During the question-and-answer session that always follows our annual management briefing, I was asked why, given the big pat on the back I had just given my managers for their considerable contribution to improving our product and service, we never seemed to win any travel industry awards. And did I care?
These questions were undoubtedly prompted by Noel Josephides’ column in which he referred to our lowly performance in the recent awards given by the Observer and Guardian (Travel Weekly September 13). The difference in satisfaction level between the volume operators deemed the worst performers by the papers’ readers and the winner was, according to Josephides, inexcusable.
I am not in the habit of excusing the company I manage for poor performance.
But I will not sit back and allow our knuckles to be continually rapped for coming last in a race we didn’t run. I am going to use the Observer and Guardian Awards to illustrate why.
The travel editors of each focus on specialist holidays, often off-the-beaten track, with a strong cultural emphasis that appeals to their readers.
It is little wonder that companies specialising in bespoke holidays and personal service performed best in a poll of 17,000 like-minded individuals.
I’ve no doubt that few of these individuals – who voted Jordan and Norway their favourite long and short-haul destinations – will have even considered an Airtours holiday.
In fact, I had go as far to say that the Observer and Guardian readers, who make-up fewer than 2% of our 3.5m customers, probably found themselves travelling with us by accident rather than design.
It wouldn’t have been any great surprise to an informed industry analyst to see the volume operators propping up the awards table. Airtours, after all, is a volume tour operator with the focus very much on value. This we do very well.
Our customer satisfaction scores have never been higher and more than 30% of our business is repeat.
But product specialisation is no great mystery to the volume tour operator. We can specialise as well as anyone when it suits our business strategy to do so.
So, if you haven’t already guessed, the answer to the second question posed at our management briefing was ‘yes’.
Yes, I care passionately about winning travel industry awards because I want the quality of our product and the hard work and commitment of our people to be recognised by more than a pat on the back from me.
Chris Mottershead is managing director of Airtours Holidays