Gold Medal Travel is to hold urgent talks with the Global Travel Group following news it has been bought by the parent company of direct rival Travel 2/4.
Gold Medal managing director Terry Fisher admitted he was concerned about the acquisition of Global by Stella Travel Services UK, which also owns Travel 2/4. This raised concerns that the two could work more closely, he said.
“We enjoy a good working relationship with Global and Travel 2/Travel 4 is a key competitor to us and all of a sudden they have got distribution that will be very valuable.”
But he was hopeful independent agents would still choose to sell Gold Medal Travel despite the new owners of Global.
He said: “Unless you physically own the distribution it’s very difficult to manage. They will do their own thing at the end of the day because they do not want to be dictated to. While we see it as a threat we also see it as an opportunity.”
Global Travel Group founder George Begg immediately sought to reassure Fisher. “I think the message I want to get out is one of reassurance. In many ways nothing changes.”