The Internet is a great thing. Musing on what I’d like to cover in my column this month, I Googled my way to French novelist Alphonse Karr.
Chances are you don’t know much about him, but as well as a love of fishing and flowers, he gave the world the saying ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same.’
Nothing could be truer, especially where the travel industry is concerned. While the web has been the driving force behind fundamental change in our business over the last 15 years, still familiar concerns refuse to go away.
Last week’s Triton conference in Palma, Majorca was a classic example. The chief gripe was that some operators include direct telephone numbers and website addresses in their brochures.
We all understand why retailers continue to gripe about these issues; after all, it’s their livelihoods at stake. Now retailers have an array of operators to choose from, along with creating their own packages, so operators really need to think long and hard about their direct strategies and in turn the impact they have on retailers’ ability to sell them in a viable fashion.
Price is still, in many cases, the dominant decider in the holiday purchase, but it’s also important to get your own house in order, offer superb customer service and make yourself indispensable in the eyes of the client.
Many travel suppliers have simply used the web to commoditise the product. And, by reducing everything to an argument about price, operators have seen margins slide.
Over recent months many agents have actually seen their average selling prices increase year on year. Clients are booking higher-value holidays, not only direct but also with their travel agents, recognising the value they add.
We can’t do without high-profile travel brands, because they pull in customers. Agent-friendly initiatives have been introduced by some consortia to highlight suppliers that do not play fair. Selecting the right consortia that focus on improving agent margins is vital in this tough trading environment.
Agents and operators must support each other. As Alphonse also said: “Almost everyone flatters himself that he and his are exceptionable.” It’s up to agents to prove it.
