p12 AITO jan23 21/1/09 15:11 Page 12
news conference report
ttglive.com
Aito Conference 2009
January 17-18■ Warwick
Aito travel agents and operators gathered last weekend for the association’s
annual domestic conference. Kay McLellan reports from Warwick
Aito to double size
SURVIVAL.
Agents urged
of 2009 campaign
to be positive
AITO Specialist Travel Agents aims “Mastermind”. The competition will DELEGATES at the Aito
to double the size of the second follow the famous Mastermind conference were in
annual Aito Week awareness format, with Aito agents answering cautiously optimistic
campaign in 2009. questions on a specialist subject mood about the com-
Designed to bring independent and then general travel questions. ing year, despite the
agents and operators together Set to launch in the spring with doom and gloom being
to showcase Aito operators to regional qualifiers, the final will be spread in the national
consumers, last year’s inaugural held in London with the winner media.
week in October saw 30 agents and taken to the Aito STA overseas con- Many agents said
20 operators taking part. Barry Moxley: best staff ference in Gdansk, Poland, in June. despite tough market
Barry Moxley, chairman of Aito Moxley said: “We have the best conditions, independ- Sally Carrick: time to revamp
Specialist Travel Agents, said he aimed to get at staff in the industry and we’re going to find the ent agents will survive.
least half of the 150 agent members involved in best Aito agent in the country. It’s a way to show- Margaret May, owner of Journeys a la Carte,
this year’s event, which will run in early October, case the talent and knowledge in the business.” urged the travel industry to put out “positive
to capitalise on the success of the 2008 event. The agent roadshows will take place in the vibes”, which she said would be “contagious”.
Moxley said those who participated had seen spring and autumn, with the events split into “There is all this enthusiasm here but, if we
a significant benefit. His own agency, Traveltime, two sessions. The mornings will involve agent say we don’t have a vibrant market, people will
had generated £100,000 worth of enquiries as a training with operators and hotel chains, with put off buying,” she said.
result of the week, with half converting. the evenings opened up to consumers. “We must make people want to buy. No one
Other Aito STA initiatives this year will include will have massive profits at the end of this year,
roadshows and a nationwide search for a travel ■ ‘Train agents in art of selling’: Letters, p40 but some might increase their market share.”
Kristina Hulme, managing partner of Travel by
Design, said: “It’s about concentrating on existing
CAMPAIGN.
clients and using our database for promotions.
Protection is ‘message for the times’
“Mass-market shops have closed and people
who are used to package holidays are now asking
about bonding. They are looking for that human
AITO chairman Derek Moore called brochures, and we hope agents can face and want that point of contact.”
on independent agents to support use it,” he said. Sally Carrick, of Carrick Travel, added: “We are
its message to consumers that Aito “Abta’s stance is less clear and launching a new website in February and have
members provide full financial Aito agents will hopefully seize on refurbished one of our stores.
protection on all holidays. our message and go with it. It’s a “We’re not being complacent about the market
Moore said Aito’s new campaign, message for the times, because but, in difficult times, you let people know that
highlighting Aito’s 100% financial suddenly it’s important. you’re still there. If clients don’t want to spend a
protection promise, was easy to pro- “The work between agents and fortune, there is still something out there for
mote to customers when booking. operators is growing enormously. them. We will advertise deals in the window, as
“Consumers understand our 100% Derek Moore: 100% protection The question is whether, in this people can’t buy what they don’t know about.”
financial protection strapline easily, difficult year, operators are going
operators like it because they can stick it on their to turn increasingly to agents – I hope they will.” ■ Hair we go! Aito agents: Out & about, p20
12 23.01.2009
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