Ten years ago, I was chief executive of Midconsort, now the Elite Travel Group.
Since 2004 I have been back on the front line and have come to realise how much the industry has changed for independent agents.
There has been a complete turnaround in how we do business: with fewer agents selling packages and more dynamic packaging.
This is to satisfy far more demanding customers, but more importantly, to create a bigger margin for our businesses to survive.
For us, the costs have increased as most tour operators now send statements, confirmations, invoices and tickets by e-mail, which decreases their costs, but increases our costs because we are using our paper and printers.
Agents are having to be more proactive to drive business through their doors. They have to give a service that cannot be equalled by customers booking on the internet. They must go the extra, extra mile.
The fight to retain our customers is definitely on, with so many tour operators and suppliers trying every which way they can to get our customers to book direct.
Commission levels are being reduced on a daily basis, and commissionable segments being removed, especially on airline tickets, and even major tour operators are going to zero commission.
However, this industry has been changing continually throughout time and will continue to do so, but one certainty remains: independent agents like us will survive by giving a service customers deserve, by caring and not being target driven.
by Sue Foxall, owner of Kinver Travel Centre in Stourbridge, West Midlands