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What it’s like to run a travel agency specializing in visits to Iraq
DestinationsMichigan travel agency owner Ihab Zaki just returned from taking a group of American tourists on vacation to Iraq. Yep. Iraq. And he plans to offer two more trips there in November and next March. Zaki, owner of Spiekermann Travel in Eastpointe, specializes in unusual trips to the Middle East and North Africa. Last year, [...]
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USA Today scoops up another travel asset on life support: This time Tripology
DigitalUSA Today‘s Travel Media Group announced the purchase of the travel agent referral site Tripology.com from Rand McNally on April 17. Tripology was founded in 2007 and temporarly ceased operations in January 2010. Rand McNally acquired Tripology two months later as the Skokie, Illinois-based mapping legend sought to expand its digital presence. John Peters, the [...]
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Faltering Thomas Cook’s digital gurus want Google Glass to save it
DigitalPondering the digital opportunities for Thomas Cook, Mr Straw also talks about a future where the company might use technologies such as Google Glass, which embeds a screen, camera, microphone and other sensors into a pair of futuristic spectacles. Holidaymakers could then use such specs to record and share their Thomas Cook holidays, he says. [...]
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Princess Cruises apologizes for email questioning value of travel agents
TransportPrincess Cruises has disavowed language questioning the value of travel agents that an employee sent to a travel agent’s customer. In the email, the Princess vacation planner wrote to the customer, “Why book with a travel agent when you can get all of the benefits of booking directly to us, at no cost to you?” [...]
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TUI Travel tilts away from travel agents with strong online sales
DigitalBookings for summer holidays are up 9pc as Britons look to escape the extended cold spell, according to Tui Travel. The world’s biggest tour operator, which owns Thomson Holidays, said it had continued to see “very strong” trading momentum in the UK as holidaymakers also sought to avoid another wash out, with last summer one [...]
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Dept. of Transportation auditing 10 large travel agencies on airline codeshare compliance
DestinationsThe U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is auditing the nation’s top 10 brick-and-mortar agencies for compliance to its airlines code share disclosure rule, according to an internal note by ravel agents association ASTA. The audit is expected to conclude by June 30, after which the DOT “will take any enforcement action necessary..the DOT was aiming to [...]
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Famous last words? Thomas Cook CEO says Thomas Cook is back
SkiftXHarriet Green arrived at Thomas Cook with the business in turmoil and suggestions it might go bust. She tells Andrew Cave how she is turning the firm around. ‘I’m a little hyper,” confesses Harriet Green, which is probably not a bad quality for the chief executive of the troubled travel group, Thomas Cook. The world’s [...]
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Thomas Cook CEO: Future is “more Apple than travel”
SkiftXThomas Cook CEO Harriet Green insists she is committed to maintaining a strong retail network, although in the future the shops will be “more Apple than travel”. She insists the Thomas Cook brand will grow, she repeatedly states that it “won’t shrink to greatness”, but to do that she’s prepared to chop away the excess. [...]
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Thomas Cook’s plan: More disposals and consolidating confusing array of brands
DestinationsThomas Cook Group Plc, the U.K. tour operator, plans to raise as much as 150 million pounds ($224 million) from disposals and may expand ties with low-cost carrier EasyJet Plc to gain airliner capacity. Another 50 million pounds have been added to a savings plan to bring profit improvement to 350 million pounds, Chief Executive Officer [...]
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TripAdvisor report reminds everyone why travel agencies are screwed
DigitalThe assumption that British travelers are still trekking up to High Street to consult with Thomas Cook and TUI for their upcoming sun-soaked vacations is as outdated as the horse and buggies that once took them there. The agencies on High Street, long heralded as the go-to spots for potential bookers, have taken a hit [...]
