and Vichy water taken in 1927 to ‘boost passengers’ courage’” KATHRYN LISTON GOES BEHIND THE SCENES AT BA’S CATERING SCHOOL, P44
RANTS & RAVES
This was supposed to have been published “in March” (“Final version of Atol regulations to be published this week”,
ttgdigital.com). Now we are being told it will be
out “by the end of the week” which means Thursday, latest – or in two days as it’s Easter week. Because of Easter it will further reduce the time anyone has to prepare. Based on our one-to-one meeting with the CAA in Bradford 10 days ago, where it couldn’t answer hardly any of our questions, I very much doubt that this document will be the “final” one. The April 30 deadline is now totally even more unworkable. It’s beyond a joke. Peter Cookson, Spear Travels
Refloat it by all means, but change the captain and senior officers (“Plan to refloat Costa Concordia revealed”,
ttgdigital.com). Then as a suggestion set a small area aside onboard with a plaque and perhaps a permanent lighted candle to commemorate all those who sadly perished. Otherwise they will be forgotten entirely within a short space of time, except by their grieving families of course. Gerry Flynn, Enjoy Tavel
OPINION
A forgotten letter, but not a forgotten issue
CARRY ON discounting: an ongoing farce now showing in a variety of disparate guises around the UK. I am sitting in the bedroom where
I grew up, surrounded by amusing photographs of my university days, archive folders of old Robert Broad Travel newsletters and a lot of fun memories. Wedged in the middle of a
selection of poorly-designed adverts and marketing plans from times past is a letter I drafted to Richard Branson, dated February 7, 2000. “This will give me a good laugh,” I thought and so I wandered down memory lane only to discover, by the end of the letter, that nothing has changed. The discounting debate seems to be as alive as ever today as it was back then. The letter (which can be viewed at
ttgdigital.com) was a plea to Mr Branson to a) provide sales and promotional support to Robert Broad Travel as an independent agent, and b) tackle the problem of direct discounting. Here we are, 12 years later, and
many companies are still offering direct discounts – nothing much has changed, has it? Who would have thought then that a passionate 19 year-old, from little old Lichfield with a gung-ho attitude would go on to be
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Oliver Broad, chairman of Aito Specialist Travel Agents
chairman of Aito Agents (still with a gung-ho attitude)? Certainly not me. I was just a young, naive new starter trying my best to preserve my father’s business and make sense of what seemed to be a confusing industry. Looking back now, a way to address this issue was to undergo an organised process of moving away from this kind of supplier. Focusing our efforts on those with whom we could build up a mutual respect with, and who understood our dilemmas, was the way to go. Twelve years on, I am now proud
to say that without Aito, I really do not know where we would be, if here at all. I admire those attempting to create a level playing field through the removal of direct discounting. This is something we implemented through our Aito Agents Closer Ties agreement six years ago, so it is flattering that others are now also seeing the light. To me it all comes down to honesty and mutual respect. Travel agents should respect suppliers who provide us with such great products. We should not attempt to demean its worth, nor should we expect too much. And suppliers should seek out the agents most relevant to their business. Each agent is different – nurture and understand their needs, avoid bribery and simply be honest. Working together like this is at the
heart of Aito. It shocks me to hear the tactics some undertake to close the sale nowadays. Wouldn’t you rather have a business where the emphasis is on beautifully-crafted holidays with decent, respectable margins instead of quick win and low profit transactions? I am looking forward to nurturing more relations at our second joint Aito and Aito Agents overseas conference in Madeira (June 14-17).
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“Premier cru wines and champagne have replaced the whisky
04.05.2012
25
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