Travel News Europe - #83 - May 2008 - (Page 2)

n news UAE TRAVEL NEWS EUROPE Editor Victoria Geddes Managing Director Christos Agathocleous Sales & Marketing Mike Trafford Graphic Design Debby Heffernan debbhef@mac.com Correspondents Europcar opEns EuropE’s LargEst car rEntaL Location Austria Jean A. Guilhermet Belgium Carole Hazlewood France Barbara Casassus Germany Paul Needham Greece Vicky Karantzavelou, Theodore Koumelis Italy Pamela McCourt Francescone Monaco Jean A. Guilhermet Scandinavia Martin Lladó Spain David Ing Headquarters 8 Vitsi Street, 1st floor, Nicosia 2373, Cyprus Tel: +357 22 459359, Fax: +357 22 459361 E-mail: office@travelnewseurope.com www.travelnewseurope.com Representatives Worldwide India Mediascope Publicitas Fax: +912222835799 Malaysia Int. Media Sdn. Bhd. Fax: +603 704 2285 Monaco, France, Italy, Austria Promocom. Fax: +377 9777 83 06 Nepal Globex Representative, Fax: +977 1 421179 Portugal Ilimitada Publicidade Int., Fax: +35 11 388 3283 Thailand Public Major Media Ltd., Fax: +662 314 4863 Japan Pacific Business Inc Fax: +81336616139 Printed In Cyprus by he largest car rental location in EuEu rope has been opened by Europcar UK Group, the UK’s leading vehicle rental provider, with an investment of over GBP£1m. In close proximity to Heathrow Terminal 5, the new, 3.4 acre site on the Perimeter Road opened in April 2008 and is the largest in Europe. Innovatively designed to capture increased traffic to and from the airport, the site features a series of industryleading customer service initiatives that significantly enhance the car rental experience all customers. With a total fleet of 4,500 vehicles and resources to handle up to 190,000 check-ins and check-outs per annum, the new location supports customers T from all brands in the Europcar UK Group – Europcar, National Car Rental, Alamo Rent A Car and Guy Salmon Prestige Rental. The new site features new and best in class courtesy coach fleet, which provides a highly frequent service between all terminals, with a dedicated facility for Terminal 5. “Travellers want a swift and stressfree transition – whether from plane to car or car to plane – and that has been our total focus in the creation of this facility,” said John Leigh, Managing Director, Europcar UK Group Significant investment has also been made to ensure the right level of customer service personnel are available to support every aspect of the custom- er experience at the airport with more staff to support check-in and checkout, as well as dedicated check-out desks for corporate customers. “This unique facility at Heathrow demonstrates our commitment to providing the ultimate convenience for air travellers” concluded John Leigh. “Customers will have the confidence of a wider choice of vehicles across all groups, a comfortable and speedy transition to and from their flights, plus the best possible customer experience. Vehicle rental is a key component of business and leisure travel today and this operation represents a milestone in the evolution of the sector.” Thomas Cook Group Acquires Leading Luxury Travel Company THomAs Cook GRoUP plc has acquired the number one UK-based luxury travel company - Elegant Resorts Ltd - from its founding shareholders, Geoff Moss and Barbara Catchpole. The acquisition has been funded from existing cash resources. Elegant Resorts is the UK’s market leader in this niche segment of the market and has a strong record of operational and profit delivery, offering tailor-made holidays to the most luxurious hotels and resorts around the world, with a particular strength in the exotic destinations of the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Gulf, as well as European Luxury resorts. In 2007, Elegant Resorts carried more than 20,000 passengers and the total gross assets of the Company were GBP£22.3 million. This acquisition fully supports the Group’s strategy to strengthen its position in the independent travel segment and builds on Thomas Cook’s current expertise in offering customers high-value luxurious holidays under its Latitude and Thomas Cook Signature brands. Under its ownership, Thomas Cook intends to operate Elegant Resorts as a standalone business with the company’s current management team in place. J G Cassoulides & Son Ltd., PO Box 21980, 1515 Nicosia, Cyprus, Tel: +357 22 843600, Fax: +357 22 348835 TRAVEL NEWS EUROPE May 2008 www.travelnewseurope.com http://www.travelnewseurope.com http://www.travelnewseurope.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Travel News Europe - #83 - May 2008

Cover & Contents
NEWS
DES TINATIONS - UAE
BUSINESS - Luxury Travel
EXHIBITIONS

Travel News Europe - #83 - May 2008