Kelly Ranson

England

Freelancer writer and senior reporter @travelgossip. Occasional climber and one time marathon runner (for now). Views my own.

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Articles

Experts predict these 7 trends will be big for cruise travel in 2025

Dec 31, 2024 | cruiseandtravel.co.uk | Kelly Ranson

Discover what some of Britain’s top cruise experts foresee over the next 12 months…An expedition cruise may conjure up thoughts of Arctic temperatures, but increasingly expedition cruise lines are offering warm-weather sailings. Swapping polar gear and icebergs for sunshine and swimsuits not only offers the chance to visit exciting remote destinations by ship, but keeps sustainability in mind when exploring, given the ethos of the expedition lines.
Croatia cruise: Unveil hidden gems, secret islands, and new friendships on a small ship

Dec 12, 2024 | cruiseandtravel.co.uk | Kelly Ranson

Watching the sun slowly set and create a warm glow over Rab Island’s waterfront with a glass of chilled Croatian Posip wine in hand, I reflected on what had been a near perfect day. Earlier that morning our ship, the small and exclusive 18-cabin My Wish had left the city of Zadar to head to Rab Island as part of Cruise Croatia’s seven-night sailing from Dubrovnik to Opatija.
The most luxurious cruise itineraries to look out for in 2025

Dec 12, 2024 | cruiseandtravel.co.uk | Kelly Ranson

From spotting penguins and whales in Antarctica on a small expedition ship to savouring the lesser-spotted delights of the Danube with butler service, here are our six top picks for 2025’s most luxurious cruises. Are you a keen photographer looking for a trip to remember? Join Secret Altas’ expedition vessel MV Vikingfjord for an unforgettable 10- day trip around East Greenland (see above).
6 Hot destinations to see with Viking in 2025

Nov 19, 2024 | cruisecritic.com | Kelly Ranson

Dahabiya boat on Egypt's Nile River (Photo: Harriet Baskas)HomeCruise Articles6 Hot destinations to see with Viking in 2025 Dahabiya boat on Egypt's Nile River (Photo: Harriet Baskas)ContributorKelly RansonLast updatedNov 20, 2024Read time7 min readFrom exploring Egypt’s antiquities to taking an adventure of a lifetime in the Canadian Arctic, it’s time to book your next cruise for 2025 if you haven’t already.
Brits continue to flock to Tenerife, despite over-tourism protests

Nov 10, 2024 | travelgossip.co.uk | Kelly Ranson

Tenerife is expecting a 77% increase in UK tourists in the first nine months of 2025. The projected increase for 2025 follows a near 10% rise last year to over 2.5m UK visitors. Additional airlift, including new flights from Bournemouth with Jet2 and from Cardiff with Ryanair, has provided 13% more seats this winter, and bookings to Tenerife for the last quarter of this year alone are up 41% over the same period of 2023.
Gossiping with…Barrhead Travel President and black belt champ Jacqueline Dobson

Nov 7, 2024 | travelgossip.co.uk | Kelly Ranson

Home » Gossiping with…Barrhead Travel President and black belt champ Jacqueline Dobson As well as heading up Barrhead Travel, Jacqueline Dobson was recently promoted to the executive leadership team at parent company Internova Travel Group and named President of its leisure division. Plus, she’s currently President of the Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association. How does she do it?
Agents should have ‘no hesitation’ booking Florida post hurricanes, says tourism chief

Nov 6, 2024 | travelgossip.co.uk | Kelly Ranson

Visit Florida Chief Executive Dana Young is reassuring the UK trade the state is recovering and open for business after being hit by two major hurricanes – Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton – in September and October. Speaking at this year’s WTM, Dana said the clean up and recovery is going ‘really quickly’ with impacted hotels and beaches reopening.
Gozo airfield development will allow flights to Malta

Nov 6, 2024 | travelgossip.co.uk | Kelly Ranson

The development of Gozo Rural Airfield will make way for inter-island flights to neighbouring Malta, encouraging more visitors to the destination. Tourism bosses speaking at WTM said Gozo will have a 450-metre runway and is expected to be in full operation by autumn 2026. The runway will be able to take aircraft carrying up to 15 people. Gozo’s Director for Tourism and Economic Development Ronald Sultana said: “It will be a huge development for us to open up new opportunities.
Thailand expects one million UK arrivals in 2025

Nov 6, 2024 | travelgossip.co.uk | Kelly Ranson

Thailand is expecting 1.07 million arrivals from the UK in 2025, with 2024 arrivals just short of pre-pandemic levels. At this year’s WTM, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) revealed it is currently on track to welcome 933,400 arrivals from the UK in 2024, which is 18% up on 2023 and up to 94% of 2019 arrivals. The Minister of Tourism and Sports Sorawong Thienthong said that the country is aiming to bring in £75.5bn globally from tourism in 2025.
Cyprus Tourism targets shoulder season arrivals from UK

Nov 5, 2024 | travelgossip.co.uk | Kelly Ranson

Cyprus Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumis is encouraging UK agents and operators to promote travel outside the peak summer months. Speaking to Travel Gossip at this year’s WTM, Kostas said that thanks to year-round airlift from the UK to Cyprus with airlines such as British Airways and Jet2 and good hotel availability, it’s an attractive proposition to the trade. “It’s really important for us to encourage the extension of the tourist period for the winter to the UK market.