AGENTS will be faced with increasing booking costs as operators look at distributing their product via the Internet, according to travel systems supplier FSS.
Group marketing director Ian Champness said a growing number of the company’s tour operator clients were wanting to develop or create Internet sites, many of which were capable of on-line booking. The trend has led FSSto set up a dedicated department to create and develop sites for its clients (Travel Weekly February 10).
At present, operators must pay out every time an agent searches on viewdata, with the agent only paying the price of a local telephone call, but with online searches this is no longer the case.
Champness said: “Operators are recognising the Internet as an emerging channel of distribution and another means of interrogation for agents. It’s widening the net of customers.
“The tour operators are not paying for the access call either, so they can save a lot of money. It’s going to change the way travel agents pay for distribution. It’s been free, but that will start to change.
“It isn’t going to happen overnight, but there is a growing demand for browser-based access. It not only saves money for the operator, but can show multi-media pictures of the things like hotels and resorts.”
Figures from a survey commissioned by ABTA back up the belief that the on-line browsing is set to rocket.
They show 28% of ABTA agents have access to the Internet, as opposed to just 16% two years ago.
Some 30% of agents using the Internet use it regularly, whereas only 4.5% did a few years ago.
Report by DINAH ROBINSON