Fred. Holidays, has teamed up with Switzerland Tourism and Travel Switzerland to launch a dedicated 2026 Switzerland Rail Holidays brochure. It showcases the country as a year-round destination with a focus on the Swiss Travel Pass. It comes on the back of a 63% year-on-year increase in Swiss holidays with 89% of these bookings coming through the trade. Featuring eight new tours, some exclusive to Fred. Holidays, the brochure includes the Glacier Express and the Bernina Express complemented by interesting alternatives like the Gotthard Panorama Express, GoldenPass and the Centovalli Railway. The brochure also has an expanded city break offering that showcases cities such as Zurich and Basel that are easy to access by air and rail and can be used as a base to explore further afield with a Swiss Travel Pass. The new tours include: Swiss Glaciers, Vineyards & The Mont Blanc Express: a seven-night trip including return flights from the UK to Geneva; rail from Geneva airport to Martigny; five nights in Martigny with breakfast; two nights in Brig with breakfast; VerticAlp excursion via the Mont Blanc Express; excursion to the Dents du Midi viewpoint; travel by public transport from Martigny to Brig via Les Celliers de Sion vineyards and Europe’s largest natural underground lake at St Leonard. It features baggage transfer from Martigny to Brig; visit to the Aletsch Arena, the Alps’ largest glacier; rail travel from Brig to Geneva Airport; and an eight-day Swiss Travel Pass. Daily departures between June and October 2026 with prices from £2,199 per person (based on 3^rd October 2026 departure). 5* Saas-Fee & The Metro Alpin: a four-night trip including return flights from the UK to Zurich; return rail from Zurich Airport to Visp; return bus from Visp to Saas-Fee; four nights in Saas-Fee; and a return ticket on the Metro Alpin, the world’s highest funicular, to visit the world’s highest revolving restaurant. It includes a Swiss Half Fare Card for half price additional public transport; and Saastal card to cover local bus transport. Daily departures year-round with prices from £1,299 per person (based on 27^th September 2026 departure). Magical Lucerne in Winter: a six-night trip taking in not only the Christmas markets but also the Lilu Light Festival in January or Fasnacht Festival in February. Includes return flights from the UK to Zurich; return rail from Zurich Airport to Lucerne; six nights in Lucerne with breakfast; an eight-day Swiss Travel Pass; excursions to Mount Rigi and Engelberg, Mount Titlis; and a lunch cruise on Lake Lucerne. Daily Departures between November and March with prices from £1,399 per person (based on 7^th March 2026 departure). Sally Barlow, rail product manager for Fred. Holidays, said: ““We’ve worked closely with our partners to put together a fantastic selection of rail holidays that will appeal to all types of traveller, whether this is their first or fifth visit.” “With a great mix of perennial favourites and lesser-known destinations and rail routes, the brochure showcases the very best of Switzerland in all four seasons.” On the back of the brochure launch, Fred. Holidays will be hosting seven agents on its first-ever fam trip on Switzerland’s Bernina Express in March next year. The new brochure is being distributed to 400 strategic partners and business development managers will be visiting agents in their regions to hand deliver further copies. A digital version, along with additional sales assets, is also accessible via the Agent Portal at www.agentfred.co.uk To celebrate the brochure launch, Fred. Holidays is offering agents the chance to win a Swiss cheese hamper. Agents simply need share a photo of the marketing assets displayed in store on the Fred. Holidays Agents Facebook page by 28 November 2025. The winner will be randomly selected and announced by 5 December and their hamper will be delivered in time for Christmas. Agents can also claim up to £1,000 per booking inFred. Holidays current agent incentive. Valid to 31 December 2025, and applicable to all new Fred. Holidays package bookings made during this period, the incentive rewards agents with Amazon vouchers based on the booking value.

Fred. Holidays has launched its biggest-ever brochure, together with a new trade booking incentive. Other agent resources include nationwide in-person training, themed gifts, webinars and a complete campaign pack designed to help travel agents drive new business. Laura Wilson, head of business development at Fred. Holidays, said: “Many of the holidays featured are aspirational and unique, often unfamiliar to mainstream travellers so we are providing agents with the tools to confidently sell these holidays” “Following the doubling in size of our business development team, we’ve seen over 100% growth in trade bookings. This momentum continues into 2025, with over 100 new agents already booking with us.” The 120-page Crafted for the Curious brochure features tailor-made European and worldwide holidays built around cruising, rail and independent touring plus more. It covers rail journeys, river cruises, cultural land tours and luxury ocean voyages and expedition cruises. Brochure highlights include various first-time product launches: St. Pölten, Vienna & Scenic Rail Adventures - An immersive rail journey Vibrant Portugal: Lisbon, Porto & the Douro Valley – Fly-rail to one of Europe’s top destinations Peruvian Highlights: Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu by train - Offering a more enriching route to the bucket-list favourite. The new Crafted for the Curious brochure is being distributed to 500 strategic partners, and travel agents can order copies via BP Tradegate. A digital version, along with additional sales assets, is also accessible via the Agent Portal. To celebrate the brochure launch, Fred. Holidays is introducing a new trade incentive, Curiosity Rewarded, offering travel agents the chance to claim up to £1,000 per booking. Valid until 4 September 2025 and applicable to all new Fred. Holidays package bookings made during this period, the incentive rewards agents with Amazon vouchers based on the booking value. Fred. Holidays has also put a strong trade campaign in place which includes a Fortnum & Mason hamper to tea parties with the local BDM, and agency visits by the company’s four business development managers. Additionally, Fred. First webinars are bite-sized, 20-minute training sessions available on demand. Seven episodes are live, with an eighth launching soon that will focus on the Crafted for the Curious campaign. Agents also get access to the complete campaign pack, a toolkit designed to help agents promote these new holidays.

  On the back of recent research that 60% of its cruise and tour business is booked out of date range, and in response to the evolving needs of today’s travellers, Fred. Holidays has introduced an out-of-date range package guarantee designed to provide customers with enhanced flexibility and peace of mind when booking their holiday. The new guarantee allows customers to secure package holidays beyond the standard airline booking window, typically limited to 11 months in advance. This ensures peace of mind with guaranteed flight fares at the time of booking when purchased as part of a package holiday.   Tricia Birmingham, Fred. Holidays director of tour operations, comments: “We’ve listened to our travel agents partners who are experiencing growing demand from customers planning bucket-list cruises and tours - some as far ahead as summer 2027. Our out-of-date range package guarantee provides the competitive service, greater flexibility, price protection and peace of mind that our agent partners and customers have been demanding.”   Key benefits include:  

• Greater earning potential and conversion opportunities for agents
• Early booking of cruise or tour packages
• Guaranteed package pricing
• Longer payment timelines, making financial planning easier
• ATOL and ABTA protection, ensuring full financial security

  To qualify, at least one core element - such as a cruise or tour - must be available in live inventory.  Flights will be based on flight departure and arrival points and confirmed once schedules and availability is released from our airline partners.   This latest enhancement reinforces Fred. Holidays’ commitment to supporting travel agents with flexible, trade-friendly policies and tailor-made packaging that puts both the customer and the agent first.

  Fred. Olsen-owned Hotel Jardin Tecina on La Gomera has released images of its €20 million plus refurbishment project which has resulted in a fresh and contemporary new look for its bedrooms, significant renovations and improvements to its many public areas and the implementation of cutting-edge technology to ensure a more efficient and personalised service. The work, which took place between April and December 2024, was carefully designed to maintain the hotel’s Canarian authentic character while upholding its commitment to sustainability, innovation and natural living. The hotel has also released  rates through to April 2026.   Key features of the refurbishment project include:  

• Bedrooms – all rooms underwent a complete renovation including flooring, layout, decor, lighting, air conditioning, bathroom, doors and windows. The existing Canarian style and colours have been maintained albeit with a fresh and contemporary feel in order to reflect local ambiance.
• Main Restaurant – the layout has been re-organised to optimise available space while a new buffet station and rustic-themed decoration elements have been added.
• Salon Bar & Beatriz de Bobadilla Terrace – this extensive leisure area has been re-organised to create a number of different spaces to cater for all tastes. These include a bar, a stage for various shows, quiet corners to enjoy a drink at the end of the day, a multi-purpose room in which guests can watch their favourite sports and a recreation and relaxation space with comfy seating where younger guests can meet.
• Pool BBQ Area – new flooring has been laid throughout the entire area and new lining has been installed in all three pools. In addition, a new children’s play area, Laurus, has been added with waterslides and other fun water-based activities. The BBQ and Pool Bar have also both been redecorated.
• Pathways – the pathways connecting all corners of the hotel have been recovered with a new high-quality material  to optimise functionality as well as visual impact.
• Technology – a new and comprehensive fibre communication network has been installed with a direct connection to each room ensuring a perfect internet connection from any point.

  2025 prices start from £999 per person based two people sharing departing 8^th May 2025 including half-board accommodation, flights, ferry and transfers. There is also an early booking discount of 18% for stays between 1^st November 2025 and 30^th April 2026 when booked before 30^th June 2025.   Set within 70,000 square metres of gardens and overlooking the Atlantic ocean and Mount Teide on neighbouring Tenerife, the picturesque Hotel Jardin Tecina offers something for everyone including a range of bars and restaurants, a comprehensive spa, a kids club, swimming pools and an impressive 18-hole golf course which winds its way along the cliff-top and offers breathtaking views at every turn.

  Fred. Holidays is continuing to grow its sales team with the appointment of Rachel Wood to the newly-created position of Business Development Manager for the Midlands.   Rachel joins from Premier Holidays where she held the position of Sales and Business Development Manager looking after agents in the North of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. She has also held positions with Classic Collection Holidays, The Freedom Travel Group and Carnival UK.   Within her new role, which she takes up on 6^th May 2025, Rachel’s key strategic focus will be increasing brand awareness, in particularly around the cruise and stay offering, working closely with the business development team to optimise new business opportunities through current trade partners, and expanding the distribution reach to achieve results in line with budget expectations. Rachel will report into Laura Wilson, Fred. Holidays’ Head of Business Development.   Commenting on her appointment, Rachel said: “I'm delighted to be joining the business development team at Fred. Holidays during this exciting time of growth. I can’t wait to work with their existing agents to increase sales, and also to introduce new agents to the brand and the extensive range of cruise- and land-based product that they offer.   Tricia Birmingham, Fred. Holidays’ Director of Tour operations, added: “We are delighted to welcome Rachel who is highly respected and has a number of years’ experience, most notably in cruise and tour operating .  This experience means that she is a perfect fit for our business and will be a huge asset to us as we target strategic growth and aim to become one of the leading operators in the industry.”

  Tailor-made specialist, Fred. Holidays, has launched a brand-new Extraordinary Encounters campaign, showcasing the very best in cruising, touring and exploring and designed to inspire travellers with unforgettable journeys that transcend the ordinary.  The campaign is supported by a dedicated mini brochure featuring esteemed touring partners G Adventures and Wendy Wu Tours, alongside long-standing partner Collette and destination partners, reinforcing Fred. Holidays’ commitment to delivering immersive, authentic experiences and expertly crafted adventures by land, river and sea.   The 32-page brochure opens the door to some of the world’s most remarkable destinations and features cultural explorations, small group adventures and expertly guided tours in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North and South America.  Travellers can embark on unique journeys experiencing extraordinary encounters such as spotting giant tortoises and blue-footed boobies in the Galapagos, experiencing a chuck wagon dinner and cowboy entertainment in the USA, coming face to face with the terracotta warriors in Xi’an or searching for tigers on a game drive in Ranthambore National Park.   The Extraordinary Encounters brochure spotlights a selection of once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences including:  

• A 26-night Ultimate Japan cruise and tour featuring a nine-night tour with Wendy Wu Tours and a 14-night full-board cruise onboard Azamara Pursuit.
• A 24-night Inspiring India: Golden Triangle & the Hooghly River adventure featuring a 12-night fully escorted tour with Wendy Wu Tours and a nine-night Pandaw cruise on the Hooghly.
• A 29-night The Great Barrier Reef, Whitsunday Islands & New Zealand cruise and tour featuring a 13-night Best of Australia tour with G Adventures and an 11-night cruise on Celebrity Edge.
• A 15-night Mississippi by Paddle Wheeler & America’s Music Cities river and tour featuring a six-night American Cruise Lines cruise on the Mississippi and a seven-night escorted tour with Collette.
• A 17-night Exploring Galapagos, Machu Picchu and Peru’s Land of the Inca cruise and tour featuring a seven-night expedition cruise on National Geographic Endeavour II, a two-night stay at Belmond Miraflores Park in Lima, Sol y Luna and Belmond Hotel Monasterio and a night in Machu Picchu.
• A 10-night Classical Rhine, Glacier Express & Gornergrat Railway river and rail tour featuring a seven-night five-star Rhine cruise with Amadeus River Cruises, a scenic Swiss rail journey on the Gornergrat Railway and Glacier Express from Zermatt to Chur, two nights in Zermatt and a night in Chur.

  Tricia Birmingham, Director of Tour Operations at Fred. Holidays, shares the vision behind the campaign: “Travellers today crave a blend of adventure and comfort, balancing independent discovery with expertly guided experiences. We are seeing key trends in luxury and immersive travel, sustainability and combining elements such as rail and sail to explore regions more comprehensively. Our new campaign highlights these hybrid travel styles, combining the expertise of our own team with that of trusted partners—Collette, Wendy Wu Tours, and G Adventures - to offer truly extraordinary encounters.”   The new Extraordinary Encounters brochure is being distributed to key partners, and travel agents can request copies through their Fred. Holidays Business Development Manager. A digital version, along with additional sales assets, is also accessible via the Agent Portal at www.agentfred.co.uk.   To celebrate the launch of the new brochure, Fred. Holidays is introducing a new trade incentive, Extraordinary Rewards, offering travel agents the chance to earn up to £1,000 per booking. Valid from 4^th April to 26^th June, and applicable to all new Fred. Holidays package bookings made during this period, the incentive rewards agents with One4All vouchers based on the booking value.   In addition, there will be a Bonus Easter Giveaway with agents having the chance to become an EGGstraordinary winner.  Agents booking any new Fred. Holidays package in the lead-up to Easter will be entered into a draw to win an EGGstraordinary Freddo Easter chocolate gift box, with winners announced on 14th April!

  As rail holidays continue to grow in popularity, Fred. Holidays is positioning themselves as the go-to rail specialist for tailor-made holidays in Europe and worldwide. Building on this momentum they have partnered with some of the world’s top rail suppliers to launch the UK’s first-ever dedicated agent rail event.   The Rail-ly Big Event, which is taking place at the iconic Swindon Steam Museum on Wednesday 23^rd April between 6pm and 10pm, will provide agents with a great opportunity to network with the world’s best rail providers such as Belmond, Eurostar, Rocky Mountaineer, GoldenPass Express, Bernina Express, Glacier Express, Die Zentralbahn, Maharajas Express, Jungfrau Railways, Rovos Rail, Caledonian Sleeper and Gornergrat Railway, as well as Travel Switzerland and Lake Lucerne Navigation. Agents will also enjoy training sessions and plenty of food and drink, plus there will be some truly amazing prizes up for grabs.   Sally Barlow, Rail Product Manager for Fred. Holidays, comments: “With an impressive 80% uplift in bookings year to date, we’ve seen a huge demand for rail holidays. Following the successful introduction of our first stand-alone rail brochure, we felt that the time was right to launch a dedicated event to educate agents and help them feel confident about recommending a rail holiday to their customers. With some fantastic rail partners and a venue that will really help encapsulate the rail atmosphere, I’m sure that agents will find the evening beneficial and fun.”   To register for a place at the event, agents should visit the Fred. Holidays agent portal www.agentfred.co.uk or email [email protected]

Fred. Holidays has launched a new programme aimed at the 300,000-plus bridge playing community in the UK. Fred. Bridge Holidays will offer holidays with bridge is at the heart of the experience. The programme has been developed in partnership with Declan Treanor, a consultant with years of experience of organising and hosting bridge holidays. Each itinerary has been designed for bridge enthusiasts, whether they are beginners or seasoned players. Each holiday has tailor-made schedules designed around excursions and suitable weather. Daytime sessions offer a balance of competitive play and free time to explore or relax, while evening sessions include Masterpoints and prizes. ‍Every bridge session uses advanced Bridgemate electronic scoring, pre-dealt duplicate boards and detailed hand records. English Bridge Union-qualified directors lead sessions and run seminars or workshops twice a week to help players sharpen their skills. There are also friendly hosts who can make up a table as needed. Solo travellers are catered for with a singles meeting at the start of the holiday, hosts to ensure that everyone has a partner and special singles rates available on each trip. Bridge Consultant Declan Treanor said: “We recognised a gap in the bridge holiday market for the flexibility of tailor-made holidays and are very excited to launch Fred. Bridge Holidays.” Every hotel we are using is one I have stayed at and know meets the needs of bridge players including those who may have mobility concerns.” Currently, Fred. Bridge Holidays are available in Croatia, Ireland, Italy, Madeira, Malta, Menorca, Poland, Portugal, Tunisia, Turkey and the UK. The first departure is on 26 September 2025 which is a seven- or 14-night stay at the four-star AluaSoul Menorca, with prices from £995 per person including all meals and drinks, Club Classic bridge programme with varied itinerary bridge programme and seminars. Fred. Holidays can also arrange flights if required.

  Fred. Holidays has announced the launch of Fred. Bridge Holidays, a brand new specialist programme aimed at the 300,000-plus bridge players in the UK who want to explore beautiful destinations, make new friends and enjoy a holiday where bridge is at the heart of the experience.   The programme has been developed in partnership with Declan Treanor, a consultant with years of experience of organising and hosting bridge holidays, with each itinerary being thoughtfully designed to deliver an unmatched experience for bridge enthusiasts, whether they are beginners or seasoned players.   Each holiday features tailor-made schedules designed around excursions and the weather. Daytime sessions offer the perfect balance of competitive play and free time to explore or unwind, while evening sessions include Masterpoints and prizes. ‍Every bridge session uses advanced Bridgemate electronic scoring, pre-dealt duplicate boards and detailed hand records, so guests can focus on enjoying the game.   English Bridge Union-qualified directors lead sessions and run engaging seminars or workshops twice a week to help players sharpen their skills in an informal and supportive environment. There are also friendly hosts who can make up a table as needed and introduce fellow travellers so that each holiday combines unique blend of challenge, companionship and relaxation.   Solo travellers are catered for with a singles meeting at the start of the holiday, hosts to ensure that everyone has a partner and special singles rates available for each trip.   Commenting on the launch, Bridge Consultant Declan Treanor said: “I am delighted to be working again with the Fred. Olsen Travel Group, having successfully collaborated with them in taking 100s of veterans to Normandy on Boudicca for the 75^th anniversary of D Day whilst chairman of Arena Travel. We both recognised a gap in the bridge holiday market for the flexibility of tailor-made holidays and are very excited to launch Fred. Bridge Holidays. Developing high quality bridge holidays has been my passion for many years and as a bridge player I know what works. Every hotel we are using is one I have stayed at and know meets the needs of bridge players including those who may have mobility concerns. We are starting with a full overseas holiday programme and will add UK destinations in the coming months. By being flexible on duration and having the only flight centre in this niche market, we offer a compelling level of service for the discerning bridge holidaymaker.”   Currently, Fred. Bridge Holidays are available in Croatia, Ireland, Italy, Madeira, Malta, Menorca, Poland, Portugal, Tunisia, Turkey and the UK.  The first departure is on 26^th September 2025 which is a seven- or 14-night stay at the four-star AluaSoul Menorca, with prices from £995 per person including all meals and drinks, Club Classic bridge programme with varied itinerary bridge programme and seminars, services of an EBU-qualified director and friendly bridge hosts, use of hotel wellness facilities, use of sports facilities at sister hotel and return airport transfers on main changeover days. Fred. Holidays can also arrange flights if required.

Fred. Holidays expects this year’s peaks period to be its most successful ever having started the month with a record week of trading and sales up 144%. The company also experienced its highest ever number of calls which were all answered within 90 seconds on average. Additionally, it had a run of best ever trading days ahead of Sunshine Saturday on 9, 10 and 11 January. It said 40% of bookings were for rail and tailor-made holidays and tours which Fred. Holidays attributes to the launch of its rail brochure. It also had the best week ever for cruise, accounting for over 60% of sales with 55% of these sales for Cruise & Stay packages. The top performing countries for sales were the US, Canada, Italy and Spain. Early indications for last week show that sales were up on a daily basis on the previous week with many initial agent enquiries now starting to convert. Tricia Birmingham, Fred. Holidays director of tour operations, said: “I’m delighted with how positively we have started the peaks season, with all areas of the business smashing their targets.” “I’m particularly pleased with how well cruise has performed. As we head towards our most successful peaks ever, I would like to thank our agent partners for their support.”

  Asian river cruise specialist Pandaw has announced details of an exciting new expedition on the Hooghly River that connects Kolkata with the Ganges. Commencing October 2025, the 18-stateroom Kalaw Pandaw will sail from Kolkata to Baranagar and back on India’s most sacred rivers. The adventure captures the essence of the real India: enchanting countryside, magnificent palaces, mystical temples and artisanal villages, not to mention very friendly folk and riverside communities.   The nine-night itinerary also includes two nights in Kolkata, allowing passengers to spend two full days sightseeing in the former capital of the Indian Raj. The city has a huge museum, 18th-century churches, temples, mosques and architectural splendours that reflect the Raj’s glory days. On the final day, passengers will enjoy a late disembarkation with full board catering as most international flights from India depart in the evening.   Fred. Holidays, Pandaw’s GSA in the UK, has packaged up this itinerary with regular departures between October 2025 and February 2026, and September 2026 and March 2027. Prices from 3,499 per person including return flights from London (regional flights available on request), overseas airport transfers and the nine-night cruise with all meals, excursions and activities plus a complimentary drinks package. Plus there is no single supplement for the first season.

Asia river cruise specialist Pandaw has unveiled details of a new expedition cruise on the Hooghly River that connects Kolkata with the Ganges in India. Commencing October 2025, the 18-stateroom Kalaw Pandaw will sail from Kolkata to Baranagar and back on India’s sacred rivers. The India river cruise explores the real India: the countryside, palaces, temples and artisanal villages and riverside communities. The nine-night itinerary also includes two nights in Kolkata, allowing passengers to spend two full days sightseeing in the former capital of the Indian Raj. The city has a huge museum, 18th-century churches, temples, mosques and more. On the final day, guests enjoy a late disembarkation with full board catering as most international flights from India depart in the evening. Fred. Holidays, Pandaw’s appointed GSA in the UK, has packaged up this itinerary with regular departures between October 2025 and February 2026, and September 2026 and March 2027. There is no single supplement for the first season.