chance to meet such interesting people and travel the world.
n How many hours do you work a week on average?
Around 50hrs.
n What percentage of holiday bookings do you estimate will be taken direct by the year 2000?
Nothing can ever really replace the face-to-face contact and relationship travel agents build with their customers. For us the trade will continue to play an important role and I would estimate that overall about 30% of the public may choose to go directly to an operator.
n When will digital TVstart to have a big impact on bookings?
Not long at all. The popularity of the Internet shows the growing demand for new technology.
n Do you have a Web site and if so how many bookings do you receive on it?
Yes, we recently revamped the Web site to include information on each ship and what facilities are available on board.
n Do you think the growing consolidation in the industry is good for consumers?
No – there has been too much lately which has lessened the choice for the consumer.I believe anything that reduces consumer choice in the long term cannot be good for them.
n How many travel agents do you estimate there will be left in the UK in five years’ time?
The balance between independents and multiples may fluctuate and new styles will develop such as hypermarkets, but ultimately in five years time it will be no different from now in total numbers.
Personal talk
n What is your star sign?
Scorpio.
n What would you change about yourself?
I’d like to be able to relax more!
n Which living person do you most respect?
Anyone who gets where they want to be through drive and determination.
n What is your greatest regret?
Still not having learned a foreign language.
n What is your greatest extravagance?
A mortgage.
n If you could be anyone for a day who would it be and why?
Alan Shearer – all boyhood dreams rolled into one. Having fast cars and to be the England centre forward.
n What is the most memorable destination you’ve visited and why?
Tunisia. At the time I was a naive travel agent and it was my first ever educational.
n What type of holiday would you avoid at all costs?
Anything that involved a healthy lifestyle.
n What would you have put on your gravestone?
He never let anything get in his way!
Industry talk
n What was your first job in travel and how much did you get paid?
Travel clerk with Davis World Travel, Fareham. I was paid £25 a week.
n Who has been the biggest influence on your career and why?
My father, for his feet on the ground advice at critical times in life.
n If you weren’t in travel, what would you be doing?
Anything to do with cars and driving.
n What advice would you give to someone starting out in the travel industry?
Enjoy it.It is a great industry to work in and you have the chance to meet such interesting people and travel the world.
n How many hours do you work a week on average?
Around 50hrs.
n What percentage of holiday bookings do you estimate will be taken direct by the year 2000?
Nothing can ever really replace the face-to-face contact and relationship travel agents build with their customers. For us the trade will continue to play an important role and I would estimate that overall about 30% of the public may choose to go directly to an operator.
n When will digital TVstart to have a big impact on bookings?
Not long at all. The popularity of the Internet shows the growing demand for new technology.
n Do you have a Web site and if so how many bookings do you receive on it?
Yes, we recently revamped the Web site to include information on each ship and what facilities are available on board.
n Do you think the growing consolidation in the industry is good for consumers?
No – there has been too much lately which has lessened the choice for the consumer.I believe anything that reduces consumer choice in the long term cannot be good for them.
n How many travel agents do you estimate there will be left in the UK in five years’ time?
The balance between independents and multiples may fluctuate and new styles will develop such as hypermarkets, but ultimately in five years time it will be no different from now in total numbers.
Paul Barringer
Job title: UK sales manager.
Age: 35.
Born: Portsmouth, Hampshire.
Lives: Fareham, Hampshire.
Status: married with two children.
Education: Porchester Secondary School.
Path to career: started as a travel clerk with Davis World Travel in 1980 before joining Lunn Poly in 1984 as a shop manager, and then being promoted to training manager. In 1988 moved to P&OEuropean Ferries Dover as area sales manager for southern England and was promoted to ITX sales manager in 1992. Moved to P&OPortsmouth in 1993 as product manager for French routes before taking up current position of UK sales manager in 1997.