Take the train!

I've just returned from a few days business in Edinburgh and as usual I took the train rather than the plane.

I used to enjoy air travel as part of my job but over recent years flying has become more of a chore than a pleasure - regardless of what class you are sitting in!

Far from being herded from holding pen to holding pen, before squeezing into my tiny and uncomfortable seat, the train gave me more space, I was able to work solid for two hours and was able to wander around and stretch my legs, arriving feeling none the worse and ready for business.

So, with the EU suggesting that fewer flights and more train travel is the way of the future it's interesting to see how European train travel compares against the airlines head-to-head.

For the quick hops through the tunnel, only a fool would now choose to travel by air.

The train is not only faster but cheaper. But for further destinations you need to change trains in Paris or Brussels and the journey time and cost increases. For Cologne, Tours, Lyon, Amsterdam and Marseilles, the train takes up to an hour more than the flight.

And even further down the line to Geneva or Bordeaux the journey time by plane is at least two and a half hours faster with return fares about £20 lower.

If the EU is serious about encouraging railtravel as a sustainable policy for future European travel, then they need to look at the fare structures of the rail networks and low cost airlines to achieve some parity.

Fares quoted are the cheapest returns advertised by Eurostar, and the cheapest returns offered from London airports drawn from a search on www.skyscanner.net.

This comparison was made in todays Telegraph.

TRAIN How long?	How much?	PLANE How long?	How much?
Brussels	2hr 40m (1hr 55m*)	£69	4hr 20m (1hr 10m**)	£153 (with British Airways from Heathrow)
Paris	3 hr (2hr 15m*)	£69	4hr 20m (1hr 10m**)	£78 (with easyJet from Luton)
Cologne	4hr 54m (4hr 9m*)	£96	4hr 30m (1hr 20m**)	£68 (with easyJet from Gatwick)
Amsterdam	5 hr (4hr 15m*)	£114	4hr 15m (1hr 5m**)	£70 with easyJet from Stansted
Tours	5hr 18m (4hr 33m*)	£89	4hr 30m (1hr 20m**)	£78 with Ryanair from Stansted
Lyon	5hr 42m (4hr 57m*)	£109	4hr 50m (1hr 40m**)	£93 easyJet from Gatwick
Marseille	6hr 16m (5hr 31m*)	£119	5hr 15m (2hr 5m**)	£78 with Ryanair from Stansted
La Rochelle	6hr 58m (6hr 13m*)	£109	4hr 30m (1hr 20m**)	£78 with Ryanair from Stansted
Geneva	7hr 13m (6hr 28m*)	£105	4hr 40m (1hr 30m**)	£68 with easyJet from Stansted, Gatwick or Luton
Bordeaux	8hr 2m (6hr 17m*)	£109	4hr 40m (1 hr 30m**)	£77 with easyJet from Luton

The All-Inclusive debate rumbles on..

The debate over First Choice's decision to move to an all-inclusive platform rumbles on, with AITO now saying that this represents a 'massive blow' to sustainability and campaign group Tourist Concern extending their criticism beyond First Choice to other operators such as Thomas Cook who have 135 all-inclusive properties in its Turkish brochure alone.

Tui have defended their position pointing out that they are only responding to consumer demand, rightly stating that the all-inclusive market has grown by 32% in the last five years and is now becoming the holiday style of choice for cash-strapped Brits and Europeans (my words - not Tui's).

Tui also claim (rightly) to have been working closely with hoteliers to make their programmes more sustainable by working with local suppliers and employing local people under fairer working conditions.

Apropos, my personal experience of all-inclusive is limited albeit a few years ago my wife and I enjoyed an all-inclusive holiday at a first class resort in Jamaica.

The hotel was first class, the food was excellent and the facilities we enjoyed were superb including watersports and tennis. At the same time, as an all-inclusive vacation it also represented excellent value for money.

One one occasion, we did manage to get to Dunns River Falls, on an organised excursion, but with this single exception, my knowledge of the island remains to this day:-

Jamaica = Airport - Resort - (Dunns River Falls) - Resort - Airport -

Never got see Bob Marleys house either...

All Inclusive at First Choice.

So, First Choice has decided to sell only All-Inclusive holidays next year.

Clearly, from a marketing and business point of view this makes perfect sense.

Sales of all-inclusive holidays have increased steadily for the past five years and in First Choice’s case, their all-inclusive market has grown by 32% and is expected to account for 65% of all First Choice sales this year.

From a marketing perspective, the move also clearly now differentiates TUI’s family-focused First Choice holidays from Thomson and its other competitors.

With strong, distinctive brands and clearly differentiated products, TUI can move further away from customers choosing tour operators based on cost alone.

First Choice will go on to promote itself as the number one choice for affordability in hard times. By squeezing more value out of their hoteliers they can help customers worried about their finances to budget better. Not only is that good business sense given the current climate, but it’s also good news for the group’s margins as All-Inclusives drive up average selling prices.

But I’m not so sure the news will be universally welcomed by many resort based businesses already struggling with falling arrivals and the increase in ‘wristband tourism’.

I accept holiday products should respond to demand and cater for all tastes, but as a travel enthusiast, I despair at the thought of any holiday, not matter what the price, spent wholly in an All-Inclusive resort. Going abroad should be about experiencing what the destination has to offer not about spending 1 or 2 weeks eating, sleeping and drinking in a complex and never venturing outside the gates.

More should be done to promote resort facilities and local attractions and to provide sustainable tourism before All Inclusive arrangements kill off some resorts for good.

A possible development could be where destinations pass legislation limiting the percentage of hotel rooms that can be used for All Inclusive guests. I understand Lanzarote has already capped the percentage of all Inclusive rooms at 40% in a bid to save the local economy and provide customers for the many local businesses.