Eliana Willis

Insight Vacations has launched its new 2022-2023 Worldwide collection, featuring 133 itineraries with over 100 unique Insight Experiences across Europe, Northern Africa, Asia and the Americas.
Next year will see Insight Vacations’ debut in Latin America, with three new trips taking in the best of Brazil, Argentina and Peru.
Other new tours for 2022/23 include the Spectacular Rockies and Glaciers of Alberta in Canada and Insight Vacations’ first ever trip significantly based around train travel Best of California – which takes Amtrack’s Pacific Surfliner from San Diego to San Obispo, and then up to Yosemite and San Francisco by coach.
In a further development for 2022, Insight’s award-winning Make Travel Matter Experiences are now featured on every worldwide tour. 
These award-winning experiences have the aim of advancing 11 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, connecting guests with people, planet and wildlife and enabling them to positively impact the communities and destinations they visit. ADVERTISEMENTThey are selected with great care using a proprietary assessment tool endorsed by sustainable tourism experts.
Talking about the new 2022/23 worldwide programme, UK & Ireland managing director, Chris Townson, said: “Pent-up demand for travel in 2022 is huge, and this really is the time for agents to seize the opportunity that premium touring offers, with travellers wanting to get out there again with more style, comfort and support than ever before.
“There has never been a better time to go guided, and Insight Vacations’ 2022 programme offers the most comprehensive collection of premium touring out there, bringing together some of the best accommodation, finest dining and immersive experiences into brilliantly curated itineraries.
“With new trips like the Best of California and the Spectacular Rockies and Glaciers of Alberta sitting alongside our perennially popular itineraries like the Dalmatian Elegance, Country Roads of Italy and Northern Lights of Scandinavia, it’s a varied and immersive portfolio that we’re excited to bring to market.”

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Experts from across Europe have joined forces to launch International Tourism Group (ITG); a new multi-national agency that sets a new standard through a data-led methodology applied market by market.
Launching as the result of 18 months of collaborative innovation between leading tourism experts in six countries, ITG aims to drive the recovery of global tourism through innovative campaigns and exclusively owned data-led platforms.
The Covid-19 crisis has forced the global tourism industry to become more efficient in the short term and more sustainable in the long term.
In planning recovery strategies for 100+ destination and travel clients, the pan-European task force came to the common conclusion that it was no longer enough to adapt old models to new circumstances.
Gaël de la Porte du Theil (France), president of ITG, explained: “Covid-19 was the catalyst needed to provoke a powerful and transformative reaction between some of the most stable elements in European tourism marketing.”
According to the World Bank, Europe accounts for 50 per cent of international travel and 35 per cent of global tourism expenditure.
This compact region, when considered as a single market, is without doubt the priority for any tourism destination or brand.
Until now, it has been impossible for travel and tourism marketers to approach Europe as a single market because each country has different attitudes to travel, different legislation, currency, intermediation, distribution channels, languages, seasonality, media consumption, air routes etc.
By pooling the resources, experience, and propriety tools of the founding agencies, ITG gives global destinations and brands a powerful marketing partner in Europe, with the human and financial resources to cost-effectively influence 50 per cent of the world’s travellers.ADVERTISEMENTGuy Chambers (UK), ITG vice president added: “The events of the past two years only accelerated the change already taking place within travel and tourism.
“New distribution channels, super-charged adoption of digital media and rapidly changing technology have disrupted how the business of travel was ‘done’.”
As well as providing full PR, advertising and representation services ITG launches with a unique, integrated, suite of solutions, developed and owned by its founders including: its own traveller intelligence and profiling platform, travel agency engagement, a loyalty and learning platform, its own e-workshop/online events platform, and even an exclusive digital marketplace for destinations.
With offices in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Paris, Munich, Madrid, Milan, Frankfurt, Lisbon and London; International Tourism Group provides flexible access to the European market, unrivalled intelligence and an efficient way to reach the world’s most valuable travelling audience.
ITG will work in collaboration with its EU travel trade and PR colleagues on behalf of Visit Hungary, Visit Valencia and Visit Costa Del Sol to expand destination awareness through strategic activities, partnerships and storytelling, positioning the destinations as must-visit, easy-to-reach holidays.
Further afield, the Chile Tourism Board, Saudi Tourism Authority and Pure Grenada will also benefit from cross-market in-house creative teams that will help the destination management companies to cut through the noise of a congested market with engaging campaigns as we emerge from the pandemic.
ITG will communicate the country’s handling of Covid-19 and new travel status, along with focusing on niche activities, such as outdoor adventure and nature, luxury, city and culture, as well as the wonderful gastronomy.
More Information
For further information on ITG please visit the official website.
Image: KAEC

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Worldwide business travel spending looks set to rise by more than a quarter this year and reach two thirds of pre-pandemic levels by 2022, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
The forecast comes in a major new WTTC report in collaboration with McKinsey & Company called ‘Adapting to Endemic Covid-19: The Outlook for Business Travel’.
It draws on research, analysis and in-depth interviews with tourism business leaders to enable organisations to prepare for corporate travel in the post-pandemic world.
Business travel was disproportionately affected by Covid-19 and has been slower to resume.
Given that business travel is vital for many sectors of the global economy, it is important that all stakeholders join forces to find solutions to aid its recovery.
According to the new report, the modest boost for business travel with global business travel spend rising 26 per cent this year will be followed by a further rise of 34 per cent in 2022.
But this comes in the wake of a 61 per cent collapse in business travel spend in 2020, following the imposition of extensive travel restrictions with considerable regional differences in the bounce back around the world.ADVERTISEMENTTo speed up the recovery of business travel, the report recommends businesses adjust their revenue models, expand geographic focus, and improve digital services.
The shared challenge of restoring business travel will also depend on ongoing collaboration and partnerships across the private and public sectors and nurturing new relationships.
Julia Simpson, WTTC chief executive, said: “Business travel is starting to pick up. We expect to see two thirds back by the end of 2022.
“Business travel has been seriously hit but our research shows room for optimism with Asia Pacific and Middle East first off the starting blocks”.
Last year, the tourism sector suffered losses of almost US$4.5 trillion, and more than 62 million people lost their jobs.
Domestic visitor spending decreased by 45 per cent, while international visitor spending fell by an unprecedented 69 per cent.

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American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) has successfully completed the acquisition of Egencia, a digital travel management platform.
As part of the transaction, Expedia Group has become a shareholder in GBT.
Expedia has also entered into a long-term agreement to provide accommodations supply to GBT.
GBT and Egencia will together offer the leading solutions across every segment of business travel.
By teaming Egencia with GBT’s Supply MarketPlace, the company hopes to provide customers with more value and choice and offer suppliers enhanced access to business travellers.ADVERTISEMENTPaul Abbott, GBT chief executive, said: “Bringing GBT and Egencia together will create a winning formula that will define the future of travel.
“We will provide unrivalled value, choice and experiences to customers.
“Unrivalled value because together we’ll have the best content and deliver the best savings.
“Unrivalled choice because no one comes close to the breadth and depth of solutions we will offer.
“And unrivalled experiences because we have the best people and technology in the industry.”
With the close of the transaction, Mark Hollyhead, president of Egencia, will continue to lead the Egencia business reporting directly to Abbott.

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TUI has completed its second rights offering this year.
The gross proceeds amount to around €1.1 billion.
The company share capital will thus be increased nominally by around €524 million euros to just under €1.6 billion.
The proceeds from the capital increase will be used to reduce the drawings on the KfW credit line and the banks’ cash facility (RCF).ADVERTISEMENTDuring the subscription period from October 8-26, existing shareholders were able to exercise their subscription rights and subscribe to new shares at a ratio of 10:21 for €2.15 per share.
Some 97.7 per cent of the subscription rights were exercised.
As announced, anchor shareholder Unifirm of the Mordashov family exercised the subscription rights in full.
Unifirm also acquired additional shares in the market and part of the unsubscribed shares and increased its stake in TUI AG from 32 per cent to around 33 per cent.
The unsubscribed shares subsequently went in full to qualified investors in a rump placement, part of which went to Unifirm of the Mordashov family.

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Jet2.com has added three more UK bases to its plans for summer 2023.
With summer sun in demand, the tour operator to leisure destinations across the Mediterranean and Canary Islands has put its programme on sale earlier than ever before.
With programmes going on sale today from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle Airports, this gives customers the opportunity to get that well-deserved summer break locked into the diary well in advance.
The exciting programme gives customers and independent travel agents fantastic choice and flexibility when it comes to their favourite summer destinations in the Canaries, Balearics, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Cyprus, Croatia and Portugal.ADVERTISEMENTOn top of six UK bases going on sale just last week, this means Jet2.com has its summer sun programmes on sale for 2023 across nine UK bases.
Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2.com, said: “Following the positive response to six UK bases going on sale earlier than ever before just last week, we are very pleased to be adding Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle too.
“We know that customers want something to look forward to more than ever before, which is why we are putting our exciting summer sun 2023 programme on sale now.”

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The newest name in sports travel, Destination Sport Experiences, has launched to the market.
The brand, created by Portman Travel Group, is set to cater for athletes who want to participate in the very best cycling, running and triathlon events across the world.
Destination Sports Experiences is headed-up by managing director, Brendan Fox, who alongside his team, has decades of experience working in the global sports travel industry.
The company will be offering travel packages and guaranteed entry to marathons, cyclosportives and long-distance triathlons around the world, together with VIP hospitality access to many of the top professional cycling events.
These start with L’Etape du Tour 2022, which is available now.ADVERTISEMENTSpeaking of the launch, Fox said: “We couldn’t be more excited to launch Destination Sport Experiences to the public.
“As you’d expect, a lot of hard work has gone on behind the scenes, and continues to happen, to ensure our customers have an array of world-class events available to choose from.
“Destination Sport Experiences will provide athletes with incredible opportunities to take part in some of the best events and experiences that sport has to offer, while removing the stress from searching for travel and accommodation.
“We want to encourage everyone to do something extraordinary!”
Destination Sport Experiences are fully ABTA bonded with an ATOL licence, in line with the consumer financial protection requirements of UK travel law and will be launching travel products to new 2022 events over the next few weeks.

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