If the industry pulls together then 2013 could be a great year for travel, writes Victoria Sanders, managing director of Teletext Holidays.
Saving money was one of the top three resolutions people made this year along with reading more books and losing weight.
But for the millions of people who committed themselves to thriftier living, the year hasn’t got off to the best of starts.
This week I woke up to news about another above-inflation rise in train fares and headlines about energy bills soaring to more than £500 a quarter.
But despite the squeeze these things will have on the ‘leisure wallet’, I think 2013 is going to be a good year for travel.
In an attempt to help me with my resolutions, I did a quick search online for ‘how to save money’. Among the plethora of sites that appeared, I came across This is Money’s top 50 money-saving tips and found some really great ideas.
One of the key tips was to consider booking a holiday early this year. Excellent! However, the next tip on the list was to avoid high street travel agents and book the same trip independently online. Not so great.
Having found advice like this, I’m not surprised customers are saying that understanding the pricing of holidays, what’s included and, very importantly, what isn’t, has left them confused.
Extra charges such as taxes, administration costs and check-in fees all add up. The price they see online is often a long way from the final price they are quoted.
Bargain-hunting shows no sign of slowing down. But people are getting weary of headline-grabbing deals that aren’t all they appear.
With customers encouraged to make their holiday purchases online, it’s even more important for agents to clarify what consumers’ hard-earned cash will get them and who will really look after them.
Last year I talked a lot in this column about building trust. And part of that trust is about being clear and open about the bottom line price from the word go. But saving costs should not mean cutting corners on protection.
I’m pleased the Civil Aviation Authority is investing in talking to customers about Atol-protected holidays and I applaud Abta for its ‘look for the logo’ campaign.
Over the years we’ve had our fair share of complaints about advertisers’ pricing.
Although compliance isn’t always the sexiest thing, I’ve always thought that department is one of our greatest strengths.
Compliance to us means a team of folk who check prices, police advertisers and reject any deals that don’t add up. That’s essentially what agents do. They find the best holidays, with added value offers and can help people through the pricing maze.
When everyone is looking at their spending habits, we need to pull together in 2013 to demystify holiday pricing and protection and further amplify the message by shouting louder together.