Organisations & Operators,

Sales across all product categories, walking, cycling and ski are trending materially above expectation and showing strong forward momentum through Summer 23 into Winter 23/24. The summer focussed Wilderness Group and Cycling for Softies brands are over 80% sold for the forthcoming season, and early ski bookings for Winter 23/24 are trending 57% ahead of prior year.
Commenting on the performance, Group CEO Craig Burton said:
‘Healthy, outdoors focused adventure and activity travel is our passion at ATG. As we predicted this time last year, our collection of premium active and adventure holidays on foot, on bike and on snow have resonated more than ever with consumers in the post-pandemic landscape. Unprecedented forward booking momentum strongly suggests this trend will continue to rise as we look ahead to 2024 and beyond.’

To facilitate the Group’s ambitious growth plans, ATG has made some exciting changes to the senior-management structure. ADVERTISEMENT
Ian McIlrath who has led the Group finance function since 2018 will move into the Managing Director role of the Brixton based Ski Solutions brand. He will retain Group financial oversight, with Matthew Ansell stepping up as Group Finance Director.

Group CEO, Craig Burton will continue to take oversight of all brands, with a focus on developing a number of significant growth opportunities, both organic and through M&A.

In the Wilderness Team, Stevie Christie moves into the role of Managing Director of Wilderness Scotland from Founder, Paul Easto. The Wilderness Ireland and Wilderness England businesses will continue to be led by Managing Directors, Patricia Doe and Matt Loveland respectively. Some 20 years after founding Wilderness, Paul Easto moves into a newly created role as the Chief Sustainability Officer for the Active Travel Group.

Commenting on the changes, Paul Easto said:
“While I will continue to work closely with the Wilderness team, I am excited by the opportunity to lead the development of the Active Travel Group’s sustainability and ESG strategy. From our focus on carbon reduction to industry leading employee satisfaction, we have been making solid progress and have ambitious plans to deepen our sustainability commitments across the Group. Supported by a robust post-pandemic recovery and ambitious growth plans, we have a real opportunity to drive further change and set industry leading standards for ESG performance”.

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DAMAC has joined the United Nations Global Compact initiative — a voluntary leadership platform for the development, implementation and disclosure of responsible business practices.
With this announcement, DAMAC joins other companies globally committed to taking responsible business action to create the world we all aspire to.
The UN Global Compact is a call to global companies to align their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and to take action in support of UN goals and issues embodied in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Launched in 2000, the UN Global Compact is the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world, with more than 15,000 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in over 160 countries, and more than 70 local networks.
“In line with our commitment to sustainability and sustainable principles, we are proud to have joined the UN Global Compact initiative which acts as a natural transition that aligns with our goals and vision,” said Hussain Sajwani, Founder and Chairman of DAMAC. “ADVERTISEMENT“DAMAC will strive to work towards safeguard our communities, assets, workforce and stakeholders in order to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace, supporting our communities, and promoting transparency, accountability, and ethical practices across our organisation,” he added.
DAMAC has been mindful of adapting to environmentally-friendly features and aims to incorporate sustainable building practices into its planning and construction phases.
In April this year, a Board of Directors was established to improve the leadership structure and administrative roles necessary for effective governance and management of the company that included aligning DAMAC business practices with the United Nations Global Compact initiative.
In addition, the Company is currently all set to be awarded a LEED gold certification for its third and latest master community, DAMAC Lagoons, aspiring to be the first in the UAE to do so.
Working in tandem with processes to align energy, environment, and sustainability is an ongoing process at DAMAC. As builders and professionals in the construction and real estate sectors, the Company believes it is their responsibility to engage with and implement best building practices that pave the way for safer future generations.
As a participant of the initiative, we encourage you to visit our profile on the UN Global Compact website and learn more about our latest sustainability work

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SPORTSLINK TRAVEL and easyGolf Worldwide Travel & Tours have announced a new partnership to provide travel services for all their International Golf Travel & Tours, plus all travel for their Corporate and Social clientele.
EasyGolf Worldwide is a previous winner of the World Travel Awards “Best Golf Tour Operator” in Australia and Oceania and is again nominated for the 2023 Award. Sports Link will provide flight and travel packages to complement their golf tours to events around the world, including The Masters each year, enabling clients to have their entire trip managed through a single supplier to maximise the full travel experience.
Sports Link Travel CEO Paul Kelly commented “We have looked at putting together our own golf tours for a number of years and are regularly asked by our clients about trips to events like The Masters. This new partnership will allow us to provide these options to our clients and also to support EasyGolf Worldwide in looking after their existing client base. Working with an award-winning tour operator ensures the quality of these tours, and Richard and his team are very excited about this opportunity and the possibilities that it brings.”
easyGolfWorldwide CEO Richard Tessel commented: “I endorse all of the above, and we are excited to have partnered with Paul Kelly and his Team.”

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Travel Leaders of Tomorrow, the award-winning training program for new travel advisors, is celebrating its first decade in business. Started on April 13, 2013, Travel Leaders of Tomorrow represented a solution to the growing problem of bringing fresh talent into the industry with the absence of the traditional travel school.As a completely virtual program, Travel Leaders of Tomorrow is uniquely designed for today’s busy adults who frequently have work and family obligations. Participants can choose between an Independent Learner track, which is completely self-paced, and a Virtual Campus, which includes a study cohort, guest lectures and a final business presentation.
“As we looked around the landscape of the industry in the 2010s, it became clear that we desperately needed the ideas and perspectives that new travel advisors bring,” said Heather Kindred, Program Director of Travel Leaders of Tomorrow. “The entire travel advisor profession benefits from that, but despite the allure of a career in travel, interested people didn’t know how to actually get going. We developed Travel Leaders of Tomorrow to teach not only the basics of travel, but how to sell effectively and how to be a true partner to clients. Our curriculum has allowed people to start their career as they see fit, whether that is full-time, part-time, as an agency owner or as an independent contractor. Over the last decade, our team has watched thousands of travel advisors dive into entrepreneurship and develop lucrative, thriving businesses. We are excited to watch what our participants do in the next decade.”
Since its first student, Travel Leaders of Tomorrow has had more than 2,200 people go through its programs. Although the program is an initiative of Internova Travel Group, one of the largest travel services companies in the industry, participants are free to choose to join any host or consortia after they complete their studies.
Travel Leaders of Tomorrow has also opened its curriculum to American and Canadian military veterans and spouses with the Nexion Veterans in Travel scholarship program. Participants go through the Virtual Campus track and then join premier host travel agency Nexion Travel Group as members.
Savannah Hill completed Travel Leaders of Tomorrow in 2016. Since that time, she has been named to her host agency’s top producer award numerous times and was awarded the Rising Star Award very early in her career. “Travel Leaders of Tomorrow has led me to an incredible career,” Hill said. “Owning my own travel agency is a dream come true, and without Travel Leaders of Tomorrow, it wouldn’t have happened. The program worked with me to develop my skills so that I could be confident in my new career. Travel Leaders of Tomorrow is where it all started and I am so grateful I found it.”ADVERTISEMENTAs part of the celebration of its first decade, Travel Leaders of Tomorrow will be revamping its curriculum in 2023, including a new focus on corporate travel.
“The best is yet to come for Travel Leaders of Tomorrow,” Kindred said. “Travel advisors are thriving, our cohorts are consistently full, and our industry is strong. And we’ll be there every step of the way, continuing to improve and refine Travel Leaders of Tomorrow to serve tomorrow’s advisors.”
To learn more about becoming a travel advisor, visit www.TravelLeadersofTomorrow.com

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Finavia and the energy company Helen will launch a new charging station for electric cars in front of Helsinki Airport.
This is the first high-power charging station at Helsinki Airport.
“The demand for electric cars has increased significantly, and it is great that, in cooperation with Helen, we are opening a new charging station for electric cars close to the airport,” says Jukka Isomäki, Head of Parking and Landside Traffic at Helsinki Airport.
The high-power charging station offered by Helen will be taken into use at the airport service station in early autumn 2023. The charging station will be available 24-hours a day and serve not only air passengers and the people who drive them to and from the airport, but also, for example, taxis and the customers of car rental companies.
“Charging an electric car at Helsinki Airport will become considerably faster. The charging station is Helen’s largest to date, and the total capacity of its eight charging points is 600 kilowatts,” says Kati Andersin, Head of E-Mobility at Helen.ADVERTISEMENTAll in all, Helsinki Airport has nearly 400 charging points for electric cars.
“Our parking halls P1 Premium and P2 have excellent facilities for electric cars, as they offer hundreds of charging points for electric cars. The third floor of the P2 building is entirely reserved for electric cars,” says Isomäki.
Electric cars can be charged in all of Finavia’s parking halls at Helsinki Airport.

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The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), to promote and strengthen shared interests between the two organisations in the areas of market access, innovative events, membership and communications to name a few.
PATA Chair Peter Semone expressed his delight about this partnership between the two organisations and highlighted that PATA is thrilled to partner with SPTO in implementing these exciting development opportunities to encourage advocacy marketing and communication, insightful market research, and innovative events for its member organisations.
“PATA is looking forward to further connecting with SPTO on these areas of cooperation for travel and tourism within the Asia Pacific region. This connection will provide more opportunities to host international events, share market insights and enable us to promote the Pacific region to a globally connected audience. Keeping the P in PATA is imperative to us,” Mr Semone said.
In acknowledging the importance of the MoU, SPTO CEO Christopher Cocker highlighted the potential to establish important public-private partnerships, to strengthen the development of the travel and tourism industry in Asia and the Pacific.
“We welcome this partnership with PATA as it aligns with the innovative partnerships component of SPTO’S Strategic Plan 2020-2024. Between our two organisations, there is a wealth of diverse membership and wider stakeholders. We recognize this partnership as an opportunity to bring our stakeholders and resources together to revitalize our progress towards the sustainable growth of travel and tourism in Asia and the Pacific”, he said.ADVERTISEMENT

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TUI, the leading global travel and leisure company, has added a further 1.1 million flight seats for UK holidaymakers departing in summer 2024.Giving customers more flexibility with departing airports, destinations and holiday lengths, the new announcement means the season will be TUI’s biggest summer yet.
With far more capacity to take holidaymakers to key destinations, it’s great news for British holidaymakers looking to lock in their summer holidays early.
The increase in seats is made across 13 regional airports, from Glasgow to Bournemouth. Customers can fly to more destinations than ever before from their local airport.
Over 10 million flights for Summer 2024
The additional capacity is helping TUI increase the frequency of flights and offer more choice and flexibility for British holidaymakers. The increase means that TUI is now set to have over 10 million seats available for the season, including to destinations that are already popular with customers.ADVERTISEMENT
The increase will see:
250,000 additional seats to Turkey250,000 additional seats to Spain250,000 additional seats to Greece and Cyprus300,000 additional seats to North Africa50,000 additional seats to Italy and CroatiaNew Marella Cruise itinerariesAndrew Flintham, TUI managing director, said: “Our customers want more flexibility and to be able to choose a departure airport that is close to home – and that is exactly what the new TUI 2024 summer programme has been designed to do. We want every one of our customers to be able to create a holiday as unique as they are – departure airport, destination and duration are all key components which come together to make the perfect TUI holiday.
“The 2024 programme will see extra flights departing from across the UK with additional TUI flying from Glasgow, Bournemouth, Newcastle, Bristol, and East Midlands. Each region of the UK will see significant increase in flight seats offering more holidays to those living in the region. All of this adds up to over 1 million extra TUI smiles!”

Regional flying
Customers across the country will benefit from additional flights, with new exclusive routes and significant frequency increases at regional airports. No matter where holidaymakers are travelling from, the additional capacity will give customers more choice when it comes to travelling.
Two additional aircraft and 180,000 extra flight seats at Glasgow airport will make 2024 the biggest ever programme for TUI from the airport. The increase includes new flights to Cape Verde and Greece, as well as six exclusive routes.100,000 additional seats are planned for Birmingham with one additional aircraft, and 13 exclusive routes to Agadir, Boa Vista, Cancun, Enfidha, Hurghada, Kavala, Marrakech, Orlando-Melbourne Florida, Montego Bay, Pula, Punta Cana, Sal and Sharm El Sheikh.A new aircraft and a 33% increase of 60,000 additional seats are scheduled for Bournemouth Airport, with a new route to Enfidha, Tunisia and increased frequency to Ibiza, Lanzarote, Menorca, Heraklion, Paphos and Tenerife.An additional aircraft will help provide new routes to Boa Vista and Cape Verde from Bristol Airport, as well as 120,000 additional short and mid-haul seats planned with daily flights to popular destinations.2.3 million seats planned for Manchester with an additional aircraft based at the airport. With daily departures to ten destinations planned, there will be 130,000 extra seats, as well as a new route to Budapest.Newcastle will also benefit from one additional aircraft based at the airport to help with 120,000 extra seats and new routes to Cape Verde and Egypt.A new direct route to Sharm El Sheik, Egypt from Cardiff Airport will be introduced as well as 40,000 additional seats.It will be the biggest programme ever from East Midlands with four exclusive routes, one additional aircraft, 100,000 extra flight seats and new routes to Sal, Cape Verde.Extra flights to Crete and Rhodes have been added at Exeter Airport, plus 15,000 more seats.Two million seats are planned for summer 2024 from Gatwick with new routes to Marsa Alam and Budapest. TUI will be operating 11 exclusive routes from the airport as well as having 200,000 additional seats compared to Summer 2023 with up to 195 weekly departures to 18 countries.After over 60 years of presence at Luton, there will be 14 weekly flights to four countries with increased frequency to Dalaman and Antalya.Stansted has 30,000 additional seats planned for increased flight frequency to Greece, Turkey and Cyprus – offering more choice and flexibility.Teesside Airport will benefit from a new weekly route to Dalaman making TUI the exclusive operator to Turkey from this airport.The 2024 summer programme will be on sale now via tui.co.uk, TUI retail stores and independent travel agents.

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PortAventura World has reached a major corporate milestone by becoming a B Corp company, thanks to its positive impact on society and environmentally friendly practices. The company has successfully passed the strict impact measurement requirements to become a B Corp company, meeting high standards of compliance in environmental, social and good governance performance.
Becoming a B Corp company has been based on a new corporate purpose, “At PortAventura World, we create unforgettable experiences that have a positive impact on people while caring for the planet”, which has been included in a statutory modification to adapt the corporate purpose and powers of the board in accordance with B Corp requirements.
Arturo Mas-Sardá, President of PortAventura World, pointed out that “becoming a B Corp company represents a before and after in our way of acting, managing and governing. But it is also the acknowledgement of our company, a benchmark in the tourism and theme resort sector worldwide, which has always sought to have a long-term vision of what the company would be like in the coming decades”.
One of the most outstanding sustainability actions that PortAventura World is carrying out is the installation of a photovoltaic plant for self-consumption, consisting of more than 11,000 solar panels. It is also committed to promoting measures such as recycling, energy saving, responsible use of water and sustainable mobility.
Choni Fernández, director of sustainability at PortAventura World, pointed out that “it is of enormous importance to be a member of the B Corp community because it gives us added value to change, in a real way, the way things are done. We are aware of the role we play in the tourism industry and the economic fabric, and being part of the B Corp movement is a corporate philosophy that will guide our present and future steps and decisions”.ADVERTISEMENT

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