TRAVEL agents could increase the profit they make on holiday bookings by an average of ú12 if they sell clients extras such as airport accommodation and transfers, according to ABC Holiday Extras.
Sales and marketing director David Cowell said agents often miss out on this extra income because they don’t think to offer customers anything in addition to the package holiday.
“As agents already have clients’ details when they book them a holiday, it will only take a few minutes extra to book an airport hotel, fix up airport car parking or to arrange a transfer for them,” said Cowell.
“By booking all of these extras agents could add as much as ú70 to their profit on a single package, but on average they will earn about ú11-ú12 per booking.
“This doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you think that it will only take about 5mins to complete the booking, it is quite significant.”
ABC Holiday Extras provides agents with a one-stop shop for booking airport hotels, car parking, airport lounges and airport transfers. With the launch of the company’s new brochure this month, the operator will offer all these services at 20 airports across the country.
It claims to be the only company featuring on-site parking at Heathrow and Stansted, and for the first time this year it is offering spaces in Heathrow’s long-term car park as well as the business park.
Cowell said 40% of holidaymakers park their car at their departure airport and 30% book a taxi transfer, both of which can be arranged by the agent through ABC which will earn them additional commission.
“But traditionally the conversion rate in travel agencies is very low, even though it is such a simple thing for agents to book,” he added.
“Even very good agents only achieve a conversion rate of 15%, and it could be much higher.”
To encourage agents to sell more airport-related products, ABC has put together a training programme in which it tells agents not what it offers – they can get this information from its brochure – but why they should be offering these products to clients.
“Often a busy agent will say it is a waste of time selling a client an airport hotel at ú75 a night when they may have someone queueing to book a ú750 holiday,” said Cowell.
“But in fact an agent might make only 1% profit on that holiday, whereas they will make ú5 on the hotel booking.
“At the same time, they will be providing their customer with a better service and guaranteeing their future business.”
This year ABC has added coach and rail transfers to Gatwick. If there proves to be plenty of demand, Cowell said it would be extended to other airports.
For the future, ABC is looking at offering other, more unusual, services to its range – such as dog kennelling and even home security checks. In fact, anything that the customer needs to sort out before travelling.