Disney Travels With Wolff Olins

Walt Disney Attractions has appointed Wolff Olins to brand a forthcoming tour operator service being launched through its travel arm, The Walt Disney Travel Company. Interbrand Newell and Sorrell, Jones Knowles Ritchie and The Company pitched for the identity project last month. The appointment was made in the last two weeks. A Walt Disney spokesman denies any consultancy appointment has been officially made, but confirms the venture is underway. The initiative will allow Disney to sell its holidays direct to the UK market, rather than through third party tour operators. A second design brief, to create brochures for the venture, is also being put out to pitch although it is not known if an appointment has yet been made. All the consultancies involved are tied by confidentiality agreements. “Walt Disney Travel has been talking with design consultancies but no decision has been announced,” says the Walt Disney spokesman. “We have spoken to members of the travel press about launching the tour operator service but it will not go live for some time,” he says. The Walt Disney Travel Company has relied on national tour operators to sell its holidays in the UK until now. It is not known if there will be any retail spin-offs for the business. Wolff Olins, Interbrand Newell and Sorrell, Jones Knowles Ritchie and The Company all decline to comment on their involvement in the project.