TRAVELSCENE has cut prices to seven of its top city-break destinations by up to £106 per person until the end of May.
Sales director John Harding said the operator was given lower fares by British Airways until the end of May, and these have been followed by lower fares from British Midland.
Harding said any tactical offer would help to boost sales, but added: “These cities are already among our most sought-after so accommodation is often tight.”
The lower prices are to Rome, Milan, Florence, Bologna, Venice, Barcelona and Madrid. A two-night break at the Hotel Corallo in Milan now costs £254 per person, representing a saving of £106.
KUONI is targeting growth away from the Orlando theme parks in its new Florida and Beyond programme as it looks for a 40% increase in business.
The long-haul specialist has doubled accommodation in Miami from four to eight hotels and is featuring extra properties in Florida Keys and the Gulf Coast.
Nearly 70% of the growth will be in south Florida with the remaining around Orlando. Prices have increased by 3% and lead in at £359 for seven nights in Orlando.
Senior product manager Peter Grace said it wanted to give its customers a wider choice of product. “Our customers do not want just two weeks at a theme park. They want to experience more of the state.”
Kuoni is now seeking to educate both agents and the public that Miami, once plagued with crime, had cleaned up its act.
“It is not the undesirable place it was. A lot of money has been spent on making it safer,” said Grace. “We need to get that message over to the trade and customers.”
He said the new attractions at Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Escape should also help boost business to Orlando. The brochure features a double-page spread on the millennium celebrations which centre on Disney’s Epcot theme park – and run from October 1 to January 1 2001. “Because of the high demand of Disney at the millennium, it has decided the celebrations will actually run for 15 months,” said Grace. “What visitors see on December 31 can also be seen every night until January 1, 2001.”
Offers include £199 fixed-child prices and a price watch, where Kuoni refunds the difference if a customer finds the same holiday for less elsewhere, has also been introduced.
ISRAEL specialist Peltours has combined its Middle East and Eilat brochures for 1999/2000 to make it easier for customers to book tailor-made holidays.
The operator has claimed clients booking two-centre holidays are forced to refer to both brochures.
Marketing manager Darren Panto said having just one brochure will also ease racking pressure on agents.
He denied the move was due to a poor year for Israel but said that Syria and coach tours to Greece and Turkey have been dropped due to poor sales.
“Many people are now taking tailor-made holidays that involve two countries. It makes sense if they only have to consult one brochure,” said Panto.
Capacity has been increased from 20,000 to around 25,000 – the level which Peltours had hoped to hit this year.
The specialist has also responded to agent criticisms and graded its Israel hotels.
New product includes two tours to Jordan and mini-breaks to Cairo.
Prices lead in at £239 per person for a week in Eilat with the resort hotel allocated on arrival.
Early-booking offers include savings of £25 on holidays booked before June 4.
GREECE specialist Odyssey Olympic Holidays is upgrading its viewdata system to allow agents easier access.
The operator is adding 80 ports which will help to free up the clogged system. The specialist invested £250,000 in improving its bookings system over the winter period.
National sales manager Steve O’Loughlin said: “The additional viewdata capacity will allow agents easier and faster access to the system.
“We carried 75,000 passengers in 1998 and we are aiming to increase that to 100,000 this year. The improvements will help us achieve this.”