Almost 80% of Aito’s tour operator members are now selling through the Aito Specialist Travel Agents’ network in what has been described as a “sea change” in the relationship between the two.
In previous years this figure has been just over half, but in the last five to six years more operators have turned to agents to sell their holidays, according to Aito Agents’ chairman Gemma Antrobus.
Antrobus said some of this could be linked to the economic downturn, which has encouraged operators to work with agents to get much-needed, extra business.
“There is an element of some operators working with agents because of the recession. Some operators didn’t see the value in working with agents before that and since the recession some agents have adapted more quickly and therefore their value was suddenly far greater. Operators saw that agents were surviving,” she said.
Some Aito Agents already have up to 75% of their sales going to Aito tour operators, she added. Antrobus said she was hopeful even more Aito operators who work with agents in future.
Aito chairman Derek Moore described the closer relationship between the association’s operator and agents members as a “sea change”, which had also led to the decision to hold a joint conference for all members this June.
He said: “It’s been a gradual change over the last five to six years which got going after Aito set up its ‘closer ties’ agreement which agents and operators signed up to, promising to work together more closely. The days of agents being order-takers have gone and a good agent is a consultant in the full sense of the word.”
He admitted some operator members will remain direct-sell. “There are still operators whose business models mean they cannot easily sell through agents,” he added.