NEWS — CONFERENCE REPORT
Kay Willis (left) and Helen
Hawke, both Newells Travel
From left: Danny Wooller, Dreamtime Travel; Nick Marks, Baldwins Travel;
Katie Deering, Kuoni; and motivational speaker and ex-marine Barry Morris
postcode survey to assess any sales impact.
Lally said: “The Metrocentre does have a slightly different customer base but it has impacted our business. We are not seeing the uplift we had before.” Lally believes some business has been diverted to Kuoni’s Metrocentre store. Kuoni head of trade sales
Amanda Darrington said: “We have always maintained when we open a Kuoni store it doesn’t cannibalise our local business. We are going to look at postcodes affected to see: there is a high chance these are new clients.”
operator’s website
introduction of a new government in January. Kuoni’s head of trade sales, Amanda Darrington, said the views would be fed back to the company’s marketing team. She said Kuoni’s web focus was on “click and connect” – linking clients or agents with destination experts via its site – rather than “online order taking”.
Let us sell Voyages Jules Verne, agents ask Kuoni
Agents have urged Kuoni to allow them to sell its direct-sell brand Voyages Jules Verne and called for bookable white-label websites. At a panel session, Kuoni partner stores also called for more advance warning of the operator’s campaigns so they can work more closely on sales messages. Travel Bureau co-owner Jeanne Lally suggested Kuoni reconsider its policy not to allow partner agents to sell Voyages Jules Verne. The brand, which does not pay commission, is available through Kuoni’s own stores. The plea follows queries from a
few clients about why Travel Bureau could not sell the brand, she said. “I have heard customers say
‘you are not a proper Kuoni store’ and I do think there is confusion among customers,” she added. She argued partner stores should have access to the same product if they were to be viewed as “part of the family”. Head of trade sales Amanda Darrington said: “This is a conversation I will have with Voyages Jules Verne. It might be agents could sell it and mark it up.”
Amanda Darrington
‘Customers taking longer to confirm’
Holidaymakers are becoming more picky and taking longer to book, according to agent partners of Kuoni. Peter Giles, joint owner of
Meanwhile, Nick Marks, joint managing director of Baldwins Travel Group, said offering white-label versions of Kuoni’s site for partner agencies would be an “exceptional” development. “Most people here would be
really interested in a bookable site,” he said. “If you got a couple of million in revenue from it, it would make sense.” Darrington said the operator’s
focus was not online bookability, but added: “Never say never.” She also pledged to work harder to ensure specialist and partner agents are kept up to date on forthcoming campaigns after agents said the first they knew about a Kuoni sale was often when the leaflet landed in their store.
World Market Travel, said: “Clients are picking at anything and it’s getting worse.” He cited a customer who demanded his money back because he had not seen certain animals on safari. Nick Marks, joint managing
director of Baldwins Travel Group, added that clients were taking longer to book. “Before it took two to four
days to confirm bookings; now it takes a couple of weeks to convert,” he said. “The agent has to do so much research. I think we give away too much information for free; what do we do, charge for brochures?” Jeanne Lally, co-owner
of Travel Bureau, agreed: “It’s frightening how much business you quote on and how much you don’t confirm.”
25 June 2015 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 13
From left: Nicola
Kelly, Bath Travel; Caroline Foxwell, Kuoni; and Janet
Byng, Spear Travels
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