Travel can change, even if conference trivialities never do
FORGIVE ME for being a cynical journalist, but as I listened to the presentations on day one of Abta’s Travel Convention in Malta, I wondered if I was listening to a list of statements of the obvious. “Drivers of change” was the theme of the event, and it seemed to be giving rise to some rather bland statements about how travel businesses needed to be part of that change, rather than just stand on the sidelines. “Change is the one thing you could rely on.” OK. “Technology is driving change at a faster pace
than ever before.” Erm – yeah, thanks. But as the conference went on, some concrete
examples of how travel businesses can make their own changes rapidly emerged. The huge changes that Willie Walsh is bringing to British Airways have parallels in the tiniest of travel agents. If you don’t constantly reinvigorate your busi- ness with the selling opportunities and technology open to you – and bring your team along with you – you’re not going to be around much longer. Perhaps it is the simplest changes – such as the
Atol certificate the CAA has put into the mix – that could have the biggest impact? The Travel Convention was also a great event for statistics! Did you know that: ■ 200 million Chinese will have the money to travel to the UK by 2020 – with implications for global travel to follow (thanks Ken Livingstone!)
■ 60% of people believe there will be a catastrophic global event in the next 30 years (thanks Leo Johnson!)
■ 53,000 people read Cunard boss Peter Shanks’ blog in the seven days after the Queen’s launch of the Queen Elizabeth last week (thanks Peter!) Whatever the next changes to come in travel, the convention gave many of the delegates I spoke to a genuine thirst to get back to work. It fell to leading economist Douglas McWilliams, setting the scene for the government cuts, to underline – once again – how consumer spending on travel can buck its sluggish trend if consumers have an attractive enough proposition. Go get ‘em…
Daniel Pearce Editor
dpearce@ttglive.com
02 22.10.2010
news International rescue
Agents at Midcounties Co-operative have raised £2,500 for the Help the Hospices charity, with staff from the Gloucester branch chipping in £761 by donning international costumes and keeping an exercise bike going for eight hours in-a-row. Midcounties has raised £360,000 for the charity since January 2009.
Trust in Travel Agents. It’s a matter of principles p9 In the first of our “TTG’s trusted travel agents” series, the owners of Gallivant Travel Agency talk about going from video rental to travel and how the campaign reflects their attitude to business
The Travel Convention.
All the news from Malta p10 The biggest stories from this week’s Abta convention, including Travel Republic’s boss’s queries about the morality of Atol reform
Eco news. Keeping it green p12 TTG is to run a series of forums with the Travel Foundation on green travel, saving money and running a sustainable travel firm
Digital news.
www.twitter.com/danielpearce
Charity begins online p14 Travel Republic is donating 25p to Children in Need every time someone “likes” its Facebook page, and aims to raise £25,000 for the charity
REGULARS.
City & finance p16 Comment p18 Cruise p20 Operators p22 Letters p28
City & finance.
Hunting for online agents p16 Private equity firms still want to get their hands on online travel agencies according to the boss of Directline Holidays, who says her company is approached regularly
Comment. People are not numbers p18 Matt Stuart, managing director of
Getabed.co.uk, talks about battling “big two” propaganda with old-fashioned customer service rather than low pricing
Cruise. NCL offers plane sailing p20 Agents are smiling after NCL sorted out a direct flight deal allowing cruisers to fly from regional UK airports to board ships at ports in Copenhagen and Barcelona
this week
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