THETOURISMSociety was told that domestic operators and the British Tourist Authority should exploit the opportunities provided by the Internet.
The BTA admitted that while technology will also help rival destinations, the advantages outweigh the downside.
BTA strategic alliance manager Gareth James said:”It’s a mixed blessing but I think it will do us a lot of good. We are having more visits from the US to our Web site than calls to the call centre.”
Thomson Independent Holiday Group managing director Peter Chappelow said the Internet will benefit simple products.
“We have the ultimate product for the Internet,” he said. “If you take transport out of the equation – such as our product – it is beautifully simple.”
However, Sunvil Holidays managing director Noel Josephides said Web sites only encourage late sales.
“It will cause more problems,” he said. “I want to talk to my customers, know where they went on holiday last year and see what is suitable for them. You can’t do that by e-mail.”