Agents challenge tour operators over cancellation fees and marketing

Two leading independent travel agents have called on tour operators to offer a more supportive approach to holiday cancellations and consumer marketing.

 

ArrangeMY Escape general manager Jennifer Lynch and Henbury Travel managing director Richard Slater aired the supplier gripes during the busy peak sales period.

 

Lynch made a plea to suppliers to consider a fairer approach when holidays are cancelled to recognise the effort the agent puts into a booking.

 

Writing this week’s Agent Diary in Travel Weekly, she criticised the current practice in which the operator receives the full booking cancellation fee while the agent makes nothing, despite having invested “time, care and expertise” to secure the booking.

 

“This is always a hot topic for agents,” she said, adding: “What’s frustrating is the operator profits 100% from the cancellation fee, while the agent who did the majority of the work earns nothing. It feels disproportionate. Surely there should be a fairer split? A 50:50 arrangement would make more sense, though even that seems generous given the circumstances.”

 

She made the comments after a customer “understandably” cancelled an escorted touring holiday due to difficulties with amending the booking.

 

“The lack of flexibility or support from the supplier is disheartening,” she said.

 

“A fairer approach that recognises the agent’s contribution and encourages collaboration would benefit agents and customers alike.”

 

At the same time, Slater, who is an Abta board member but was speaking in a personal capacity on behalf of Henbury Travel, reported a growing number of consumer-facing information sessions and travel roadshows being held by operators without any involvement of local agents.

 

“Operators have every right to promote their products and stimulate demand,” said Slater, but he insisted: “Why are these events happening without the very people best placed to convert interest into bookings? In many cases, agents have spent years championing the brands now hosting these consumer-only sessions.”

 

Describing the events as a “missed opportunity”, he warned of a potential “disconnect” between agents and suppliers as a result and urged operators to “rethink” their consumer events into collaborative showcases.

 

He said: “Why not invite your wonderful local agents, who are more likely to upsell and look after your clients? If you were a bystander and you’ve got a nice local agent, you’d think it weird the agent wasn’t there.

 

“Invite agents. Let them introduce themselves. Use their skills to upsell, personalise and increase yield; handle credit referrals; and co-host sessions. Use events to drive customers back to local agencies rather than leaving them in a direct-sales vacuum.”

 

Aito Agents chair Gemma Antrobus, who owns Haslemere Travel, had a different view. She said the onus was on agents to be proactive in setting up consumer events with suppliers, adding: “I don’t think there are any operators who work with the trade who wouldn’t do an event with an agent.”

 

She also stressed the importance of picking operator partners carefully, noting that funds spent on consumer events could instead be channelled into agency commission payments.

 

“We arranged our own travel show with 21 suppliers in January and all bar one operator and cruise line were members of Aito, The Specialist Travel Association. It’s about who you work with and choosing suppliers better,” she said, noting: “Would it be better to work with more niche, smaller suppliers?”

 

• What do you think? Are suppliers falling short of full support for agents? Email your views to juliet.dennis@travelweekly.co.uk