Has the trade really rung the changes?

Has the trade really rung the changes?

Many thanks to the golden oldies in the industry who responded to our request for examples of some of the biggest changes in the travel industry since the 1970s (Travel Weekly October 30).

For those who can remember those years, it seems the industry hasn’t always changed for the better.

Les Greaves from Travelcare in Lancashire points out that discounts were not allowed under the ABTAcode of conduct. Such a rule seems hard to imagine now.

Bath Travel chairman Peter Bath highlighted how the relationship between agent and operator has changed so radically.

“Companies employed reps who called regularly on travel agents, took them out for a drink at lunchtime, congratulated them on an increase in sales and pointed out the advantages of booking their particular company,” he said.

“They became close friends of the staff of most travel agents.”

Nowadays, agents will be lucky if they know who their rep is.

Lecturer Lowell Courtney remembers the good old days of the educationals. “Then they were veritable elbow benders, but you learned how to behave by watching your elders and betters. Now you fill in your factsheet by day, your bellies by night and are absolutely sure that you know it all at 21.”

But surely there must be some things that have improved?

Well, as Les reminds us, there were no calculators and commission had to be worked out manually. Not only that, operators were impossible to get hold of.

He said:”To book a holiday you had to ring the company concerned, spending up to three days trying to get through to the operator around brochure launch days, and all without a telephone redial or even a push button phone to ease a finger sore from winding round the dial!”Ed – operators hard to get hold of?I thought you said some things had changed?!