Eliana Willis

American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) has appointed Rachel Tonge as UK vice president and general manager.
In her new role, Tonge will lead the return of business travel in the UK by overseeing business operations and strengthening customer relationships.
She will report to EMEA senior vice president and general manager, Jason Geall.
Geall said: “Our customers and our people have faced many challenges preparing for the restart of business travel.
“Rachel is, therefore, taking on this role at a crucial moment. ADVERTISEMENT“However, her skillset, knowledge and temperament are exactly what we and our customers need to be successful.”
Tonge has been with GBT for five years, most recently as director of strategic transformation, which included a key role in the acquisition and integration of Egencia.
Tonge added: “I’m thrilled to bring our teams together to ensure a smooth return to travel as we deliver unrivalled value, experience and choice to our customers and their travellers.
“We’ll be placing a renewed focus on GBT being a great place to work, with inclusion and diversity embedded at our core.”

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Mike Tibbert has taken up the position of president of the Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association (SPAA), the professional body for travel agents and the travel sector in Scotland.
He takes the reins at the organisation from outgoing president Joanne Dooey.
Tibbert, a specialist in the marine and offshore market, has worked in the travel industry since the 1990s, and is the general manager, Europe, at Global Marine Travel (GMT).
He steps into the role of president following a two-year period as vice president of the SPAA.
Tibbert said: “I am proud and humbled to accept the presidency of the world’s oldest travel association and I shall wear the chain of office with pride and commit to driving forward the aims of the Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association to the best of my ability.ADVERTISEMENT“The last two years or so have no doubt been the most traumatic for the travel industry and we do not go forward wearing blinkers nor being unaware of hurdles or curve balls that will no doubt be sent our way.
“But we will stand together and go forward with our mutual aims balanced for the entire industry with the hope that 2022 will be the start of the renaissance for travel globally.”
Jacqueline Dobson, president of Barrhead Travel, takes up the role of vice president of the SPAA.
Long standing member of the SPAA and past president Sandy MacPherson was made an honorary member of the organisation in recognition of more than 40 years’ service to the SPAA in a variety of roles.

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On the Beach has revealed that holiday sales have grown exponentially since testing requirements for fully-vaccinated travellers eased, with booking numbers pushing 160 per cent week-on-week.
Spring escapes in April, May and June currently make up 44 per cent of the bookings surge, indicating renewed consumer confidence for 2022 travel.
Data from On the Beach also shows the most popular winter getaways are the Canary Islands, and the Greek islands of Rhodes and Crete for summer.
The second Sunday in January also marked what is traditionally the busiest booking day for On the Beach, and based on the figures the holiday retailer is now predicting its biggest trading day since March 2019.
Luxe living is top of the agenda for British holidaymakers this summer, with four- and five-star hotels seeing most demand, as customers look to treat themselves after a couple of years without those cherished beach holidays abroad.ADVERTISEMENTZoe Harris, chief customer officer at On the Beach, said: “We’re thrilled to see the excitement surrounding summer holidays this week following the easing of travel restrictions – it’s been a very difficult couple of years for travel, so to see consumer confidence returning is incredibly encouraging.
“At On the Beach we know that summer holidays are the most wonderful time of the year, and we’re delighted to see people getting ready to see the jet off for a well-deserved break.”
Rival Jet2 reported a similar trend earlier in the week.

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The plight of Scottish travel businesses has been laid bare by the Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association (SPAA), as travel agencies stand empty on what is traditionally the biggest holiday purchase day of the year.
In pre-pandemic times, Scots flocked to book their summer holidays in the period between Christmas and New Year following the major travel operators’ adverts which are always released on Boxing Day.
But today, when high street travel agencies open to the public after the Christmas break, enquiries and bookings are at a virtual standstill.
Research on pre pandemic years’ booking patterns shows that the number of daily travel bookings made in all countries increased by between nine and 62 per cent in the days after Christmas, with some surging by 69 per cent in the post-Christmas week.
Similar rises could also be seen in the first week of the new year.ADVERTISEMENTOf UK residents, 25 per cent book their main holiday four to six months in advance of departure and 28 per cent book between 7 and 12 months before.
Joanne Dooey, president of the SPAA, said: “There’s no Christmas bonus for the travel sector this December.
“There is no post-holiday spike for Scottish travel agents, as holidaymakers’ confidence in travel has been shattered over the last 20 months.
“This will push travel agents who have fought tirelessly for almost two years to save their businesses to the edge.
“In 2021, travel agencies were operating at just 22 per cent of their previous annual revenue compared to pre Covid-19 yet their fixed costs remained the same.
“Many of our members tell us they were operating at ten per cent or less of previous years.
“Travel agents have become administrators; rebooking and issuing refunds while receiving no revenue and no grant support to help.
“We support those in all industries which have been told there is grant support there for them.
“But travel agencies are being pushed out of business by stealth.
“Restrictions around travel have been oppressively stringent, meaning people have no confidence in travelling.”
Dooey added: “We need a structured plan to be drawn up by the Scottish government in full consultation with all aspects of the travel industry which supports the future of Scottish travel rather than allowing it to wither and die.”

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With families enjoying the festive holidays and thoughts turning to sunny climates for 2022, travellers looking for their next holiday are reminded to check for financial protection when booking their getaways.
Research by the UK Civil Aviation Authority has found that 74 per cent of people consider ATOL protection more important since the pandemic.
Booking a package holiday that is financially protected by the ATOL scheme is a straightforward way to protect a trip.
ATOL protection means that if the travel company you booked with ceases trading, you will either get your money back, or, if you have already begun your holiday, be able to complete your trip at no extra cost.
Before booking, you should always check that your travel provider is a legitimate ATOL holder. ADVERTISEMENTYou can do this on the UK Civil Aviation Authority website.
While ATOL protected package holidays provide the best possible level of financial protection, there are other ways of booking trips.
Michael Budge, head of ATOL at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “With many travellers considering ATOL protection more important since the pandemic, we want to make sure consumers are aware of the financial protection that ATOL provides.
“While travel has not yet normalised, we’re asking holidaymakers to make smart decisions for their well-earned breaks by booking ATOL protected trips.”

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A new analysis of staff shortages by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has revealed 205,000 tourism jobs across the UK predicted to remain unfilled by the end of this year.
The figures from WTTC, which represents the global private tourism sector, show for the first time the enormous impact staff shortages could have on the economic recovery.
Data compiled by Oxford Economics for WTTC, analysed staff shortages across the UK and other major tourism markets, including the US, Spain, France, Italy and Portugal, between July and December this year.
All countries showed significant staff shortages, with employment demand starting to outstrip the available labour supply.
As unemployment rates decrease and demand rises, tourism businesses have been left struggling to fill available job vacancies.
The UK alone is predicted to see a shortfall of around 12 per cent, with one in eight job vacancies left unfilled.
Julia Simpson, WTTC chief executive, said: “The economic recovery could be jeopardised if we don’t have enough people to fill these jobs as travellers return.ADVERTISEMENT“If we cannot fill these vacancies, it could threaten the survival of tourism businesses up and down the UK.
“Companies dependent on tourism have been hanging on for the upside, but this is just another blow that many may not survive.”
The global tourism body also warns reinstating damaging travel restrictions, such as the recent measures aimed at curbing the spread of the new variant, will not stop the virus and only damage livelihoods.
Since the start of the pandemic, the UK job retention scheme paid furloughed workers 80 per cent of their pre-pandemic income, with workers earnings up to a maximum of £2,500 a month.
As a result, the fall in employment was not as sharp as the fall in demand for the sector, leading to a reduction of only 6.5 per cent in direct tourism employment in 2020, which equates to 111,000 job losses.
As the demand for travel began to strengthen during the second half of 2021, in line with easing of restrictions and the recovering domestic market, the squeeze on labour has been unable to match the rising demand.
According to the report, demand for tourism jobs is forecast at nearly 1.7 million in the second half of 2021, with labour shortages projected at 205,000, equating to one in eight unfilled vacancies.
Next year, the labour market is expected to remain tight with a forecast shortage of 15,000 workers.

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Tui UK has launched a ‘Live Happy’ sale on all summer holidays departing between May and the end of October next year.
The sale, which includes savings of up to £300 on package holidays flying with Tui Airways or other airlines with the code SALE, has thousands of free kids’ places up for grabs, low deposits from £60 per person and £0 deposit on direct debit bookings made online.
In addition, the sale offers single parents and solo travellers the opportunity to save £200 on bookings with one adult and a minimum spend of £800, or £250 on long-haul bookings with one adult and a minimum spend of £1,000. 
Whether cruise lovers prefer exploring the Mediterranean or the Caribbean, they can benefit from £300 off Marella Cruises departing between May 2022 and April 2023 with the code CRUISE300.
Or, for cruisers looking to explore the cities of Europe from some of the finest waterways, TUI River Cruises is offering a saving of £300 on sailings departing between to March 28th and October 2028th next year with the code TUIRC300. ADVERTISEMENTRichard Sofer, commercial and business development director at TUI, said: “Many of our customers haven’t had a holiday for a while, so are booking more premium hotels, upgraded rooms or longer durations to make their long-awaited getaway extra special.
“This is why we’re offering discounts across our full range of holidays, affordable testing packages and the reassurance of our Customer Promise to help everyone have the break they deserve and can look forward to next summer.”

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The latest Travel with Confidence national advertising campaign from ABTA will launch with social media advertising on Boxing Day.
The work drives home the benefits of booking and travelling with an ABTA member.
Following the success of last year’s videos which reached more than ten million people, ABTA has once again produced a lead video for Facebook and a shorter version for Instagram which feature a range of members talking about the expertise, personal service and reassurance that comes from booking with member,
To continue to support consumer confidence in the coming weeks, ABTA will turn the testimonials from customers into a series of shorter videos that Members can share across their own social channels, as well as animated gifs which show the benefits of booking with an ABTA member.
Campaign materials will be added to the marketing toolkit from January and ABTA will be promoting all new social media assets on the ABTA member Facebook page.ADVERTISEMENTBeyond social media, 30-second radio adverts on Heart Radio across the country from December 27th until mid-January will urge listeners to look for the ABTA logo when they book so they know they’ll get the information, help and advice they need to travel with confidence.
Graeme Buck, director of communications at ABTA, said: “After another difficult year, many people are desperate to get away on an overseas break and increasingly want the expertise and reassurance that comes from booking with a trusted travel professional.”
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