly beach at 38%. But it would appear that many British holidaymakers are booking with their stomachs as 56% named “authentic local food” as another important priority. Link
Travel Mole, 25 April 2019: Hand-luggage-only travel blamed for rise in plastic waste
According to research by travel comparison site Kayak.co.uk, Britons abandon 125 million items on holiday every year, 76 million of which are plastic. Items deliberately left behind by holidaymakers include unfinished tubes of toothpaste, deodorant bottles, sun tan lotion and pool inflatables. Link
- Competitors
Travel Weekly, 25 April 2019: Balearic islands introduce scheme to create ‘smoke-free’ beaches
The Balearic Islands government has introduced a scheme encouraging town councils to contribute to a ‘network’ of smoke-free beaches. The project aims to prevent the pollution of cigarette butts in natural spaces and avoid the danger and accidental swallowing of cigarette butts among children. Link
Travel Bulletin, 25 April 2019: Brits among top three visiting nationalities to Poland in 2018
According to a Polish Tourism Organisation survey, the UK was in the top three visiting nationalities to Poland in 2018. This has been the second consecutive year for the British tourists to be ranked among the top three visiting nationalities. They are among the most likely to travel to Poland in 2019 as well. In 2018, there were a total of 1,135,000 arrivals from the UK to Poland with 920,000 tourist visits, the Polish Ministry of Sport and Tourism announced. Link
