Directours Acquired: Olivier Kervella, president of the NG Travel Group, has purchased the well-known Jet tours brand (and domain name) from Hervé Vighier, the former president of Marmara. The objective, according to the French travel trade media, was to give NG Travel a property that complements Directours, a direct-to-consumer online travel company that does not deal with travel agents. Price of the acquisition: 1.07 million euros ($1.3 million). Vighier bought the Paris-based property for the same price last February, following the liquidation of the Thomas Cook Group France. The NG Travel Group is France’s fifth largest tour operator, according to the Tour Hebdo travel trade publication’s ranking. NG Travel owns Boomerang Voyages, Promisors and the travel club brands: Kappa Club and Club Coralie. In 2019, NG Travel reported in 2019 a turnover of 268 million euros ($327 million)—up 14.5 percent vs. 2018—and a net profit of 8 million euros ($9.8 million). With the acquisition of Jet tours, Directors will be able to develop its sales in the high-end and tailor-made travel segment, as well as increase its online presence and visibility. on the internet. A new jet.tours.com website was due to open this month.
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Brand USA will show well its online Brand USA Global Marketplace is working next week (on January 13 and 14) when it hosts its “Focus on Canada” trade show. The event is the single-largest trade initiative the organization has undertaken to date in Canada, which underscores the importance of the Canadian market in tourism’s early recovery. Focus on Canada will highlight the diverse U.S. destinations and experiences available to Canadian travelers and provide Brand USA partners in the U.S. with the latest insights and trends on Canada’s post-pandemic travel mindset. The recovery-themed event will debut on the new Brand USA Global Marketplace, which was launched last October to more or less take the place of Brand USA’s Travel Week Europe; scheduled to take place in September, the show was pushed back for a year as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
“After the unprecedented challenges of 2020, we’re excited to turn the page toward recovery and kickstart the New Year with a focus on Canadian travelers,” said Chris Thompson, Brand USA president and CEO. “Canada is the largest source market for inbound travel to the United States, which makes sense given our shared border and the strong cultural, economic, and social bonds between our countries,” Thompson added. “When it is safe to do so, travel will resume and we are excited for the day when we can welcome back our Canadian friends. Our industry remains resilient, and through events like Focus on Canada, we’re working together to build the future of tourism.”
Register now, and visit https://brandusaglobalmarketplace.com/focus-on-canada for more information and to stay connected.
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Qatar Airways has announced that it will begin incrementally increasing flights to Montréal beginning on January 16, 2021 and operate daily frequencies by February 25, 2021, up from the previously scheduled four weekly frequencies. The Montréal service is operated by Qatar Airways’ state-of-the-art Airbus A350-900 featuring 36 seats in its Qsuite Business Class and 247 seats in Economy Class.
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From FlightGlobal.com: European low-cost carrier Wizz Air had hoped to launch flights during 2020 with its own Abu Dhabi operation, a joint venture with Abu Dhabi state holding company ADQ. However, the launch was pushed back amid continued travel restrictions. The carrier now plans to operate its first flight on January 15, to Greek capital Athens, part of an initial network of destinations across the Mediterranean and Caucasus regions. For a complete list of airlines that launched or didn’t make it during 2020, visit here.
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Finally—this Visit USA product definitely not for groups. Travel Weekly tells us what there is in Abercrombie & Kent’s $125,000-per-person over-the-top tour that will take guests from coast to coast with a bit of a safari in between. Visit here for more details.
