Internet travel companies must “get personal”

Report by John Lavabre

INTERNET-BASED travel companies must offer customers a personal service to survive, members of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Travel Industry Group have been told.

Speaking at a CIMTG dot-com seminar, held in London last night, Dreamticket.com chief executive Lawrence Hunt said Web sites must match the product to the customer by using methods such as personal travel files.

He also stressed the importance of customer call centres. “Only 15% of sites have call centres behind them. Customers want someone to talk to when making the most important discretionary purchase of the year,” Hunt commented.

ThomasCook.com marketing director Alexa Clark and former uTravel.co.uk project director John Whitaker, both of whom also addressed delegates, agreed with Hunt that Internet companies need a strong brand name.