n Hoverspeed increases dover-calais services
Hoverspeed has increased departures on its Dover to Calais route from 14 to 20a day after reintroducing a SeaCat. Atlantic II hasoperated on the Channel before, but most recently was on charter inArgentina. It is operating up to six times a day,alongside Hoverspeed’s 14 hovercraft departures.
n seafrance cuts fares on pre-june bookings
SeaFrance has cutfares on its Dover-Calais route for bookings paid for by June 2. A standard return fare is up to £110 cheaper, at £159 fora vehicle and ninepassengers, while a five-day return is reduced by up to £64, to £95.
n portsmouth to build new condor berth
Portsmouth is to build a new berth for the £30mpassenger/freight ship which is under construction for Condor Ferries.The ship will operate to the Channel Islands from the berth, which will beoperational from February 1 2000.
IRISH Ferries will run its first television advertising campaign ahead of the launch of its fast ferry, Jonathan Swift, on June 15.
A 45% increase in the ferry operator’s marketing budget has also enabled it to launch its first training programme to help agents sell holidays to Ireland.
More than half of Irish Ferries’ £2.5m budget is being spent on the two advertisements which are showing in the Meridian, Central and Granada regions until the end of May.
In addition, colour adverts in the national and trade press will run until the launch of the fast ferry on the Holyhead-Dublin route.
The £29m Jonathan Swift arrived in Dublin last week from Australia, where it was built.
It has capacity for 800 passengers and 200 cars and will operate four return sailings a day, alongside the two operated by the Isle of Inishmore roll-on, roll-off ferry.
Fares for the fast ferry start at £129 one-way, compared with £99 for the Isle of Inishmore.
UK passenger manager Victor Williams said:”The Swift will carry a total of 22,000 passengers and 7,400 cars a day from Holyhead to Dublin and Pembroke to Rosslare, so we need a major campaign before the launch.”
The ferry operator has also appointed a new London-based sales manager, Daragh O’Reilly, to increase sales opportunities. “We have always been lean in the UK compared to the competition,” said Williams.
The agent training programme cost £50,000 and has four modules with information about Ireland and Irish Ferries.
“Ferries tend to be at the bottom of the pile in agencies, so we felt it was important to increase awareness in the trade,” said Williams. “We asked our reservation centre what questions they get from agents and customers to get an insight into what information we needed to include.”
Williams said talks are under way with the multiples to have the programme included in their training schedules. The Irish Tourist Board is also helping with distribution. The first module will be out in mid-May, with the remaining three following every two months.
BRITTANY Ferries has launched an agents’ training manual to back up its largest ever holiday programme.
The manual is divided into two sections. The first details Brittany’s services, how to make a ferry booking and highlights the different regions of France and Spain.
The second covers the ferry operator’s holiday programmes, with a quiz about each brochure. Agents receive a certificate and travel voucher for completing the training.
Agency sales manager Richard Price said:”We believe this will enable them to provide the best service to clients when building an itinerary or selling motoring holidays to France or Spain.”
EUROTUNNEL is offering passengers a new facility to book and pay for travel over the Internet.
The move gives clients an alternative to booking through an agent. The company claims making a booking is easy, even for inexperienced Web users.
Meanwhile, Eurotunnel reported a 4% increase in car carryings on the Shuttle between Folkestone and Calais in the first quarter, to 710,933, compared with the same period in 1998.
RED Funnel is spending £100,000 on a national press and poster campaign to promote short breaks to the Isle of Wight using its service from Southampton to Cowes.
The advertising ties in with the tourist board’s £500,000 Isle of Wight image campaign, to which Red Funnel also contributes and which includes slots on ITV’s HTV West region.
The ferry operator’s campaign includes posters at key commuter railway stations between London and the south coast and runs until the end of this month.
Red Funnel said business has already been strong this year, with passenger numbers over the Easter weekend up 18% compared with 1998. Car carryings for the period rose 15%.
SWANSEA Cork Ferries has returned to Irish ownership after a buyout from Greek shipping company Strintz.
The ferry operator, which was owned by the Greek company for about five years, has been bought by its directors with the backing of some businessmen from Cork for an unknown sum.
Sales and marketing manager Alec Maguire said the buyout came too close to the start of the 1999 season for any changes to the operation, but added that the new owners are looking for a ferry to replace Superferry, which is on charter from Strintz for this season.
“The problem with Superferry is that is doesn’t have enough sleeping capacity. It has capacity for 1,200 passengers, but berths for just 451 and people are less likely to travel if there are no cabins,” said Maguire.
“We want to charter a ship that can sleep more people as that will open up the car and coach market to us and that will increase our profitability.”
The 10hr crossings are overnight in both directions except for three months from mid-June to mid-September, when there are day sailings back from Cork.
With the exception of Dublin, Maguire said bookings for Ireland are down, but added: “We are pleased with our position in the market – it’s good enough to justify a new ship.”
ISLE of Wight ferry operator Wightlink is strengthening its ties with agents in the south through regular campaigns. One sales burst has just finished and another is planned for late summer, to hit the autumn short-break market. Learning about the Wightlink brochure is Janet Abraham of Excelsior World Travel, Portsmouth, left, with Marilyn Smallwood frommerchandising company The Network.