Travel Weekly webcasts: Topics covered in Travel Weekly’s latest webcasts span customer loyalty, VILLA OPERATORS


AGENCY BOSSES Travel


Dave Woollcott


Claire Kalatzis


Louise Wade


Weekly’s Katie


McGonagle


Sandra Corkin


Paul Waters


Travel Weekly’s Lucy Huxley


Richard Slater


Villa specialists report ‘pockets of positivity’


V


illa operators say they are seeing “pockets of positivity” as travellers look for the flexibility of


self-contained accommodation. James Villa Holidays commercial


director Dave Woollcott, GIC The Villa Collection programme coordinator Claire Kalatzis and CV Villas operations and sales manager Louise Wade discussed how agents can tap into increased appetite for villa holidays. Woollcott said there were “green


shoots” for 2021 bookings but that demand for this year was likely to be limited to certain destinations. “At the moment we’re seeing


more customers interested in Cyprus, Greece and Croatia, less so mainland Spain and the Spanish islands. The Algarve is trending quite nicely – so we are seeing pockets of positivity and areas where customers are wishing to travel to,” he said, adding that agency groups James hadn’t worked with before had made contact. Flexibility, isolation and the


opportunity for multigenerational or extended-family holidays were


10 11 JUNE 2020


identified as key factors in selling villa holidays in the current climate. Kalatzis said: “People will be


wanting to spend time with people they’ve been isolated from for so long, yet they will still be in a safer environment because they can be together as one unit and go out as much or as little as they want; they can order food or shopping in. “If they’re a little bit scared of


taking that step to travel, [a villa holiday] is a safer step to take.” She noted that GIC Villas offers


only private transfers. Wade said: “You have far more


choice with a villa holiday than you do with any other type of holiday. “At the moment, that is key


because every customer has different concerns, but in a lot of cases, a villa holiday really does meet all of those concerns.” She noted that guests can “choose


who they are in close proximity with”, adding that CV Villas was to introduce Zoom rep services to avoid in-person visits but that reps would visit properties in PPE if the customer preferred.


Agents who show their value ‘will earn long-term loyalty’


I


ndependent high street travel agencies that have demonstrated strong customer service during the


coronavirus crisis will be the “winners” in the longer term. Agents said now was the time


for agents to “blow their own trumpets” and step up marketing efforts as the UK lockdown is eased. They claimed holidaymakers


were more likely to trust travel retailers who had shown dedication to clients and been easy to contact during the lockdown, but to avoid firms which had been difficult to contact over refunds or rebookings. Paul Waters, director of


24-branch Premier Travel, said: “If we have provided good customer service in this climate, people will want to come back and use us again. [Customers] will turn to the high street more to see who they can trust. I think we stand to do better.” Richard Slater, owner of


one-branch Henbury Travel in Macclesfield, agreed. He said: “Our customers have been able to talk


If we have provided


good service in this climate, people will want to come back and use us again


to us, whereas with larger agencies you have had to email or not been able to get hold of anyone. More people will say, ‘we can’t get hold of those guys; we will try this little fella here because he seems to be putting out positive messages’.” Sandra Corkin, managing director


of six-branch Oasis Travel in Northern Ireland, said now was a sensible time to remind clients of the work agents have put in to ensure bookings are looked after, having rebooked or refunded 60% of customers who had been due to travel between March and the end of June. “We have to make sure we blow our own trumpets,” she said. Waters said Premier would open


“some” of its East Anglia branches by June 15 and Corkin said Oasis had “started to make a lot of plans for reopening”, noting that agencies had begun to see “green shoots” in terms of customer enquiries.”


travelweekly.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32