Boring..... Once more: I had it confirmed at the head office, thomson are intending to fly there in November, just because it isn't on the web or a call centre operator doesn't know about it doesn't mean it isn't happening.

Yes you must be correct Rob! Just one question, when you want to launch a new develoment and get sales, after all products are out there to be sold, are they not? Do you do it like Thomson and make sure that your call centre and sales staff know nothing about the product available, do you ensure that your website cannot find it and that there is no sales literature available?

Is this a unique ploy that Thomson have discovered, that us salesmen and marketeers have not considered yet?

Maybe the simple and obvious explanation might be the truth, they aren't selling the flights yet..... Why, who knows, but every year (and trust me I do follow this) they don't list anything on their site about Natal until a few months before they start flying.

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I can second that Rob. When I used Thomsons a couple of times, it was very difficult to find in the web site. It was not in the brochures either, then it suddenly showed up on web flight searches. Hopefully that is the case again here.

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That is a great selling technique.Fly to Natal and advertise at the final hour.That really makes sense.I guess they must wait to hear from people calling and if they feel they can sell some tickets then they will not as many as they hoped though!

But you didn't answer my question Rob! Do you think it is a great selling technique to make sure nobody can find the product that you are selling? And perhaps you can explain how this undercover marketing campaign by Thomson enhances their sales to Natal? What is more likely is that Thomson may look at their loadings and aircraft availability nearer the time, but all information related to this destinated has diappeared from all websites. So I think it is another case of "wishful thinking"

I already answered your question .... but just so you can't accuse me of avoiding the question I will answer it again.

1. I talked to a contact at their head office, and they said they were still flying this year.

2. Every year I notice that Natal disappears from the thomson website, then a few months before they start flying again it is put back on the site.

3. I don't know why they do it like this, but they have for the last few years.

All you have to do now GW is wait to see if I am right or not.....

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I hope to have a charter out of Uruguay in about 1 1/2 years. So if you want to land in Montevideo, I could get you to Natal.

I hadn't planned on flying on and out of Brazil, but what the heck, if you want to pay for it...... 1-4 passengers, 1000 pounds luggage, but cargo space is small. Pets in the cabin, in crates.

You'd have to really need to get to Natal, because it would cost you an awful lot of money. $600 an hour, plane covers about 200 miles per hour. That's total, not per person.

There are probably charters out of Rio. Price isn't going to be any less per hour. The planes and fuel are quite expensive so no way to cut prices. In fact, price isn't guaranteed. Fuel cost is going up fast.

Hey, you could always fly to Rio and rent a car.

The explanation I recieved from Head Office (via a close relation of a Director) which was confirmed by local Thomson staff to me was primarily one of economics. They cannot bridge the demand gap at this time that would take them to at least two flights a week and dramatically cut down overheads. Paying for a full crew to lounge about for a whole week on full pay means the destination struggles to break even.
Thomson's are also disappointed that the Brazilian tourist industry are not doing more to promote this region in Europe and it was felt that a strategic withdrawl might prompt some action in this respect.
Local staff have been told that 'we will probably be back' but have now completed a complete shut down of the local offices and infrastructure. If they were intending to return as early as October / November I think it unlikely that they would have done this.
Of course the holiday industry can change on a weekly basis but my guess is Nov 2009 at the earliest.

K

I feel the above comments from Thomson are weak with regards promoting N.E .The prefitura are always sending their entourage of promoters to Europe to promote there so thats not true.The truth is that when the tourist arrives they may have a great holiday
and others may not and to pay almost 1,000 stering to go on holiday to sit on a beach can be done anywhere in the world.The world is full of marvellous beaches,so what may be ones opinion about Natal for example is another for somebody else and the demand is just not there to fill up 2 aircrafts.I would like to add that Brasil has been overly promoted in the UK.It is frequently shown on TV and a regular in the newspapers and online,but people have a choice of the whole world to visit,so why just a small city on the coast ?

Don't worry Dotty, your mission of de-promoting Natal isn't over yet, lots of people can still get to Natal cheaply, arkefly (another Tui brand, i.e. same company as thomson) are doing flights from €500 pp.

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