http://www.travolution.co.ukThe latest information from Travolution60134315http://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/07/03/2063/travolution-index.htmlCCPFri, 03 Jul 2009 08:02:00 +01:00 Latest Index Unit Value: 1353.068 +4.01% on previous trading day Charts: (January-July 2009) Total volume traded: 20,504,527 Daily winners and losers: Best three gains: Travelzest (5.56%) British Airways (5.46%) Park Hotels (4.33%) Worst three falls: Anite (4.07%) Moneysupermarket (2.04%) InterContinental Hotel Group (1.45%) (Accurate to end of trading LSE 16.30 GMT, Friday 3 July 2009) Trends: http://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/05/21/2556/thomson-airways-executive-interview-chris-browne.htmlCCPThu, 21 May 2009 03:46:00 +01:00 Thomson Airways managing director Chris Browne is one of the few women to have reached a senior position in the UK travel industry. But her climb up the career ladder has been far from easy. From her days as the first female general manager for Iberia - she was also the youngest and first non-Spaniard in the role - to today, Browne has encountered scepticism from both management and staff in a sector male-dominated at the top. Browne, who recently became the first woman to speak at the Institute of Travel and Tourism’s Odyssey Supper, was brought up in northern Ireland as one of seven children and always knew she would have to fight to get her voice heard. Speaking at the dinner, she said: “Growing up in a war-torn state showed me the value of fighting for what is right in lhttp://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/05/21/2553/travel-buddy-mobile-white-paper.htmlCCPThu, 21 May 2009 08:17:00 +01:00 Travel Buddy parent company Mobiletrails has launched a white paper on the opportunities of using mobile phone technology in travel. The paper, published exclusively in association with Travolution and aimed at senior industry executives, gives an understanding of the mobile phone sector, how issues could impact on the travel industry and practical examples of how mobile technology can be used. Request the White Paper for free by emailing Travolution editor Kevin May . More information: * Travel Buddy * Mobile Trails http://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/04/29/2393/travolution-summit-2009-preview-information-news-opinion-multimedia.htmlCCPWed, 29 Apr 2009 08:26:00 +01:00 On this page you will find everything you need to know about the Travolution Summit 2009 - taking place at the Renaissance Chancery Court Hotel in London on Tuesday 21 April 2009. Here you can find information and videos of the speakers, links to further details about the event, delegate ticket details and coverage from the event on the day.   Coverage - Travolution: * Frommers exclusive research * Travel site owners urged to relax obhttp://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/04/24/2461/summit-2009-exclusive-frommers-research.htmlCCPFri, 24 Apr 2009 10:00:00 +01:00 Consumer demands of online travel retailers vary little from those using traditional travel agents, according to research presented at the Travolution Summit. Clearly state the price, be honest, make prices easy to compare, provide information about activities and ensure someone is available to talk to. At the same time, such long-standing concerns about holiday brochures as out-of-date information, hidden fees and misleading descriptions are among the worst experiences of travel website users - alongside technology-related issues such as slow downloads and broken links. The findings are from research revealed exclusively at this week’s Travolution Summit by Frommer’s Unlimited , the digital division of US-based Frommer’s Travel Guides. Joel Brandon-Bravo, Frommer’s Unlimited general manager, told the Summit: “People want transparent pricing. You would be surprised how many people still want to speahttp://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/03/20/2364/long-haul-booming-in-packages.htmlCCPFri, 20 Mar 2009 12:30:00 -00:00 The package holiday has declined in relative popularity among UK consumers taking short-haul trips, but is booming for long haul. Market analyst Mintel reports UK sales of long-haul packages, excluding to North America, rose 57% over the four years to 2007 - hitting 3.35 million a year. That compares with a 48% rise in independent long-haul trips to 2.56 million over the same period - leaving the trade with the lion’s share of long haul. Package sales to North America also rose 8.3% to 878,000 over the four years, with sales passing one million in two of the years when the exchange rate was more favourable. However, the independent market to North America dwarfed this with a 10% increase to 1.86 million. By contrast, sales of packages to traditional resorts and cities on the Continent fell 14% in the four years to 2007, while independent travel to the same destinations rose 17% - reflecting the capture by Ryanair and EasyJet of much of the market to http://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/03/20/2363/xl-collapse-triggered-new-consumer-awareness-of-protection-issues.htmlCCPFri, 20 Mar 2009 12:26:00 -00:00 The failure of XL Leisure Group in September 2008 focused consumer attention on financial protection and has worked to the short-term advantage of larger agencies and tour operators, says market analyst Mintel. Its latest Travel Agents Leisure Intelligence report suggests: “The deepening economic crisis and further airline and tour operator failures are likely to lead customers back towards familiar brand names.” There is also likely to be “at least a temporary swing back to packaged products”, says Mintel. However, only 15% of consumers surveyed for the report agree that booking with an agent “protects you financially”, leading Mintel to conclude: “Either agents have yet to really get this message across or it has less traction than [the trade] often suppose”. For now, the report concludes: “Consumers will seek greater reassurance and cheaper online deals will become harder to find.” But it adds: “The challenge will be to retain this custom when the echttp://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/03/20/2362/travel-way-down-on-list-of-products-to-be-axed.htmlCCPFri, 20 Mar 2009 12:21:00 -00:00 Online research on market analyst Mintel’s behalf among 2,000 consumers in July 2008 asked what areas of spending people would be most likely to cut because of the economic downturn. This was before the banking crisis and recession truly hit, remember. The respondents were given a list of 36 spending items to choose from and asked to rate whether they would spend less, the same or more. The survey identified holidays as the sixth most-likely area for reduced spending and weekend breaks as thirteenth. The top ten areas likely to see reduced spending, with the percentage of respondents saying they would spend less on such items, were:   1) Personal treats (80%) 2) Eating out (69%) 3) Takeaway food (68%) 4) Books, DVDs, CDs (67%) 5) Snacks (64%) 6=) Holidays (62%) and Clothing (62%) 8) Gifts (59%) 9=) Lunch (58%) and Shoes (58%)   Spending on weekend breaks was identified ahttp://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/03/20/2361/public-failing-to-notice-agency-transformations.htmlCCPFri, 20 Mar 2009 12:13:00 -00:00 High-profile attempts to overhaul agencies appear to have had limited impact on customer perceptions. “There is little evidence that consumers are much interested in coffee shop-style re-brands, ancillary revenue streams and style makeovers,” says Mintel. “Maybe it’s time to ditch the coffee and other gimmicks and get back to basics.” Mintel’s research found initiatives such as installing interactive technology in agencies, providing email and text alerts, holding promotional nights or offering home visits were low down a list of consumer priorities. Indeed, consumer interest in brochures available on DVD, extended opening hours or agency loyalty schemes has fallen since Mintel’s last consumer survey in 2006. The research suggests only younger, high-income consumers without children value late opening. More information: * Travhttp://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/03/20/2360/split-in-buying-behaviour-for-agencies.htmlCCPFri, 20 Mar 2009 12:09:00 -00:00 Mintel identifies a growing social divide among those using high-street agents that underpins a split in agency business between mass-market and premium holidays. Clients are most likely to be high-income managerial, administrative or professional people – in social groups A and B - or skilled manual workers, in social group C2. Within both those groups, agency customers tend to be couples without children – whether they have no children, have yet to start a family or their children have left home. Mintel notes a forecast rise of 13% in the size of social groups A and B in the UK over the next five years and suggests agents aim to offer these clients a “lifestyle advisory service”. Its research identifies those aged 25-34 as the highest users of agents - the age group expected to see the fastest population growth over the next five years. It notes: “This challenges the common assumption that travel agencies cater mainly for older, less tech-savvy cushttp://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/03/20/2357/mintel-reports.htmlCCPFri, 20 Mar 2009 11:56:00 -00:00 On this page you will find coverage of Mintel's regular reports for Travolution and Travel Weekly. For more information about Mintel and full access to its reports, contact Oxygen@Mintel.com or call 020 7778 7151. Articles: * Long haul booming for packages (March 09) * XL collapse triggered new consumer awareness of protection issues (March 09) * Travel way down on list of products to be axed (March 09) * http://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/03/12/2311/phocuswright-itb-2009-news-comment-and-more.htmlCCPThu, 12 Mar 2009 12:59:00 -00:00   On this page you will find news, opinion, pictures and the #itb09 Twitter feed from the 2009 PhoCusWright ITB event in Berlin, running from Wednesday 11 to Thursday 12 March. News, commentary and blogs: * Corporate barbarism does not begin at home say The Smiths * Why niche airlines fail * The paradox for destination management organisations * Is this the best rail operator website in the world? * http://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/02/23/2258/case-study-wayn-joburg-tourism.htmlCCPMon, 23 Feb 2009 09:40:00 -00:00 Objectives of campaign Joburg Tourism wanted to promote the City as a visitor destination by leveraging its hosting of the 2008 Miss World event.  Key to the success of the campaign was positioning Johannesburg as a vibrant, modern and dynamic cosmopolitan city, with great places to eat out, sites to visit and places to stay.  Joburg Tourism was also aware that they needed to address negative perceptions about the city.  The marketing brief also required a platform whereby future communications could be sent to members interested in finding out more about Miss World and ultimately in visiting Johannesburg. The Strategy Joburg Tourism decided to partner with the travel and lifestyle social networking community website WAYN.com (Where Are You Now) to develop a campaign that would both chahttp://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/02/13/2098/travel-technology-show-2009-news-analysis-blogs-multimedia.htmlCCPFri, 13 Feb 2009 11:38:00 -00:00   On this page you will find Travolution's coverage of the Travel Technology Show 2009 . The event was held at Earl's Court 2 in London from Tuesday 10 to Wednesday 11 February 2009. This section includes news, photos, press releases, podcasts, analysis, links to further information and the #traveltechshow Twitter feed. Travolution seminars: * Top Tips to Improve Website Performance * Top Tips to Improve Website User Experience * http://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/02/04/2176/travolution-seminar-programme-at-travel-technology-show.htmlCCPWed, 04 Feb 2009 04:51:00 -00:00 Travolution will be hosting its annual series of seminars at this year's Travel Technology Show. This year's sessions are based on providing Five Top Tips to help improve or grow your business.   Efficient Engine Room – Top tips to improve website performance 12.15-13.15 - Room A2 (£45) Discover from one of the foremost authorities in the area what you need to do to ensure your travel website can cope with high traffic and unforeseen problems as well as understanding the critical hosting and optimising issues. * Top Tips handout available for all who attend. Speakers: * David Flower, Gomez * Moderator: Kevin May, Editor, Travolution   Better browsing – top tips to improve website user experience (£45) 14:45-15:45 - Room A4 (£45) Understand the basic principles of implementing high quality user experience in t