challenge travel services

Challenge Travel Services

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796C Pascoe Vale Rd

Glenroy Victoria 3046

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• 796C Pascoe Vale Rd Glenroy, VIC 3046
•    393061377

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Challenge Travel Services is located at 796C Pascoe Vale Rd in Glenroy, Victoria 3046. Challenge Travel Services can be contacted via phone at 393061377 for pricing, hours and directions.

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•   393061377

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Q what is the phone number for challenge travel services.

A The phone number for Challenge Travel Services is: 393061377.

Q Where is Challenge Travel Services located?

A Challenge Travel Services is located at 796C Pascoe Vale Rd, Glenroy, VIC 3046

Q What days are Challenge Travel Services open?

A Challenge Travel Services is open: Saturday: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Sunday: Closed Monday: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Tuesday: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Wednesday: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Thursday: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Friday: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

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A Challenge Travel Services has a 1.0 Star Rating from 1 reviewers.

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2022's Travel Industry Challenges and Recommendations for Travel

Travel industry challenges & recommendations for 2022.

Why is it so hard to travel right now?

If you’ve recently traveled you’ve probably either faced long security lines at the airport or the train station, less services available in your hotel or worse, a flight cancelation. But why is this happening when we knew travelers would come back on the road after the pandemic? 

To help you understand what the travel industry is currently facing worldwide, we’ve summarized the key challenges we’re seeing, and what the consequences are for you - along with some tips to help us support you better. 

The travel industry has been heavily impacted by the pandemic which is leading to the following: 

• The global travel industry is suffering from a long-running staff shortage - this impacts all areas including, air travel, hotels, trains, car rentals, airports and customer services.  
• The return to travel , including business travel, is moving much faster than what was anticipated.  

So, how does this travel market impact you? 

• A rise in cancelations whether air or rail, either due to staff shortages at travel companies, or to a volume of travelers, which airports cannot safely handle. This has led to reduced schedules – for example 1500 flights were canceled in the US only for the July 4th weekend and Air Canada is cancelling around 150 flights per day in July and August  
• Longer waiting times on the phone when contacting a customer service by phone and when a travel agent is trying to contact another supplier.  
• Longer queues at the airport or train stations security, immigration and check ins. 
• Some potential luggage delays. 
• Less amenities or services sometimes available in some hotels or flights. 
• Increasing prices due to an increasing demand and decreasing inventory. 
• In some countries suppliers’ staff are going on strikes due to the stretched resourcing. 

What is Egencia doing about this?

The overall industry is aware and working together to urgently recruit more. Egencia is also fully aware and is currently hiring new travel consultants. However, recruiting and training new employees takes time. 

What can you do?

1. help us help you: .

• If your departure is outside of 72 hours, please email customer service. 
• When contacting customer service, remain on the line and please do not hang up. We will answer your call. 
• For general inquiries, checking availability and pricing, please use the online booking tool or the mobile app instead. 
• To avoid duplication, please do not send follow-up emails once your initial request has been sent.  

2. Use the Egencia booking tool or mobile app to:  

• Book your new trip  
• Modify or cancel your business trip - here’s how to cancel your trip online      
• Redeem airline credits (North America only)  
• Review your booker profile and ensure it's up to date (name as per passport, telephone contact, frequent flyer cards etc.)  
• Check Egencia Travel Advisor for updates on entry requirements, COVID test and mask requirements       

3. Plan ahead 

• Arrive at the airport 30-45 minutes ahead of the recommended check-in times. 
• Use airlines’ online check-in before your departure whenever possible.  
• (For US travelers) Invest in TSA Preü  (Global Entry for international travelers) and Clear if possible.  
• Avoid booking the last flight of the day in the event any irregular operation impacts your ability to arrive or return according to your schedule. 
• Utilize carry-on luggage as much as possible. 

4. Be patient

And remember that wherever you are in the world, there are many travelers who are facing the same challenges. 

Looking for better business travel solutions? Get in touch with us.

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• Challenge Travel Services

Establishment and travel agency at 796C Pascoe Vale Road, Glenroy, VIC 3046, Australia. Here you will find detailed information about Challenge Travel Services : address, phone, fax, opening hours, customer reviews, photos, directions and more.

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Address: 796C Pascoe Vale Road Glenroy VIC 3046 Australia Get directions

Phone: +61 3 9306 1377

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5 Mega Challenges Facing the Global Travel and Tourism Industry

The global travel and tourism industry sits smack in the eye of a perfect storm. On the one hand, demand is up. Planes are packed. Our wanderlust is lustier than ever. On the other hand, rising inflation, lagging infrastructure, geopolitical uncertainty, staffing shortages, and COVID’s lingering impact have all converged into the stuff of nightmares — for travelers and the travel industry alike.

As researchers and advisors to global tourism boards and brands across the travel and tourism ecosystem, we are seeing some of these challenges hit certain players harder than others. On the bright side, recovery is on the horizon. But some geographies and industry sectors will face steeper challenges as five major headwinds converge upon them. We’re seeing opportunities for brands to get ahead of the storm and put the wind at their back.

These are the top five challenges facing the travel and tourism industry today, along with our perspective on navigating the way forward.

Travel Insight #1: Inflation means trade-offs and discretionary travel may lose out

Just when tourism was on the rebound, rising inflation came nipping at the heels of a travel boom. Escalent’s forthcoming 2022 Holiday Shopping & Travel Study revealed only 42% of consumers feel confident they’ll achieve their 2022 holiday travel plans (down 24 percentage points from 2021), and 49% of consumers are uncertain their holiday plans will be achieved (up 23 percentage points from 2021).

For the travel and tourism industry, inflation is a huge concern since it drives up product prices and affects consumers’ willingness to spend on discretionary travel. According to Euromonitor, 63% of travel executives said inflation was having a moderate to extensive impact on their businesses. Subsequently, over half of global travel companies acted in kind, by raising all or some of their prices. This was even higher in the Americas, where 59% of the companies raised all or some of their prices. Meanwhile, 44% of businesses accepted that they would suffer from having a lower profit margin by absorbing the inflationary costs rather than passing them on to their consumers to limit impact on their travel plans.

During inflationary times, it is common to see brands cut back on their marketing and advertising spend. While this reduces costs short term, it can be a setback to building long-term brand trust. In times of uncertainty, consumers tend to gravitate towards certainty, something a trusted brand can confer. And a destination is a brand. The more trust you can build amid uncertainty, the better.

Travel Insight #2: The ripple effects of geopolitical disruption

Geopolitical instability is also a key concern for the travel and tourism industry. The outlook for global travel and tourism for inbound spending is expected to be at 45% of 2019 levels, according to Euromonitor’s travel forecast model. The war in Ukraine is estimated to have caused a $7 billion decline in global inbound tourism, while Russian outbound tourism has all but collapsed under economic sanctions, airspace closures and flight bans. The loss of big-spending Russian visitors will impact travel destinations globally, but especially in Europe, the Caribbean and Turkey.

What happens when your high-value source market can’t travel? The ripple effects of geopolitical disruption are felt across regional clusters, forcing travel and tourism entities to rethink their source markets and reset their tourism marketing and targeting strategy.

Travel Insight #3: The travel and tourism infrastructure is in trouble

The pent-up travel demand is causing additional strain on the existing infrastructure, particularly for the airline sector. Problems with safety protocols and compliance with new national and international health standards are predicted to be made worse by capacity constraints when the industry recovers. This is expected to result in (even) longer lines, (more) crowded terminals and operational bottlenecks.

Social distancing measures have been lifted in many countries, including the US. But measures are still in place in many airports around the world, thus reducing airport capacity. Airports that operated close to their saturation capacity before the COVID crisis can expect to reach their maximum saturation capacity at just 60%–75% of their pre-COVID peaks.

According to ACI World, as air transport demand recovers, passenger demand will put more pressure on existing airport infrastructures. This may have socio-economic consequences, if not addressed in time. If long-term capacity constraints are not addressed through capital investments, it is estimated to lead to a reduction of up to 5.1 billion passengers globally, by 2040. For every million passengers that airports cannot accommodate due to airport capacity constraints in 2040, there would be 10,500 fewer jobs and 346 million USD less in GDP contribution from the industry.

Airports are often the “first impression” of a destination. A traveler’s airport experience sets the stage for the rest of the journey. When greeted with chaos and delays, even the most intrepid traveler can sour on the experience. Recently the US has made modest steps towards infrastructure improvement, including the Infrastructure Investment Act passed in November 2021, which includes spending for airports. While its impact will not be immediately felt, many travel associations have applauded the passing of this long overdue legislation.

Travel Insight #4: There’s no quick fix for the staffing shortage

If you’ve stepped foot in an airport this summer, you already know. The travel industry is facing a severe staffing challenge, particularly for customer-facing roles at hotels and airlines. Industry CEOs acknowledge that they are struggling to add staff to meet demand.

Airlines, in particular, are struggling to fill staffing requirements. Boeing’s 2021 Pilot and Technician Outlook voices concern that many airline workers who were furloughed during COVID may have left the industry permanently. The commercial airline industry needs 612,000 new pilots, 626,000 new maintenance technicians and 886,000 new cabin crew members over the next 20 years. Hotels and hospitality are also struggling, making it harder to deliver on guests’ expectations. Many hotels are shifting housekeeping services to a by-request-only model and some are cutting back on food and beverage amenities, including room service and restaurants.

What’s the precautionary tale to take away from this staffing mess? It can take decades to build brand trust, and one canceled flight, one bad stay, to destroy it. How people experience your brand — no matter if it’s in the best of times or the worst of times — stays with them. Travelers expect consistency from major brands. It will take time and investment for many airline and hospitality brands to rebuild trust in the quality and consistency of their brand experience.

Travel Insight #5: COVID is with us for the long haul

COVID travel restrictions are still impacting many elements of world tourism, with countries like China continuing to impose stringent restrictions and quarantines on visitors as well as Chinese outbound travelers.

In Asia Pacific, 83% of travel businesses report that ongoing COVID restrictions continue to have a moderate to extensive impact. This compares with 59% in Western Europe, according to Euromonitor. Although less, compared to 2021 levels, COVID concerns among travelers persist. Ongoing concerns, including new variants, affect the travel decisions of 55% of travelers, according to another recent study. Travelers are planning their trips cautiously, and nearly 70% are avoiding certain destinations, with 56% preferring close destinations and 56% avoiding crowded places.

Just as sanctions have grounded Russian travelers, COVID restrictions are keeping Chinese travelers homebound. Popular destinations for Chinese tourists such as Japan, Thailand, Singapore and Australia continue losing out on billions in tourism revenue. And countries with strict quarantine requirements like Japan continue to struggle. Between June 10 and July 10 this year, Japan hosted only 1,500 international tourists, according to data from Japan’s Immigration Services Agency. That’s down 95% from the same period in 2019. Who wants to spend half their holiday in quarantine? Destinations like Japan have focused on promoting domestic travel, but with COVID with us for the long haul, doubling down on domestic travel marketing and promotions is not a sustainable strategy.

Turn disruption into opportunity with tourism industry research and consulting

Escalent specializes in travel and tourism market research, traveler behavior, tourism investment strategy and consultative support across the travel and tourism ecosystem. Learn more about our Travel & Tourism practice and let us help you ride out the storm and go forth with confidence.

SOURCES CITED

(forthcoming) Escalent 2022 Holiday Shopping and Travel Study Please contact us if you would like to be notified when the report is available. View press release .

Voice of the Industry: Travel Survey, Facing New Challenges, Euromonitor, May 2022

Travel: Quarterly Statement Q1 2022, Euromonitor, May 2022

Holiday Barometer among Europeans, North Americans, Asians & Oceanians, Ipsos, June 2022

Japan is open to travel. So why aren’t tourists coming back? CNN, July 31, 2022

Deloitte travel outlook, The winding path to recovery 2022

Half of US Hospitality Workers Won’t Return in Job Crunch, Bloomberg, July 2021

Staff Shortages: World Travel & Tourism Council Travel Survey, May 2022

Related Industry: Travel & Tourism

Related Solution: Brand Positioning , Customer Experience Management , Market Assessment

Related Expertise: Secondary Research

Vivek leads Escalent’s Travel & Tourism practice where he works with tourism boards, airlines, hotels and hospitality brands across the globe, including in China, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. A featured thought leader at global travel and tourism forums such as ITB, TTRA, and PCMA, his expertise spans the Travel & Tourism value chain. Vivek is an experienced business executive with expertise in various business elements including operations, business development and P&L management. A seasoned insights leader, he advises clients on market assessment  and entry strategy, market sizing and growth strategies. An engineer by training, he holds an MBA in Strategy & Marketing from the Indian Institute of Management. Vivek has a keen interest in human psychology and believes that a transparent, win-all proposition is the key to creating a sustainable people-centric business.

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Ten crazy travel challenges from around the world

From swimming the Channel to cycling across the US, people have long been setting themselves self-imposed travel goals. We've brought together ten that fall at the more unusual end of the spectrum.

Their motivations are varied: some people wanted to beat a world record, others wanted to get to know a place or a country better … and one guy (see number seven) just simply loves peri-peri chicken.

What they have in common is a checklist, a clear goal and, for the most part, a tight budget. They are also – and this was not intentional – mostly men. Make of this what you will, but it seems there are less women travelling the world with very specific checklists. If you know any other people (women, men, families, couples) who have set themselves such a target, let us know in the comments below.

Walking every street in New York City

The contender Matt Green from Virginia, US ( imjustwalkin.com ) Start date : December 2011 Finish date 2015, hopefully

The challenge Matt has already walked across the US, from east to west. This time, "instead of seeing a million places for a minute each", he is focusing on New York City's five boroughs, walking every block and covering more than 8,000 miles.

Travel tip "You can walk the same street a hundred times and have a hundred different experiences. If a tourist asked me for a recommendation, I'd tell them to walk down whatever street is nearest, and give it their full attention."

Future plans "No idea!"

See also Ffyona Campbell covered 32,000km over 11 years, raising £180,000 for charity in the 80s and 90s. Karl Bushby travelled on foot, from the bottom of South America back to the United Kingdom via North America, Siberia, Asia and Europe . The 36,000-mile journey took 15 years.

Visiting every country in the world without flying

The contender Graham Hughes from Liverpool ( theodysseyexpedition.com ) Started Uruguay, 1 January 2009 Finished Russia, January 30 2013

The challenge Graham's self-imposed rules included no flights, no driving, no hitchhiking on public roads, crossing at official border points, using public transport where available, and always setting foot on dry land. After covering 201 countries in 1,426 days, he laid claim to a Guinness World Record, but the judges deemed his crossing into Russia illegal. In early 2013, he returned to the country to get another visa and is currently waiting to see if his record is approved. His trip also raised money for Wateraid .

Highlight "Iran. The friendliest people in the world! It'll be a top tourist destination one day."

Future plans Currently competing in the SOS Island competition , which involves undergoing survival challenges on a tropical island.

See also James Asquith, 24, who has just become the youngest person to visit every country in the world .

Taking every bus line in Buenos Aires

The contender Daniel Tunnard, from Sheffield, who has lived in Buenos Aires since 1999 ( colectivaizeishon.com ) Started September 2011 Finished April 2012 The challenge Daniel took all 140 bus lines in the City of Buenos Aires, across 202 square kilometres of urban sprawl. He typically travelled three bus routes a day, sometimes sitting for 14 hours at a time, watching the city go by. The whole thing cost him 380 pesos (about £55, at the time). He blogged it all, bilingually, which won him a book contract; Colectivaizeishon was published, in Spanish, by Random House Mondadori in August.

Travel tip "The 46 goes from the Boca Juniors stadium, through two major villas (shanty towns) and leaves you in Liniers. Don't take a camera and don't gawp, this isn't a safari, but it's well worth the trip for learning that these are not no-go areas, but places where humans live and work."

Future plans Taking all the trains in Argentina for the next book, out in 2015

Staying on every island in Scotland

The contender Andy Strangeway from Yorkshire ( andystrangeway.wordpress.com ) Started September 2003 Finished August 2007

The challenge Andy set out to become the first person not only to land but also sleep on all of Scotland's 162 islands of 40 hectares or above. After completing the task, he wrote a book about his adventure and has become a campaigner for better access rights around the UK.

Highlight "Soay in the St Kilda archipelago [the UK's westernmost point]. It had not been landed for five years and there was a 100m landslide at the landing place. It was exciting because it was my final island – and also because it was simply beautiful."

Future plans In 2012, he slept on the 52 highest points in England and Wales; 49 in his bivy bag. His next project is soon to be revealed.

See also Tracy and Daniel Calder are trying to visit as many British islands as possible.

Climbing every peak in New England

The contender Allison Nadler from Massachusetts, US ( 4000-footers.blogspot.com ) Started June 2011 Finished October 2013

The challenge In the past two years, Allison has hiked all 67 mountains in New England that are over 4,000 feet. She hiked some of them multiple times and about a third of them solo. She also runs a MeetUp group to encourage others to join her .

Highlight "One of my most challenging hikes was a one-day presidential traverse, which I did alone. It involves hiking seven of the most rugged mountains in New Hampshire including the tallest peak, Mount Washington. It's 20 miles long, gaining 9,000 feet of elevation."

Future plans Currently attempting to hike all New Hampshire's 4,000-footers in winter (not solo); 22 mountains still to go.

Visiting every metro station in Mexico City

The contender Peter Davies from New South Wales, Australia ( mexicocitymetro.wordpress.com ) Started January 2012 Finished July 2012

The challenge Peter's aim was to visit each station and the surroundings, which he then blogged about. At the time, he found 147 stations instead of the said 175, as some stops are counted more than once when the lines cross.

Highlight "Each station was unique and memorable: I visited a museum set inside a model head of former president Benito Juárez, observed a great array of killer street art, followed street dogs into markets to find the best taco stands, reflected in the room of Trotsky's assassination and got lost countless times."

Future plans To get back to Mexico City to complete the new Line 12 of the metro.

See also Geoff Marshall and Anthony Smith, who just broke the record for visiting all 270 London Underground stations , in the shortest possible time – 16 hours, 20 minutes and 27 seconds since you ask.

Visiting every Nando's in the world

The contender Christopher Poole from Greenwich, London ( facebook.com/NandosChallenge ) Started February 2013 Finished Ongoing

The challenge Christopher loves the chicken restaurant chain so much that he is on a mission to visit every one in the world. He took up the challenge after reading that the company would give one of the elusive High Five black cards to anyone who completes this feat – meaning unlimited Nando's for the holder and five friends. He has ticked off 80 so far, but seeing as there are 1,000 outlets in 30 countries on five continents, the rest could take some time. Will he ever finish? Will he still like Nando's by the end?

Highlight The Nando's in Ibiza with its unusual sesame buns. "Although, sadly, that branch since closed," says Christopher. "But the best Nando's in the world [so far] is the one in Lewisham. I had a whole chicken there and it earned a score of 10 in my write-up."

Future plans To buy an old car and travel across the world overland, guided by Nando's locations.

Going "everywhere" in Australia

The contender Peter Harris, originally from Northamptonshire, now living New South Wales ( ivebeeneverywhere.com.au ) Started December 2009 Finished September 2011

The challenge Peter took his inspiration from the 1959 Australian song, I've Been Everywhere, by Geoff Mack, which lists 94 Australian place names – the only link between them being that they rhyme with each other. He traversed the country to visit them all. There is also a US version of the song and a UK version, which is currently used in the Walkers crisps ad .

Highlight "Venturing into the deep Australian outback to visit Birdsville, Queensland. It's pretty much as remote a place you can get to. My 86-year old mother travelled all the way from the UK to make the trip with me – over many, many bumps – along with my partner Billy, niece Emily and even the family dog, Amelie."

Future plans Having caught the travel bug, Peter kept going after he finished his challenge, and still blogs about places in Australia and beyond.

Visiting every Northern Rail station in the UK

The contender Scott Willison, Merseyside ( merseytart.com ) Started June 2007 Finished Ongoing, currently half-way through

T he challenge Scott started doing all the stations on Merseyside. Once finished, he expanded his odyssey to the whole Northern Rail network, from Newcastle to Crewe. He takes a picture of himself in front of each station sign. His blog was a runner-up in the Blog North Awards 2013.

Highlight "Being alone on a platform at Nethertown station in Cumbria during a storm for three hours, and being perfectly happy. It's a single platform on a cliff top above the sea, served by only two trains a day. An unused railway station is really sad, and it felt like I was giving it a bit of life by using it."

Future plans Just to finish it someday – and then go somewhere else!

Visiting all the places in Britain starting with the letter Z

The contender Dixe Wills ( dixewills.com ) Started September 2004 Finished April 2005

The challenge Dixe, who is a regular contributor to Guardian Travel , visited all 41 places in Great Britain that begin with the letter Z, from a rock off the Isles of Scilly (Zantman's Rock) to a farm up in northern Shetland (Zoar). He wrote about them in his first book, The Z-Z of Great Britain. A travel challenge addict, he also went round the entire coast of Britain using only local buses (196 buses in 6½ weeks).

Highlight: "The best find was Zennor, a tiny village in Cornwall. It only has a population of 100, but it is a magnet for history: from its Megalithic burial chamber to the ill-fated commune set up by DH Lawrence, to Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie seeing out some of World War II there, and much more besides."

Future plans His next book, Tiny Stations, visits the nation's most interesting railway request stops.

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7 biggest challenges facing the travel industry

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Hiring managers should seek individuals with an excellent service-oriented mindset, while the training process should center around cultivating a strong service culture within the organization. Graduates of tourism and hospitality management programs are increasingly occupying key positions within the industry. These professionals view themselves as dedicated individuals entering the realm of hospitality management. Their roles demand specialized knowledge and skills, ongoing professional development, and a commitment to benefiting the community and society. Hospitality and travel industry revolves around extending friendly treatment to guests and tourists, making it an indispensable sector within tourism. Understanding consumer behavior becomes crucial in making informed marketing decisions for tourism products and activities. To fully leverage the potential of the tourism industry, it becomes imperative to comprehend what challenges may and how to overcome them to make better decisions. 2. Overcome Key Management Challenges in the Hospitality Industry 2.1. Personalizing Guest Experience Personalizing the guest experience has become an increasingly crucial challenge in the hospitality and travel industry, particularly as traditional B&Bs face competition from emerging players like Airbnb. To stay competitive and retain guests, it is essential to go beyond providing basic services and amenities. Today's travelers seek unique, tailored experiences that resonate with their preferences and needs. By personalizing the guest experience, hospitality establishments can create a lasting impression and build strong customer loyalty. This involves understanding guest preferences and anticipating their needs before they articulate them. It can include personalized greetings, offering amenities or services that align with their interests, and providing recommendations tailored to their tastes. Effective communication is vital before, during, and after the guest's visit. Leveraging guest data and preferences allows targeted marketing campaigns, personalized offers, and follow-up communication that nurtures the relationship and keeps guests engaged. 2.2. Seasonality of Hospitality One significant challenge is personalizing the guest experience, especially when considering the seasonality of the hospitality and travel industry. During peak seasons, although businesses may thrive, there is often added stress on staff to cater to a high volume of guests. Effective stress management measures and caring for the team's well-being are essential to delivering exceptional experiences consistently. In contrast, during off-peak seasons, it is an opportune time to utilize the team's talents for activities such as enhancing social media platforms, updating the website, reviewing security measures, conducting staff training, and staying abreast of industry innovations. This proactive approach helps maintain competitiveness and prepares for the next peak season. 2.3. Rapid Shift in Market Trends In hospitality and travel management, a critical challenge is the rapid shift in market trends driven by technological advancements. The advertising and marketing landscape has undergone significant transformations, rendering previously successful strategies ineffective. To navigate these transformations successfully, it is crucial to maintain updated websites, actively engage on social media platforms, promptly respond to online reviews, and develop compelling advertising campaigns. Hospitality industry managers can collaborate closely with either an internal marketing team or a marketing agency to ensure that their brand voice and mission are accurately conveyed and represented across all social platforms. Consistency, accuracy, and responsiveness are paramount in achieving marketing success in the dynamic world of hospitality. 2.4. Retaining, Hiring & Managing Staff While retention, hiring and effective staff management is a challenge that extends beyond the hospitality and tourism industry, it holds particular significance in roles that involve direct interaction with the public, as they play a crucial role in delivering exceptional guest experiences. Hospitality and tourism establishments rely on staff members of the highest caliber at all levels, be it front desk, housekeeping, maintenance, tour guides, wait staff, or kitchen personnel. In addition to possessing the necessary skills, staff members must embody essential qualities such as integrity, compassion, and empathy to provide guests with the finest service. Regular training programs are crucial to align new hires with the vision and mission of the hospitality business. Furthermore, fostering a strong team culture is essential for retaining staff members who consistently go above and beyond for guests. 2.5. Protecting Online Reputation In the contemporary hotel and tourism industry, where customers openly share reviews, opinions, and complaints on online platforms such as OTA websites, Google, Facebook, TripAdvisor, and social media, safeguarding and managing online reputation has become a critical challenge. With 96% of Tripadvisor users considering reviews critical in their travel planning and hotel booking decisions and 83% referencing reviews before booking, effective reputation management is paramount. Thoughtful and timely responses to customer reviews are crucial, as 85% of TripAdvisor users agree that it positively influences their perception of the hotel. (Source: Xotels) Maintaining a high review score on OTA sites is essential to prevent potential guests from filtering out hotels with lower scores. Additionally, leveraging positive reviews and customer feedback on social media platforms can be done by showcasing average scores and using customer quotes on the hotel's website. Importantly, customers understand that mistakes can happen, but how a hotel responds to them matters. Swiftly addressing issues, providing courteous and considerate online communication, and rectifying problems extensively safeguard the hotel's reputation. 3. Significance of Implementing the Right Solutions Implementing the right solutions holds immense significance in hospitality management. It is essential to address various challenges effectively, such as personalizing the guest experience, managing seasonality, adapting to rapid market trends, retaining and hiring staff, and protecting online reputation. By implementing tailored solutions, hospitality professionals can strengthen their hospitality management businesses. Understand the significance of the solutions to be implied to overcome management challenges. Enhanced Guest Experience: The hospitality and travel industry thrive on delivering exceptional guest experiences. By addressing management challenges effectively, such as streamlining operations, optimizing customer service, and personalizing guest interactions, the right hospitality solutions can significantly enhance the overall guest experience. This, in turn, leads to increased customer satisfaction, loyalty, and positive word-of-mouth, all of which are crucial for the success of any hospitality business. Improved Operational Efficiency: Hospitality management challenges often revolve around optimizing operational processes, managing resources, and ensuring a smooth workflow. Implementing the right solutions, such as advanced technology systems, automation, and efficient management tools, can significantly enhance operational efficiency. This results in cost savings, reduced errors, improved productivity, and better utilization of resources, leading to overall business growth and profitability. Effective Staff Management: The hospitality industry heavily relies on its workforce to deliver quality services. Staff scheduling, training, communication, and performance management challenges can be effectively addressed through the right solutions. Employee management systems, training programs, and communication tools improve staff organization, engagement, and productivity. When employees feel supported and empowered, they are more likely to provide exceptional service, leading to a higher guest satisfaction. Data-Driven Decision-Making: The hospitality industry generates vast amounts of data related to guest preferences, booking patterns, revenue streams, and operational metrics. However, deriving actionable insights from this data can be challenging without the right solutions. Implementing data analytics tools, performance tracking systems, and guest feedback platforms enable managers to make informed decisions based on real-time data. 4. Conclusion To achieve long-term success in the travel and hospitality industry, it is necessary to overcome hospitality management obstacles that businesses face. Through strategies such as personalizing the guest experience, effectively managing seasonality, adapting to market trends, retaining and hiring the appropriate staff, and protecting online reputation, hospitality businesses can differentiate themselves and develop customer loyalty. Through the strategic implementation of customized solutions, managers can navigate these challenges, enhance their guests' experiences, and drive long-term growth in the dynamic travel industry.

T&E Management: Understanding Travel Spend & Cutting Costs

Article | July 19, 2023

Corporate travel and entertainment are almost every company's second-largest controllable expense after payroll and other benefits offered to employees. When it comes to such expenses, manually recording them on paper, saving crumpled receipts, or even creating Excel spreadsheets doesn’t ensure efficiency. Businesses are implementing software that automates travel and expense management to streamline operations, cut costs and reduce the frustration that repetitive tasks bring. They are leveraging expense data to categorize their travel spends based on projects, departments, and cost centers to stay on top of all their travel-related expenses and financial operations. Control & Transparency Matter Global accounting teams put two things above all else: control and transparency. Without these two, they leave room for risk and mishaps and cannot function efficiently. Travel and expense automation allows financial and accounting teams to see where every dollar is spent. Bills and reimbursements are paid diligently and without much scope for error or expense fraud. Accurate, transparent data can then become the foundation of business decisions on spend and expense forecasting. Employees Dislike Mundane Tasks Your employees have important job functions that they need to carry out on a daily basis. A cloud-based tool that they can access at anytime and from anywhere helps them look at travel expense reporting in a different way. They can spend their time doing productive tasks that do not involve mundane paperwork or tallying expenses manually. Managers Expect Budgeting Compliance No manager is a fan of going over a long paper trail of expenses and verifying if every expense complies with company policy. A travel and expense management software highlights employee travel expense that does not comply with business policy. As approvers, managers can access this data from any place, discuss the matter with the employee in question, and get a quick resolution. Controlled Spending Makes C-level Execs Happy Implementing travel and expense management software helps keep the company’s spend under control. Low spends and high profits make every C-level executive happy. To top it off, it also makes them happy to make their employees happy while maintaining travel spend transparency. Features of T&E Management Software That Make a Difference Extracting important expense data from receipts by scanning Option to submit expense reports via commonly used apps and text messages in a single click A comprehensive view of a trip spend in a single, error-free report Option to set up automated expense approval workflows Quicker employee reimbursement turnaround time Instant expense report submission notifications for prompt review Bottom-line Streamline your T&E process, tackle expense reporting challenges for traveling employees, and simplify expense tracking, approvals, and reimbursements using T&E management software. Empower your finance teams with complete visibility of travel spend to create a seamless automated expense management experience.

Crypto Tourism: A Quick Guide

Article | July 18, 2023

Cryptocurrencies have skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. They have progressed from a speculative asset class to one gaining widespread mainstream acceptance. And it's not just retail investors who are interested; cryptocurrencies are finding applications in various industries, including tourism. Yes, the travel industry, like many others, has warmed up to these virtual digital assets. It has even spawned a new type of operation, namely crypto tourism. Introduction to Crypto Tourism Crypto tourism is categorized into two broad groups: the first has tours and travel packages purchased with cryptocurrency. Emirates Airlines, the biggest airline in the UAE, has said it will soon accept bitcoin as a form of payment. Air Baltic, a Latvian airline, has also been accepting bitcoin for a long time. The second type of crypto tourism is trips and travel packages where crypto conferences, classes, or lectures are a big part of the schedule. You might not understand why someone would take a vacation to go to a lecture or learn about blockchain. Well, most people don't go on vacations like these. Instead, they focus on entrepreneurs and crypto fans who want to network, meet people with similar interests, and discuss business ideas. In addition to the usual sightseeing and relaxing, these crypto trips include talks by well-known speakers and industry veterans. Limitation and Scope Crypto tourism is a small market with few options, and only a small number of travel partners accept crypto payments. Also, the people who put on some crypto trips often use these events to sell ICOs and do other marketing. However, crypto tours are great for people who want to learn about cryptocurrencies, meet others interested in the same things, and relax. They are also great if you want digital money to pay for your trip. Then, you don't have to worry about currency exchange rates or losing cash. A Different Reality Crypto tourism might be niche, but it is a new reality in the travel industry. It allows safe transactions and innovative tours, which many businesses are keen about.

Travel Technology

Online travel fraud: mitigating risks & preventing slashing revenues.

Article | June 16, 2022

In 2020, the number of suspected online travel fraud attempts in the U.S. jumped by 136.6%. Two years later, the online travel fraud “industry” is still going strong, making online travel agencies and tourism businesses lose their money and reputation. "Traveling has always been when people are more vulnerable. A few hundred years ago, the perpetrators were pirates or highwaymen. Now those criminals are still out there, but they've changed their methods to focus on digital attacks instead." -Caleb Barlow, ex-Vice President of X-Force Threat Intelligence at IBM Security. Mitigating fraud risk is important in any industry, but it is especially important in industries like travel where competition is fierce and margins are shrinking. The high resale value of its digital goods makes the travel industry vulnerable to fraud. Fortunately, advanced solutions that prevent fraud have shown great results in the airline and travel industries. Machine learning and artificial intelligence tools are improving in efficiency. With their help and a variety of other methods, a good travel fraud prevention team can curb fraud in the travel industry, increase profit margins, and cut down on the costs and time taken for manual reviews of transactions to prevent financial losses. How are Online Travel Agencies Mitigating Fraud Risks and Safeguarding Revenue? Online travel agencies need to be on their toes to preserve their revenue and reputation, and the integrity of their operations to grow and sustain their businesses. Modern online fraud prevention methods can protect you from fraud without jeopardizing the customer experience. Let us look at these methods: Implementing Machine Learning-based Solutions Machine learning-based models can be the backbone of your fraud protection strategy. These models can recognize patterns and predict outcomes. They help you identify anomalies in customer behavior in real time, flag an account-takeover attempt, analyze transaction riskiness, and block them before they result in a chargeback. ML-based fraud detection software like Signifyd and Riskified detects illegitimate activities related to payments, account creation, purchases, and chargebacks. They monitor websites, networks, and applications for fraud and prevent digital payment fraud. It is important to remember that you need to strike a good balance between these preventive measures and your customer experience, so you do not lose business by focusing on only one aspect. Transaction Monitoring This method focuses on the credit card used for booking. Using an intelligence tool, check if there is a mismatch between the user’s IP address and their billing information and if the same user is making too many bookings from the same account or same card. Combine these insights with user verification and fraud scoring tools so you can reject suspicious transactions automatically. Also, keep an eye on changes to bookings to avoid problems, and follow the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DS S) to make sure card payments are as safe as possible. User Profiling Gather important customer data like email addresses, credit card information, loyalty points, and social networking handles. Behavioral data on what the customer does on your website or your mobile app, the devices through which the customer connects to the website, and their email address or location can help prevent fraud. Additionally, online travel agencies can verify users in the following ways: Use an address verification service (AVS) and a card security code (CVV or CVC). Verify scanned ID documents using SaaS products to add another layer of security to every transaction. Create a blacklist to block specific users if you notice any suspicious attempts. Use device fingerprinting to block devices previously associated with fraudulent activities. Anti-ATO Methods To prevent account takeover attempts, deploy two-factor authentication for travel agents, and 3D secure PIN codes for end customers. Biometric technology and mobile payment wallet apps like Google Pay, and Apple Pay can curb swindlers from getting into a customer’s account without secure pins or fingerprints. Verify Suppliers Set up a process for verifying every supplier before making any payments. Check their business license, business reviews on Google, and check their Google Street View to confirm if a hotel actually exists at the mentioned address. Ensure that there is no correlation between a steep increase in hotel prices and booking activity because it could be a hotel price spike scam. Block Bot Attacks Any kind of abnormal spike in web or app traffic can be an indication of a bot attack. Real-time protection against bots can be a great way to handle illegitimate traffic. Compare every website request against the in-memory pattern database using ML and AI to check and block bots swiftly. Implement networking that can safeguard your domains within milliseconds upon detecting a bad bot. Control Friendly Fraud Chargeback abuses are hard to prevent. The only way to fight back is to document compelling evidence to prove that the said transaction was legitimate. Document order forms, tracking numbers, online travel agency customer communication logs, any kind of travel product redemption evidence, and confirmation for items delivered to an address that matches with the address verification service (AVS). Air France Sped Up Manual Reviews By 70% Air France wanted an easy way to access reliable information on potentially risky transactions. So they chose SEON’s Intelligence Tool. “The time spent by Air France analysts on manual reviews is down by an impressive 70%.” - Eric Facquet, Deputy Manager of Fraud Prevention at Air France Summing It Up Tackle online travel fraud head-on while keeping in mind your end customer. You must protect your customers from fraud in a way that is strong, practical, and well-balanced. This way should cover the customer's entire journey with you, both literally and figuratively. FAQ Which software tools can help with fraud detection? Fraud detection software tools such as SEON, ClickGUARD, Riskified and Oracle Adaptive Access Manager can help detect fraud. How can you improve fraud detection? Use machine learning models to automate processes for fraud investigation, and regularly update rules for detection and how to handle alerts. What does fraud detection software do? Fraud detection software regulates accounts, payments, purchases, and events in real-time to detect any fraudulent activities. It also protects sensitive company and customer data.

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Sonesta announces first sonesta es suites ground up development.

PR Newswire | January 24, 2024

Sonesta International Hotels Corporation (Sonesta) today announced plans for the construction of a new Sonesta ES Suites in Port Charlotte, Florida. This new property, expected to open in Spring 2025, marks the first Sonesta ES Suites brand project developed from the ground up. "We are excited that Sonesta ES Suites Port Charlotte will be our first purpose-built location for the brand," said Brian Quinn, Sonesta's Chief Development Officer. "The Sonesta ES Suites brand stands out as an attractive choice for franchisees looking for an upscale option to capitalize on the continued dependable performance of extended stay hotels." "Sonesta ES Suites Port Charlotte will benefit business travelers and tourists who are looking for accommodations near the beaches, golf courses, parks and other attractions that Port Charlotte has to offer," said Alan Lane, one of Sonesta ES Suites Port Charlotte's owners. "The addition of Sonesta ES Suites Port Charlotte to our diverse portfolio reflects Commonwealth Hotels' unwavering commitment to providing an unparalleled guest experience through visionary development, ethical practices and a steadfast dedication to superior service," said Jennifer Porter, President of Commonwealth Hotels, the hotel's management company. To be located at 1321 Claburn Circle in Port Charlotte, Florida, the Sonesta ES Suites Port Charlotte will be an upscale extended-stay hotel spanning four floors and offering 117 rooms with amenities including breakfast and dining services, an outdoor pool, fitness room, market pantry, guest laundry, onsite parking and more. The location of the new hotel is close to over 20 colleges and universities, two hospitals, more than 70 parks and recreational spaces, more than 12 miles of beaches, 14 golf courses and numerous other attractions. Guests of this location will be able to earn or redeem points in the award winning Sonesta Travel Pass loyalty program.

Travel Technology, Airlines and Airports

Trip.com group and latam airlines group partner to enhance travel experience through ndc technology.

PR Newswire | January 22, 2024

Trip.com Group, a leading travel service provider, announced today the signing of a new NDC agreement with LATAM Airlines Group. This agreement between the two companies aims to provide a contemporary and streamlined ticketing experience for global travellers. It also offers unparalleled connectivity to over 144 destinations covered by LATAM Airlines across 22 countries and regions, including Latin America, the Caribbean, North America, Europe, Africa, and Oceania. The key benefit of this agreement is the adoption of NDC standard technology. This technology gives customers access to a complete and more comprehensive selection of airline offerings and the option to buy additional products, services, and add-ons such as baggage allowance and seats. Moreover, customers can access a broader range of ancillary services and more detailed information by browsing the change and cancellation policy section during checkout, leading to improved Trip.com Group and LATAM Airlines Group's after-sales services. Juan Villanova, Sales Manager of Trip.com for Spain and Latin America, comments: "Trip.com is a cutting-edge online travel company that leads the way in technology. Our commitment is to improve our product offerings to guarantee the highest customer satisfaction. With this tech solution, our passengers will have access to an improved and more competitive selection of flights and products." The agreement will include integrating a shopping engine for ticket sales via some of Trip.com Group's leading brands, offering a cost advantage to both suppliers and customers. Henk Van der Velde, Regional Director for Southern Europe and Latin America for Trip.com Group's flight Department, adds: "We are delighted to collaborate with LATAM Airlines Group in the implementation of an NDC standard, and offer solutions for everyone via a shopping engine, which has yielded excellent results. I look forward to continuing this collaboration and bringing new features that positively impact our customer's travel experience." Andreas Schek, Vice President of Sales and Branding of LATAM Airlines Group, adds: "We are proud of this collaboration with Trip.com Group on the implementation of the NDC standard, as it allows us to explore ways to enhance its efficiency further. This is a significant milestone in the future of distribution that will benefit our global customers."

Travel Technology, Destination and Tourism

Exodus adventure travels announces new trips in partnership with royal canadian geographic society.

PR Newswire | January 23, 2024

Exodus Adventure Travels, the international award-winning leader in adventure travel, today announced its new 2024 RCGS Quests trips, a series of expert-led tours developed in partnership with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. These limited edition, small group trips are what travel legends are made of – adventures that are designed to offer travelers unparalleled opportunities to explore some of the planet's most awe-inspiring destinations and led by noted hosts in their respective fields. This year's line-up features such noted hosts as World Elephant Day co-founder, Patricia Sims; bestselling author, Robin Esrock; Indigenous education advocate, Charlene Bearhead, and others. "We are honored to partner with The Royal Canadian Geographical Society on these highly anticipated adventures," said Sam Seward, President at Exodus Adventure Travels. "This is our third year operating our RCGS Quests program, with continued demand to explore further and experience more, pushing these trips to new heights and featuring another stellar line-up of hosts to add even more depth to each itinerary." Exodus' 2024 RCGS Quests Series features the following six adventures: RCGS: Highlights of the Amalfi Coast with Scott Forsyth Discover the land of la dolce vita for a wondrous week on the Amalfi Coast led by an expert local guide and hosted by professional photographer and fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Scott Forsyth. Explore one of Europe's most dramatic stretches of coastline and be spellbound by this land's natural beauty and cultural treasures. The Host: Scott Forsyth is an award-winning photographer who specializes in Canadian landscapes. Devoted to exploring Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific and Arctic Ocean coastlines, Scott is a Fellow of both the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and the Explorer's Club and is Canadian Geographic's Photographer-In-Residence. Eight-day itinerary priced from $2,240 USD. Departing April 6, 2024 RCGS: Classic Kenya 4WD Safari with Patricia Sims No country, perhaps, is more synonymous with a classic African safari than Kenya. Step into scenes from 'Out of Africa' as you explore Kenya's best safari sites led by an expert local safari guide and hosted by award-winning Canadian filmmaker, Royal Canadian Geographical Society fellow and World Elephant Day co-founder, Patricia Sims. The Host: Patricia Sims is the co-founder of the annual World Elephant Day (Aug. 12), a global awareness campaign that brings attention to the critical threats facing elephants. From swimming with wild dolphins and whales in oceans around the world to getting up close and personal with monkeys in the jungles of Borneo and elephants of Thailand, Patricia is also an award-winning filmmaker who always has a passionate eye on conservation. Patricia is a Fellow International of The Explorers Club and a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Seven-day itinerary priced from US$4,649 Departing August 10, 2024 RCGS: A Week in Jordan with Sarah Legault Explore the wondrous historical and archaeological highlights of Jordan on this week-long adventure. From the incredible history of the Wadi Rum Desert to strolling through ancient Roman cities and floating in the Dead Sea, this Jordanian adventure contains all the highlights of this fascinating country. It is led by an expert local guide and hosted by Vice President of Philanthropy for the RCGS, Sarah Legault. The Host: Sarah Legault has been the head of advancement at the Royal Canadian Geographical Society since 2018 and has worked at charitable organizations throughout her career. Her vast understanding of the Society, Canadian Geographic and all associated programs is extraordinary. As the current Vice President of Philanthropy and Fellow of the RCGS, Sarah's mission-aligned values of environment, people, culture, and geographical literacy support engaging and forward-thinking initiatives which she always is keen to share and discuss. Seven-day itinerary priced from US$2,550 Departing October 19, 2024 RCGS: Rome, Assisi & Magical Umbria – Premium Adventure with Robin Esrock Explore Rome and Assisi's historic landmarks and classical ruins. Walk through Italy's unspoiled countryside staying in a picturesque four-star resort in the hills of Umbria, led by an expert local guide and hosted by bestselling author, TV host, public speaker and Royal Canadian Geographical Society Fellow Robin Esrock. The Host: Dubbed "King of the Bucket List" by Travel + Leisure, Robin Esrock's success as a global adventurer, travel writer, bestselling author and international TV personality started with a one-year solo round-the-world backpacking adventure to 24 countries. During this year, Robin uploaded weekly reports, photography, videos, reviews, and interviews with every person he met. In doing so, he ushered in a new era of multi-platform, switched-on wired-in travel journalism, leading to adventures beyond his wildest dreams. Robin's stories have been published in noted publications worldwide, including National Geographic Traveler, The Guardian, Chicago Tribune, Toronto Star, Reader's Digest, and more. Eight-day itinerary priced from US$4,050 Departing October 19, 2024 RCGS: Egypt Nile Cruise with Charlene Bearhead Follow in the footsteps of the ancient pharaohs and ride the sands of time back thousands of years on this classic Egypt Nile cruise led by an expert local guide and hosted by Indigenous education advocate, author, Vice President of Learning and Reconciliation at Canadian Geographic, and a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Charlene Bearhead. With ancient tombs and mysteries around every bend, unrivaled legacy and mind-blowing history await. The Host: Charlene Bearhead is an Indigenous education advocate and author with over 30 years of regional, national and international experience. Previously Charlene served as education days coordinator for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, education coordinator for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, education advisor for the Canadian Geographic Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada, a member of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights Indigenous Education working group, and the first education lead for both the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba and the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at UBC. She is also the co-author of the children's book series Siha Tooskin Knows. Eight-day itinerary priced from US$2,380 Departing November 16, 2024 RCGS: Highlights of Vietnam with Lynn Moorman Discover the complex culture and history of Vietnam on this intoxicating exploration of Vietnamese life highlighted by superb landscapes and amazing cuisine. Led by an expert local guide and hosted by Lynn Moorman, a lifelong geographer with a love for exploring remote landscapes and environments. The Host: Lynn Moorman is a prominent geographer and a professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Mount Royal University, in Calgary, Canada. Lynn's teaching and research interests lie at the intersection of geography, learning sciences and applied visualization technologies, including virtual and augmented reality. Her work has taken her to the highlands of northern Vietnam, to map agricultural productivity, to the frozen Arctic Ocean where she works with Inuit in Canadian Arctic communities to use near-real time satellite imagery to keep ice travel safe. Lynn is a Fellow, former Board member and current Chair of the Research Committee of the RCGS. 10-day itinerary priced from US$2,170 Departing November 17, 2024

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Elevate Destinations

Experts in socially responsible luxury travel. We design travel experiences that support conservation and local communities without skimping on comfort.

Fundraising adventures for active travelers

Motiviation for your mission.

Elevate’s Charity Challenges connect your nonprofit to inspiring, hand-picked, active adventures in places like Peru, Patagonia and Mount Kilimanjaro. We’ll set a physical challenge and you set a minimum fundraising goal. Watch the funds roll in as your adventure inspires support from each member’s personal network. Make lifelong memories and loyal connections along the way.

The best part? A Charity Challenge ignites a new generation of advocates for your cause — ones that might have come for the adventure but stay for you.

Connect and start planning your charity challenge.

Your experience.

How a Charity Challenge Works

Set a fundraising goal, tailor the trip, recruit a team, go out and conquer.

Your Questions Answered

Who are charity challenges designed for.

Nonprofits with a specific fundraising goal and an active travel-loving donor base. Companies who want to increase visibility and vitality in their philanthropy and CSR. Individuals who want to find an awesome team to join on a Charity Challenge.

Do you have any examples of past itineraries?

Yes! See below for some of our favorite adventures. We can customize trips anywhere in the world.

Featured Trips

Sample charity challenges.

  INTERNATIONAL TRIPS:

9-Day Trek into the Most Rugged Landscape in Africa - The Simien Mountains

Simien Mountains National Park is one of the best places to trek in Ethiopia.

An Adventure of a Lifetime - Mount Everest Trek

Challenge yourself physically and mentally on a trek to summit Mount Everest - the tallest point on earth.

Climbing Kilimanjaro: 19,341 Feet of Meaning

The legendary Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is an iconic destination.

Mystical & Magical Morocco: Mount Toubkal Trek

Take an adventure on the road less traveled and summit the tallest peak in North Africa; Mount Toubkal in the Atlas Mountains.

Tajumulco Sensational Summit

Embark on an eight day physically demanding, cultural enriching journey in Guatemala.

Denali National Park Trek

A spectacular adventure through the biggest mountains in North America and the crown jewel of the National Park system.

Grand Staircase National Monument Trek via the Boulder Mail Trail

Step into a remote, natural, wild frontier on this charity challenge.

Historic Press Traverse

Climb through primeval rainforests, ford deep and strong rivers, and relax and take in wide open alpine valleys.

Sea Level to Summit Trek in Death Valley National Park

The sea level to summit challenge is one of America’s most alluring hikes.

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10 key Challenges Faced by Travel Agencies and Solutions (2024)

According to the WTTC, the global travel and tourism sector is thriving very well, and it has outstripped the growth of worldwide GDP in past year. The report from the WTTC also says that travel and tourism increased by 3.9% in recent year, which is more than the worldwide GDP increase of 3.2%. This growth contributed to a record $8.8 trillion to the world economy. Furthermore, it is also stated in the report that this industry generated 10.4% of all worldwide economic activity .

After reading this fact, you must have known how fast this industry is broadening its horizon. So, the faster it grows, the more competition it has, thus the more challenges will be for you to deal with if you want to run and sustain your travel business in such a competitive situation crowded with competitors.

Here, we have made a list of 10 key challenges faced by travel agencies with appropriate solutions.

1.Building and Maintaining the Credibility of Online Presence

One of the biggest concerns for a travel agent is to establish and maintain a reliable online presence. Only having your own website is not sufficient to help you be visible in such an abject and demanding competitive era.

Everybody knows that your website shows your online presence, however, without a responsive website equipped to deal with bookings and answer your clients’ questions efficiently, you mustn’t even dream of success. Don’t be hopeless, keep reading further to convert your dreams into reality.

Just follow the given pieces of advice below:

• You should develop a responsive website having a user-friendly interface and traveler-centric features.
• Make more investment in organic SEO and content marketing.
• Have a partnership with a famous taxi aggregator having a powerful web presence and a successful mobile app.

2. Maintaining own Service Standard

In this competitive era, where everybody is ready to steal your customers, you must maintain an indubitable standard of your travel business to retain your customers. See Also Take the Travel Bucket List Challenge that will Change you

You must leave the travelers who took your services amazed and pleased with your excellent services. Although seeming simple, it’s a very complicated and demanding task. It is because having a flood of taxi drivers and cabs under one’s management becomes problematic, especially when it comes to maintaining the cab quality and regulating customer experience. Take a deep breath, keep the three points in mind given below for memorable customer experience:

• You need to have a structured training schedule for all drivers.
• You must ensure that your cab condition is appropriate by having a periodic check and creating a checklist for better evaluation.
• Hire experienced drivers and train them as per their individual problems.

3. Make Booking Procedure more Convenient

You must be thinking that calling and booking your services is easy, however, your customers may not feel the same. This mobile era is very convenient but competitive, where people use smartphones for almost everything. You must throw away the tedious and complicated old booking process. You’d better move to an upgraded booking process and simultaneously, you need to have an insightful booking dashboard to handle everything. Apart from that, follow the tips below.

Tips for better booking process:

• Have a partnership with those service providers giving online booking facilities by means of apps or websites. You can also get your customized Travel agency invoice software as per your agency needs which can be integrated in your booking portals.
• Keep multiple options available for customers to choose one as per their convenience.

4. Dealing with Duplicate Data Entries

As a travel business, you must be receiving a great deal of data from different sources like website, call center, social media, resellers and so on. And, it makes you create double entries, which means to create twice the same buyer persona.

Although it’s not hard for you to tackle different lead sources by getting rid of duplicated data, it will consume a great deal of time of yours. Moreover, you will need excellent communication within your team and even between multiple agencies if necessary.

As we all know that it’s unwise to shoot an advertisem*nt at the same prospect twice. Get rid of this problem by following the tips given below:

• Have an advanced system that can indicate duplicated data immediately on detection.
• Your system must be advanced enough to let know when you are about to send an advertisem*nt to a single prospect twice to prevent you from doing so.

5. Providing Services as per Specific Requirements

When you provide your customers with services as per their expectations and demands, they feel special.

Some tips are given below to delight your customers as per their preference:

• Don’t underestimate the power of clients’ feedback and reviews to improve your services, and always learn from them.
• Fill your mind with users’ preferences and demands when they make a booking.
• Win their hearts with the convenience of providing them with multiple payment options and online booking facility.

6. Expense Management

It’s not easy to be aware of every single penny spent if you are managing your expenses manually. Travel businesses, like others, have to spend a lot on advertising, purchasing new technology-powered tools, customer service, and so on. Moreover, it’s wise to have some financial backup for the future. But, how can manage your business expenses properly?

You should use a cutting-edge expense management software . A single convenient dashboard of expense software can help you with keeping a track of all your accounts payable and reports. It will be much easier for you to maintain a record of expenses happening regularly, and you can conveniently import expense files on the dashboard. Apart from that, you can create searchable categories and analyze reports country wise.

7. Tedious Operational Management

Your daily operations can create a huge problem for you if you don’t manage them efficiently and properly. This is why most travel business owners find it stressful to handle bookings, customer requests, and so on. It’s wise to improve the operational management for delightful and standard services. But, how?

Read the tips below to do so:

• Assign trivial tasks to third-parties or service providers.
• Pay attention to set up an effectual business management system.
• Make your service operations improved by means of the digital transformation of existing processes.

8. Knowing Clients’ Requirements

To what extent, you know your customers matters a lot in a business. It is because the more you know them, the better you know their expectations and demands, thus gearing up to fulfil their specific and individual needs much better.

As a travel business owner, you know this fact but don’t know how to do so. Calm your nerves, and read the tips below:

• Use social media platforms to send blogs, advice, suggestions, and so on to make them feel special. By doing so, you will be able to know their interests very well.
• Make a list of the questions asked by a particular client, as their questions indicate their demands and concerns.
• Don’t forget to ask for their advice, suggestions, feedback, complaints and the like to know them like the back of your hand.

9. Maintaining Cash Flow

A healthy cash flow means that you are receiving payments on time and paying your vendors, bills etc on time. Any issue in the cash flow indicates that either we are receiving payments late or paying our bills late. In travel agencies or any business, cash is the best companion to run and sustain it.

The following tips can help you with maintaining an ideal cash flow:

• Many traveler billing software comes with effectual features like accounts payable and receivable, which will help you better manage your cash flow.
• You must use a hi-tech traveler billing system to remind your customers/clients of the payments to be paid, thus making them pay at the right time. Having so, you will get payments on time, thus having a healthy cash flow.

10. Coping with a Flood of Enquiries

The demand in the travel industry is increasing day by day, which leave travel agencies helpless, especially when it comes to dealing with a flood of enquiries. It tends to happen that enquiries come from different places at the same time, which makes it almost impossible for you to organize your workflow without missing anything.

From personal information, the room type required, to the payment methods, all of them create a sensation and stressful environment among your staff employees and in your workplace respectively. Furthermore, you must be having a large number of suppliers to deal with, which increases the size of the problem. To ward off this issue, follow the words of advice below:

• Bank on artificial intelligence-powered chatbots to deal with uncountable enquiries at the same time.
• Don’t forget to teach your employees that they must talk to customers like human beings, and while talking they must show it. They can use some jokes if required, and talk in an energetic and changing tone, not like a robot speech, which sounds monotonous.

This blog will become fruitful if you understand how to overcome these challenges faced by travel agencies. Like every business, the travel business is highly dependent on cash, so the travel agency invoice system you use must be efficient enough to leave your business with a healthy cash flow.

Your travel agency invoice software must come with some advanced features like accounts payable and receivable management, expense management, more payment gateways, and the like to help you run and sustain your travel business efficiently.

What are the challenges faced by travel agencies? ›

• Addressing reviews of all clients and identifying the commonalities in their requirements.
• Understand customer preferences better and estimate their future demands.
• Offer several options to help customers choose what suits them well.

The main challenges for the business tourism industry in 2022 will be on how to price the flights tickets with all the elements that are impacting the industry and the world at the moment: climate awareness, inflation, wars and COVID-19 .

Here, we will discuss five examples: global mobility and ease of travel; population and demographic trends; terrorism, safety, and security; increased awareness of new destinations; and poverty .

Top challenges confronting tourism are taxation, travel marketing, infrastructure issues, and security and cross border regulations . Too many tourism destinations are not prepared for visitors.

The model involves three dimensions of constraints: interpersonal, intrapersonal, and structural constraints (Crawford & Godbey, 1987; 1991). Interpersonal constraints occur when individuals have no one to travel with.

They are: 1) Physical environment, which are related to physical facilities and surroundings; 2) Human interaction environment, which are primarily interactions between tourists and service providers; 3) Individual characteristics, which involve personality type and sensitivity to the environment, influence how ...

• Be a Travel Expert. ...
• Focus on a Niche Market. ...
• Listen, Listen, Listen. ...
• Be Honest About Fares, Rules and Regulations. ...
• Rock Your Social Media. ...
• Respond to Criticism.
• Ask for referrals. ...
• Establish a strong social media presence. ...
• Motivate your team members (especially your sales team) with great incentives. ...
• Encourage your customers to leave reviews. ...
• Establish a personal connection with your customers. ...
• Go where your customers are.
• Position Yourself as a Specialist Travel Agent. ...
• Seek Out and Reward Referrals. ...
• Don't Be Afraid of Complicated Trips. ...
• Get Active on Social Media. ...
• Maintain Consistency Across All Platforms. ...
• Continue Your Travel Education and Highlight Your Credentials. ...
• Enlist Help in Lead Generation.
• Search Out Regional Alternatives.
• Visit During Off-Peak Periods.
• Support The Local Community With Your Time And Money.
• Explore Beyond The Hotspots With A Local Guide.
• Be An Eco-friendly, Responsible Traveler.
• Travel With Responsible, Ethical Tour Companies.

What are ten 10 reasons people travel? ›

• Travel to leave our world a better place. ...
• Travel to meet different cultures. ...
• Travel to learn. ...
• Travel to escape reality. ...
• Travel to relax. ...
• Travel to explore. ...
• Travel for humility. ...
• Travel to eat.

The first disadvantage of traveling is that it you have to put in your hard earned money . It might not be too much but it will cost you something in the end. The second disadvantage is that there are social isolation issues which come with traveling on a long-term basis, especially if you are travelling alone.

• Airfares are at record highs.
• Lodging prices – for hotels and motels etc – are volatile.
• Car rentals have seen big increases – as of May 2022, prices were around 70% higher than in May 2019.

The five vital components of tourism system are Attraction, Accessibility, Accommodation, Amenities and Activities . a) Attraction: Tourism activity starts with the attractions.

Tourism is easily affected by various types of crises, such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, political instability, and infectious diseases [1,2]. According to Law [1], infectious diseases are perceived to be the most important factor affecting tourism.

There are six major components of tourism, each with their own sub-components. These are: tourist boards, travel services, accommodation services, conferences and events, attractions and tourism services .

The six essential elements are The World in Spatial Terms, Places and Regions, Physical Systems, Human Systems, Environment and Society, and The Uses of Geography . On the chart, they are shown in purple. Read through that list again.

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Top Challenges Facing Travel Agencies

Travel Industry Analysis

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These are hard times for small-sized travel agencies. They are also pretty tough for those just beginning with a view to getting started in the travel industry. The traditional reasons you would approach an agency are growing less meaningful every year. Why go to your local agency to ask questions about some faraway destination when Google can answer those for you? Why rely on a third party agency when you can, through the internet, find the accommodation or service that you’re looking for and book directly? Any why remain loyal to a particular agent when there are thousands at your fingertips?

These are just a few of reasons why today’s travel agencies need to evolve to stay relevant. Travellers are getting smarter, so you need to be too.

Here are just a few of the challenges faced by modern day travel agencies…

• More Choice Than Ever

Potential travellers are certainly not short of options when it comes to researching and arranging their trips. With more deals, agencies and service offerings than you could ever fully consider, shopping for travel services has become about cutting through the noise rather than discovering something authentic.

• Increasing Price Transparency

Travellers aren’t naïve when it comes to pricing their trip. They’re sensible enough to shop around and find the best deal, and they certainly won’t be fooled into paying over the odds when they know how many potential options there are. This has made an already competitive market even more competitive, meaning that current agencies need to stand out in less obvious ways than just undercutting their rivals.

• Greater Traveller Independence

In certain parts of the world travellers are keen to get out and explore with a little independence. They are savvy enough to know what they want and how to get it, and no longer need to have everything arranged for them. Whilst this attitude can be leveraged to say, offer self-drive tours, the general reliance on travel services providers has lessened.

• Decreasing Customer Loyalty

With more holiday bargains on the internet than you can imagine, along with a host of small agencies and big hitters vying the attention of potential travellers, loyalty is a rare thing in today’s market. If you’re not offering something original, authentic and worth returning to, customers will have no problem taking their business elsewhere.

• The Rise of the Sharing Economy

The rise of the Sharing Economy has left many travel agencies in the lurch, wondering how they can tap into a trend that deliberately leaves them out of the equation. Huge competition in the travel industry has been the catalyst for many bold claims, and it may well be that travellers appreciate the authenticity of peer to peer services more.

• A Few Players Dominate the Market

A handful of companies which don’t need to be named here (they get enough publicity as it is!) have a stranglehold on the industry. They pull in more online traffic than anyone else, sucking the life out of smaller competitors and agencies only just getting started.

• Travel Isn’t as Mysterious as it Used to Be

Gone are the days when you would head down to your local travel agent to ask questions about an exotic land far away. We get our information from elsewhere now. Travel services companies need to adapt and offer something more insightful than the generic information which can be found all over the internet.

So there you have it - just a few of the challenges facing the industry at the moment. But if you’re keen on starting up in the world of travel services, don’t fear! Many of these challenges can be turned on their head and into opportunities.

For starters, the industry continues to grow, and that means an ever growing customer base for you to plug into. Second, whilst it’s certainly true that people know what they want more than ever, this has opened the door to many travel agencies becoming more specialised, offering tailored trips to customers keen on a something precisely to their tastes.

Technical Challenges

The way that tourists discover, book and organise trips is changing. In an increasingly digital world, travel agencies have to adapt to offer a seamless online experience. Fail to do that and you'll be quickly overlooked and left behind.

This means having the ability to modify product availability in real-time, to adjust your inventory with the touch of a button, and to edit pricing information to cater to market fluctuations, offers and promotions.

It also means having a database and platform that can give curious tourists what they want: comprehensive and curated search results. This is a vital step in retaining customers and keeping people on your platform.

Then there's the booking stage. If that isn't seamless, or if at any stage your platform is unconvincing, clumsy or confusing, alternatives are just a click away. You will lose business. Central to success is having an optimized booking management system.

All of these technical challenges are far removed from the traditional tourism industry. Efficiency, skill and software expertise are suddenly priorities for travel startups.

The Role of Travel Agencies is Changing

Traditionally, an agent would be a one-stop shop for tourist information and bookings. Everything would be sorted between the two parties. Now, agents still provide the information, but travellers are free to take that knowledge elsewhere. That relationship has shifted, but it doesn't mean that travel agents are obsolete.

The world is changing and the political landscape is uneasy at best. If you read  Skift,  you will have come across the term  Permanxiety.  What better setting for travel agents to flourish? The key to is adapt, join forces with others and play to your strengths. That's what we help our partners do. Read more in the links below...

Travelshift: How Our Unique Solution Helps You Face These Challenges

Keen to find out more about how Travelshift's marketplace software can help your travel business?

• Get in touch and book a demo

You can also check out the following articles for more information:

• How Travelshift Helps to Counter The Top Challenges Faced by Travel Agencies
• Changing Trends in Travel Industry Marketing
• How Travel Startups Can Compete with Established Marketplaces

We've also put together a range of features looking at how to build and grow a successful travel marketplace - which is something we know more than a little about :

• Travel Marketplace Pricing Strategy – Where to Start
• How to Choose a Travel Marketplace Niche
• How Travel Startups can Compete with Established Marketplaces

November 2, 2017

How Blockchain Could Transform the Travel Industry

December 21, 2016

Artificial Intelligence Will Change the Travel Industry Forever

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Rick Steves Reveals The Best Way To Challenge Yourself While Traveling

F or many, traveling is about vacationing and taking a break from day-to-day life. Others have to travel for work. Educational travel, on the other hand, is typically associated with students, but in reality, traveling for educational purposes can be for everyone. Regardless of the purpose, travel often means encountering things out of your comfort zone, whether using public transportation or learning a few phrases in a foreign language. 

Travel Guru Rick Steves  believes that travel should bring people out of their comfort zones. More specifically, he feels that travel should be used as a way to challenge yourself. This relates back to the educational aspect of tourism. "When we travel, we enrich our lives and better understand our place on this planet," Steves explained to Booktrib  in 2018. "Our travels can better equip us to address and help resolve the many challenges facing our world." So, how do we make our travels more challenging in a positive way?

Read more: It's Time To Ditch These 10 Outdated Travel Tips

Beachside Resorts Often Don't Show A Country's Reality

When traveling, a simple way to challenge yourself and learn more about a different part of the world is to set foot outside of the vacation resort. Such resorts usually don't reflect the country or region as a whole. Immigration from Mexico and neighboring countries is a common topic in the United States. Yet, places in Mexico like Cozumel and Cabo San Lucas are covered in gorgeous all-inclusive resorts . "Think all Mexicans want to come to America? Visit Mexico beyond the resorts," Steves stated to BookTrib. A trip to Mexico could help you see ordinary life in Mexico or why some choose to move away.

A rebuttal to Steves urging travelers to leave the confines of a resort is the possible dangers of doing so, given that even if a country has a high crime rate, its resorts tend to remain safe. However, people's fears about other countries could be due to news outlets blowing their topics out of proportion to gain more viewers or online engagements. "News has become entertainment masquerading as news. As the news becomes more sensationalized, viewers become more fearful— of different people, different faiths, different countries," says Steves.

Talk To The People You Meet During Your Travels

When Rick Steves talks about challenging yourself by learning about the world when you travel, it relates to his phrase "travel as a political act." This is also the title of one of his books. This idea could mean visiting a country which is slightly out of your comfort zone. Then the challenge becomes taking your broadened perspectives home with you. "Use what you've learned to help bring about positive change," Steves told BookTrib.

The overarching theme that drives the idea of "travel as a political act" is human connection. Steves believes that talking to people you meet while traveling can help you understand issues being faced in a particular region of the world. There are countless "us vs. them" situations all over the world, but Steves finds that traveling can bridge such gaps. "[When] traveling, we realize the challenges of our future will be blind to borders and best overcome not by conflict and walls, but by community," Steves states on his website . So, challenge yourself by connecting with the people on your journeys. Maybe ask someone in Mexico what they like and dislike about living there. Perhaps the person's answer will give you a new perspective.

Read the original article on Explore .

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Politics latest: Keir Starmer accused of 'rank hypocrisy' by Rishi Sunak after setting out what he'll do to tackle small boat crossings

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer lays out his party's plans to try and tackle small boat crossings if it wins power. Listen to the latest episode of the Electoral Dysfunction podcast as you scroll.

Friday 10 May 2024 18:30, UK

• Starmer says small boat crossings 'one of the greatest challenges we face'
• Explained: What's in Labour's plan to try and tackle problem
• Darren McCaffrey: Will Labour's plan cut it with voters?
• Starmer says no flights to Rwanda will take off under Labour
• Sunak accuses Starmer of 'rank hypocrisy'
• Electoral Dysfunction:  Jess Phillips says Elphicke defection like 'being punched in gut'
• UK exits recession | Economy 'returning to full health'
• Faultlines:   Can British farming survive?
• Live reporting by Tim Baker

Across the UK, anger is brewing amongst some farmers.  

Protests have already been held in London, Dover and Cardiff, with more planned - mirroring similar tensions seen across Europe in the last six months.     

They say they’re annoyed about cheap foreign imports and changes to subsidies forcing them to give up land in favour of environmental schemes.    

But what does this mean for the food on our table - and does British produce risk becoming a luxury product for the wealthy only?    

On the Sky News Daily , Niall Paterson is joined by West of England and Wales correspondent Dan Whitehead to find out why farmers are so concerned, and speaks to Liz Webster, the founder of Save British Farming, about why she believes eating British isn't just good for our farmers - it's good for the nation's health, too.   

In response to our report, Farming Minister Mark Spencer, said: "We firmly back our farmers. British farming is at the heart of British trade, and we put agriculture at the forefront of any deals we negotiate, prioritising new export opportunities, protecting UK food standards and removing market access barriers. 

"We've maintained the £2.4bn annual farming budget and recently set out the biggest ever package of grants which supports farmers to produce food profitably and sustainably."

The Welsh government said: "A successful future for Welsh farming should combine the best of our traditional farming alongside cutting-edge innovation and diversification. 

"It will produce the very best of Welsh food to the highest standards, while safeguarding our precious environment and addressing the urgent call of the climate and nature emergencies."

👉  Listen above then tap here to follow the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts   👈

Following the defection of the Dover and Deal MP Natalie Elphicke to Labour, Beth, Ruth and Jess discuss the surprise move and whether it could have been handled differently by Sir Keir Starmer.

They also talk about Beth's interview with the former immigration minister Robert Jenrick and his warnings about Reform UK.

Plus, how significant was the defeat of former Conservative mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street? Beth and Jess were both there to tell the story.

And they answer a question on Labour and the Muslim vote, and what the party can do to restore confidence and trust.

Email Beth, Jess, and Ruth at [email protected] , post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.     

👉 Listen above then tap here to follow Electoral Dysfunction wherever you get your podcasts 👈

In January 2023, Rishi Sunak made five promises.

Since then, he and his ministers have rarely missed an opportunity to list them. In case you haven't heard, he promised to:

• Halve inflation • Grow the economy • Reduce debt • Cut NHS waiting lists and times • Stop the boats

See below how he is doing on these goals:

The Sky News live poll tracker - collated and updated by our Data and Forensics team - aggregates various surveys to indicate how voters feel about the different political parties.

With the local elections complete, Labour is still sitting comfortably ahead, with the Tories trailing behind.

See the latest update below - and you can read more about the methodology behind the tracker  here .

Speaking to Sky political editor  Beth Rigby , Sir Keir Starmer has defended his decision to allow Tory MP Natalie Elphicke into Labour.

Ms Elphicke was on the right of the Conservative spectrum, and previously defended her sex-offender ex-husband, comments which she apologised for this week following her defection.

Addressing Tory voters, Sir Keir says he wants Labour to be a "place where they who have ambitions about their families, their communities, their country, can join and be part of what we are trying to build for their country".

Asked by Beth if he was ruthless, Sir Keir said: "Yes, I'm ruthless in trying to ensure we have a Labour government that can change this country for the better.

"Not ruthless for my own ambition, not ruthlessness particularly for the Labour Party - I'm ruthless for the country. 

"The only way we'll bring about a change in this country is if we're ruthless about winning that general election and putting in place a government of public service, that’ll be a major change.

"Politics, I believe, should be about public service, that's what I've been about all my life."

More now from political editor Beth Rigby's interview with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

She reminded him that he previously ruled out doing a deal with the SNP - but has not done so for the Liberal Democrats.

Sir Keir again ruled out a coalition with the SNP - adding that he is aiming for a "majority Labour government".

He says Labour needs "to keep working hard, keep disciplined and getting our message across, which is something fundamental to me".

Pushed on his lack of ruling out a possible agreement with the Lib Dems, Sir Keir says: "I'm going for a majority.

"That's the answer I gave you a year ago. It's the same answer I'm giving you now."

Sir Keir Starmer was earlier today pushed on whether Rwanda deportation flights will take off if he was prime minister - although it was not clear if he would cancel flights which had already been organised.

Sky News understood that previously booked deportation flights to Rwanda would still go ahead if Sir Keir entered Number 10. 

But the Labour leader has now gone further.

Speaking to political editor Beth Rigby , Sir Keir has ruled out any flights taking off.

"There will be no flights scheduled or taking off after general election if Labour wins that general election," he says.

He says: "Every flight that takes off carries with it a cheque to the Rwanda government. 

"So I want to scrap the scheme - so that means the flights won't be going."

Sir Keir says he would rather spend the money on his own measures to counter small boats.

"No flights, no Rwanda scheme. It's a gimmick," he says.

By Alix Culbertson , political reporter

Scotland's new first minister has told Sky News that the controversial gender recognition reforms "cannot be implemented."

John Swinney,  who became first minister this week , has faced questions over his stance on gender recognition after MSPs voted in 2022 to pass a bill to make it simpler for people to change their gender without having to obtain a medical diagnosis.

The UK government blocked the bill from being made into law and the Supreme Court rejected a request by the Scottish government for a judicial review.

Asked if he would be fighting to push the bill through, Mr Swinney told Sky News: "The reality of the situation we face is that the Supreme Court has said that we can't legislate in that area. We can't take forward that legislation."

The UK economy is no longer in recession, according to official figures.

Gross domestic product (GDP) grew by a better-than-expected 0.6% between January and March, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Economists had predicted the figure would be 0.4%.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it showed the economy had "turned a corner".

He told Sky News's Ed Conway: "I am pleased that while there's more work to do, today's figures show that the economy now has real momentum, and I'm confident that with time, people will start to feel the benefits of that.

"We've had multiple months now where wages are rising, energy bills have fallen, mortgage rates are down and taxes are being cut... I'm pleased with the progress that we're making."

Mr Sunak added: "I am confident the economy is getting healthier every week."

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Rishi Sunak has criticised Sir Keir Starmer's position on Rwanda as "rank hypocrisy".

Speaking to broadcasters, the prime minister says the Labour leader has announced things the government is "already doing".

He gives the example of "punching through the backlog, having more law enforcement officers do more, that's all happening already".

"We've announced all of that more than a year ago," the prime minister adds.

"The question for Keir Starmer if he cares so much about that, why did he vote against the new laws that we passed to give our law enforcement officers new powers? 

"They've now used those to arrest almost 8,000 people connected with illegal migration, sentenced them to hundreds of years in prison.

"And if it was up to him, all those people would be out on our streets, so I think it's rank hypocrisy property of his position."

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