THOMSON Holidays is set to become the first major UKtour operator to sell its holidays on the Internet.
Deputy managing director of Thomson Holidays Shaun Powell said it was only a matter of months before the operator’s existing Web site would allow customers to book their holidays on-line.
Speaking at the Going Direct conference in London, he said: “At the moment customers can look at resorts and destinations but there is no information on the availability or cost of holidays. We are not selling holidays on-line but will do in the coming months.
“We have very modest projected sales in the short term. I think it will bumble along and then suddenly go exponential.”
Powell denied the move marked the beginning of the end for high-street agents.
“It will be up to the customer whether they want to book on-line or go into a shop to make the transaction. But there is a very clear demand from customers for the ability to search on their PCs for available holidays,” said Powell.
n See Going Direct report, page 24