Organisations & Operators,

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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Kam Jandu will take over as the CEO of Budapest Airport Zrt. on 1 May from the current CEO, Chris Dinsdale, who is leaving for Canada.Kam Jandu joined the company in 2009, and over the past 14 years, with a one-year hiatus, has continuously supported the development of Ferenc Liszt International Airport with his expertise.
Budapest Airport announced at the beginning of March that current CEO Chris Dinsdale will leave the company at the end of July, to take up the position of president and CEO of the Calgary Airport Authority, which operates two airports, including Calgary International Airport in Canada. Following consideration by the Board of Directors and shareholder approval, Kam Jandu, the current chief commercial officer, will take over as the CEO of Budapest Airport from 1 May.
Kam Jandu has in-depth knowledge of the company, having joined Budapest Airport Zrt. in 2009. Initially working as aviation director, from 2013 as chief commercial officer, he has been involved in the implementation of the company’s strategic objectives. It is partly thanks to him and his team that Budapest Airport’s aerial connections have improved and the number of destinations directly accessible from Budapest has increased spectacularly.
Gerhard Schroeder, chairman of the Board of Directors of Budapest Airport Zrt. said: “Kam Jandu can look back on 25 years of broad experience in the aviation industry. With him, Budapest Airport will be able to continue its successful development and further expand its role as Hungary’s most important gateway. On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I wish him every success in his new role.”

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Manchester Airport and its on-site partners will be recruiting for roles as varied as security officers, retail assistants, drivers and construction workers, at a jobs fair taking place later this month.
The event – at the Wythenshawe Forum – will be held on Wednesday 26 April with more than 500 vacancies to be filled in total.
The northern hub, which has already recruited around 2,000 new colleagues since Covid-19 travel restrictions were lifted, is now preparing for its busiest summer since 2019. It is set to welcome hundreds more staff in the months ahead as part of its usual preparations for the peak travel season.
Alongside the airport’s operator, MAG, around a dozen other firms which work on the airport site will be represented at the jobs fair;
Retailers and restaurant operators such as Wagamama’s, Boots, Pret a Manger, Travelex, HMS Host and Blakemore (SPAR)Aviation service providers such as dnata and SwissportConstruction partners MACE, who are leading on the second phase of the airport’s transformation programmeThose in attendance will be able to put questions to employers about the roles on offer and will also be guided on the skills and experience employers are looking for, improving their chances of securing a position.ADVERTISEMENTThe Airport Academy will also be represented at the Wythenshawe jobs fair. It provides free support and training courses for people who need assistance applying for jobs, including those with additional needs and those who are long-term unemployed. It then helps them secure interviews with the airport or its partners for a role that aligns with their strengths. The Airport Academy has so far helped hundreds of jobseekers gain employment at the airport.
Chris Woodroofe, Managing Director at Manchester Airport, said:
“We are always on the lookout for talented people who can help us improve the experience we provide to our passengers. This event will give jobseekers the chance to find out more about the variety of careers on offer at the airport.
“It is an exciting time to be joining us, with an ongoing £440m investment in our facilities as part of our transformation programme.
“We are also pleased to be supporting our partners, as they strengthen their own teams in preparation for a busy summer.”
Those securing roles with Manchester Airport can take advantage of a wide range of benefits. These include discounts on public transport when travelling to work, free on-site car parking whilst working and when going on holiday, an excellent pension scheme, training programmes, and discounts on purchases from on-site retailers including Duty Free.
The jobs fair runs from 10:00 – 13:00 on Wednesday 26 April at Wythenshawe Forum and attendees can find out more online at www.manchesterairport.co.uk/recruitment and can book a place here.

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This Earth Day, the TreadRight Foundation is announcing its newest project partner, Scotland-based Trees for Life and support for its Wild Pine project, restoring globally important Caledonian Forest and its unique wildlife.
The foundation is a joint initiative between brands from the Travel Corporation (TTC).
It is the first project TreadRight has announced since shifting focus to supporting nature-based solutions in support of its three pillars of planet, people and wildlife.
TTC is a family of 40 award-winning brands including Trafalgar, Insight Vacations, Contiki, Uniworld, Highland Explorer Tours and Red Carnation Hotels.
In 2022, TTC became the first tour operator with validated near-term, long-term and net zero targets.
In support of these targets TTC also announced an internal Carbon Fund to invest in its net zero transition, in concert with a prioritisation of nature-based solutions.
“This Earth Day’s theme is ‘invest in our planet’ and TreadRight is pleased to partner with Trees of Life, a strong nature-based solutions charity working to tackle the overlapping nature and climate emergencies and create a cascade of benefits for people,” said Shannon Guihan, TTC chief sustainability officer and head of the TreadRight Foundation. ADVERTISEMENT“Nature based solutions include the conservation and restoration of natural ecosystems, and improved land management to either reduce carbon emissions or to store carbon in the planet.”
Trees For Life is dedicated to rewilding the Scottish Highlands.
According to the charity, thousands of years ago wild pinewoods covered an estimated one million hectares of Scotland – but today only about two per cent of this life-supporting habitat remains, broken into small and isolated fragments, many under threat and in poor condition.
Rewilding is a means to protect and restore sustainable biodiversity, natural landscapes and wildlife while removing carbon emissions from the atmosphere.
Alongside prioritising the reduction of carbon emissions, supporting nature-based solutions which remove and store emissions already in the atmosphere is an integral component in the global journey towards net zero, which is the critical goal post to avoid a climate disaster according to the latest climate science.
More Information
Learn more about nature-based solutions from TreadRight here.

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Danish Crown and DFDS enter into a historic multi-year partnership agreement that includes an intensified commitment to – jointly – ensure the transition to CO2-neutral transport. The agreement also includes the immediate deployment of six additional electric trucks.The new agreement builds on the existing partnership where DFDS provides logistics and freight services to Danish Crown across their European operations, including transport to the UK via DFDS’ freight ferries.
A central part of the five-year agreement is a commitment from both parties to reduce the CO2 footprint. This agreement is based on many years of cooperation and ongoing innovation projects.
“We are pleased with the trust that Danish Crown is showing us with the conclusion of the agreement. It is a multi-year partnership, which among other things, is a prerequisite for effectively reducing CO2 emissions. We will immediately deploy more electric trucks and trailers in Danish Crown’s logistics network. Then we will continue collaborating with Danish Crown on developing innovative solutions and processes that can pave the way for further reductions,” says Torben Carlsen, CEO of DFDS.
The agreement has an estimated value of up to five billion Danish kroner during the agreement period. As something new, a small part of the contract amount is earmarked for projects that can reduce the climate footprint from the transport of Danish Crown’s products.
“It is crucial that our partners are committed to the green transition and invest in solutions that can help reduce the climate footprint of our products’ journey from the farm to the fork. DFDS is very active in the testing and implementing new transport solutions, so we look forward to continuing our long-standing partnership,” says Jais Valeur, Group CEO of Danish Crown.ADVERTISEMENTDanish Crown wants to take the lead in ensuring a sustainable transition of food production and producing climate-neutral food by 2050. Therefore, the Group and DFDS are continuously working on several efforts to find solutions to ensure more sustainable logistics. As part of the agreement, six electric trucks and several electric trailers will be deployed. In doing so, Danish Crown joins the extensive Nordic network of electric trucks currently being implemented by DFDS. The electric trucks will travel across Danish Crown’s network and will be a crucial component in the overall reduction of Danish Crown’s transport emissions.
“As we continue our efforts to reduce the footprint of refrigerated transport, it is essential to emphasise the value of long-term partners such as the one we have with Danish Crown. The partnership allows for immediate initiatives to lower emissions while also allowing us to design longer-term solutions to ensure that we move towards zero emissions,” says Martin Gade Gregersen, Deputy EVP & Head of Cold Chain Logistics in DFDS.
The combination of electric refrigerated trailers and electric trucks enables Danish Crown to create a fully electric mode of transport and will build on the above-mentioned pilot project.

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Jet2holidays has announced that its enormously popular ‘Bid for a Break’ campaign will return for another year, delighting holidaymakers who have been looking forward to its welcome return.  The ‘Bid for a Break’ campaign, which gives holidaymakers the opportunity to bid for their next holiday for as little as just a few pence, has experienced sky-high popularity with a phenomenal number of customers bidding on a break since it launched in August 2021. After being inundated with requests for the popular campaign to return, Jet2holidays has confirmed that ‘Bid for a Break’ will relaunch from 17th April. 
Through the campaign from the UK’s largest tour operator, over 50 holidaymakers have successfully ‘Bid on a Break’ over the last three years. After being told that they had entered the lowest unique bid, the successful bidders purchased the holiday for the same price as their bid. 
Other successful holidaymakers have bid on and secured getaways with Jet2holidays to destinations such as the Canary Islands, Greece, Cyprus, Spain, the Algarve, and Turkey, with successful bids starting from as little as 2p. 
The first holiday to bid on, when the campaign relaunches, is a seven-night holiday for two adults and two children to the Pine Bay Holiday Resort in Izmir.
The other holidays available to bid on will include: ADVERTISEMENTA seven-night holiday for two adults to the Porto Platanias Luxury Selection in Crete A seven-night holiday for two adults and two children to the Jupiter Albufeira Hotel in the Algarve A seven-night holiday for two adults to the Oludeniz Beach Resort by Z Hotels in Dalaman With a new holiday available to bid on each week, holidaymakers have plenty of opportunity to successfully bid on a break throughout 2023. Bidding opens at 9.00am every Monday and closes at 12pm on a Thursday. 
To Bid for a Break, all holidaymakers need to do is download the Jet2 mobile app and add in their bid to the nearest pence. If they are the only user to bid that amount and that amount is the lowest, they will purchase the holiday for the same price as their bid.
Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said: “Since its launch, our Bid for a Break campaign has been extremely popular with holidaymakers, and we are delighted to announce that it is returning for another year. The campaign is much sought-after, so we have no doubt that customers will be as delighted as us to see it come back and it will prove to be a big hit once again. We know how much UK holidaymakers want to get away from the UK and enjoy a well-deserved holiday in the sunshine. With some fantastic holidays available to bid on every week, we are offering them the chance to do just that for as little as just a few pence. We wish everyone the best of luck and look forward to welcoming the successful bidders on holiday.”
The Jet2 mobile app can be downloaded for free from the App Store or on Google Play. It can be used to search, book, and manage ATOL-protected holidays and award-winning flights in one handy place. 
For further information on the campaign, please visit: https://www.jet2holidays.com/bid-for-a-break

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