As our review of the year shows on pages four and five, it’s been another rollercoaster year for the travel industry in 1999.
Of course, there’s been winners and losers. Most of us wouldn’t mind being a few quid behind Travel House founder Martin Morgan, while the company he sold out to, Thomson Travel Group, will be glad to see the end of this century and be hoping for better things in 2000.
It’s been a challenging year for travel agents, with commissions coming under pressure and talk of the high- street retailer being driven out of business by new technology. But we think there is a great future for the professional travel agent offering a quality service and many will use the Internet to their advantage.
At Travel Weekly, we are continually striving to provide you with a newspaper which meets your needs. We’ve been criticised for telling you about some of the big changes which are going on, but we refuse to duck the issues because we think you have a right to know what is happening in the industry.
Next year, we’ll be trying just as hard to keep you informed and entertained – there will be new sections, new ideas and plenty of exclusive stories. If you have any suggestions, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me your views at jeremy.skidmore@rbi.co.uk
In the meantime, thanks for your continued support and have a great Christmas and bug-free new year.
Jeremy Skidmore – editor