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                        <title>&#8216;Sustainable travel brings something extra&#8217;</title>

            <link>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/sustainable-travel-brings-something-extra/</link>
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            <pubDate>Tue, 16 Jul 2024 08:29:54 +0000</pubDate>

            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Rahanna van Stapele]]></dc:creator>

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            <description><![CDATA[
In 2023, 69% of travelers consciously sought more eco-friendly travel options, according to figures from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and Trip.com Group earlier this year. Interest in rail travel is also on the rise, with new and more luxurious routes – such as from Paris to Berlin and the extensive Orient Express &hellip; Lees verder            ]]></description>

            
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In 2023, 69% of travelers consciously sought more eco-friendly travel options, according to figures from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and Trip.com Group earlier this year. Interest in rail travel is also on the rise, with new and more luxurious routes – such as from Paris to Berlin and the extensive Orient Express routes around Italy – quickly gaining popularity. TravMagazine speaks with travel providers who specialize in sustainability about their vision.    Although sustainability is the &#8211; or one of the &#8211; most heard word(s) in recent years, it can be interpreted in different ways. For example, the emphasis can mainly be on the emission of harmful substances, but it can also refer to the entire way in which the travellers behave towards the natural environment and local population at their destination. Radically different Saskia Griep is founder and CEO of travel provider Better Places, which declared sustainability as one of its focuses when it was founded ten years ago. &#8216;Our sustainable tourism revolves around three pillars: people, planet and profit. When we started, the emphasis was on people and profit, but due to concerns about climate change, we shifted our focus to planet. Especially in countries where we help residents with our travels, the effects of climate change are the first to be noticed. To keep our planet liveable, we advocate radically different travel: closer to home, at a slower pace, and with a focus on the experience of the destination.&#8217;    She continues: &#8216;Sometimes it seems as if people think that &#8216;sustainable&#8217; is another word for &#8216;expensive&#8217;. Ten years ago, that was understandable, but not anymore. Sustainability is a way to improve the quality of our trips. You get something extra in return: a better experience, a special encounter, more adventure. Flying every year becomes less obvious. We see a growing demand for train travel, even to destinations such as Sicily, Sweden and Slovenia.&#8221; She continues: &#8216;Better Places wants to show that sustainability is not restrictive, but part of the travel experience. We have grown strongly in recent years. While our focus is not specifically on growth, but more on making our range more sustainable and satisfied customers and employees.&#8217;  The customer books a trip to Mexico. What distinguishes this Better Places journey from that of a &#8216;regular&#8217; provider?  &#8216;In concrete terms, making our offer more sustainable means that we make our trips as long as possible: at least eighteen days for long-haul destinations. We work with small-scale and sustainable hotels and offer excursions where meeting the residents is central. We avoid domestic flights and encourage travellers to eat plant-based more often when travelling.&#8217;  Who is the main target group at the moment?  &#8220;Our customers range from couples around the age of 50 to families with older children. They appreciate our customization and the expertise of our local travel experts. We aim for satisfaction scores of nine or ten, which leads to repeat bookings and word-of-mouth referrals.&#8221; Better Places offers more than sixty different destinations. What were the biggest challenges the organization faced in creating a broad but sustainable offering? Griep: &#8216;To make our portfolio more sustainable, we have greatly expanded our range of trips within Europe. Flying to Croatia causes 501 kilograms of CO2 emissions, while a return trip to Indonesia quickly causes 7,031 kilograms of emissions. That&#8217;s fourteen times more. We have a climate action plan with concrete targets, including reducing our emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 2019. Flying is way too cheap. The price you pay does not include the costs of environmental damage and air pollution. As long as those costs are paid by society instead of the polluter, it is difficult to get people out of the cheap plane and onto the more expensive train.&#8217;  
&#8216;Our travellers have really searched for impact travel&#8217;
  Fair2 Travel is a small specialist travel provider with, as the name suggests, a focus on sustainability, which is sometimes found via via, but mostly by customers who actively search online for &#8216;sustainable travel&#8217;. Fair2 Travel is also regularly present at sustainability fairs, such as the Triodos market.    Caroline de Greeff, founder and managing director: &#8216;Our target group can best be described as people for whom sustainability is really important. Within this we see two types of travelers: the somewhat younger customers who love comfort and special experiences and like to stay in beautiful ecolodges, and on the other hand the somewhat older travelers who come to us because of the local encounters and being able to support local development. The latter group likes &#8216;homestays&#8217; and eating with and with the locals.&#8217;  Which destinations do you book the most?  &#8216;Bangladesh, Sierra Leone and Ethiopia, and we see the most enthusiasm for trips with many community-based activities, contact with local peoples and where you travel around with a local guide. For Europe, we are slowly seeing the rise of sustainable travel, without flying. In addition, most people specifically opt for a train journey.&#8217; Sustainability cannot really be called a trend, but rather a theme that has certainly dominated the industry in recent years. Is De Greeff seeing a strong increase in customers? &#8216;We see more and more that people consciously choose us as a sustainable organisation. Of course, there are more and more travel organizations that include the aspect of sustainability in their arrows, but it is in our genes, it has been our starting point for more than ten years and our travelers are looking for impact trips and not necessarily for the cheapest possible option.&#8217; What were the biggest challenges &#8216;along the way&#8217;? &#8216;Keeping details up-to-date with a small team, such as travel dates and prices, but also substantive routes. Of course, we want to continue to offer special authentic trips and have to do a regular quality check in the field of sustainability, and that with a small team is a challenge. We want to continue to ensure that all elements of a trip are as sustainable as possible, and not all countries understand this yet.    In some destinations, you have to keep talking about developments in sustainability.&#8217; De Greeff continues: &#8216;Also train journeys. Further destinations by train are still quite a challenge, because you may have to deal with delays and missing connections. Sometimes there is maintenance on the track and you have to keep checking the train updates for each destination. Traveling by train is really a conscious choice, but it&#8217;s not necessarily cheaper. That&#8217;s why not all customers opt for this.&#8217;  I book a trip to Vietnam with Fair2travel. What makes this distinctive &#8216;green&#8217;?  &#8216;Within our offer, this is reflected in the possibility to travel more by public transport, to stay in people&#8217;s homes in homestays, and to travel to remote areas where local peoples are not yet so familiar with tourism. With every trip, we also encourage people to participate in community-based activities: activities run by the community, to which you as a traveler can contribute and thus experience a culture in a different way. The proceeds of this also remain largely or entirely in the community. We also have (multi-day) cycling and walking activities at many destinations, near and far, to encourage slow travel more.&#8217;  What are the long-term goals?  &#8216;We would like to see all forms of tourism make greater strides in sustainability, and that we no longer have to offer flights with fossil fuels. It would also be nice if alternatives to flying became more easily accessible, for example through better train connections.  If we relate it to our own objectives, we want to make a sustainable choice possible in as many destinations in the world as possible. And with the impact we make as a social enterprise, contribute much more to local tourism. Yet another goal is to work more closely with independent travel agents or other organizations that are also looking for more sustainable travel for their customers.&#8221;  What do you expect from the developments of sustainability within the industry in the coming years? Can it be done faster?  &#8216;Making sustainability faster and better could be done, but then we would really be dependent on infrastructure and the will of governments to contribute to this. In Europe alone, much more could be done to improve the infrastructure of trains. Fortunately, we do see that almost all travel organizations have started to understand the importance of sustainability, and organizations are also increasingly acting on this. Consider, for example, overtourism: we prefer not to send people to busy hotspots, but rather to special alternatives.&#8217;  Avila Beach Hotel  Sustainability is something we see more and more in the travel industry. The hotels on Curaçao, among others, are also focusing more and more on this important topic. This also applies to the Avila Beach Hotel, says Robbin Vogels (general manager of Avila Beach Hotel). &#8216;We are one of the few hotels on the island with a close relationship with the local population. This is mainly due to the fact that we are the oldest operational hotel on the island and therefore the setting for many warm memories, not only of (loyal) hotel guests, but also of the locals. Without the support and love of the local community, Avila would have been a different Avila. And the hotel is happy to repay this favor.&#8221; Local Schools Avila Beach Hotel has a long-standing relationship with a number of local schools. In the past, almost every employee of the hotel donated a small amount of their salary every month to the Orange School for many years. These donations were doubled by the management and they saved this to make a large investment once a year. The Oranjeschool no longer exists, but we still provide computers and other equipment and support for the Pedro Luis Brion School, Schotborgh school and Kolegio Don Sarto. Eden Reforestation Project Starting in October 2019, the Avila Beach Hotel will plant one tree in Haiti for every room night booked directly through the website, through the Eden Reforestation Project. This is a non-profit organization in the United States. Through their network of ground reforestation partners, they fund tree planting in North America, South America, Asia, and Africa. &#8216;In this way, we give something back to nature for our and future generations.&#8217; Pack for a Purpose The Avila Beach Hotel is a member of Pack for a Purpose, which encourages hotel guests to bring supplies useful to the Schotborgh school, Pedro Luis Brion school and Kolegio Don Sarto. And it catches on, because guests often bring a package of school supplies. With initiatives, such as Pack for a Purpose, the Avila Beach Hotel wants to contribute to the local community. Recycling One of the goals of the Avila Beach Hotel is innovation and sustainability. They try to save and recycle as much energy as possible. The hotel therefore received the international Travelife Gold Award in 2013 and also the local Sustainable Innovation Award 2013, which was presented for the first time in Curaçao by the Business Platform Environment. The aim is to increase efficiency in all business decisions. All opportunities for a better environment and the well-being of their employees as well as the community in Curaçao are fully exploited. &#8216;Together we can create a better world, even on such a small island as Curaçao,&#8217; says Vogel.  
VvKR
  Caroline de Greeff is also Sustainability Coordinator for the Association of Small-Scale Travel Organizations (VvKR), with over 450 members. In this role, she works together with the association&#8217;s Sustainable Working Group to support members in their sustainability. De Greeff sees that more and more members are focusing specifically on the sustainable travel niche. &#8216;For example, we see more and more members who focus on train travel, travel close to home and active travel, such as walking, sailing or cycling in Europe. Travel with a positive impact to distant destinations is also increasingly being offered. Moreover, a majority of the affiliated travel organizations are consciously working on making their travel offer and organizations more sustainable. Many members plant trees to capture CO2, more and more members are partners of Travelife and many members are working to reduce plastic and other waste.&#8217;    She also says: &#8216;The VvKR wants to remain a forerunner in more sustainable travel in the long term. Most of our members consciously choose to travel away from the crowd with their small-scale trips. In this way, they ensure a greater spread of tourism and income at the destinations. They also often have long-term relationships with partners and suppliers, which allows them to contribute to the local community together. In this way, they make a positive impact on the destinations. Because of the small scale, our members in particular can more easily adapt to changing circumstances, such as sustainability. Together with them, we will continue to work on these challenges of the future. Within the travel industry, we see that there is a lot of attention for sustainability. No organization dares to say that sustainability is not important. At the same time, much remains to be done. It would help us enormously if the infrastructure for more sustainable travel was supported more and faster by governments. Think of cheaper and better train traffic, for which the tickets can easily be booked for further train journeys as well. But also to making aircraft more sustainable more quickly, making travel to distant destinations more sustainable.&#8217;
The post &#8216;Sustainable travel brings something extra&#8217; appeared first on TravMagazine.
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                        <title>&#8216;Input from the advisory board contributes to the success of Vakantiebeurs&#8217;</title>

            <link>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/input-from-the-advisory-board-contributes-to-the-success-of-vakantiebeurs/</link>
            <comments>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/input-from-the-advisory-board-contributes-to-the-success-of-vakantiebeurs/#respond</comments>

            <pubDate>Mon, 08 Jul 2024 08:47:21 +0000</pubDate>

            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Theo de Reus]]></dc:creator>

            		<category><![CDATA[Background]]></category>
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            <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.travmagazine.nl/input-from-the-advisory-board-contributes-to-the-success-of-vakantiebeurs/</guid>

            
            <description><![CDATA[
The brand-new advisory board of the Vakantiebeurs has now had its first meeting. The input of the members, a reflection of partners in the travel industry, is taken into account to realize a successful trade fair. Exhibition manager Marleen Rompen explains. When asked why the advisory board was set up, Rompen answers: &#8216;The advisory board &hellip; Lees verder            ]]></description>

            
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The brand-new advisory board of the Vakantiebeurs has now had its first meeting. The input of the members, a reflection of partners in the travel industry, is taken into account to realize a successful trade fair. Exhibition manager Marleen Rompen explains.  When asked why the advisory board was set up, Rompen answers: &#8216;The advisory board for the Vakantiebeurs was set up to discuss the concept, the campaign, future plans and collaborations together with various market parties. Team Vakantiebeurs strongly believes in working together as an industry to achieve a successful event. The advisory board is well informed about everything that is going on in the market, can give advice from different angles and helps to mobilise the market, so that together we can make the Holiday Fair a great success.&#8217;  How is the input of the members taken into account?  &#8216;The members of our advisory board play an essential role in the process from idea to the final realisation of the Holiday Fair. From the very first moment, they receive all the relevant information and have the freedom to give their honest opinion, which we take very seriously. Basically, the organization of the Vakantiebeurs is in the hands of our partners, which is why it is crucial that the concept meets the needs of the market. This means that sometimes we have to balance, as not all companies have the same vision. Nevertheless, we always strive for a solution that is acceptable to all parties.&#8217;
She continues: &#8216;Thanks to the valuable advice and the involvement of our advisory board, we are already seeing new partnerships emerge and interesting concepts are developing. Their input has a tangible influence on the direction we are taking and contributes to the success of the Vakantiebeurs.&#8217;   What do you want to achieve with it?  &#8216;We aim to increase the involvement of the market in the concept of the Holiday Fair. We want to gain insight into what is going on, where the needs of our partners lie, which aspects deserve special attention and how our partners can support us in organizing the event optimally and matching the wishes of visitors. The success of the Holiday Fair depends on the contributions of all parties involved, and it is our job to bring all these elements together into a seamless whole. Given the complexity of this goal, we cannot achieve this alone, which is why the advisory board is invaluable as a sounding board and as a bridge to the market.&#8217; According to Rompen, a good representation of the sector was taken into account for the composition of the advisory board. These are the members: Joeri Backowski (Event Manager BENE – TUI), Hanita van der Meer (Spokesperson ANVR), Tessa Meerman (Manager Campaign &amp; Partnerships &#8211; Corendon), Sharon Vassell (Trade Coordinator at Curaçao Tourist Board Europe), Susanne Al (Director of Marketing Netherlands, Belgium &amp; France at Sunny Cars), Hugo van Drie (Director Nordic Netherlands &amp; Germany), Lieke Lamb (Owner Trendwatcher.com) and T.J. van Apeldoorn (Co-owner &amp; CEO TRAVel Media Benelux).
The post &#8216;Input from the advisory board contributes to the success of Vakantiebeurs&#8217; appeared first on TravMagazine.
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                        <title>Five years of VZR Garant: &#8216;Our participants are our ambassadors&#8217;</title>

            <link>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/five-years-of-vzr-garant-our-participants-are-our-ambassadors/</link>
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            <pubDate>Thu, 04 Jul 2024 10:26:50 +0000</pubDate>

            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Theo de Reus]]></dc:creator>

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            <description><![CDATA[
VZR Garant Guarantee Fund celebrates its fifth anniversary. Founders Thiemo Hollering and Jules Wedershoven speak of a &#8216;hectic&#8217; five years in which a lot has happened. An interview. The renewal of the Package Travel Directive in 2018 was the immediate reason for the establishment of VZR Garant. That was in June 2019, together with a &hellip; Lees verder            ]]></description>

            
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VZR Garant Guarantee Fund celebrates its fifth anniversary. Founders Thiemo Hollering and Jules Wedershoven speak of a &#8216;hectic&#8217; five years in which a lot has happened. An interview.  The renewal of the Package Travel Directive in 2018 was the immediate reason for the establishment of VZR Garant. That was in June 2019, together with a group of about 75 charterers. &#8216;Five years later, we now have more than 325 participants from all kinds of sectors. From classic travel companies to sailing schools&#8217;, say the entrepreneurs and former school friends Hollering and Wedershoven. &#8216;VZR Garant is now a business partner of the sector organisations ANVR and VvKR. We work closely with them. It has also become possible for participants to participate in the Calamity Fund. In addition, we completely revamped our website at the beginning of this year. In addition to various options for personal contact for new and existing participants, travelers can easily and quickly check whether a travel organization is affiliated. We try to keep innovating. For example, we have made it possible for participants to deposit a deposit as an alternative to the often expensive bank guarantee.&#8217;  
&#8216;We didn&#8217;t expect to join participant number 300 at the beginning of 2024.&#8217;
  The past five years have not been all positive, says Hollering. &#8216;Six months after VZR Garant was founded, we had to deal with the corona pandemic. The impact of such a major crisis on a guarantee fund in the start-up phase is of course enormous. That was an exciting time. Fortunately, the measures taken have worked out well and we have come through that period well.&#8217; Wedershoven: &#8216;We have now had to deal with three bankruptcies of participants. That is of course more than in &#8216;normal&#8217; times and therefore more than we had anticipated when we were founded. On the other hand, it gave us the opportunity to prove ourselves as a start-up guarantee fund. Looking back, we conclude that we came out stronger.&#8217;  Guarantee society  When asked what unexpected obstacles they encountered, the duo answers: &#8216;Other guarantee funds were set up as foundations. That&#8217;s relatively easy. Due to a change in legislation, it turned out that it was no longer possible for us to operate as a foundation. As a result, VZR Garant is not a foundation but a mutual guarantee company, a model that you also see with other insurers. There is a lot to consider when setting it up and running it. For example, there is an annual general meeting for all members and there is an audit committee. So there&#8217;s a lot of transparency. In the end, we came to see that as an advantage: it distinguishes us from other guarantee schemes and it is appreciated by our participants.&#8217;  What&#8217;s next?  &#8216;Of course, we also saw in the early stages that we had to prove ourselves. They were waiting to see what happened. Not only travelers and tour operators, but also authorities. Can bankruptcy be absorbed in the start-up phase of the guarantee fund? And what about the consequences of the corona pandemic? Participants&#8217; reservations were largely wiped out. This increased the risk for our guarantee fund. We had to figure out how to deal with that. Fortunately, we saw that our approach was successful and that the scepticism disappeared.&#8217; Sooner than expected, VZR Garant was able to join the 300th participant with Barrio Life. &#8216;Of the five years that VZR Garant has existed, more than two have been dominated by the corona pandemic. At the time, we did not expect that we would join participant number 300 at the beginning of 2024. In January 2023, we said in TravMagazine that we would like to grow to 500 participants, and that within three or four years. We are well on our way and we remain ambitious. Our participants and partners are essential in this: they are our ambassadors.&#8217;  What is the profile of your average participant?  &#8216;Our participants are mainly organisations that organise their own trips. They are specialist organisations that often become members of the VvKR and increasingly also of the ANVR. Our participants range from start-ups to existing companies with a turnover of up to 5 million euros. We don&#8217;t take unnecessary risks and grow step by step. In this way, we will also be able to admit larger organisations in the future.&#8217;  What is the dot on the horizon?  &#8216;In our growth to 500 participants, we want to be even more of a partner for our participants and support them with various issues and challenges. We want to think along with them and inform them about relevant topics. We are preparing this behind the scenes and we will come out with it soon. Furthermore, we want to focus on even more personal contact with our participants, not only during registration, but also during participation. And as soon as the guarantee fund is ready, we want to admit larger travel organisations.&#8217;  
The post Five years of VZR Garant: &#8216;Our participants are our ambassadors&#8217; appeared first on TravMagazine.
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                        <title>75th anniversary Avila Beach Hotel: &#8216;So many memories have been made here&#8217;</title>

            <link>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/75th-anniversary-avila-beach-hotel-so-many-memories-have-been-made-here/</link>
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            <pubDate>Tue, 02 Jul 2024 14:16:16 +0000</pubDate>

            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Sharon Evers]]></dc:creator>

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            <description><![CDATA[
Originally, built around 1780 as a mansion for governors, it was later used as a boarding school for boys, hospital, and finally a hotel that opened its doors in 1949 with only eighteen beds. Since then, the hotel has undergone many renovations and expansions and has grown into a luxury resort with 156 rooms, including &hellip; Lees verder            ]]></description>

            
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Originally, built around 1780 as a mansion for governors, it was later used as a boarding school for boys, hospital, and finally a hotel that opened its doors in 1949 with only eighteen beds. Since then, the hotel has undergone many renovations and expansions and has grown into a luxury resort with 156 rooms, including several suites and apartments.
The Avila Beach Hotel is known for its historic charm, excellent service, and sustainable initiatives. Since 1949, Grand Dame Avila has hosted countless guests and remains an iconic destination in Curaçao.
Personal Favorite
Sandra Vestjens (TUI at Home) tells TravMagazine that she thinks Avila Beach Hotel is a gem for holidaymakers who are looking for comfort and tranquility and who want to stay within walking distance of Willemstad and in the vicinity of nice restaurants. &#8216;Of course, that&#8217;s one of the reasons why I sell it so easily and so easily. The two private bays, where there is plenty to see under water, also look very nice. On the beach you can enjoy the peace and quiet on one of the plenty of sunbeds. You know what&#8217;s so good? The service. When you are relaxing on the lounger, you can order anything and it will all be brought to you. That&#8217;s really a holiday.&#8217;
When asked why Avila Beach Hotel is her personal favorite hotel on the island, Sandra replies: &#8220;I have many reasons, but one of them is the very rich breakfast. You sit there wonderfully quietly with the sea in the foreground. It often happens that we are still enjoying breakfast and the girls are already in the sea, and yet you are still together.&#8217; Sandra also says: &#8216;Curaçao is very popular and lends itself very well to being discovered with a rental car. Many of my clients experience that freedom as a real holiday. At Avila there is always a parking space available and there is also a security guard at the gate.&#8217;
Cynthia Roos and Sandra Vestjens
Heart for the community
About 90% of the 170 employees were born and raised on the island and many live in nearby neighborhoods. Many employees have been with Avila for decades and contribute to the hotel&#8217;s warm, welcoming atmosphere. Avila&#8217;s slogan is &#8216;Feel the warmth&#8217; for a reason. The hotel also gives back a lot. In the form of sustainability, green energy and recycling, but also through sponsoring, supporting initiatives, such as the Daily Meal Plan and Pack for a Purpose, and supporting some primary schools in the vicinity of the hotel and in Soto, near Santa Martha where the Vogels family is working on a new resort, TUI BLUE Curaçao hotel. Avila organizes numerous local (culinary) events and (classical) concerts, due to the love for music of the late former owner Finn &#8216;Nic&#8217; Nicolay Møller. This has strengthened Avila&#8217;s role as a focal point for the community.
Employees in 1992
Intimate and cozy
Cynthia Roos (TUI at Home) says that she spent the night at Avila Beach Hotel for the first time eleven years ago. &#8216;That was during an OAD/Globe study trip and I immediately felt at home. Avila is small-scale and although a few buildings have been added in recent years, it is still intimate and cozy. The family feeling is still there and that is why there are many guests who like to come back. I always stay in the room type Blues Wing, which nowadays is Oceanfront Blues. This wooden accommodation is built on a pier and from your room you always have a view of the sea.&#8217; Cynthia says that she has already spent the night at Avila a total of six times. &#8216;We often go to Curaçao to escape the cold in the Netherlands and to refuel. For me, Avila is the nicest hotel on Curaçao, mainly because of the above reasons and the fantastic location close to very good restaurants that you will find within walking distance, such as Serafina and Rozendaels, and the cozy Pietermaai with bars and restaurants, such as Komé, Ginger and Mundo Bizarro.
Fireworks
Cynthia has also celebrated New Year&#8217;s Eve at Avila. &#8216;That&#8217;s a big party. It starts in the afternoon with the lighting of up to 500,000 Pagara to say goodbye to the old year and drive away the bad spirits. Afterwards, there will be a buffet with delicious food and live music. Dancing barefoot in the sand or romantically watching the fireworks, while enjoying the cocktails on the beach!&#8217;
Avila Beach Hotel in the 70&#8217;s
Marry
In addition to holidaymakers from abroad, locals also often choose Avila as the place to celebrate their special moments both privately and professionally, which is a testament to the hotel&#8217;s timeless appeal and its deep-rooted position in the local community. Its beautiful centrally located beachfront location, combined with top facilities, makes it an ideal choice for such celebrations. Many couples remember their wedding day in Avila as one of the most beautiful days of their lives. Farley Hollander, Resident Manager at Avila, has also tied the knot with his Marcia at the hotel. &#8220;My wedding day was the best party of my life. I remember that I was dancing and hotel guests that I know from work, but were not on the guest list, also came by and danced exuberantly next to me. It was a big party and it made the fun complete,&#8221; Farley said.
Robbin Birds on the beach near Avila in 2022
Leading role
Avila is a special place, according to Robbin Vogels, General Manager of Avila Beach Hotel. &#8216;As a little boy, I used to come here regularly with my father. We then moored the boat at the pier and visited the Schooner Bar on the beach. It&#8217;s still great that so many memories have been created in this place,&#8217; says Robbin. While the Avila Beach Hotel looks back on a rich past, it also looks forward to the future. With continuous innovative improvements and renovations, the hotel continues to evolve to meet the modern needs of guests. Sustainability is of paramount importance, both on land and under water. The level of service and giving a personal touch is also extremely important. Robbin: &#8216;It&#8217;s not that beautiful beach or that comfortable hotel room that makes the Avila Beach Hotel, the Avila Beach Hotel. They are our employees, they are the linchpin and play a leading role in the memories and experiences of our guests. We work hard every day to be the best at what we do.&#8221;
The post 75th anniversary Avila Beach Hotel: &#8216;So many memories have been made here&#8217; appeared first on TravMagazine.
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                        <title>Solo travel increasingly popular: &#8216;The taboo is disappearing more and more&#8217;</title>

            <link>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/solo-travel-increasingly-popular-the-taboo-is-disappearing-more-and-more/</link>
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            <pubDate>Thu, 27 Jun 2024 11:51:01 +0000</pubDate>

            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Rahanna van Stapele]]></dc:creator>

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            <description><![CDATA[
More and more people are choosing to travel alone for a short or longer period of time, whether or not on their own initiative or as part of a single or group trip. How can this trend be seen within the Dutch travel market? &#8216;Why 2024 will be the year of the solo traveler&#8217;, was &hellip; Lees verder            ]]></description>

            
            <content:encoded><![CDATA[
More and more people are choosing to travel alone for a short or longer period of time, whether or not on their own initiative or as part of a single or group trip. How can this trend be seen within the Dutch travel market?
&#8216;Why 2024 will be the year of the solo traveler&#8217;, was the headline in an article in Forbes in November last year. In it, the CEO of tour operator Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) is asked for his thoughts on the outcome of a recent survey conducted by OAT and magazine Solo Traveler, in which 68% of participants identify themselves as independent travelers. That&#8217;s a shift from the past, when traveling alone was an expensive hobby due to paying double for participation in, for example, a cruise or tour. The tour operator indicates in the article that it has seen a significant increase in solo travel bookings in recent years: 27% in 2017, 39% in 2019 and 50% at the moment. Trend reports from booking.com (&#8216;59% of travellers want to take a solo trip this year&#8217;) and American Express Travel are also included. In the latter, one of the most important insights was the rise of solo travel, especially among younger travelers. 76% of millennials and Gen Z (compared to the average of 69%) say they plan to take a solo trip in 2024. Left to your own devices Making new contacts seems to be the most obvious motive among solo travelers, but certainly does not necessarily play the leading role among the new wave of solo travelers. Kim Giling (ZRA at YourTravel) says she can confirm the value of traveling alone. For example, she regularly traveled alone to Tenerife, Malta and various parts of southern Spain. &#8216;It was here that I found the time to take up sporting activities such as horseback riding. Things that I apparently have less time for during daily life in the Netherlands.&#8217;    What&#8217;s the charm of traveling alone? &#8216;I think it&#8217;s great that you&#8217;re completely on your own for a while. By being alone somewhere else for a while, you get into a completely different state and you realize that you also have a very nice time at home.&#8217; When we ask if she ever books solo trips for customers, it certainly turns out to be the case. &#8216;I regularly receive requests like that. This rarely or hardly involves far-flung world travel, but often a specific destination. For example, I often see people who want to walk the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route, sometimes only being called in for the plane tickets and hotels. Why? Especially for people who are on the road alone, the biggest concern is often whether the details are all properly arranged and recorded. After all, you are alone, and people can feel enormously unburdened if someone else is &#8216;watching&#8217;.
Women A striking fact from the various results is the larger share of solo women in many, but not all, statistics.  While the male-female split is slightly closer at American Express Travel, it is much more significant at OAT/Solo Traveler (85% female) and British lifestyle brand Saga, which also identifies the rise of solo holidays as a clear trend (68% female). According to Saga, long-haul tours and cruises are popular among women, and social interaction and practical considerations play a big role in the overall solo trip. 47% make new friendships and 11% come home with a romantic connection.  
Self-care  When asked who her average solo traveling client is, Kim replies: &#8216;These are often slightly older people, married or in a relationship, sometimes entrepreneurs, who are extremely busy in their daily lives or even on the verge of a burnout. I have definitely noticed an increase in interest in solo travel. Not necessarily this year, but since the corona pandemic. It seems as if people have been left with an attitude of: &#8216;We live in the now. Everything I want to do, it is better to do as soon as possible&#8217;. I also see a little more women. It seems like women are even more likely to be looking for real me-time, self-care, which they might find a little harder to find at home. It&#8217;s only far away from home that they can completely detach themselves. I recently had the opportunity to book a solo trip for a woman to South Africa, her husband was not so interested in a long-distance trip. By coincidence, her sister eventually joined her and they were able to go to South Africa together.&#8217;  
&#8216;Customers really want to travel with like-minded people&#8217;
  She continues: &#8216;When booking the stays with solo trips, it turns out to be financially less advantageous: solo trips are just always more expensive. But I also sometimes notice that the target group is not so concerned with that. They really prefer to play it safe rather than cheap.&#8217; Focus Safety can certainly play a role in the choice of booking a group or single trip, agrees travel organization Shoestring. The Dutch-Belgian provider specializes in adventurous group and single tours around the world, and served around 8,000 travelers last year. The customer base is quite young with an average age of 25 to 35 years, with Indonesia, Japan and Thailand currently being top destinations. &#8216;We also recognise the strong growth of solo travel. So much so that we are currently in a transition phase to a new concept,&#8217; says Patrick van Zijl (Marketing Manager at Shoestring). &#8216;Where we now offer both group and single trips, we will switch completely to single tours from next September. What we strongly notice is that people who book such a trip really like to be in a group with like-minded people. During the booking process, customers also have insight into who has already registered. That is why we are going to distinguish three groups within the new concept: 20 to 35 years old, one category above that, and finally a group for all ages.&#8217; Kim Giling, Patrick van Zijl and Wendy RoodImago  Van Zijl: &#8216;Actually, we were already seeing growth in solo travel before the pandemic, which is why we actively focused on the trend at the time, but it is also increasing rapidly after that. In principle, we see a fairly equal distribution of men and women, but slightly more women. They sometimes seem to be just a little &#8216;hipper&#8217; than men, men sometimes seem to be a bit more concerned about the image that comes with participating in such a trip. Women also like to choose it because they feel more safe when travelling in groups.&#8217; Because Shoestring serves a relatively young target group, TravMagazine wonders what the main reason is for this group to go out on their own. &#8216;Basically, it&#8217;s about the adventure and exploring the world, and the social interactions and contacts are a plus. In our communication, we stay far away from the emphasis on the social: most participants are single, but there are no obligations or expectations involved. Anyway, sometimes something does happen. At the office we have a &#8216;baby wall&#8217;, with birth announcements of couples that were created during our travels.&#8217;  Royal Caribbean Even within the cruise world, the increasing number of passengers who go on board without a travel companion on the day of departure is not ignored. Just like in country accommodations, as a solo traveler on a cruise, you pay a lot extra because of the cabins that are based on two or more people. There is now a list of cruise lines that offer solo cabins and Royal Caribbean is one of them. On some ships (not all) there are so-called studios. These are specially created cabins for solo travelers, with the same facilities and amenities as in a double or multi-occupancy cabin, just slightly smaller. Obstacle in the past was, of course, the additional single fee that had to be paid when booking a double room for one passenger. The advantage of these new studios is that adjusted rates are applied. Example: if you sailed seven nights on the Eastern Sea with the Odyssey of the Seas (RC) on 18 May, you would pay €3,334 for a double balcony cabin and €2,151 for a single balcony cabin.  
Taboo  Wendy Rood, cruise specialist at Royal Caribbean: &#8220;In the past, there weren&#8217;t many studios or solo travelers, which is why you won&#8217;t find these single balcony cabins on all our ships. However, there are single cabins or an outside cabin.&#8217; The changes around the facilities for solo travelers will continue to increase, according to Rood. &#8220;More and more cruise lines are seeing that there are more single travelers and are taking this into account when creating and building new ships. Because we have no insight into the bookings of the other countries and/or the head office, it is difficult to answer factually, but we do see an increase and hear that around us. The &#8216;taboo&#8217; that used to be on solo travel is disappearing more and more.&#8217; Not only is there investment in suitable cabins, but there is also change in social activities. &#8216;On the daily schedule, it is very clearly indicated whether a cocktail is for solo travellers, for example, or where it is possible to meet at a certain location, so that passengers can meet each other if they want to, of course. You don&#8217;t have to do anything, everything is allowed. On cruises you often see that people who meet each other for the first time on board stay in touch. The same goes for the solo traveller.&#8217;
The post Solo travel increasingly popular: &#8216;The taboo is disappearing more and more&#8217; appeared first on TravMagazine.
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                        <title>Every cloud has a silver lining!</title>

            <link>https://www.travmagazine.nl/en/every-cloud-has-a-silver-lining/</link>
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            <pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2024 13:34:33 +0000</pubDate>

            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Dylan Cinjee]]></dc:creator>

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&#13; April does what he wants, and we notice it. At the time of writing this article, thunderstorms and hail are raging, even though it is the middle of April. It does not surprise us that various media also reported this week that international holiday bookings for the May holidays are going very well. But &hellip; Lees verder            ]]></description>

            
            <content:encoded><![CDATA[
&#13;
April does what he wants, and we notice it. At the time of writing this article, thunderstorms and hail are raging, even though it is the middle of April. It does not surprise us that various media also reported this week that international holiday bookings for the May holidays are going very well. But even after the May holidays, we see the bright rays of sunshine breaking through in the travel world and we see a wanderlust Netherlands moving towards the summer.&#13;
By: Nick Brandts and Marc van der Hulst (Google)&#13;
&#13;
Search volumes in Q1 grow compared to last year, especially on transport&#13;
&#13;
At the beginning of this year, Euromonitor predicted global growth of 16% in 2024 in their &#8220;Top trends for 2024&#8221; report. The ANVR also expects a strong 2024 in a press release. With Q1 behind us, we see that expectation at least fulfilled in the number of searches within the travel categories. We can draw a number of conclusions:&#13;

&#13;
The total search volume of travel-related searches in Q1 of 2024 shows a similar pattern to pre-covid (2019). This return to the traditional seasonal pattern makes consumer behavior more predictable for travel providers.&#13;


&#13;
Furthermore, we see an increase in search volumes compared to last year of about 8%. All categories within the travel category are growing, but especially categories related to transport (flying, car rental, bus &amp; rail) are growing faster than average. Consumers seem to want to book their transport in advance to avoid higher future prices in the future.&#13;


&#13;
The total number of clicks on travel-related ads is growing less rapidly than the number of searches. It seems that consumers are taking more time to research and compare the options before they proceed to book. Presumably this has to do with increased prices (due to increased fuel prices and inflation, among other things). For marketers, it&#8217;s important to identify the early signals that lead to bookings.&#13;

&#13;
Interesting period with demand for both spring and summer&#13;
&#13;
In the period between early booking and last minute, we traditionally see a mix of signals. During this period, we still see healthy interest in the summer holidays. In a survey at the beginning of the year, about 50% of Dutch people indicated that they would book their summer holidays before the end of February. The other half is therefore orienting and booking between February and the summer holidays. In March, the search volume for the search term &#8216;summer vacation&#8217; was 10% higher than in 2023, indicating that the interest is there. In addition, we see a lot of interest in (short) holidays in the spring period, such as last Easter, the May holidays, Ascension Day and Pentecost. This interest is very last minute, as evidenced by clicks in the hotel category, where about half of all clicks occur within one month of departure. The peaks in volume for these types of short trips in the spring vary greatly from market to market. In the Netherlands, after Easter, Ascension Day and Pentecost are especially popular.&#13;
&#13;
Relevant advertising with the help of AI&#13;
&#13;
In addition to the mix of interest for different travel periods, we know that about 15%(!) of all searches are new and unique. This makes it even more difficult for marketers to reach the right traveler. A few tips on how to increase your success during this period: 1. Stay up to date with developments in search behaviour&#13;
&#13;
Make sure you are aware of the latest trends in search behavior. You can find a lot of information in Google&#8217;s (free) Destinations Insights tool. Such as new popular destinations or growth in search volumes at traditional summer holiday destinations. For example, London was the most searched city for flights from the Netherlands in March, followed by Barcelona and Lisbon. Furthermore, the United Kingdom is the largest in searches for accommodations in the Netherlands, followed by Germany and the US. Useful for planning your inbound campaigns.&#13;
2. Optimize your campaigns using the latest technology&#13;
&#13;
In the dynamic travel industry, it&#8217;s essential to stay on top of the latest developments. With constantly changing search behavior (of which 15% of the searches are new, i.e. unknown), you can use some help. With the help of AI and machine learning, the platforms within Google are being further developed to help with this. Like Performance Max and Broad Match.&#13;
&#13;
Performance Max automates bids and creatives based on personalized insights, allowing you to manage your campaigns more efficiently and drive better results. The tool helps you find new audiences on new channels (such as Youtube, Discovery and Gmail ads) with potential customers. It&#8217;s proven to be successful alongside your regular Google Ads campaign, and the tool helps you optimize your budget across platforms. In addition, the tool helps you target specific audiences, such as potential travelers who are looking for flights to a certain destination or who are interested in a certain type of hotel.&#13;
&#13;
With the help of Broad Match , you can expand your reach by matching relevant queries with your keywords, even if there are small differences in the wording. This ensures that you reach more potential customers who are looking for what you have to offer on search terms that you wouldn&#8217;t otherwise use in your campaign. You can find Broad Match recommendations under the &#8220;Recommendations&#8221; tab in your Google Ads account and you can set up an experiment with one click and test the feature.&#13;
&#13;
3. Ad creatives are super important&#13;
&#13;
With both the summer holidays and the various spring holidays just around the corner, there are many opportunities on the street for those who know how to influence the purchase decision. Segment by audiences and adjust your messaging and assets accordingly. Use these in multiple formats in different funnels, for example via YouTube to achieve both the short-term (sales) and the longer-term (awareness) marketing objectives. Also think of the new tool Demand Gen , which has the strength of reaching new prospects. These are the target groups that are still in the exploration phase of their holiday.&#13;
&#13;
We hope that this will provide good tools to make this challenging, but promising season a success.&#13;
The post Every cloud has a silver lining! appeared first on TravMagazine.
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