Informe semanal de noticias del mercado británico de la Oficina de Turismo de Tenerife en Londres
- Brexit
BBC, 7 June 2019: Government spends £97m on consultants
Preparing for Brexit has cost the UK government £97m in consultancy fees, the National Audit Office has revealed. The money has been spent on hiring external experts because government departments lack the staff and skills needed, the NAO said. Link
BBC, 7 June 2019: Boris Johnson £350m claim case thrown out by judges
The High Court has thrown out an attempt to prosecute Boris Johnson over claims he lied during the 2016 referendum campaign by saying the UK gave the EU £350m a week. Link
BBC, 6 June 2019: Donald Trump’s prediction to Emmanuel Macron
President Donald Trump has said Brexit «will all work out», at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron. He said both the EU and UK were working «very hard together» but added: «It doesn’t seem to be working out. But, at some point, something will happen, one way or the other.» Link
Travel Weekly, 6 June 2019: Spain highlights Brexit in latest tourism push
British holidaymakers are being encouraged to put their Brexit differences aside in a new Spanish tourism push. A newly-launched campaign is using the tagline ‘You have Spain in Common’ to highlight that the country is open for business despite concerns holidaymakers may have over Brexit. The Spanish Tourist Office push includes a microsite and a range of short videos adapted for each social media channel. Link
- Tourism industry
Buying Business Travel, 7 June 2019: Scottish airports reassure passengers on strike action
The owner of Aberdeen and Glasgow airports has reassured passengers that it has “robust contingency plans” in place to ensure the hubs remain operational during a staff strike today and Monday. Members of the Unite union at both airports are staging a walk-out until 1600 today and from 0400 to 1600 on Monday, 10 June in a dispute over pensions and pay. Link
TTG, 7 June 2019: New Sri Lanka travel advice welcomed by travel trade
The FCO moved promptly to advise against all but essential travel to Sri Lanka following a series of bombings targeting hotels and churches on Easter Sunday, which claimed more than 250 lives. However, the effective travel ban was lifted on Thursday (6 June), albeit with the caveat that tourists should remain vigilant to the threat of terrorism and be aware of possible curfews. Link
Travel Mole, 6 June 2019: Heathrow buys new scanners so liquids can be left in bags
Passengers travelling through Heathrow airport will be able to keep their liquids and laptops inside their bags once new security equipment is installed. The airport is investing £50m in the computer tomography (CT) security scanners, to be rolled out over the next three years, which will be able to provide a clear picture of a bag’s contents. Link
Travel Weekly, 5 June 2019: Heathrow summer strike threat lifted
A summer strike threat at Heathrow has been lifted after hundreds of baggage handlers and check-in staff won a new pay deal.Link
- Airlines
Travel Mole, 7 June 2019: Airlines accused of rip-off car hire and insurance deals
Consumer champion claims Which? Travel claims airline car rental and insurance deals are a rip-off. It looked at prices of holiday extras, such as car hire, offered by seven airlines flying to Europe and compared these to the quotes it received by shopping around. It claims that, in some cases, passengers were paying more for inferior products. Link
Travel Weekly, 7 June 2019: Ryanair claims to be ‘greenest airline’
Ryanair became the first European airline to publish its monthly carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions this week, revealing average emissions of 66g of CO2 per passenger kilometre in May. Link
Travel Weekly, 7 June 2019: BA short-haul tops Heathrow ‘Fly Quiet and Green’ league table
British Airways’ short-haul fleet topped Heathrow’s ‘Fly Quiet and Green’ league table based for its environmental performance in the first quarter of the year. The flag carrier’s long-haul fleet also featured among the top ten in the list of 50 airlines, moving ten places up to sixth due to improved track keeping and fewer early and late departures. Link
Travel Weekly, 6 June 2019: UK airlines add extra services to new Spanish airport
A new airport serving the Spanish region of Murcia expects to see one million passengers this summer, following its opening in January. Ryanair has started a new Stansted service to Region de Murcia airport in Corvera, and Jet2.com has launched flights from Leeds-Bradford and Manchester. Link
- Travellers and travel agents
TTG, 5 June 2019: Jet2holidays to host 2019 agent conference in Costa Blanca
More than 300 agents are expected to attend the conference at AR Diamante Beach & Spa in Calpe on 25-28 November. Details of the conference, which will be given the theme of La Gran Reunion (The Big Reunion), were announced at a launch event for agents in Manchester on Wednesday (6 June). Link
- Competitors
TTG, 4 June 2019: Why tourism to Turkey is bouncing back
After years in the tourism wilderness caused in part by security fears, confidence in Turkey has returned, with 2019 looking set to be a great period for the destination. Online travel agency TravelZoo reports a 46% year-on-year increase for online searches for Turkey this year. The country has leapfrogged Greece to become Thomas Cook’s second most popular package destination for summer 2019 after Spain, and is also accounting for about a quarter of its flight-only bookings. Link
