It’s unrealistic to stoke up the discounting culture
I SUBSCRIBE to the weekly emails from
Moneysavingexpert.com. I’ve taken up some of the suggestions of offers
and restaurant vouchers, and I’ve based some of my decisions around my personal finances on site founder Martin Lewis’s advice. But there is a difference between the website highlighting offers that are already available, and firing up consumers to push for ones where they didn’t exist.
The site now has an amazing 10 million visitors
every month. If only a fraction of those people are following its advice on travel in sections such as “package holidays: undercut the cheapest prices” and “cheap packages: haggle 15% off the cost”, they could be having a significant impact on many agents’ bottom lines. The mania for “consumer revenge” and “getting
one over” on fat-cat corporate business can be real fun, with a sense that no one is really going to be hurt as long as someone somewhere is getting a good deal. But the way this culture is being stoked up by web- sites such as MoneySavingExpert is becoming increasingly unrealistic, particularly in a sector as low margin as travel can be. Faced with consumer pressure, businesses with- out the right controls in place will chase the sale until their margins are squeezed out of existence — and it’s not difficult to link the spate of business failures this summer with the rise and rise of the power of the consumer. And who hurts when those companies go out of business? The consumers, of course, fretting on the MoneySavingExpert forums about their situations following the collapse of Kiss, Goldtrail and other summer casualties. Martin Lewis is the champion of the consumer, rather than the trade. But if his website could simply highlight the masses of
existing fantastic travel deals out there — rather than encouraging consumers to haggle haggle haggle — wouldn’t he provide a more genuine service for everyone?
Daniel Pearce Editor
dpearce@ttglive.com
02 03.09.2010
news A right royal send off for Cunard
The Queen will name Cunard’s new ship, Queen Elizabeth, at a ceremony in Southampton on October 11. Her Majesty launched the line’s Queen Elizabeth II in 1967, and named its current flagship, Queen Mary II, in 2004. Peter Shanks, Cunard’s president and managing director, said: “The naming of a Cunard Queen is a special occasion. We are honoured and proud that Her Majesty will name it.”
WTM Pride of Agents. Still time to enter p7 Join the raft of hard-working and inspirational agents who have already been nominated
TTG Virtual.
Cyber conferencing p9 Get a taste of what will be involved in TTG’s ground-breaking event
City & finance. Waiting game p14
The Co-operative Travel Trading Group doesn’t see an improvement in trade coming until late 2011
Simon Calder.
Checking in and out p16 Knowing the ins and outs of different aircraft can help customers enjoy the beginning, and even the end, of their holiday
British Air Transport Association. Talking it over p18
www.twitter.com/danielpearce
Simon Buck, the association’s new chief executive, airs his gripes with the coalition government’s stance on aviation and tourism
Operators. BEST can get better p22 The escorted-tours group wants to add more agents to the 400 who have already signed up to its training since it launched in June
Independents. Performance slammed p24 Attraction World’s Tony Seaman has criticised independent agents’ ticket sales after the company missed its £60m turnover goal
REGULARS.
City & finance p14 Comment p16 Air p18 Cruise p20 Operators p22 TTG Travel Awards p26 Letters p28
Cruise. Testing the waters p20 TTG’s Sophie Griffiths discovered how ship visits can increase sales when she joined agents and customers for two visits in Dover
this week
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