I’m sure I’m not the only one who has been bombarded with emails asking if I want to ‘opt in’ or ‘opt out’ to continue to receive newsletters, promotions and who knows what else.
It’s been enough to make me panic, so I can only imagine what it is like for all travel businesses, as the GDPR deadline looms this week.
Feedback from industry lawyers seems to suggest there is still widespread confusion about what the new rules mean, with some businesses “panicking” and others “ignoring” it altogether.
Experts have warned the rules have the potential to trip businesses up, and, at worst, lead to a hefty fine for serious breaches. But, you will be relieved to hear, what is key is that your business should be able to demonstrate it is taking steps to comply while the new rules bed in. If you can do this, you should not be caught out.
Cruise growth
It’s been another packed week in the cruising world, with the launch of Marella Explorer (pages 5 and 14) and the annual Clia Conference taking place, which will see hundreds of agents descend on Southampton to hear all the sector’s latest news and updates.
Incredibly, one cruise line executive has set his sights on making land-based holidays “almost irrelevant”. Whether this is a realistic prediction remains to be seen, but one thing is certain, agents cannot ignore the aggressive growth of cruise or the lucrative benefits to travel agency businesses it affords. See our full coverage of the conference in next week’s issue.
Comment from Travel Weekly, May 24 edition