Pain in Spain

When I attended the EIBTM trade show in Barcelona last month, the travel experience left me feeling absolutely livid – because both my luggage and some freighted material sent separately (via OCS) were both “lost” en route.

By the time I arrived in Spain I had travelled on two flights, each of three sectors, on a total of six different aircraft. My luggage had stayed with me on five of those sectors. I know this, as I always check that it comes across before I board. I was assured it was on board the Iberia London-to-Barcelona sector, but it didn’t turn up on the carousel. I was then assured it would be on the next flight, but it was 33 hours before it was delivered to my hotel. In the meantime, each time I had phoned Iberia they tried passing the buck.

Ultimately it took the GM of the Hotel Prestige Congress to enlist the help of someone he knew at the airport to track down my property.To add insult to injury, the Iberia aircraft stank. It needed a thorough clean. Another passenger using the airline, a lawyer from Queensland, didn’t receive his luggage until he was on the return trip. Enough said! I won't ever fly Iberia again.

Anyway, let's hope we all have a great and prosperous New Year without the baggage of the old year.

Robert Yeomans
PUBLISHER

It's in the air...

How fickle the conference industry can be. Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics covering outbound conference delegates show that destination preferences tend to change - in fact, countries once a high priority are now being shunned.The bureau has projected its figures for this year to cover the entire 12 months, and the winner is...New Zealand, with a massive 40 per cent increase in Australian meetings business compared with last year.

There are perhaps two good reasons for this - increased competition across the Tasman has led to sales forays into Australia, raising awareness of New Zealand as a destination; and unsettling problems in other countries such as bird flu and bombings.

China and Hong Kong are well up in the list of favoured destinations and Singapore managed to attract 7 per cent more business tourists, while the rest of South-East Asia has dipped.

Another big winner is Europe, with 24 per cent more visitors (the UK figures rose 35 per cent). Long-haul treks seem to be winning the day, thanks to healthy competition and competitive airfares.Meanwhile, the US had a 9 per cent drop, yet still had more conference arrivals than the whole of South-East Asia. This is interesting as there is no competition when it comes to fares, which are pretty steep.

So what is in the crystal ball? I believe long haul will continue to be strong, especially with the introduction of the A380s and 777s which can fly non-stop between Sydney and the UK. For airlines to fill all these seats, fares will need to be competitive.

Watch this space!

Rob Yeomans
Publisher