Club 18-30:

Club 18-30 is a holiday company owned by Thomas Cook that offers cut-price holidays for young men and women who are out for what they claim to be "a good time". It takes around 110,000 guests each year with turnover of around £50m a year. The average age of guests is 21, and one third of customers are travelling on holiday without their parents for the first time. The guiding mantra of the company is: Nothing is sacred, if it's going to be a good laugh then we're in.

History

The company was set up in 1970 by the Horizon Group to offer package holidays targeted at young singles and couples to travel without families or children. The idea for starting Club 18-30 was by the 2.03 m tall Paul Latchman. Initial promotion was low-key, even austere. To maximise the use of aircraft, night flights were used. The first destination was Lloret de Mar on the Costa Brava. Horizon Group only received modest success and sold the company on to a management buyout in 1973.

Subsequently, during the 1970s, the popularity of these holidays were increased by cut-price air fares. Furthermore, an advertising campaign promoted attractions of people who were sexually active and could enjoy themselves in uninhibited, alcohol-fuelled ways. Despite its notorious image, the company was listed on stock exchange in 1980. In 1982 it was acquired by International Leisure Group (ILG) and continued to grow and prosper ^[1]. In 1991, ILG collapsed and was taken over as a management buy-out backed by venture capitalists Causeway Capital, in a transaction valued at £100,000. After being briefly rebranded as The Club due to regulatory rules precluding the use of the name for 3 years, it reverted back to the original name in 1994. In 1998, Thomas Cook acquired the ILG buy-out Flying Colours, which included Club 18-30.

Club 18-30 was subsequently incorporated into Thomas Cook’s JMC (John Mason Cook) brand of travel companies which included the operating brands Flying Colours, Sunworld, Sunset, Inspirations and Caledonian Airways. In 2002, following a strategic review of the business, the management company UP Trips, was formed to ensure that Club 18-30 retained its dominant position in the youth market by providing a dynamic package offering. However, by 2008, the UpTrips Management company dissolved with Club 18-30 once more a key product within the Thomas Cook portfolio.

Destinations

Special deals

The NUS has negotiated a deal where holders of the NUS Extra card get £100 off their holiday. Club 18-30 holidays are very popular with university students, and many work as club reps for holiday work.

Controversies

Beach games

Many guests on the holidays were seduced by the temptations of the flesh that were marketed as a standard part of the holiday. These often culminated in games between men and women whereby garments of clothing would be removed until they were bare or partially naked.

In 1995, the company's sexually suggestive billboard advertising ruffled feathers with the Advertising Standards Agency, being the second most complained-about firm of that year. The ads, designed by Saatchi & Saatchi included Beaver Espana and It's not all sex, sex, sex. There's a bit of sun and sea as well ^[2].

Club Reps on ITV

Since January 2002, the ITV programme made by SMG Productions called Club Reps, narrated by Emma B and Lisa I'Anson, unearthed the murky underworld of the life of a travel representative on Club 18-30 holidays. It kept the Daily Mail awash with graphic stories. It also doubled bookings for Club 18-30 holidays.

In 2005, five showed a documentary called the Curse of Club 18-30 made by North One Television. Club 18-30 were not happy with the documentary and complained to Ofcom. Ofcom agreed that they had not been allowed to answer for themselves on the documentary but the other allegations made were not unfair.

Sex games

In August 2003, five female reps were sacked after being filmed on a beach in Kavos taking part in a sex games competition on July 16 2003 ^[3]. The incident took place after a boat trip which called at Blue Lagoon near the Paralia hotel. Three female reps were goaded by drunken holidaymakers to perform sex acts. Hannah Benhariz, a 25 year old English Literature graduate, was first with Vinnie Sagoo, a Law graduate from the University of Wolverhampton originally from Bearsden, then Jenny Cresswell, a 22 year old Business Studies graduate from Liverpool John Moores University from Crosby, was next with Adam Walker from Mitcham. All participating were reps. Then finally Zara Goodwin, a 19 year old student at Leeds Metropolitan University from Hebburn, joined in with her boyfriend David Vaughan, also from South Tyneside. He was not a rep. When she arrived back in Tyneside, she had a letter from her university saying that she had been removed from her course for bringing the university into disrepute. The university changed its mind.

Former club reps

References

^ "Club 18-30's controversial past" (HTML). BBC (2003). Retrieved on 19 August, 2003.
^ "History of Ad regulation" (HTML). Advertising Standards Authority (2000).
^ "Confessions of a club rep" (HTML). The Guardian (2003). Retrieved on 20 August, 2003.

Club 18-30

Contents

History

Destinations

Special deals

Controversies

Beach games

Advertisements

Club Reps on ITV

Sex games

Former club reps

References

External links

News items

Video clips