The London bombs and bomb attempts of the last three weeks will “no doubt leave a mark on the industry performance in July and the effects could echo through the next few months,” a leading specialist said.
Robert Barnard, partner for hotel consultancy services at PKF, added: “We hope to see London and the tourist trade hold up strongly but if the bombings deter both business and leisure visitors then hoteliers will suffer.
“Thoughts of preparations for the visitor influx during the Olympics in 2012 have now turned to immediate matters of ensuring London is still a place people want to visit during 2005.”
PKF reported that before the bombs, occupancy levels in London in June were “static” but room rates showed a “modest but healthy increase.”
Occupancy rose 1% to 82.5% in June while the average room rate rose by 4.5% to £114.84 and room yields rose by 5.5% to £94.71.
Ireland's Corporate Travel Partners joins FCm
Corporate Travel Partners, one of the leading travel management companies in Ireland, has formally re-branded to become part of the new FCm Travel Solutions group.
The agency will now be known as FCm Travel Solutions in Ireland.
Joe Balfe, its managing director, said the switch would enable the agency to “deliver a more extensive service to our existing clients, as well as be better placed to handle new global corporate travel accounts.”
Corporate Travel Partners was formed in 1995 with the amalgamation of Abbey Travel Corporate and the corporate arm of Eugene Magee Travel. It has a staff of 60 and offices in Dublin, Cork and Galway.
FCm Travel Solutions was launched in London in June with the re-branding of Britannic Travel/TQ3 UK. Agencies in countries across Europe are due to follow over the next three months with the aim of eventually creating a new global TMC.
Brian Donnelly, director of network development for FCm, said: “As part of our ongoing expansion, offices throughout EMEA will be launched progressively to ensure the name change and the benefits of our service can be effectively communicated to clients at the local level.”