Thomson will deliver rep services by mobile phone

THOMSON Holidays is ploughing money it has saved from cutting reps in resort into a mobile phone text service for holidaymakers.

The free service, called Thomson Travel Buddy, will supply resort details and travel advice as well as news, weather and football scores. It could also be used to contact clients in an emergency.

Thomson head of delivery Louise Bates said the company may use texts to identify which customers need support in the event of a bomb attack like that in Sharm el-Sheikh last year.

The service, which Thomson said involves significant investment, will be offered to clients booking any product, not just a package. Agents will be asked to highlight its availability from March, with details included in ticket wallets.

Thomson cut its reps by one-third last year, leaving about 40% of clients without a traditional rep service (Travel Weekly January 28, 2005).

But Bates denied the text scheme would replace welcome meetings.

She said: “We’re modernising the service away from the traditional package to be more accessible to component bookers. This allows customers to ask us about any of our products.”