Darren Panto Associates Blog

Fam Trip to North Cyprus

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 15:36:00 -0600

Just returned from what I hope will be a very successful Familiarisation trip to North Cyprus. We met on time at Heathrow's impressive Terminal 5 and group check-in was not too bad. Everyone seemed quite bright and cheerful for 06.30hrs and we proceeded without incident to Departures for our BA flight with the very grumpy stewardess who fell asleep at the back of the plane for quite a while. On arriving at Larnaca, we were met by a gleeful Sabina Shaida, MD of Mosaic Holidays, and ushered to luxury mini-buses to Nicosia where we crossed the border very smoothly and were at our hotel within 1hr 45 ins of landing. We visited some fabulous places over the next 4 days, and some quite humbling too, learnt lots about the history and conflicts, and felt the genuine warmth of the local people. This is one of the very few short haul destinations which retains its authenticity, and takes pride in doing so. It is not commercialised but has all the modern amenities, restaurants, cafes, bars, shops and hotels required for the ideal holiday. We all enjoyed sitting at Kyrenia Harbour in the evenings, drinking the local wine and enjoying the Nargila (water pipe otherwise known as hubbly bubbly).

Marry in Style

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 11:44:00 -0500

Caught up with Janice Grant of Marry in Style today. I've known Janice for years as she has been in the travel industry even longer than myself, and has embarked on a new venture of arranging people's weddings for them. I have to admit, she is perfectly suited for this - she is everything I'm not - articulate, organised and efficient. She is also someone that stands no nonsense from suppliers, an important attribute in ensuring a show runs smoothly - and she has handled numberous groups, conferences, meetings and incentive groups. The MICE market will not be the same without her, though I'm sure she will keep her hand in. So, if you or anyone you know are looking for a wedding planner / organiser, whether it be an Indian, Jewish, Christian or any other denomination, be sure to visit: http://www.marryinstyle.co.uk/ .Janice and her busness partner Farhana are certainly a team to ensure you have exactly what you want, when you want - and are brimming with ideas.

Black is back

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:37:00 -0500

An interesting last few weeks launching Mosaic Holidays new North Cyprus brochure. Feedback is extremely positive, and the travel agents love the quality, feel and contents. But does that mean they will support Mosaic? Well, the signs are encouraging, especially as the competition ignores us and grows very large. Mosaic is small, quality, personal - they are the key selling points, plus passionate about what they are doing. It shows from the top and works down. There is a real sense of pride, but it is hard work out there fighting for bookings. Hotels still think clients walk in off the street and ask for their destinations, their hotels and their prices - reality check please. It is dog eat dog - or differentiate, and that is what we are trying to do - differentiation through innovation and inspiration. Here's hoping!

Rain rain let's go away

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:48:00 -0500

August bank holiday is upon us and what can we say about the month? It rained almost every day. This, you would think, would spur people to book an holiday and seek sunshine abroad. Suddenly, the "staycation" doesn't seem much of a proposition and those singing about how well it is doing, must feel like Edwina Curry. Yet I'm hearing across the industry that sales are lower than expected, and the lates market is not there like usual because there is not much quality availability; prices are dropping. This is there for all to see, though there is thankfully less to sell. The absolute peak summer school holidays have sold well, yet prices for Egypt and Turkey were dropped too early by those afraid to wait. Can't blame them, but when you have demand you need to be able to capitalise and yield it to the maximum. Visited some travel agents this week and none were busy, though there was a gentle air of optimism as the rain continued to soak me every time I left my car. Everyone loves the new Mosaic Holidays (www.mosaicholidays.co.uk) North Cyprus brochure so that is really encouraging, and we are well positioned to take advantage of early bookings for next year to this unspoilt haven. Happy Bank Holiday and here's hoping for a strong September.

Kiss Goodbye

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:09:00 -0500

Well, another one bites the dust. The demise of Kiss Flights could perhaps have been foreseen, following the standing down of Noel Josephides of Sunvil, the "champion" for Viking / Meridian / Kiss - I'm not sure which it was and who is who, but can there really be no connection? I do not know, but am sad that once again an airline fulfilling a gap in the market has come down all too quickly and peoples' job have vanished overnight. Once more, the power is in the grip of the big two operators / airlines, with Monarch standing on its own as the charter champion, yet with some reluctance towards it in the market, apparently. The latter's aircraft are larger than ideal for mid-haul destinations in the eyes of smaller independent tour operators, and their handling of the volcanic ash crisis upset many. However, they are still around and should be in a stronger position right now. As for Mosaic Holidays, they had only a few clients booked on affected flights and these were protected immediately with clients being, for once, very understanding. Turkey continues to prove popular with families and couple alike - especially around Christmas.

If it is too good to be true

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 10:20:00 -0500

Well, Goldtrail collapses and the same arguments ring around the travel industry. They were selling too cheap, they were selling rubbish, Turkey was supposed to be doing well, etc. But here is another one, they were selling ATOL to ATOL for seat only since December, and agents didn't realise. I wonder if all of them realise what this even means. It is sad to see a company fail and the staff are left in a terrible situation. I'm sure that the industry as a whole will learn little, and there will be another company that unveils itself to fill the gap. Perhaps there could be a minimum selling price of a holiday introduced?

Fabulous but unsustainable

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:48:00 -0500

Having just spent our annual holiday at the Sheraton Pine Cliffs Hotel in Portugal's Algarve, I thought I'd share a few thoughts with you. This is undoubtedly the most child and family-friendly resort I have been lucky enough to stay at. My wife selected it exactly for that reason, plus the gym facilities and self-catering option ensured all the boxes were ticked. The green tain that served the resort was a winner with the kids, the pools and facilities were excellent, and the "residences" were lovely. To eat lunch and dinner with the kids on the balcony was truly wonderful. The golf course and driving range on site were both very nice and the children's kingdom was outstanding, with qualified and genuinely lovely staff. I could not manage to connect to the free wi-fi in the hotel reception, as advertised - many people were mentioning the same problem. The only really serious disappointment was the fact that this place was devoid of any recycling facilities, not even so much as a bottle bank. To self-cater, and then have to throw away bottles, tins, plastics and even paper defied belief and made for a guilty conscience. A Sheraton offering none of this in the year 2010, how can this be? Truly appalling in our opinion. Easyjet flight was good though I managed to select the broken seat and was obliged to move away from my family. The return flight with Monarch was excellent and we even returned home early.

Off on holiday

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 18:12:00 -0500

Well, nearly finished packing and only taken 3 hours (and the rest). Off to Portugal tomorrow and the builders are movig in here tomorrow. Enough rubbish to fill a skip - and reckon we've packed enough to fill a skip too. My bag weights 14kgs, and the kids weigh the same, twice, and they are only little. Emily is excited to be flying on an orange and white plane, Alex (two years old) wants to know if there is food on board, and I'm wondering how the Iceland situation is and whether I shall be luckier departing the UK this time than I was when fog-bound for Guernsey last week. Wow, need an holiday after this stressful day.......

Jersey in the sunshine

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 07:38:00 -0500

Having been unable to attend the ill-fated Guernsey BRIGHT road-show due to extended fog delays at Guernsey Airport, I met up with four other BRIGHT members at LGW, and spent a total of nearly 8 hours stuck there. Flybe did their best and we were eventually re-booked for Jersey the following day. We arrived on early lunch time at Jersey and I proceeded to visit as many of the travel agents as I could that were due to attend the evening's training road-show. The temperature climbed during the afternoon all the way to some 84 degrees F and by the time I visited the last agency, British Airways Travel Shop, I was exhausted and very hot. Donna Le Blancq the shop Manager was very pleasant, in spite of the shop being busy, and I'm pleased to say that every agent I visited was charming. The evening was well attended, high quality and the food was excellent. The only disappointment was that one travel agent had too much to drink and did herself and the company she was representing no favours at all. However, it did not dampen "spirits" and I think i managed to hold my own during the first training seesion I have performed since working on bsiness evelopment for Mosaic Holidays (www.mosaicholidays.co.uk). Congratulations to Pat Thompson of Travelmaker who won herself a week's accommodation for 2 people at the Bellapais Monastery Village in North Cyprus on Bed & Breakfast basis. Congratulations also to Simone of Jules Boutin Travel who won a big bottle of Pimms and some Turkish Delight to enjoy with it, courtesy of Mosaic Holidays.

Eight hours at Gatwick

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:39:00 -0500

Arrived at Gatwick at 09.00hrs for my flight to Guernsey with Flybe. Got to the check-in desk at Flybe to be greeted by a rather sullen, abrasive gentleman who "advised" me that I could not check in as Guernsey Airport was closed. No mention why, until I asked, and then rather wish I hadn't. The ticket sales / customer services people for Flybe were far more pleasant and were handling disgruntled people explaining that the flights were delayed (and ultimately cancelled) due to fog at the island. However, every fog cloud has a silver lining - this one was the fact that Hisham of Kirker Holidays and Jonathan of Franklyn Hotels were on an earlier flight and whilst they were delayed, they did take off......only to return some 3 hours or so later (I could have been on that flight). I met with Andrea of Veloso Tours who was also due to fly on my aircraft and finally after some 7-8 hours, we were re-booked on a flight to Jersey tomorrow. Unfortunately, the BRIGHT Road-show in Guernsey was cancelled so let's hope we make it to Jersey tomorrow as this is my first trip for Mosaic Holidays and there are some fantastic deals to North Cyprus, Turkey, Jordan and Egypt and I want to tell the world about them - see for yourself at: www.mosaicholidays.co.uk .

The fog has lifted...or has it?

Tue, 25 May 2010 16:45:00 -0500

So the fog has lifted for now, and along comes the next excuse for poor holiday sales, namely the hot weather. It seems that May was not only the coldest for many years, but last week-end also prodced outstanding sales for ice-cream, BBQ's and sausages. Unfortunately, while good news for some, this has also led to fewer late holiday sales for the May half term break and price cutting has been rife. It is hard enough to make money in tour operating, but when high season is slow too, it looks like being a very difficult year. Of course, we will soon blame the soccer world cup and Wimbledon. However, these are compelling reasons to stay at home. Mind you, there are more to going away - the prices in the UK are way too high, poor value and even Centre Parcs is very expensive for families. Add that to the poor quality and choice of hotels in Britain's seaside resorts, dubious weather (in the UK a Four Seasons usually means one day's climate) and never-ending roadworks, and abroad really does sound appealing.

The Importance of Being Earnest

Mon, 03 May 2010 10:21:00 -0500

Went to see the Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde at the local theatre on Saturday night with my wife. It was an amateur production, but outstandingly well performed. The humour was rather infectious, and I found it most enlightening. If only I had seen the play when I was studying it as part of my A-level examinations some 27 years ago, I would have understood it all so much better. I was thinking that having seen it I could explain it all and recount it so much better - very much like tour operator and destination Fam Trips in the travel trade. When travel agents and reservations consultants have seen it first hand, sales are driven forward, with confidence. Hotels are the same - where there are similar competing hotels in resorts, the ones that have been expereinced first hand will be the winners.

The dust has settled and the complaints roll in

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:54:00 -0500

The dust has finally settled, at least the dangerous dust, and the planes are flying high. Many people still remain stranded, but normality is expected soon. So what has the travel industry learnt? I suspect that what was already known by experienced industry campaigners has simply been proven. Whilst the volcanic ash was unprecedented, it could always have been something else such as a heatwave melting runways or alike. The principle remains that it will be for courts to decide upon whom the responsibility of paying the bills and compensation ultimately lies. To my mind, this really is nobody's fault and people have to take care of themselves. Unexpected happenings do occur and why should tour operators be left to foot the bill? Why airlines for that matter? What has transpired is that I am not aware of any bed banks covering chrges for clients abroad, though am happy to be advised and proven wrong if that is the case. So, those who have not booked packages have potentially been left with little or no recourse, and perhaps little assistance abroad. I have heard of many being helped beyond the call of duty. Mosaic Holidays http://www.mosaicholidays.co.uk/ were working round the clock and others were too, I'm sure. I suspect the eventual winners will be the advisors and legal teams who would have been inundated with calls for advice.
Now the complaint letters begin to roll in as people have recovered from their ordeals and look to pin the blame on someone else in order to make a buck. I hope that companies stick to their guns and act in a manner they deem to be fair and just.

Time flies by

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 16:28:00 -0500

As time goes by, 150,000 UK citizens currently find themselves stranded abroad, unable to return to their loved ones. Stories I'm hearing all too regularly are of people being told they might be able to return in May. Of course, this is where social media is really coming into itsown. I am receiving alerts from google about people writing on their blogs while stuck in their hotels in Egypt, Greece, France, USA, Canada and more. In addition to this, Facebook allows a fully informed, up-to-date version of what is happening in different countries to people you know and allows an excellent exchange of ideas on how to return home and the situation they are currently facing. At the same time, I'm hearing of people desperate to travel to the Far East and elsewhere for the sake of their businesses, which may be put into jeopardy if transactions cannot be performed in person. At Darren Panto Associates (www.dpaglobal.co.uk), we have been working hard to try and assist tour operators and individuals get people back to the UK, any way possible, generally by train and road. Of course, ferry companies between many different companies are also full to the brim.The consequences of all these seemingly endless cancelled flights may be dire and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Whilst the internet is keeping people in touch, what the internet cannot do just yet is blow away a cloud.

All in a lava

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:14:00 -0500

What a strange phenomenon. A volcano in Iceland is spewing tonnes of volcanic ash into the sky and it is drifting acorss the UK, slowly. The result of this is that once again Iceland is hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons, only this time it really has brought Europe to a standstill. Well, at least as far as air travel is concerned. The real money apears to be on international flights re-starting in a couple of weeks, but we see everything postponed day by day, one at a time, officially. The implications are going to become clearer as time rolls on, with dire consequences for some, not least those in the travel industry and the travel news in Travel Weeekly (www.travelweekly.co.uk) , TTG (ttglive.com) and Travel Bulletin (www.travelbulletin.co.uk) is likely to be dominated by stories coming out of the industry. Those with a sense of responsibility to their clients are likely to be the hardest hit, ironically. for those in the hotel representation and destination marketing fields, well, it is a case of wait and see. I'm not a fan of the "staycation", but it has some merit. Conversely, how will the fruit and products get to the UK if not by air? Watch the supermarket shelves empty, fast.

Networking, or more to the point not

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:00:00 -0500

A somewhat debilitating day with BT's network exchange being flooded and my internet and email access being paralysed. Thankfully, I have an Apple iPhone which allowed me to access my emails but it is interesting that I am in Hertforshaire and the flood was at Paddington - yet my office access is affected and Paddington's is not. My wife had taken the week off to work from home, so you can imagine how impressed she was. Trouble is, there was nothing on the news until the following day, though one news broadcast on the radio did suggest a website to visit to get the latest on the situation.....brilliant as my good friend Hans Loontien, General Manager of the Renaissance in Beijing, would say.

Straight from the horse's mouth

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:15:00 -0500

Today was a great day out. Met up with Vee from Peltours early at Paddington Station for a day out at the races. Arrived at Cheltenham which was brimming with people buzzing around, frequenting the public houses, reading the newspaper sports pages, and generally having a good time. The day was hosted by Ladbrokes excellently and my thanks to them. The wine flowed, the gin was a perfect tonic for all the losers I selected, and the Gold Cup winner was a worthy winner, trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies. Mike Cattermole, the racing commentator, gave us all a pep talk on what he thought might win - interesting and covered his back with most of the selections. He did pick the winner in the first though. The day ended early evening and it was quite a demanding task to board a bus for our return journey to the train station, followed by the train journey back to London. Sad, though, to have to endure the mindless swearing of certain loud and foul-mouthed Chaltenaham races goers who were not bothered about whom they offended with their sharp tongues. A great day though; now back to the marketing, PR and representation that is required to be able to afford to attend Cheltenham next year.

Berlin Berlin

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 16:45:00 -0500

Flew to ITB on Wednesday morning, following a very late night on Tuesday preparing for the next few days ahead. Flew with Easyjet and all ran smoothly until security at Luton Airport. There must have been some 200 people ahead of me in the queue, and it was to the airport's credit that the waiting time was only 25 minutes. The flight was pleasant though I was stuck in the middle of the row of 3 seats - not my preferred position. I had Mr Moscow on my right hand side, and Mrs Sleepthroughtheflight on my left. Once at Berlin Schonefeld Airport, I managed to share a taxi to the Conference Centre with Victoire of Design Hotels at a cost of some €45. I took a train journey involving only one change of train some 3 days later when returning to the airport for just €2.80 and it was a very pleasant allowing me to see many parts of Berlin not viewable by taxi.
Spent a busy 3 days having meetings hoping to make some progress and meeting new prospective clinets. Also saw Rafi and Yaron of longwood holidays, as well as a host of other people I've not seen for a long time, including Theo Demetriou - a devoted Arsenal supporter.
Wow ITB really is as big as they say. Stayed in the Park Inn in Alexanderplatz and was pleasantly surprised with Berlin city itself. Freezing but very impressive.
I understand there are holidays available to North Cyprus for this Easter's school holidays - it is a lovely family-friendly holiday destination with unspoilt authenticity and quality hotels - the weather should be great too. I believe they are very reasonably priced too, £600 for a week at a 5* hotel, including flights from Gatwick and Heathrow and Manchester. Check it out at: www.mosaicholidays.co.uk or call on 020 8574 4000.

Hotel & Resort Representation

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:30:00 -0600

As everyone fights harder for business, hotels and destinations need to seek new ways of attracting tourists and the MICE market. At present, discounting still seems to be far too prominent, but there are also added value offers around that offer something really tangible. However, it seems everyone is fighting for a market that is not convinced it should travel, with a lack of certainty still prevailing. It is down to hotels, resorts, destinations and countries to innovate and use the services of local companies (or perhaps I should say people) who really know how to get to he people who are selling holidays, and who can create a co-ordinated, integrated marketing campaign. Awareness and accessibility are fundamental, though it sure helps to have some unique selling points too. I am gearing myself up for next week's ITB show in Berlin where I shall be meeting with organisations for whom Darren Panto Associates can make a real difference. We have the ideas, contacts, knowledge and determination to make it happen - as we say: "Your success is our success."

A brisk start to the year

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:10:00 -0600

It seems that 2010 has started quite briskly for many travel agents, and certainly tour operators are sounding positive. Busines has been coming in but the question is how much of that is due to the freezing weather conditions that the UK has been encountering, and how much is recovery or low prices? It seems short breaks are doing well, Canada is doing very well, and short haul ski has been slower than expected....perhaps due to the snowy conditions here or maybe the recession biting.

Whatever the reasons, momentum is crucial. It is now down to the skill of tour operators' marketing teams to keep punters booking and to put forward the idea that we should all be thinking of our next holiday, now. Disappointingly, discounts appear to be the main theme, rather than innovation - I truly believe that if the product fits, people will pay for it - as long as it represents value, not necessarily cheap. How many agents and operators are contacting their clients and asking if they are ready to book and escape the freeze?

Tonight I received the sad news that my 95 years old great aunt had passed away. An inspiration to all around her, she suffered the tragic loss of her husband early in their marriage and underwent major surgery many years ago for a brain tumour. Yet, incredibly, I never once heard her complain about anything. She simply got on with it and made the most of what she did have and found a new way of doing something if she was no longer able to do it the original way. I suspect most of us can learn from that.