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Head for Points announces an acquisition

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I’m pleased to announce that HfP has acquired the assets of Business Travel News from its retiring owner and editor, Malcom Ginsberg.

Business Travel News (btnews.co.uk) is almost 50 years old.  Originally Air & Business Travel News, it was founded by the late pioneering travel industry journalist John Pointer in the 1970s as a bi-weekly travel trade tabloid.

Malcolm Ginsberg, previously a public relations consultant specialising in motoring and travel and publisher of the Flight International Directory series, purchased the title in 1992. He later turned it into a weekly newsletter delivered via fax machines.

Head for Points acquires Business Travel News

With the advent of the internet, Business Travel News became an email newsletter delivered to the travel trade each Monday morning.  There is also a dedicated website.

What attracted us to Business Travel News was the strength of its email database, which contains thousands of people working in the UK travel industry.

BTN subscribers will, from October, receive a tailored version of the HfP weekly newsletter every Monday morning, linking to our content rather than BTN content. The existing HfP weekly newsletter will continue to be sent out on a Saturday.

We are hoping that Malcolm Ginsberg will continue to contribute in some form. The BTN website will be maintained as a reference resource.

Nothing will change for HfP readers and email subscribers. Our hope is that broader exposure of HfP to Malcolm’s extensive database of travel trade professionals will lead to interesting new editorial and promotional opportunities.

Head for Points is currently enjoying a record year. We will hit 25 million page views on the website in 2022 (up 25% on 2021, which was already our best ever year) with another 11-12 million articles read via email. 80% of readers are in the UK. The BTN acquisition will hopefully ensure continued growth in website views in 2023.

Note that Business Travel News (btnews.co.uk) is not related to the US publication of the same name or its UK offshoot Business Travel News Europe.

Category

General

Comments (58)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Gordon says:
    5 Sep5 September 06:20

    Congratulations HfP team. If this acquisition hopefully brings additional promotional opportunities. it can only be a positive move….

  • Phil G says:
    5 Sep5 September 06:35

    Good luck to everyone

  • Mrs_Fussy says:
    5 Sep5 September 07:04

    Excellent news ! Manu congratulations

  • AJA says:
    5 Sep5 September 07:14

    That’s great news. Congratulations HfP. Welcome to Business Travel News subscribers.

    • Rob says:
      5 Sep5 September 07:16

      The changeover doesn’t happen for a month. The previous owner is doing a series of special newsletters looking back over this career first (and, frankly, I’m still on holiday anyway!)

      • Gordon says:
        5 Sep5 September 07:33

        Where are you Rob?! Talking of acquisition’s, I’m off to Dominion Republic for 14 days in a weeks time to sample “Secrets cap Cana resort and spa one of the many properties acquired by Hyatt’s purchase of the Apple leisure groups last year.
        I am hoping the resort is as good as their Ziva and Zilara properties, One of which (The brand new Ziva, Built from scratch) I stayed at next door to this property last year, Looking at the reviews I will not be disappointed😊

        • Rob says:
          5 Sep5 September 07:37

          I honestly don’t know where I am! BA cancelled our Dubrovnik flight at the last minute, stuck us all on buses and we were driven to somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Croatia.

          • Gordon says:
            5 Sep5 September 07:38

            Bloody hell BA strikes again, Hope you get sorted Rob….

          • Gordon says:
            5 Sep5 September 07:43

            “Middle of nowhere”Maybe it’s a training camp and you are going to be shipped via Hungary to Ukraine….

          • cup_of_darkoness says:
            5 Sep5 September 07:55

            Please do not think of Dubrovnik as any sort of “centre” of Croatia, the same as you would never think of Nice being the “centre” of France. If there is no flight from Dubrovnik, you are probably placed somewhere towards Split which is not a bad place to be.

          • Azza says:
            5 Sep5 September 08:09

            Look forward to see you on the new series of Coach Trip.

          • pauldb says:
            5 Sep5 September 08:14

            Yesterday’s 2832 LGW-DBV did three loops around DBV and then diverted to Zagreb. Hope that’s not where you’re headed

          • Rob says:
            5 Sep5 September 08:18

            It actually aborted its landing with about 3 seconds to spare, did 3 loops then went to Zagreb.

          • John says:
            5 Sep5 September 09:07

            Could that be Split, Rob?!

          • Alex W says:
            5 Sep5 September 09:58

            3 loops! Did you enjoy being upside down?

          • Lady London says:
            5 Sep5 September 14:29

            DTKWYA Rob?
            🙂

        • NorthernLass says:
          5 Sep5 September 11:13

          Where is this Dominion Republic, this is about the 3rd or 4th time I’ve seen it mentioned recently in comments 🤣

          • Gordon says:
            5 Sep5 September 11:57

            It’s an island only second to Necker island 😉

          • Dave says:
            5 Sep5 September 13:52

            Not sure I can help with the location but it’s at the centre of Ketracell-white production from what I’ve heard.

  • Softy25 says:
    5 Sep5 September 07:28

    Well done Rob, I’ve known Malcolm for many decades and were colleagues at a few regional airlines. I look forward to seeing how you develop the brand.

  • yonasl says:
    5 Sep5 September 07:32

    Well done guys! Sometimes I feel like I am a big % of those 25m hits. But better being here discussing trips and helping fellow fliers than TikTok I suppose.

  • meta says:
    5 Sep5 September 07:35

    Congrats!

  • Kevin says:
    5 Sep5 September 08:47

    Congratulations to the team for this new milestone.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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