Comment: Industry has nothing to hide on pricing

The travel industry should welcome any probe into holiday pricing with open arms. All industries have their bad apples, but I don’t believe travel has anything to hide from the sort of investigation into school holiday pricing suggested in Parliament this week.

In an industry that has spawned countless metasearch websites, low-cost airlines and deals publishers, downward pressure on pricing has arguably never been greater.

Let’s be clear about what’s really at the heart of this latest re-emergence of an age-old debate on pricing in peak periods.

It’s not about those people who find themselves in exceptional circumstances. It’s actually about the overall level of pricing for all families who are feeling the pinch of rising costs in all areas of their household budgets.

But what has projected this on to the political agenda is the government’s decision to end what was seen wrongly as an entitlement to 10 days’ school leave per year.

The minority of parents who once exploited the differential between term time and school holiday prices are now up in arms about that very differential.

I’m not suggesting the industry should simply ignore these complaints. And maybe it should accept responsibility for raising expectations among consumers that holidays come cheap.

But as Mintel reports this week, almost a third of people who admit to struggling financially still took an overseas holiday last year. As agents, you are ideally placed to help more people find a break they can afford.

That’s one sure-fire way to instil faith in our industry.