From the moment the first champagne cork popped in the VIP lounge at Bicester Village, our 12 Travel Weekly Cover Stars were treated like true celebrities.
The team at the Chic Outlet Shopping Village pulled out all the stops on the big day just before Christmas, and the 12 winners were pampered, wined and dined as the makeovers and photo shoots took place.
Cover Star makeovers
- September: Alan Hubbard, Betta Travel and Canada 4u
- July: Lois Nippard, STA Travel
- May: Kate Harris, Inspired Travel
- April: Kelly Snape, Somewhere2travel2
- March: Michael Shanahan, Ilkeston Co-operative Travel
- February: Gemma Cobb, Thomas Cook
- January: Emily Fitch, First Choice
Readers of Travel Weekly voted in their thousands to choose 12 Cover Stars for 2011, with the prize for the winners being a day at Bicester Village and a makeover with style consultants and make-up artists.
As part of the competition, in association with touring specialists One Stop Touring Shop, each agent had the chance to shop at Bicester Village’s boutiques with style consultant Fiona Huntingford, followed by a makeover from artists at the Academy of Freelance Makeup and a photo shoot with photographer Steve Dunlop.
All of the Cover Stars are pictured above before their makeover, with their new looks closely guarded until they appear in Travel Weekly this year.
Travel Weekly editor Lucy Huxley said: “It was a fantastic day, and our thanks go to Bicester Village and to One Stop Touring Shop for allowing us to look after our winners so well. Our 12 Cover Stars reflect all that’s great about our industry, and their passion and professionalism was plain to see. We are looking forward to showcasing one winner every month in 2011, starting with Emily Fitch this week.”
Cover Star Louise Bates, manager of Tameside Travel, thanked everyone involved. “I think I speak for all the Cover Stars by saying you made us feel really special.”
As headline sponsors, One Stop Touring Shop will be taking the Cover Stars on either an Insight Vacations, Trafalgar or Contiki fam trip.
Paul Melinis, director of sales for the escorted touring specialists, said it was great to celebrate the Cover Stars’ success in person at the photo shoot.
“Trafalgar, Insight Vacations and Contiki Holidays are proud to be partners in this great competition. We look forward to welcoming them on tour and seeing them on the front of Travel Weekly,” he said.
Bicester Village senior tourism manager Helen Peters said the shoot was a great chance to showcase Bicester and its sister villages.
“We were delighted to support Travel Weekly’s Cover Stars. It was a great chance to introduce Bicester Village and the other nine Chic Outlet Shopping Villages in Europe”, she said.
In addition to their makeover and fam trip, the Cover Stars will also attend the industry’s top events, starting with the Travel Weekly Globe Awards.
Cover Stars sponsors and partners
Headline sponsor: One Stop Touring Shop
Your One Stop Touring Shop is the complete escorted touring solution for the trade. Together, Insight Vacations, Trafalgar and Contiki provide quality worldwide escorted touring holidays for your clients of any age. Family-owned and fully bonded, the One Stop Touring Shop offers 350 itineraries worldwide and some of the best commissions available.
To contact the team, call 020 7468 4335. To order brochures, visit trade-gate.co.uk
Makeover partner: Bicester Village
Chic Outlet Shopping consists of nine luxury brand outlet villages offering previous seasons’ collections of the world’s leading designer fashion and lifestyle brands with up to 60%, and sometimes more, off the recommended retail price, all year round.
For more information about Bicester Village, email FRoberts@valueretail.com.
Hair and make-up: Academy of Freelance Make-up
The Cover Stars’ hair styling and make-up was provided by Gemma Tweedale and Philippa Wulwick, courtesy of the Academy of Freelance Make-up.
Photography: Steve dunlop
The Cover Stars were photographed by Steve Dunlop – www.stevedunlop.com