www.manxferries.com, owned and operated by Mann Link Travel and its parent, Online Regional Travel Group, helped Falkland Islands resident, Andrew Alazia, to book his ferry trip and accommodation in the Isle of Man where he recently enjoyed a short break, staying at the Sefton Hotel.
Andrew, who is a pilot and self-confessed motorbike fan, lives in the capital, Stanley, which is exactly 7,978 miles from Douglas.
His family have roots in the Falkland Islands dating back to the 1860s.
On a visit to Mann Link Travel’s offices on Athol Street in Douglas, he gave staff an insight in to what life is like there, and the difficulties of travelling to and from the Falklands.
www.manxferries.com is the only independent website whereby inbound ferry travel to the Isle of Man can be booked alongside accommodation, making it much easier for visitors to organise their trip.
The customer-facing booking system has been developed by the award-winning travel company over an 18 month period, in conjunction with the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, and has required substantial financial investment.
This development also marks Mann Link Travel’s re-entry in to the island’s inbound travel market after an absence of 25 years.
Online Regional Travel Group, the largest online and offline travel group operating in the British Isles, employs more than 60 staff across its bases in the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey, and has roots dating back more than 250 years.
Mr Alazia said: ‘This is my first visit to the Isle of Man and it’s such a stunning place – and very different from the Falkland Islands. As a motorbike fan, it’s been fantastic to take a drive of the TT course although I also do a lot of off-road biking and am a big fan of David Knight.
‘Booking my ferry journey and accommodation together for my trip to the island was simple and I’m delighted I came here for a visit.’
Mann Link’s business travel manager, Sally Glover, said: ‘This is yet another landmark than Mann Link Travel has achieved – the furthest ever inbound ferry booking in to the Island via www.manxferries.com – and by a significant distance too.
‘Andrew’s visit shows just how accessible the Isle of Man is, even from the other side of the world.
‘It was fantastic to meet him and compare notes on how different Stanley is from Douglas, and I’m delighted that he had such a good time during his stay here.’
Nicola Wilkinson, acting marketing manager for the Sefton Group, said: ‘We were delighted that Andrew chose to stay at the Sefton Hotel while visiting the island, and I’m glad he had such a good time here.
‘Hopefully he will return home and spread the word about what a beautiful place the Isle of Man is and will encourage some of his fellow Islanders to book a trip here through www.manxferries.com.’
In 2008, Online Regional Travel Group won the ‘Most Effective Use of Technology’ prize at the prestigious Isle of Man Newspapers ‘Awards for Excellence’ for its development and launch of the world’s first global flight booking engine, designed for use on a mobile phone.
For more information, visit www.ortg.co.uk.
