This week... awards have been won, Virgin Atlantic demand APD drops on short haul flights and On the Beach claim Facebook IS profitable

Another Monday and another ‘this week’ instalment for you all to enjoy. We’ve got lots to share with you this week, awards have been won and we’ve been busy with new projects. Of course as always we’ve got a selection of the top industry news for travel and technology.

CWT Digital News:

NCL wins a TravelMole award - 14th July- We are very proud to announce that Ncl.co.uk have won the TravelMole award for the best cruise/ ferry website. The winners were announced at the Hilton in the West End. Well done from all at CWT Digital.

CWT Digital eagerly await for TTG shortlist - CWT Digital are waiting in great anticipation for the TTG awards shortlist to be released this week. We’re keeping all fingers and toes crossed that we make it for the Best Travel Service Provider of the Year.

Brighton and Hove Albion make debut in new stadium -16th July- It’s a great time for our local football team, having played their first game in their brand new stadium this week and about to kick off the new season having been promoted to the Championship. After 14 years of waiting, the Seagulls finally have a new home in the form of the Amex Stadium. The Albion won 2-0 in their 1st game against Eastbourne Borough to win the Sussex Senior Cup Final, well done boys!


Travel News:

Cruise news: Gill’s Cruise Centre stops trading -15th July- On the 14th July Gill’s Cruise Centre ceased trading after ABTA pulled it’s membership from the company, describing it as a ‘financial failure’. It is believed by many in the industry that the centre was a victim of it’s own success and their heavy discounting was a factor in the companies demise. The company has been bought by P&P Associates who will re-brand the company as ‘We Cruise’.

Virgin Atlantic calls for APD to rise on short haul flights -18th July- Virgin Atlantic has kick started a campaign this week to increase the APD on short haul flights. Virgin believes that customers flying to long haul destinations are having to subsidise the tax for short haul flights. Virgin Atlantic are asking that the tax on short haul flights be increased to £20 per person from £12 to lessen the blow on passengers flying long distance. This argument is in direct conflict with Easy Jet’s beliefs that short haul flights should have lower tax. Both companies are in support of the ‘hands off our holidays’ campaign.

Technology News:

On the Beach ‘prove’ Facebook can be profitable for travel -14th July- On the Beach have claimed that due to new research they believe that Facebook ads can influence sales. According to an article in Travolution, Facebook ads proved the most effective of all online channels in both driving traffic to the site and gaining sales. This is the 1st indication from the travel industry that social media can be more than just a PR and branding tool.

Google reaches 92% of UK market share -13th July- Google has now reached a massive 92% of the UK search engine market, squashing it’s competitors into a measly 7.27% share. Despite this there has been a decrease in the amount of search engine web traffic, which has decreased to 32% of all UK traffic. It is believed that Facebook has taken some of this traffic, traffic which Google plan to take back with Google+.

Google releases ‘news badges’ in the US -17th July- Regular users of Google News in the US will now be able to earn ‘badges’ for regularly reading up on their favourite topics. The badges range from different levels, from bronze, sliver, gold and finally ultimate. The more you read the higher a badge you will receive. The badges are private but you can make them public and share with your friends. There is no date of when this feature is to be released in the UK.

That's all from us this week, we hope you found our update useful. If you want to keep up with us all week then you can follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook. Have a great week!