Advantage Travel Centres is to operate a zero-tolerance policy with “passive” commercial partners as it looks to help members survive the difficult trading conditions.
Speaking at an update for business partners, leisure director Julia Lo Bue-Said said: “We are going to be taking a much tougher line. In this economic climate, we can’t spread ourselves thinly so we will be evaluating every partnership.”
She stressed it was not just about commission rates, but added that Advantage wanted to offer members better commercial terms than rival consortia.
“We will continue to work with those who are engaged and committed,” said Lo Bue-Said.
“We will give them all an opportunity, but if they don’t make the grade, we are likely to focus on others. We don’t want to waste anyone’s time.”
Of the 140 “preferred partners” with which Advantage currently works, Lo Bue-Said estimated that only 40% were really active.
“Everyone is looking at their costs and who they are working with. We are no different. We will probably focus on the top 40% which we believe are the ones that we can have a strong, regular relationship with.”
Advantage also unveiled details of its 2012 turn-of-year campaign. It is called “We add…”, and is illustrated with a plus sign.
“The idea is to demonstrate that in the current climate, Advantage agents add something else to the booking process,” said head of marketing services Mark Rowe. “They add know-how, value, trust, face-to-face service and expertise.”