Train not plane...

Luck was certainly on our side last week when, unusually, we had decided to to take the train to our meeting in Glasgow rather than fly! This was initially an experiment, since our research suggested that it would actually only take an extra half an hour to take the train door to door.

Relief all round then when news emerged of the Eyjafjallajokull eruption and our sympathies to everyone caught up in the ensuing travel chaos.

Luckily we don't have any clients directly affected by the flight ban but the financial implications for the airlines and other operators really the last thing they need at the moment..

And the train? Perfect in every respect..just over four hours from London Euston to Glasgow central which gives plenty of time for work, a stroll to the buffet car and a cup of tea arriving in Glasgow fresh as a daisy!

TOP TEN CITIES FOR 2011

FES have been conducting our own research recently, with our clients, colleagues, associates and suppliers and we have identified our TOP TEN city-break predictions for 2011!

In no particular order then...

1. Chisinau (Moldova)
2. Minsk (Belarus)
3. Luxembourg (Luxembourg)
4. Skopje (Macedonia)
5. Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
6. Podgorica (Montenegro)
7. Kiev (Ukraine)
8. Zagreb (Croatia)
9. Belgrade (Serbia)
10. Tallinn (Estonia)

Increasingly, city breakers are looking for destinations that can still provide the charm of 'old Europe' yet with the an infrastructure to accommodate visitors on a short stay vacation - and our favourite, here? Probably Podgorica.

Arcelor Mittal Orbit Mistake?

We have our doubts about the economic benefits that the LONDON Olympics are supposed to bring in the form of tourism and certainly research by the ETOA (European Tour Operators Association) suggests that every city that has hosted the games has suffered a DOWNTURN in tourism as s result of the games rather than the opposite.

And now the new Arcelor Mittal Orbit Tower does seem to be a grand folly thrown atop. Dreamed up by the mayor of London this grand tower (or giant Mr Messy) will grace the Olympics and serve as a monument to a country 'coming out of recession' (Boris Johnson).

The name Arcelor is derived from a combination of letters from various steel companies: the first two letters come from Arbed, a Luxembourg steel company (Acieries Reunies Burbach-Esch-Dudelange) formed in 1911 from three smaller companies with origins in the late 19th century. The next three letters, c, e and l, are taken from Aceralia, a Spanish steel company which grew out of another early 20th-century amalgamation, this time of three blast furnace businesses in Bilbao. A hundred years ago it was Spain's biggest company; its later career is complicated by many takeovers and reorganisations and its acronym less easily explained than Arbed's, but by the year 2000 it was its country's leading steelmaker. The 'or' is from Usinor, the French steelmaker formed in 1948 by a merger of two old companies (the important one, acronym-wise, is Les Forges et Aciéries du Nord et de l'Est). In 2001, Arbed, Aceralia and Usinor came together to form the pan-European Arcelor.

And Lakshmi Mittal is the richest man in Europe and the fourth or fifth richest in the world, with personal wealth estimated at more than £19bn. After Mittal Steel bought out most of Arcelor's shareholders in 2006, he became chairman and chief executive of the world's biggest steel company. ArcelorMittal has 250,000 workers at plants in 60 countries that together produce 8% of global steel output and last year earned revenues of around £44bn.

Arcelor Mittal has no steel plants in Britain and so the tower, ostensibly built to symbolise the regeneration of Britain for the olympics, will be made from steel imported from abroad where cheaper manufacturing processes have been sought.

Not quite right is it?

Volvo moves to China - branding and product..

As Chinese automotive manufacturer Geely agrees to acquire Swedish car marque Volvo from Ford Motors for a $1.8bn deal,

Geely chairman Li Shufu said the Volvo brand would continue to focus on the premium segment, and would retain its core values of "safety, quality, environmental care and modern Scandinavian design".

This difference between 'product' and 'brand' is as true for the automotive manufactures as it is for hotels or resorts.

A product is more than just a physical unit - in the mind of the buyer, the product also consists additionally of a number of intangible factors that encompass expectations about attributes and benefits.

The brand is all this plus feeling! The brand will assist recognition and conjure images of attributes and trigger expectations

The brand helps the consumer to distinguish between competing and similar products, it can be a mark of quality or consistency but it always has the same 'core values' - a combination of good product and good brand is an unbeatable combination.

No matter what industry, you must establish 'what your brand really means', 'what goes into it' and 'what makes it special'

Consider your brand and consider your core values..

How's your brand today?

Google Russian Railway Journey

We've just stumbled upon the new wonderful MAP-CUM VIDEO OF THE TRANS SIBERIAN EXPRESS BY GOOGLE RUSSIA AND RUSSIAN RAILWAYS.

The project pieces together a series of videos shot from the window of a Trans-Siberian carriage as it spans the 5,752-mile length of the world's most famous long-distance railway.

Various images and bite-sized history lessons pop up along the way, and, from time to time, the window seat footage is complemented by city video tours! There's even a soundtrack if you want one too, with optional Russian radio, balalaika music, Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace read in Russian, or simply the rumbling of the train wheels.

There has been lots of debates about the future of travel and, in these carbon-conscious times, it has often been suggested that this is the way forward, offering a 5,75s journey across Russia without leaving your desk.

(Frankly, we don't think so, having spent a very pleasant evening on the Moscow to St Petersburg sleeper, learning phoenetic Russian over a bucket full of mini-vodkas..an experience that takes some beating..)

Travel Weekly Yes Minister Campaign

It's good to see Travel Weekly getting behind a campaign to create a dedicated tourism minister.

A few years ago FES were in Brussels listening to MEPs debating the impacts of the TOMs on UK based Tour Operators and it was obvious then that travel & tourism was and after thought in many ministers minds.

Travel Weekly’s campaign demanding that the next government creates a post for a dedicated tourism minister has won high level backing from within the industry.

Since the Yes Minister campaign was launched in the March 5 issue of Travel Weekly, bosses of some of the trade’s biggest firms have written to support it.

A Downing Street petition is online..

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• Sign the Yes Minister petition at Number10.gov.uk

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Tui Travel UK managing director Dermot Blastland said: “The lack of understanding – and subsequent lack of support for our industry – means that inappropriate policies continue to be forced upon us. We cannot and should not sit back and allow that to continue.

“It is for these reasons that we therefore welcome and wholeheartedly support Travel Weekly’s campaign. We will be encouraging our colleagues across Tui UK & Ireland to sign your petition. We believe the whole industry should pull together to force a change for the future.”

The Co-operative Travel managing director Mike Greenacre said: “The appointment of a senior minister – with primary focus on the concerns and the long-term interests of the travel and tourism sector – would, I believe, be essential to ensuring that whether it is compliance, tax, regulation or employment, supporting our industry can only be beneficial to government in the long term.

“We will be encouraging the whole of our team to support the petition. This initiative will be part of a number of actions that the wider industry is involved with, and I particularly refer here to the excellent work being undertaken by Abta to be at the forefront of lobbying in the years ahead.”

Travel Counsellors chairman David Speakman supported the call for a minister, but warned the industry that any greater focus on its activities would mean it will have to address some of the “sharp practices” that currently leave customers at risk.

“Of course, the travel industry should have its own representative within the government, but the industry should be very careful of what it wishes for,” he said.

On Wednesday, Abta will launch its first manifesto in the House of Lords. One of the five key demands is for a dedicated tourism minister.

• Sign the Yes Minister petition on Number10.gov.uk

Best for Valletta

FES have a soft spot for the Island of Malta, ever since we did out first consultancy work out there so we are please to see that the Port of Valletta has won the Best International Mediterranean Port Award 2009. This was announced at the third edition of ‘Premios Excellence En El Sector Cruceros', taking place in Malaga, Spain earlier this month. The event was hosted by Cruises News Media Group.

Winners in different categories have been chosen by more than 5,000 passengers in a survey through the website www.cruisesnews.es and cruise users' forum www.forodecruceros.com. These are the only international awards for the cruise industry in Spain, which annually recognise the work of the companies, ports and destinations through the cruise customer opinion.

Dr. Anton Micallef, Chairman of VISET Malta plc, operators of the Valletta Waterfront and the Sea Passenger Terminals commented, "This Prize is a call sign for achievement as it is a wake-up call for constant vigilance. It is a milestone on the road to setting standards at the Valletta Port. We need to achieve business growth steadily and prudently as not to be misled into replacing our relentlessness with complacency".

Valletta was declared co-winner along with Venice, both Ports obtaining the same number of points .