| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 26/06/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 10 |
| Copyright: Other |
Suppliers still trample over us 40 years on
It may sound somewhat callous to say that I raised a wry smile when I read letters like those from Brendan Maguire and Louis J Rutter in your June 19 issue regarding the attitude of the major tour operators.Happily, I am now retired from the mad world of the retail travel agent after almost 50 years but I can tell your readers that the situation now is almost exactly what it was at least 40 years ago.
The leading tour operators pledged undying support to the retail travel agent if he or she would sell that tour operator’s product. This attitude was only maintained as long as the operator concerned was trying to grow. Once the operator had reached “major tour operator” status, the attitude changed – it reduced brochure supplies unless certain high levels of sales were achieved while at the same time direct bookings were actively sought. Suppliers also offered special discounts for direct bookings and for bookings through their own subsidiaries.
The names of the tour operators concerned will be familiar to those of your readers of a mature age – Global Tours, Sky Tours, Clarksons etc and more recently Cosmos, Thomson and Airtours.
I was one of those who, all those years ago, welcomed the formation of ABTA. Here, we thought, was an organisation formed from within our own ranks which would ensure fair play between principal and agent. Unfortunately, because in those days most principals were also agents, ABTA was formed comprising a mixture of the two. This has been the root cause of problems within the industry ever since. Had the Association of British Travel Agents been what the name suggests and the tour operating industry formed its own association, a measure of control, fair play and mutual independence might have been engendered and maintained to the benefit of both sides of the industry.
As it is, ABTA,in the form in which it evolved, has been an absolute disaster for the retail travel agent and in particular for the small and modest sized independent travel agent. The letters in your columns each week testify to the truth of what Isay. The letters in the trade press over the last 40 years see the same complaints aired time and time again. Of course, no one from the tour operating side ever dares to go into print to try and justify their hypocritical stance.
Brendan Maguire, who is, Iam sure, an honest and optimistic travel agent, says before long the two major tour operators, Thomson and Airtours, will be but specks on the horizon as a result of their two-faced policy. I am sorry to say that he is mistaken. On the contrary, they will go from strength to strength, treading on the corpses of many more good, honest, hardworking and trusting agents, many whom have served them well for years.
MichaelStockhill
Michael Stockhill andAssociates
Stratford-upon-Avon
Warwickshire