I’m sorry Clare Flint was confused when she called Sovereign’s reservations number, but I would like to reassure her and all our agents, that our policy is very straightforward (Travel Weekly June 28).
Nine out of 10 Sovereign holidays are sold through agents. This has always been the case and we are committed to continuing to build and support our relationships with agents. The Sovereign Ambassador Club for top-performing agents is a good example.
There are a small proportion of people who prefer to book direct and while our competitors continue to offer discounts to direct customers, this is something we must do to compete.
However, we do not solicit business away from agents by direct marketing to customers and we don’t have dedicated direct-sell telephone lines. Our reservations number is primarily for travel agents and I am very glad Clare got a quick answer to her query on that telephone number.
Philippa Harris, marketing director, First Choice Holidays and Flights,
Crawley, West Sussex