| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 30/10/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 31 |
| Copyright: Other |
High-street retailers arehere to stay, predict speakers
Speakers at the Digital Distribution in Travel conference attempted to answer one of the biggest questions facing the industry – does it need intermediaries to sell its products?
The message from the panel, made up of Travel Channel commercial director Gary Wardrope, Ryanair Direct chief executive Caroline Green, First Choice managing director Peter Shanks, Thistle Hotels director of distribution Euan Mitchell and thomascook.com ventures and futures director Bill James was in the favour of agents.
“Customers want a choice,” said Shanks. “The bricks and clicks approach, a mixture of old and new, is right.”
Wardrope also supported agents. “There will be intermediaries as people want independent and impartial advice.”
He added, however, that middlemen must be more technological friendly to survive.