Report by Jeremy Skidmore
AIRTOURS specialist holidays managing director Matthew
Cheetham has warned independent agents to be more selective in their choice of
suppliers, and improve bookings for them.
At the MidConsort convention in Cyprus, he said it was
inevitable that operators would start to ‘cherry pick’ the best agents from
consortia to work with.
“The emergence of consortia such as MidConsort has increased
the negotiating power of agents,” he said.
But he warned: “In return for good commissions and
appropriate business support, in terms of access to stock and brochures, tour
operators need to see improved productivity, otherwise their cost of sale goes
up.”
He added: “Specialist tour operators need independent agents
and vice versa. It’s all about recognising our relative strengths and playing
to them. It is fair to say that good independent agents are far more productive
at selling specialist holidays than multiples.”