Trust me, I’m a travel agent

TRAVEL agents have hit back at research that says more than half the country lacks confidence in them.

Ranking agents below lawyers and taxi drivers, only 48% of respondents to a Reader’s Digest survey said they had a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the profession while the rest said not very much or none at all.

Taking the flak for problems with operators and the expectation of an encyclopedic knowledge of resorts are among the reasons agents think public confidence in them is divided.

Bath Travel managing director Stephen Bath said: “The only person the customer sees in the flesh is the poor old travel agent.”

For some complaints he said: “It’s not the fault of the agent but the operators we recommend. We don’t have any control over them.”

Independent Options development director Sue Foxall agreed saying the public confuse operators and agents.

But she said the biggest battle is with the consumer press. “I don’t think the media do us any justice with programmes such as Holidays From Hell.”

Travel Weekly columnist Maureen Hill from Wessex World Travel said agents are used for their expertise, but operators need to work with them to prevent customers going away and booking direct.

Danny Rogers, associate editor of Marketing, said agents’ ranking in the survey was affected by the 13 professions they were pitched against, including nurses and firefighters.

“Agents should make sure they add value to the customer experience, are well informed and knowledgeable. The responsibility of the employer

is to make sure retailers have the resources and training to deliver,”

he said.

First Choice retail director Cheryl Powell said since September 11, Iraq and SARS, it has upped its staff training to deal with angry clients.

The findings come on the back of Reader’s Digest research published in the May 1 2003 issue of Marketing that names Thomson Holidays and British Airways as the most trusted holiday company and airline brand.

Virgin Atlantic’s vote of 9% and EasyJet’s of 6% ranked below BA’s 44%. Thomas Cook’s 14% and Airtours’ 9% were below Thomson Holidays’ 20%. The survey questioned 1,631 British readers and 27,692 respondents Europe-wide.