| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 07/08/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 10 |
| Copyright: Other |
Revenge is sweet for independents
There were several fascinating news items in Travel Weekly’s July 31 edition about independent travel agencies. May I comment on one? The other day a client walked into our shop with a Thomson’s brochure. She had just been in one of the local Going Places locations and asked them to book a Thomson’s Holiday.“No, we don’t deal with that company,” she was told. She walked out. While we are situated opposite a Lunn Poly shop, she came into our shop and asked us if we booked Thomson?
“Yes, we do. Please sit down.” The client told us of her experiences which we were delighted to hear. We proceeded to ask her the kind of holiday she wanted offering her a choice of holidays from several value-added Campaign for Real Travel Agents’ tour operators. She chose one and walked out saying how delighted she was with the service and choice.
We have many local residents less than satisfied with the vertically-integrated booking offices. Another beautiful example is a man who wanted to book a holiday to the Northern Lights. He was told: “We don’t book tours to Blackpool”. With rampant directional selling, how long before the vertically integrated booking offices offer no other products than their own?
Edwin C Doran, managing director, Edwin Doran Travel World, Middlesex