INSIDE THIS


WEEK Contents


NEWS Hot Stories


Full-service agents slam unbonded rivals; Start-ups fuel rise in agency numbers; Counsellors hails diverse selling models; Flybmi’s collapse sparks protection call; Westoe works late to rebook customers


Round-up WIN!


Henbury shop sales; Spain booze review 08 Hurtigruten portal; Book for Abta 2019 10


A place on a fam to Thailand, Malaysia or Vietnam with Gold Medal page 36


Special Reports Face to Face: Steve Byrne


Inspiretec’s Powell eyes £10m turnover Talk Back Flybmi, Portsmouth, OTAs, Brexit talks


NEWS YOU CAN USE Product Do Something Different, Kirker 21


Operator First Class, Classic Collection 22 Cruise Virgin Voyages, Holland America 24


FRONTLINE Comment Miles Morgan: Ban the B word 26


BOURNEC MMUNITYCHAMPIONS


A Day With… Oasis Travel, N Ireland Mystery Shopper Ipswich, Suffolk


DESTINATIONS


Escorted Tours Egypt: Temples, tombs and the Nile Uzbekistan: Little-known Asian gem Eastern Europe: Six of the best tours Safari: Wildlife trips for all clients


BOURNE COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS Agencies invited to enter contest to win £1,000 funding and support for their local project


page 38


UK & Ireland Jersey: Channel Island charms Somerset: Hidden secrets of Bath


BUSINESS


IT spend Travolution Innovation Report 79 Agency numbers Rise in small businesses 80


44 50 57 63


66 71


WHAT


LUCY DID THIS WEEK


Feb 21 1


2 3


30 42


Lucy Huxley Editor-in-chief @Lucy_Huxley


Signed up three new big sponsors for the Agent Achievement Awards – so many exciting plans for our July event!


Had a great catch-up with Canadian airline Air Transat and discussed loads of exciting initiatives for agents for 2019.


Took my kids to the Milton Keynes snow dome for a little practice ahead of my son’s school ski trip to Canada.


21 February 2019travelweekly.co.uk3


12 14


17 04


A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR This has touched a nerve T


he travel trade grew up around intermediaries putting those wishing to travel in touch with overseas suppliers. It’s a sector with few barriers to entry. You don’t need


stock. You don’t need premises. You just need a website or social media profile and to claim to be an ‘expert’. The money involved, and paid in advance, means the


travel sector has always been prey to fraudsters. It’s for this reason, and the fact that things can go wrong, that Atol protection exists, that Abta bonding exists – to cover trading between members – and Iata bonding exists for agents issuing air tickets. Agency is a specific activity in English law. An agent may act on behalf of suppliers or on behalf of consumers. They may do so for a fee or commission and will usually have an agency contract.


An agent need not handle money. They might simply act


as a referral agent – and that is fine. A problem only occurs if a trader claims to operate in one way and acts in another. Sometimes that only becomes clear if something goes wrong, such as a supplier fails and a consumer wants a refund. Designer Travel’s Amanda Matthews complains this week about people “calling themselves agents . . . [when] all they are doing is referring customers to suppliers” (page 4). Her complaint appears to have touched a nerve. Elite


Travel Boutique’s Kathryn Thompson says: “The growing number of non-bonded agents is worrying.” She suggests: “I don’t believe the client is aware of what a non-bonded agent is.” Do we perhaps need a different term such


as a ‘travel referral agent’ for such businesses? What do you think? Email me at: lucy.huxley@travelweekly.co.uk


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