This will go down as the year that radically changed the nature of the travel industry.
On hearing the news that TUI and First Choice are going to merge, and so soon after the Thomas Cook/MyTravel tie-up, one industry insider likened the effect on the trade to a meteor hitting Earth.
The immediate impact will be on those directly affected – TUI and First Choice staff, especially those in back-office roles and who work for the airlines.
Consolidation is not in itself unexpected – it is the speed at which four have become two that has been breathtaking.
The key drivers for this consolidation are consumer activity and technology. The big four have been under pressure to cut costs, both in the way they sell and deliver holidays and the way they run their businesses.
Technology is working a pincer movement with online business models running reduced overheads and providing web players with a direct sell. Traditional companies with high costs from centralised back-office functions, shops and large workforces are finding it difficult to compete.
Packages are under pressure from pick-and-mix dynamic packaging options and consumers are taking breaks of varying lengths at different times of the year, and booking later.
Despite assurances that the majority of high-street shops will escape cuts, agents will inevitably be fearful for their futures.
While the dust settles, all those in the travel industry must take stock of what consolidation means for them. There will be losers but there will also be opportunities, whether it means agents taking on new online roles or independents filling gaps created by consolidation.
Meanwhile, Travel Weekly’s Stamp Out Fraud campaign has already started to have an impact, with news of an agent who has raised concerns over unsolicited e-mails.
It is good to see an agency keeping a watchful eye. Keep following the campaign in Travel Weekly and at Travelweekly.co.uk/fraud.