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Hotels
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Business travel consultants are slowly
turning away from booking hotel rooms on the
GDSs in favour of alternative distribution
channels, according to this year’s Industry Report.
Although the GDSs remains the most popular
tool, the proportion of respondents who said
they used the GDSs to book hotels has fallen
Feeling poor? Agents’ pay
from 78% last year to 58% this year. The
economic downturn has prompted increasing
numbers of business travellers to downgrade
almost same as a year ago
from four and five-star hotels to budget brands.
The survey found that 21% of respondents used
travel websites (including hotel booking agents)
to reserve rooms, while another 21% booked
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Average salaries for business travel consul- An encouraging 31% earn more than £250 a direct on hotels’ websites.
tants are broadly the same as last year – low. month in bonuses and commissions – up from ✱ Read the results in full, p44
More than half of respondents (56%) earn just 10% last year. As Haynes pointed out,
less than £24k a year, a marginal improvement commissions and incentives are vital nowadays if
on the 2007 figure of 57%. However, 37% of employers are to attract talented workers.
Meetings and events
respondents earn less than £20k a year, a two Referring to the 58% of respondents who said
percentage point rise on the 2007 figure. they were incentivised, Kristina Wallen, managing
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The growth of meetings and events bookings
There was also a slight drop at the top end of director of executive has slowed in 2008, according to the survey. Last
the salary scale, with 2% of respondents earning recruitment firm Harp year’s survey showed that almost 65% of our agent
more than £51k (compared with 4% last year). Wallen, said: “This readers said they had experienced an increase in the
Despite the poor salaries, 65% have worked in is still a very low volume of M&E bookings. This year, that proportion
the industry for more than seven years. And even proportion. Working on has fallen to 26%, while nearly 70% said bookings
with the financial shortcomings, a staggering the front line, or further had remained the same. The proportion of TMCs
94% said they had no intention of leaving the up the ladder, is a sales booking M&E has dropped by five percentage
business travel sector, which is good news for the job as well as a points, from 45% last year to 40% this year.
industry while it endures the economic slowdown. customer service role.” ✱ Read the M&E findings in full, p47
Caroline Haynes, manager of the business More specialisation
travel division at New Frontiers, said: “Before the has entered the sector,
downturn, we had more vacancies for new starts. with the number of Technology
Now, opportunities for juniors have dried up. respondents who
“If the proportion of junior respondents was classify themselves as
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The number of travel management companies
higher it would have justified the high percentage “solely a business travel that offer self-booking tools to corporate clients
of low salaries. It is worrying to see so many agent” rising from 56% has increased in the last 12 months. Last year
experienced staff not earning better salaries.” last year to 66% this 76% of respondents said their TMC offered the
One bright spot is a rise in the number of year. And the sector is booking technology. This year, that number has
agents who earn decent commissions and still dominated by risen to 84%. Global distribution systems are still
bonuses in addition to their basic salary. women, who account agents’ most popular distribution channel. Some
Although 52% earn less than £100 a month, for 72% of employees. 62% say they make most of their bookings on
this is a vast improvement on the 2007 survey, ✱ For the full results, Full survey results GDSs; 15% say they make only some bookings.
when 81% earned less than £100 a month. turn to p34 p23-48 ✱ See the full self-booking tool results, p48
ess awards: for more coverage and pictures check out ttgbusinessawards.com....
ttgbusiness.com❖ industry report 2008
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