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  • IHG plans major expansion in Russia

    IHG has signed a franchise multiple development agreement (MDA) with Regional Hotel Chain to develop 15 new hotels in Russia by 2019, which, when open, will double the dimensions of IHG’s estate there because it stands today, and could introduce the vacation Inn Express brand to the region for the primary time.

    The 15 new Holiday Inn Express hotels will add approximately 2,250 rooms, when signed, to IHG’s current Russia development pipeline of over 1,700 rooms (5 hotels).

    The locations for the 1st two of those hotels are Chelyabinsk and Voronezh. Holiday Inn Express Voronezh – Kirova is because of open within the second 1/2 2014 and

    Holiday Inn Express Chelyabinsk – Central Station, is scheduled to open in summer 2015.

    IHG’s chief executive officer, Europe, Angela Brav said:  “This is a breakthrough for IHG in Russia. It marks the debut of the vacation Inn Express brand there and, when the hotels open we’ll have doubled the scale of our system because it stands in Russia today, creating a significant step towards our ambition to be market leaders.”

    The Holiday Inn Express brand is designed to be the smart choice for value-conscious business and leisure travellers.

    IHG previously announced plans to have 100 hotels across Russia and the rest of the CIS open and within the pipeline by 2020.

    The company said it’s going to work with local investors to introduce managed and franchised hotels around the country, where there’s a need for internationally branded hotels.  Its expansion would be driven by growth in regional centres and new fast-growing cities with well-established business communities and tourist attractions.

    IHG has 13 hotels (3,894 rooms) open in Russia, with another 5 hotels (1,773 rooms) within the pipeline with a purpose to open inside the next 3 to five years.

  • News: Further improvements planned for Tarka line

    Network Rail has vowed to maintain disruption to passengers to a minimum because it carries out vital improvement work at the Tarka line between Exeter and Barnstaple during March.

    Two short closures was agreed to enhance the rail infrastructure at the popular line, avoiding the busy Easter weekend which sees large numbers of folks – including many tourists – travelling by train.

    The first closure will appear between Crediton and Barnstaple, with the road closing at 11pm on Sunday 10 March and, reopening at 3pm on Wednesday 13 March. This can be for track relaying and bridge improvement works near Lapford, and for other works near Umberleigh.

    During this time, train operator First Great Western will operate train services between Exeter and Crediton, with a bus replacement service serving all stations north of Crediton, through to Barnstaple.

    The second closure occurs over the weekend of Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 March. In this time, buses will replace trains between Barnstaple and Exeter, as Network Rail’s engineers undertake further track renewals inside the Umberleigh area and other essential maintenance along the road.

    Tim Maddocks, Network Rail customer support manager for the West Country, said: “Working with First Great Western, we’ve been ready to plan this vital work in a manner that avoids the busy Easter weekend.

    “We wish to thank passengers for his or her patience while we complete these essential improvement works to make the Tarka line safer, smoother and more reliable.“

  • News: Thomas Cook to slash thousands of jobs

    U.K. travel organisation Thomas Cook plans to chop approximately 2,500 jobs and shut down 195 retail travel agencies.

    The job cuts would amount to a 16% reduction in Thomas Cook’s 15,500-person workforce.

    “It isn’t easy to make decisions that impact directly on our people, but we also owe it to our customers to shape the business effectively and confirm that once they book their holiday with us, our administrative costs are as little as possible,” said Thomas Cook CEO Peter Fankhauser.

    “Even after these changes, we are going to still have among the largest retail networks in U.K. travel.”

  • Mexico and Brazil approve visa exemption

    The governments of Mexico and Brazil have agreed to the exemption of the quick-stay visas in ordinary passports for his or her citizens.

    The move is designed to extend the flow of travellers between the 2 nations.

    The decision is the culmination of a chain of negotiations between Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto and Dilma Rousseff Coimbra, president of Brazil, as a part of the Summit of the Community of Latin America and Caribbean States (CELAC), held last January inside the city of Santiago de Chile.

    The visa requirement for Brazilians were in force since 2005, and from May 2010 Mexico applied CHM immigration to these citizens with a US visa; moreover, the Migration Documentation Information System (SIDOMI) and the System of Electronic Authorisation (SAE) allowed Brazilian tourists and businessmen to procure electronic visas.

    This move will allow for a rise in visitors to Mexico from Brazil.

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  • News: Tyrrells partners with Virgin’s ‘Little Red’ to launch plane crisps

    Tyrrells, the premium English crisp brand, is taking to the skies with the coming of its new ‘Plane Crisps’.  Tyrrells have teamed up with Virgin Atlantic to create a bespoke ‘Little Red’ pack to enjoy on-board Virgin’s new Little Red domestic routes. Unique to Virgin, the specially created miniature packs would be handed out to all passengers at the new domestic flight routes, set for lift-off from 31st March.

    At just 15g the recent ‘Plane Crisps’ stands out as the smallest pack currently produced by Tyrrells.  Working closely with the Virgin team to satisfy on-board consumption and stowage requirements, the crisps had been hand cooked from carefully graded smaller potatoes to cause them to the world’s daintiest and tastiest crisps. Tyrrells source all their potatoes from neighboring Herefordshire fields, using only the best potatoes from varieties equivalent to Lady Jo, Lady Claire and girl Rosetta.

    The new Plane Crisp pack have been designed in step with the brand’s usual joie de vivre, taking aviation because the theme and embracing both the Tyrrells and Virgin Atlantic distinctive brand characteristics: the long-lasting Virgin red because the pack colour combined with a signature Tyrrells black and white photo of a pilot along with his trusty four legged flying friend.

    Oliver Rudgard, Marketing Director of Tyrrells Crisps says, “This is a good collaboration for Tyrrells and we’re thrilled to be partnering with Virgin at the launch of Little Red.  The challenge for us was to return up with a product that actually works at 35,000 feet.  That’s why we carefully selected miniature potatoes after which tested their flavour on a Virgin Atlantic flight to ensure that we had the cutest and tastiest crisps possible.”

    Virgin Atlantic Customer Experience Director, Reuben Arnold, said:
    “We are delighted to be working with Tyrrells as a part of our on board offering for Virgin Atlantic Little Red domestic flights. The 2 brands are a really perfect fit, great British brands admired for his or her flair and the standard in their product. Virgin Atlantic is obsessed with supplying the perfect product and repair on our flights, and we’re confident that Little Red’s passengers will love these bespoke Plane Crisps made of tasty miniature potatoes.”

    The Tyrrells Plane Crisps could be showcased on board the inaugural flight from London to Edinburgh on April 8th.