We take a look through the Travel Weekly archives in our 50th year to find out what was making the headlines 10, 25 and 45 years ago
2009
• In special reports, agents were encouraged to sell more experience-based holidays to differentiate themselves by marketing agency Fox Kalomaski, while a front-page photo of David Beckham (pictured) flagged up a report encouraging agents to tap into sports tourism as a new revenue stream.
• Four well-known industry figures were announced as entrants to the Hall of Fame. They were Carnival UK chief executive David Dingle; The Co‑operative Travel Group managing director Mike Greenacre; former Carlson Wagonlit Travel president EMEA and Latin America Richard Lovell; and Orient-Express Hotels founder and director James Sherwood.
• Miles Morgan Travel announced plans to operate a cruise to mark the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic. The 12-night cruise on Balmoral, departing on April 8, 2012, went on sale, priced from £1,999 to £7,995 including flights. Owner Miles Morgan said: “We will be avoiding icebergs at all costs. We want authenticity but not to that degree.”
1994
• The Association of Airline Consolidators announced urgent talks with the Civil Aviation Authority to clarify new guidelines calling for all seat wholesalers to hold operating licences by late summer. The CAA insisted all consolidators selling discounted scheduled air tickets through non-accredited sub‑agents must obtain an Atol, leading to fears some consolidators would be unable to raise the required 10% to 15% of turnover to obtain an Atol and fail.
• Aito reported more than 70 indie independent retailers and 300 consortia members had signed up for its preferred agency scheme, through which agents would promote Aito members’ holidays. Meanwhile, Abta was considering a tiered membership scheme with subscription levels determined by the number of services operators and agents wanted.
• On the Diary page, it was suggested Thomson might drop its “If Thomson don’t do it, don’t do it, but if they do…” adverts as it looked to promote a “more fun image”.
1974
• Clarksons revealed plans to enter the UK domestic market with a 3,000-capacity Discover Britain programme operated in conjunction with Grey‑Green Coaches. A two-day trip to ‘Ancient York’ was priced from £11.50.
• Meanwhile, P&O was assessing its fleet distribution in the UK, Australia and the US West Coast, depending on the future of ageing cruise liner Himalaya which, it had been reported, was to be brought out of service in the summer.
• In Business Monitor, it was reported that the number of overseas holidays of four-plus nights taken by Brits in the previous year dropped to 8.25 million from the 8.5 million notched up in 1972, according to British Tourist Authority figures.
• But in better news for the travel trade, the package holiday share of the holidays-abroad market reached 63%. There was also an increase in the proportion of air-based holidays abroad, up to 72% from 69%.