The Elite Travel Group has launched a scheme for members who want to form better marketing agreements with suppliers.
The Ethos group, the brainchild of Elite Travel Group member Bob Grinsell. has so far attracted 27 applications.
Grinsell said: “We expect certain standards of appearance. We will not accept shops that have hand-written cards in windows and we will not accept anyone who uses the word ‘discount’ in their marketing material.”
Operators and hoteliers who sign up as partners get guaranteed brochure racking space, staff training slots, localised consumer PR and joint marketing and advertising campaigns as well as benefiting from a shared pool of knowledge.
Grinsell, whose Robert Grinsell Travel agency has three branches in the Midlands, said: “The sharing of our joint expertise is seen by many of the group as a positive response to the price-driven sales tactics employed by the majority of the multiple travel agents, consortia and of course the Internet.”