NEWS
As we reach the end of 2019, minds turn to the year ahead. And it promises to be another
year of change – and excitement. Te demise of a player the size of Tomas Cook causes continued uncertainty and, for the bold, opportunity. In 2020, we should see who will be the longer-term winners and losers in numerous areas.
Miles Morgan CHAIRMAN, MILES MORGAN TRAVEL
Who will be the winners and losers of 2020?
The high street No awards for what all eyes will be on in 2020. How will Hays Travel trade? Te move was bold – and you can see its potential. Te areas of concern for me are the staff in the shops, whom I always call and know to be the crown jewels of any retail business. It will be interesting to see how weakened the Hays shops will be as a result of the recruitment of the former Tomas Cook staff by its competitors. Homeworking businesses have taken on top sellers, Barrhead Travel has recruited whole shops worth of staff as part of its big growth plans, and miniples (such as me) have also snapped up entire shops’ teams. Currently, a lot of these shops remain closed just weeks before the peaks. What is the solution and how quickly can it be found?
Tour operators Te arrival of easyJet Holidays, both as a direct sales channel and through the trade, will no doubt cause some waves. Could it halt or slow the march of Jet2holidays? How could it affect Tui on the non-differentiated products it offers? Who will appear from the Cook demise as the new king of tour operating? Maybe it will be other new entrants, such as the online travel agents (OTAs).
OTAs Tis is another fascinating space in which the squeeze is most certainly on. Tese businesses thrive on low-price holidays, supported by distressed air seats. Monarch was their go-to – and it disappeared. Cook then offered the seats they needed, and now it is no more.
Jet2.com prices against them on seat-only and I have no doubt easyJet will do the same, now its tour operation has launched. Te OTAs’ reaction is fascinating, with Travel Republic and On the Beach launching their own charters. Teir “lite”, no-risk model as a virtual tour operator with no commitment and risk is gone. How will they manage as fully fledged tour operators with all the associated risks? Tey could end up making more money or becoming a casualty of a new world they didn’t want to enter. With growing Google advertising costs they are equally squeezed at the other end, acquiring clients, which makes it tough. Tese three areas will combine to ensure that
2020 is going to be a fascinating year. As the boss of a high street travel agency, I have never been more optimistic about our future and trading. From being writen off by many, high street agents are being talked up as having a great future. For Miles Morgan Travel, with great people at the sharp end, the future has never been in doubt. John and Irene Hays clearly think the same, but can they grow great people quickly enough, and can the family feel scale to so many shops? Buckle up for an exciting year, with lots of opportunities for the bold and canny.
Read more columns by Miles Morgan:
go.travelweekly.co.uk/comment
16
19 DECEMBER 2019
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 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74
