Independent agencies must focus on one area of their business if they are to succeed, former Thomson sales and marketing director Miles Morgan told members at the Hays Travel Independence Group conference in Tenerife last week.
He said: “You have to know what you want to be and go for it. The danger is in the middle ground. Independents should take advantage of being adaptable. Big companies are incredibly slow and sometimes this even stop them doing things. Big is not necessarily beautiful.”
The 3% hike in commission for Hays Travel on the big four operators is good news for the industry, he added.
“The big four tend to dictate where things are going so this is good news for us. Dynamic packaging technology has arrived to challenge them, so they will be looking for more support from agents,” he added.
Morgan left Thomson in 2006 and bought 10 high street shops from his former employer. He now has eight branches of Miles Morgan Travel, after closing two down because of leasing issues.
He aims to offer mid to upmarket holidays along with the “expertise and advice” which encourages people to come back again next year.