Longwood Holidays managing director Rafi Caplin has urged hoteliers to support traditional operators as the dynamic packaging market continues to grow.
In a speech to hoteliers from Egypt, Israel and Jordan at a dinner during World Travel Market, Caplin said there were risks associated with dynamic packaging.
He said: “It’s all well and good until something goes wrong with your holiday and you are left looking around the resort for someone to help you but you don’t have a rep to help you out. It is having an effect on the tour operating infrastructure in the UK.”
He called on hoteliers to work with operators committed long term to destinations.
“My message would be to urge hoteliers to work with operators who are committed to the resorts. We are not talking about destinations that have hundreds of flights going in but ones that have fewer chartered flights. Hotels need to look at the operators that pioneered these resorts.
“I think hoteliers need to know the difference between tour operating and accommodation only suppliers.”
Caplin said he “didn’t remember another year like 2006”, referring to poor sales industry-wide at the start of the year, followed by the bombing in Dahab in April, and the negative impact of the football World Cup, hot summer and security alerts at UK airports.
He said: “A lot has happened – if one had happened, or even two, we would have said that was a bad year.”