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Technology ‘has helped boost high street shops’


Ben Ireland ben.ireland@travelweekly.co.uk


Technology has helped underpin the continuing success of the high street, industry leaders said at World Travel Market this week.


Comtec founder Simon Powell


said: “Ten years ago, we were talking about the death of the travel agent. But what we’ve seen is a change, not the death, and technology underpins a lot of that.” Powell was speaking as a panellist at Travolution’s seminar


on The Future of the Travel Agent at the London trade show. Other speakers included Miles


Morgan, owner of Miles Morgan Travel; Gary Lewis, managing director of The Travel Network Group; and Richard Baker, chief executive of digital agency Sequence. Lewis argued that the rise of online travel agents had led to higher standards on the high street. “Lots of businesses have


always put their customers last, because customers were just coming to them,” he said. “But when the industry is


disrupted, you have to realise how


to stay ahead of the disruption. Tech has brought that disruption.” He said “the relationship with the customer is still the most important thing” but added that new digital technologies could help travel firms grow by making them think about how they present their business online. “It’s just a different place


where consumers are looking at a product,” he added. Morgan said technology must “add value and be relevant”.


“If you take bookings on a mobile


device you need an experience that matches the experience you have on a desktop or in a shop,” he said. “I know that only 2% of my


customers are on Twitter, so I don’t waste time on that. “About 40% are on Facebook so


we have a presence there.” Powell spelled out three main challenges he said the industry faces: engagement, content and


the cost of customer acquisition. › Brexit priorities: WTM, page 64


From left: Miles Morgan,


Gary Lewis, Simon Powell and Richard Baker


5 Cook’s Club Xtra to sell Yolo tours


Juliet Dennis juliet.dennis@travelweekly.co.uk


Thomas Cook has introduced a sister youth brand to Club 18-30 following a tie-up with operator G Adventures.


Club Xtra features 10 adventure


tours from G Adventures’ Yolo (You only live once) range, which include homestays with local families, alongside Thomas Cook’s city and beach breaks. The new brand aims to


broaden Cook’s appeal to younger


travellers who want more than a traditional clubbing holiday offered by its Club 18-30 range. Among the hotels featured in


its first brochure, distributed to independent agents and inhouse in the past few weeks, are BH Mallorca in Majorca, BCM Hotel in Magaluf and Ibiza Rocks in Ibiza. Destinations include Cyprus, Malta, New York and Cancun. G Adventures’ Yolo tours include Indochina Discovery; Peru on a Shoestring; Brisbane to Cairns Experience; and Thailand on a Shoestring. Thomas Cook’s


6 travelweekly.co.uk 10 November 2016


immersion. Its particular style of small-group adventure travel complements our existing offer.” G Adventures sales director Uday Sodha said: “Club Xtra customers booking with G Adventures will have the opportunity to interact with local communities and see how travel can be a force for good. “An example is on our Peru on a


head of specialist, Jill Thompson, said: “Our partnership with G Adventures has broadened the type of holiday we can recommend, with getaways including homestays and cultural


Shoestring trip, where travellers experience a homestay with a Quechua family, play football with


the children and cook a local meal.” ›G Adventures’ Responsible Travel Ambassadors, page 36


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