| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 08/05/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 8 |
| Copyright: Other |
Comment
Keep direct-sell out of agents’ back yards
Scottish agents – and plenty others around the country according to our information – are up in arms over the advertisements to book direct in Thomson’s and Airtours’ summer 2001 brochures (see page 1).Every sensible business person knows you can’t ignore consumer trends and there is a significant number of holidaymakers who are happy booking over the Internet or by phone. So, it’s understandable that major operators have direct-sell channels.
But I agree with agents that Airtours and Thomson have a got a cheek pumping their direct channels so strongly in brochures – the sales tool that retailers use to get people to book in their branches.
Take the Airtours brochures, for example. An agent will rack them and spend time with the customerhelping him or her choose the most suitable holiday.
Then the client takes the brochure home to give it some more thought and on the inside back cover is a big picture of a smiling woman with the screaming headline “it’s so easy to book … from home”. Just in case you didn’t get the message, the page heavily advertises the fact that its call centre is open when agents are not.
I think that’s going too far. Operators have every right to advertise alternative methods of booking – but surely not in travel agents’ own backyard.
What do you think? E-mail me at jeremy.skidmore@rbi.co.uk or fax on 020-8652 3956.
Jeremy Skidmore – editor