GOING Places has upped the stakes in the
2003 sales war as retailers compete aggressively on nil deposit and up to 50%
off offers.
The
latest Going Places-led campaign offers a £99 Airtours Sundeal holiday for
every person booking a brochured Airtours winter or summer 2003 holiday.
The £99 holidays fall in shoulder seasons
for this winter and next summer – stock traditionally hard to shift. The offer
follows Going Places’ ‘Book For Nothing’ campaign.
Lunn
Poly has also launched its own ‘Book For Nothing’ offer and up to 50% off for
summer 2003 and has selected £99 holidays for this winter. Travel Choice and
Thomas Cook have reacted with selected no deposits, free kids and up to 40% and
50% discounts for next summer.
MyTravel’s
latest promotion has been rolled out to Going Places. But Airtours is in talks
to offer the deal to other individual independents. No flight supplements and
guaranteed free child places are already offered on Airtours’ 2003 holidays
and, with no deposits, remain the key early-booking drivers.
“There
is no doubt we’re being price aggressive at the moment,” said a MyTravel
spokeswoman.
Some
independent agents claimed to be struggling to compete but welcomed Airtours’
decision to open up its latest offer.
David
Geddes, owner of Geddes Travelcentre, Strathclyde, said: “We’d like to have
been able to offer the £99 holidays at the same time but the fact they want to
make it available to all is better than nothing.
“All
agents can do is fight their corner, be aware of offers and match them where
possible. Everybody is being aggressive for next year.”
Industry sources claim MyTravel’s rivals are unhappy
offering no deposits. One said: “It doesn’t make commercial sense. MyTravel has
done it to drive volumes and get a good message to the City.”