As we head into the festive season we take a look at what made our front pages over the past 12 months.
The whole team wishes all our readers a peaceful Christmas and prosperous New Year.
January
January’s covers were packed with positivity, the return of Cover Stars saw Demi-Jade McGee relive an incredible trip to Walt Disney World Resort and agents hail record sales days. The Globe Travel Awards honoured the best suppliers in the business at a spectacular ceremony kicked off by pop legend Lulu and hosted by Jason Manford.
February
Reports of bumper trading continued throughout February defying cost-of-living fears, while Jet2holidays overtook Tui to become the UK’s biggest tour operator. The thorny issue of fraud came to the fore following the jailing of fraudulent agent Lynne Barlow for nine years, leading to calls for increased collaboration against crime.
March
March saw our first covers from industry conferences, Hays Travel hailed its growth potential at its Independence Group conference in the Algarve, while agents were urged to capitalise on a strong start to the year at the Clia RiverView Conference in Vienna. The godmother of P&O Cruises’ Arvia Nicole Scherzinger starred, as the former Pussycat Doll toured the ship during spectacular naming celebrations in Barbados.
April
Fears over government plans to axe funding for travel and tourism qualifications hit the April headlines, with lecturers responding by ramping up efforts to highlight the value of courses. Meanwhile, trade partners joined Holland America Line’s 150th anniversary celebrations in Rotterdam.
May
As the country geared up for the coronation of King Charles III in May, Hays Travel revealed plans for an unusual store ‘opening’ – on the set of Coronation Street. The month saw a record number of agents attend the Clia Conference, while Advantage chief Julia Lo Bue-Said reaffirmed the need to continue lobbying the government, despite strong sales.
June
The shortlist for the Agent Achievement Awards was revealed in June, following a record number of submissions. The month also saw perhaps our brightest cover of the year, as Gold Medal hosted agents at its annual VIP day. Double Olympic champion Daley Thompson also made an appearance, as he joined a Not Just Travel seminar on Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady.
July
July saw Travel Weekly’s first accessible travel edition, which focused on making the world open for all. The month also saw the return of our annual US special edition, which included reports on fears of a slowdown in US bookings amid cost challenges. The winners of the Agent Achievement Awards were celebrated, pictured alongside host Mark Wright at the spectacular ceremony.
August
The opening of entries for Cover Stars kicked off our August editions, as the search for 12 agents to grace our front pages throughout 2024 began. The importance of agents was hailed by Greek hoteliers as Rhodes bookings began to rebound after devastating wildfires, and also by the boss of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings at the launch of Norwegian Viva.
September
Tui’s plans to re-engage with independent agents made for one of the year’s most intriguing stories, with the volte-face hitting our first September cover. The month also saw agents urged to support Morocco after an earthquake hit the country. A raft of shop openings shone a light on continuing confidence in travel retail, while the leaders of the UK’s biggest operators proved equally bullish at Travel Weekly’s Future of Travel Conference.
October
The potential for Booking.com to pip the big three operators as biggest Atol holder proved an unexpected way to start October. The month saw Barrhead Travel head to Majorca for its first overseas conference, while Atas headed to Liverpool for its biggest-ever event.
November
Conference season was in full swing during November. Abta’s Travel Convention in Bodrum heard expectations of strong turn-of-year sales, Hays Travel’s Retail Conference in Portugal revealed plans for ‘two peaks’ and Travel Counsellors hosted a star-studded event in Manchester. The month also saw Travel Weekly parent Jacobs Media Group agree to rescue Online Travel Training.
December
Drawing the year to a close, December saw Jet2holidays host 275 agents at its biggest-ever trade conference in Turkey. Meanwhile, The Travel Network Group overcame snow disruption ahead of its Munich event to reveal optimism for 2024.