MANY UK holidaymakers travelling abroad will pay more for foreign currency as the pound plunged to its lowest level since 1985 following the EU referendum.
Sterling was down against every single major currency group.
The pound crashed 10% against the dollar overnight to 1.33 US dollars, a low not seen in 30 years.
This could make the UK a more affordable destination for overseas tourists.
The victory for the Leave campaign is unlikely to have any immediate ramifications for UK tourists passing through immigration controls abroad, or for inbound tourism.
A spokesman for Heathrow Airport said: "Anyone travelling through the airport will find it operating normally with no changes to security and immigration."
Bill Gibbons, director of industry body Discover Ferries, which represents 12 ferry companies, insisted that the vote will not have an impact on summer travel plans.
"Ferries will continue to travel as normal and there will be no changes to routes or schedules," he added. "It will be business as usual."
Joel Brandon-Bravo, UK managing director of travel deals company Travelzoo, warned that the referendum result would have an impact on the tourism industry in several ways.
He said: "The next 24 months of negotiations will be crucial for British travel - particularly if the UK Government wants to maintain inbound tourism from the EU, and avoid a price hike for Britons wanting to travel abroad for holidays.
"Obviously top priority is dealing with the impact the referendum result will have on the value of the pound, but there are other factors that could make the result a big blow for the travel industry."
Mr Brandon-Bravo urged the Government to quickly negotiate how an independent UK will operate in the European Common Aviation Area.
Travel organisation Abta warned during the referendum campaign that foreign travel was "likely to become more expensive" following Brexit.
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Showing posts with label Travelzoo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travelzoo. Show all posts
Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Thomas Cook Suspends Online Currency Sales Due To Demand Hike
The fall in the value of sterling, after a sharp rise earlier in the week, had tourists rushing to exchange money.
The euro was in particular demand, with the pound down more than 5% against the currency at €1.2398 in Friday trading.
At the travel money operation at the Post Office, Andrew Brown said holidaymakers should "watch currency movements very carefully".
The pound plunged to its lowest level since 1985 following the EU referendum. Sterling was down against every single major currency group, falling 10% against the dollar overnight to $1.33, a low not seen in 30 years.
Throughout the night the Thomas Cook had been offering euros for click-and-collect at Thursday's favourable rate of €1.27 to the pound, despite the fall in the value of sterling in the wholesale foreign exchange market.
A rush of demand from holidaymakers trying to protect themselves against the fall led to queues snaking outside the doors at some Thomas Cook outlets this morning.
The company suspended the online service to make sure that its counters did not run out of cash.
A Thomas Cook spokesperson said: "We have temporarily suspended our travel money website following unprecedented customer demand for foreign currency overnight and this morning.
"We apologise to all customers affected. Our immediate priority is to ensure that we have enough currency in store to fulfil outstanding orders. We hope to be back up and running as soon as possible."
Ian Strafford-Taylor, chief executive of currency provider FairFX, said the reaction of the pound to Brexit could signal "longer term volatility", with holidaymakers "directly impacted".
He said: "Those consumers who did not stock up on their holiday money may find their holiday now becomes more expensive this year, if weak pound-euro rates continue into the summer."
Andrew Brown, of Post Office Travel Money, which accounts for around a quarter of all UK foreign exchange transactions, urged holidaymakers to "watch currency movements very carefully".
He said: "For those who have not yet booked their holiday but are planning to travel abroad during the summer or later in the year, it will be well worth doing some homework before making a decision.
"Choosing a destination where sterling is strong and also where the local cost of living is low could make a significant difference to how far the holiday budget will stretch."
Joel Brandon-Bravo, UK managing director of travel deals company Travelzoo, warned the referendum result would affect the tourism industry in several ways.
He said: "The next 24 months of negotiations will be crucial for British travel - particularly if the UK Government wants to maintain inbound tourism from the EU, and avoid a price hike for Britons wanting to travel abroad for holidays."
The euro was in particular demand, with the pound down more than 5% against the currency at €1.2398 in Friday trading.
At the travel money operation at the Post Office, Andrew Brown said holidaymakers should "watch currency movements very carefully".
The pound plunged to its lowest level since 1985 following the EU referendum. Sterling was down against every single major currency group, falling 10% against the dollar overnight to $1.33, a low not seen in 30 years.
Throughout the night the Thomas Cook had been offering euros for click-and-collect at Thursday's favourable rate of €1.27 to the pound, despite the fall in the value of sterling in the wholesale foreign exchange market.
A rush of demand from holidaymakers trying to protect themselves against the fall led to queues snaking outside the doors at some Thomas Cook outlets this morning.
The company suspended the online service to make sure that its counters did not run out of cash.
A Thomas Cook spokesperson said: "We have temporarily suspended our travel money website following unprecedented customer demand for foreign currency overnight and this morning.
"We apologise to all customers affected. Our immediate priority is to ensure that we have enough currency in store to fulfil outstanding orders. We hope to be back up and running as soon as possible."
Ian Strafford-Taylor, chief executive of currency provider FairFX, said the reaction of the pound to Brexit could signal "longer term volatility", with holidaymakers "directly impacted".
He said: "Those consumers who did not stock up on their holiday money may find their holiday now becomes more expensive this year, if weak pound-euro rates continue into the summer."
Andrew Brown, of Post Office Travel Money, which accounts for around a quarter of all UK foreign exchange transactions, urged holidaymakers to "watch currency movements very carefully".
He said: "For those who have not yet booked their holiday but are planning to travel abroad during the summer or later in the year, it will be well worth doing some homework before making a decision.
"Choosing a destination where sterling is strong and also where the local cost of living is low could make a significant difference to how far the holiday budget will stretch."
Joel Brandon-Bravo, UK managing director of travel deals company Travelzoo, warned the referendum result would affect the tourism industry in several ways.
He said: "The next 24 months of negotiations will be crucial for British travel - particularly if the UK Government wants to maintain inbound tourism from the EU, and avoid a price hike for Britons wanting to travel abroad for holidays."
SCOTLAND: UK Tourists May Experience Price Hikes
Many UK holidaymakers travelling abroad will pay more for foreign currency as the pound plunged to its lowest level since 1985 following the EU referendum.
Sterling was down against every single major currency group.
The pound crashed 10% against the dollar overnight to 1.33 US dollars, a low not seen in 30 years.
This could make the UK a more affordable destination for overseas tourists.
The victory for the Leave campaign is unlikely to have any immediate ramifications for UK tourists passing through immigration controls abroad, or for inbound tourism.
A spokesman for Heathrow Airport said: "Anyone travelling through the airport will find it operating normally with no changes to security and immigration."
Bill Gibbons, director of industry body Discover Ferries, which represents 12 ferry companies, insisted that the vote will not have an impact on summer travel plans.
"Ferries will continue to travel as normal and there will be no changes to routes or schedules," he added. "It will be business as usual."
Joel Brandon-Bravo, UK managing director of travel deals company Travelzoo, warned that the referendum result would have an impact on the tourism industry in several ways.
He said: "The next 24 months of negotiations will be crucial for British travel - particularly if the UK Government wants to maintain inbound tourism from the EU, and avoid a price hike for Britons wanting to travel abroad for holidays.
"Obviously top priority is dealing with the impact the referendum result will have on the value of the pound, but there are other factors that could make the result a big blow for the travel industry."
Mr Brandon-Bravo urged the Government to quickly negotiate how an independent UK will operate in the European Common Aviation Area.
Travel organisation Abta warned during the referendum campaign that foreign travel was "likely to become more expensive" following Brexit.
It published a report which stated that holidaymakers and business travellers may face increased costs if an exit vote leads to a fall in the value of sterling, while travel businesses may also raise prices in order to recoup the cost of new taxes and levies being introduced.
Another potential factor which could make travel more expensive is consumers needing to cover additional insurance costs if the UK leaves the European Health Insurance Card scheme, according to the report produced with economic analysis by Deloitte.
The research concluded: "In the longer term, following a Brexit, travel is likely to become more expensive."
Andrew Swaffield, chief executive of low-cost airline Monarch, responded to the study by saying that the UK leaving the EU could lead to an increase in air fares and a reduction in the number of flights.
Sterling was down against every single major currency group.
The pound crashed 10% against the dollar overnight to 1.33 US dollars, a low not seen in 30 years.
This could make the UK a more affordable destination for overseas tourists.
The victory for the Leave campaign is unlikely to have any immediate ramifications for UK tourists passing through immigration controls abroad, or for inbound tourism.
A spokesman for Heathrow Airport said: "Anyone travelling through the airport will find it operating normally with no changes to security and immigration."
Bill Gibbons, director of industry body Discover Ferries, which represents 12 ferry companies, insisted that the vote will not have an impact on summer travel plans.
"Ferries will continue to travel as normal and there will be no changes to routes or schedules," he added. "It will be business as usual."
Joel Brandon-Bravo, UK managing director of travel deals company Travelzoo, warned that the referendum result would have an impact on the tourism industry in several ways.
He said: "The next 24 months of negotiations will be crucial for British travel - particularly if the UK Government wants to maintain inbound tourism from the EU, and avoid a price hike for Britons wanting to travel abroad for holidays.
"Obviously top priority is dealing with the impact the referendum result will have on the value of the pound, but there are other factors that could make the result a big blow for the travel industry."
Mr Brandon-Bravo urged the Government to quickly negotiate how an independent UK will operate in the European Common Aviation Area.
Travel organisation Abta warned during the referendum campaign that foreign travel was "likely to become more expensive" following Brexit.
It published a report which stated that holidaymakers and business travellers may face increased costs if an exit vote leads to a fall in the value of sterling, while travel businesses may also raise prices in order to recoup the cost of new taxes and levies being introduced.
Another potential factor which could make travel more expensive is consumers needing to cover additional insurance costs if the UK leaves the European Health Insurance Card scheme, according to the report produced with economic analysis by Deloitte.
The research concluded: "In the longer term, following a Brexit, travel is likely to become more expensive."
Andrew Swaffield, chief executive of low-cost airline Monarch, responded to the study by saying that the UK leaving the EU could lead to an increase in air fares and a reduction in the number of flights.
Friday, 17 June 2016
UNITED KINGDOM: UK Must Stay In Europe To Protect Brighton's £750 Million Tourism Industry
Chief executive Eleanor Harris claimed leaving would cause huge damage to the city’s tourism industry as she firmly nailed her colours to the Remain mast in warning that Brexit would leave many potential EU visitors less inclined to visit the city.
Ms Harris said: “As an organisation which has been marketing the i360 and Brighton and Hove to international travel buyers, I am a strong advocate of remaining in the EU.
“The EU is by far our most important market.
"Two thirds of all of our international visitors in the UK and Brighton and Hove are from the EU and our most important markets are Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Ireland and Spain."
Ms Harris said that during her 20 years’ experience in the industry, which has seen her work for the London Eye and British Airways, she had seen the huge benefits of EU membership for UK tourism.
She said EU membership had brought many benefits to British tourism including the ability to travel without a visa while the open skies agreement had made it both cheaper to fly to Europe but also made it cheaper for Europeans to fly to the UK.
The i360 boss said Brighton and Hove particularly benefited because of its proximity to Gatwick.
She also pointed to a recent survey of 6,000 international travel buyers by online travel website Travelzoo which found that one third said a Brexit vote would make them less likely to visit the UK as they would feel less welcome.
A Liberal Democrat published report released earlier in the campaign claimed that leaving the EU would harm the city’s £750 million tourism economy and the more than 19,000 jobs it supports.
The report’s authors warned that Brexit could result in higher flight costs and higher mobile data roaming charges putting off some of the 8.5 million annual visitors to the city.
Brighton and Hove City Councillor Tom Bewick dismissed the concerns about Brexit’s impact on the city’s tourism sector and said the claims were just the latest example of Remain scaremongering.
Cllr Bewick said: “This is just another example of Project Fear.
“Travel is a global industry and the price of flights is more affected by changes in the price of oil than the EU or the threat of Brexit, I don’t accept that our tourism industry would be affected.
“In fact our tourism industry has been hampered in recent years because Chinese and Indian visitors find it very difficult to come to Britain and prefer to visit Schengen countries on a single visa.
“It was EU law that the Channel Tunnel operators tried to use to close down the Newhaven to Dieppe ferry service.”
Monday, 14 March 2016
Travelers Should Expect To Meet Robots On Holidays By 2020
A survey of more than 6,000 travellers in Asia, Europe, North America and South America reveals nearly 80% of respondents expect robots to play a big part in their lives by 2020, with three quarters believing they will make their lives significantly better. Almost two-thirds of respondents would be comfortable with robots being used in the travel industry.
Travelzoo, a global media commerce company, conducted the research as part of its Future of Travel project exploring consumer acceptance of robots in the travel and tourism industry. Richard Singer, Travelzoo’s European President, will make a keynote speech on the findings at this year’s ITB Berlin – Europe’s largest travel trade show. On March 11, Mr. Singer will share the stage with Toshiba’s Chihira Kanae – one of the world’s most human-looking robots, who will make her European debut at the event.
According to the survey, international travellers are largely comfortable with robots playing a role in their holiday, though some nations appear more cautious than others. German and French respondents were the most averse, while Chinese and Brazilians were the most positive about how robotics and artificial intelligence could enhance a holiday or travel in general – 92% of Chinese were comfortable with the idea.
The main advantages respondents see in robots are related to general efficiency, data retention and recall. More than three-quarters of respondents think that robots would be better than humans at handling data (81%) and dealing with different languages (79%), while 76% believe robots have better memories. 81% of respondents selected their untiring energy as an advantage.
Commenting on the survey’s findings, Mr. Singer said, “Right now is a very exciting moment in the history of the travel industry – groundbreaking technology is revolutionising what is possible from the perspective of customer service, entertainment and personalisation. Robots and artificial intelligence are making their debut on the tourism stage, and our research into global acceptance of robots working in the travel industry is largely positive. Most nations are starting to open up to the idea of robots in travel and see the tangible benefits heading our way in the very near future.”
Singer continued, “While the advent of technology such as robot butlers and bartenders is hugely exciting, it’s also very clear from our research that consumers see the combination of robots and humans working in tandem in customer-facing roles as the ideal solution.”
“Consumers still want humans in the picture, as otherwise there is a genuine fear that cultural nuances, humour and irony will be missed and the holiday experience could become too impersonal. If we don’t respect the desire for the human touch, we risk ‘robophobia’ setting in, when in fact technology can significantly improve the holiday experience when used appropriately.”
Professor Stephen Page of Bournemouth University, which is one of the leading global authorities on travel and tourism, said, “Robots represent a major innovation in the tourism sector and their potential impact and use offers many new avenues to enhance and develop the visitor experience of travel and hospitality. Understanding how consumers will embrace and interact with this new technology will be critical to their adoption and dissemination in an industry that is one of the market leaders in the use of technology.”
Toshiba is pioneering ‘human-looking’ robot technology and has created three ‘communication androids,’ two of which are already being used in Tokyo in a hotel reception and a shopping mall. Hitoshi Tokuda, Chief Specialist at Toshiba’s Research and Development Division said, “Chihira Kanae is a taste of things to come – we look forward to working with the travel industry to refine her, so that she can enable better holiday experiences for consumers.”
The survey for Travelzoo’s Future of Travel project was conducted via an online questionnaire by third-party research agency Norstat. The questionnaire was completed by 6,211 travellers in Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Travelzoo, a global media commerce company, conducted the research as part of its Future of Travel project exploring consumer acceptance of robots in the travel and tourism industry. Richard Singer, Travelzoo’s European President, will make a keynote speech on the findings at this year’s ITB Berlin – Europe’s largest travel trade show. On March 11, Mr. Singer will share the stage with Toshiba’s Chihira Kanae – one of the world’s most human-looking robots, who will make her European debut at the event.
According to the survey, international travellers are largely comfortable with robots playing a role in their holiday, though some nations appear more cautious than others. German and French respondents were the most averse, while Chinese and Brazilians were the most positive about how robotics and artificial intelligence could enhance a holiday or travel in general – 92% of Chinese were comfortable with the idea.
The main advantages respondents see in robots are related to general efficiency, data retention and recall. More than three-quarters of respondents think that robots would be better than humans at handling data (81%) and dealing with different languages (79%), while 76% believe robots have better memories. 81% of respondents selected their untiring energy as an advantage.
Commenting on the survey’s findings, Mr. Singer said, “Right now is a very exciting moment in the history of the travel industry – groundbreaking technology is revolutionising what is possible from the perspective of customer service, entertainment and personalisation. Robots and artificial intelligence are making their debut on the tourism stage, and our research into global acceptance of robots working in the travel industry is largely positive. Most nations are starting to open up to the idea of robots in travel and see the tangible benefits heading our way in the very near future.”
Singer continued, “While the advent of technology such as robot butlers and bartenders is hugely exciting, it’s also very clear from our research that consumers see the combination of robots and humans working in tandem in customer-facing roles as the ideal solution.”
“Consumers still want humans in the picture, as otherwise there is a genuine fear that cultural nuances, humour and irony will be missed and the holiday experience could become too impersonal. If we don’t respect the desire for the human touch, we risk ‘robophobia’ setting in, when in fact technology can significantly improve the holiday experience when used appropriately.”
Professor Stephen Page of Bournemouth University, which is one of the leading global authorities on travel and tourism, said, “Robots represent a major innovation in the tourism sector and their potential impact and use offers many new avenues to enhance and develop the visitor experience of travel and hospitality. Understanding how consumers will embrace and interact with this new technology will be critical to their adoption and dissemination in an industry that is one of the market leaders in the use of technology.”
Toshiba is pioneering ‘human-looking’ robot technology and has created three ‘communication androids,’ two of which are already being used in Tokyo in a hotel reception and a shopping mall. Hitoshi Tokuda, Chief Specialist at Toshiba’s Research and Development Division said, “Chihira Kanae is a taste of things to come – we look forward to working with the travel industry to refine her, so that she can enable better holiday experiences for consumers.”
The survey for Travelzoo’s Future of Travel project was conducted via an online questionnaire by third-party research agency Norstat. The questionnaire was completed by 6,211 travellers in Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
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