UK consumer spend abroad rises to £35.5 billion in 2014

Posted on 29 June, 2015 by Spacejunkie2

Spending by UK consumers abroad rose by £3.7 billion to £35.5 billion last year over 2010, according to latest calculations.

This represented an 11.7% increase in the four-year period with Spain being the major benefactor.

British travellers spent £6.14 billion in Spain in 2014 – the most for any country in the world � and £3.91 billion on visits to the US.

Some £3.51 billion was spent across in France, whilst Italy was fourth with £1.68 billion.

The research by the travel money business Centtrip also showed that Romania had seen a 114% increase in spending by UK residents between 2010 and 2014. This equated to an extra £102 million.

Lithuania and the UAE saw increases of 74% while Norway and Mexico saw increases of 69%, 60% respectively.

Analysis by the company found that Britons took more than 60 million trips abroad, with an outlay of £35.5 billion in spending money.

Centtrip co-founder and managing director, Brian Jamieson, said: “Overseas travel is increasing, but as people visit more countries, they need to make sure they are getting a fair deal when buying foreign currency, and keep charges down to a minimum.”

Lindblad’s National Geographic Orion to cruise Europe

Posted on 15 January, 2015 by Spacejunkie2

Lindblad Expeditions’ National Geographic Orion vessel will spend the spring, summer and fall on a series of one-week cruises in Europe.

Itineraries include exploring Portugal, Spain, France, England, Ireland, Holland, Belgium, the Baltic republics and Scandinavia.

“A ship like National Geographic Orion depends heavily on past guests, and a vast majority of her past guests have been to the Kimberley and the South Pacific,” said Sven Lindblad, founder and president of Lindblad Expeditions. “We are committed to providing them the most compelling opportunities available on the Orion and have listened to their feedback for new destinations.”

Lindblad said the 22 voyages on the 102-guest ship will be led by a team with a a diverse scope of expertise about history, political science, art, viniculture and music of the destinations, and will include active options like hiking, biking and kayaking.

Will CroisiEurope’s pricing, diversity resonate with U.S. passengers?

Posted on 31 October, 2013 by Spacejunkie2

By Michelle Baran

Insight French river cruise line CroisiEurope is making a run at an already pretty crowded U.S. market with a simple concept: low-cost river cruises with a multicultural mix of passengers.

“The founder of the company had the philosophy to make this product available for the mass market,” said Michel Grimm, international sales director for CroisiEurope, which after 38 years in business recently unveiled a new website and call center devoted to the U.S. source market.

“Our pricing is very aggressive,” Grimm said, adding that an eight-day CroisiEurope river cruise including meals, open bar and excursions won’t run more than $2,400 per person.

“With these kinds of prices, we come with an offer that is very interesting,” he said.

For anyone who knows the river cruising market, that’s actually quite a deal. MichelleBaran
As a European river cruise operator, CroisiEurope hosts a mix of nationalities onboard, but the company’s executives said that for the right customer, that should be seen as an asset, not a drawback.

“This is not for people who want the safety of being with all other English speakers,” said John McGlade, director of CroisiEurope’s U.S. reservation center. “For people who want the international experience, it’s the perfect marriage.”

CroisiEurope, which is still run by the founder’s children, builds all its vessels in the same shipyard in Belgium. Building, owning and operating all its own vessels is how the company claims it can keep its pricing so competitive, a concept it is bringing to the canal barge market, as well.

CroisiEurope is also building up its own fleet of barge vessels that have a capacity of 24 guests, in contrast with many of the existing canal barges that can often only host six to 12 passengers onboard, rendering them an expensive vacation option.

One other differentiator? Building ships of different sizes that can navigate lesser-sailed inland waterways, including the Guadalquivir and Guadiana rivers in Spain, the Tisza River in Hungary and some of the smaller estuaries off of the Danube and Rhine rivers.

CroisiEurope is based in Strasbourg, France, and has a fleet of 30 ships, including several barges and coastal cruisers, which sail in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean, Vietnam and Cambodia.