Going Places has predicted digital television will be a far greater threat to its business than the Internet.
The prediction came as Ryanair Direct chief executive Caroline Green accused the multiples of ignoring the potential of the World Wide Web.
“The multiples should not just be creating a site but also making it bookable. They simply aren’t doing that,” she said.
Going Places ITdirector Stuart Walters defended its lack of an on-line site by arguing that few of its customers book their holidays on the Internet.
“Yes, the multiples are behind in terms of transactional Web sites but the question is, what is the overlap between our typical customer base and internet visitors? All the multiples will end up with a site to use as another channel but I don’t see the multiples closing down shops because of the Internet.”
He cited the example of CDs, a huge seller on-line.
“You don’t see Tower Records or HMVclosing down, do you?”he said.
“When a new entrant comes in, there are always threats of disintermediation, and we are embracing the net as another channel through which to distribute. But we think digital TV will have more of our overlap with customers than the Internet because we know our customers have TVs, whereas they don’t always have PCs.
Walters said: “One has to assume that the overlap between the Internet and our consumers will grow, but, today, there is no urgency.”