NEWS siness partners discuss industry issues and consumer trends. Juliet Dennis reports from Malta


Consumers ‘seek increased value’ from their spending


T


From left: Jennifer Lynch, ArrangeMY Escape; Sarah Ashmore, Kuoni; Tim Brookes-Parry, Apex Travel; and Ryan Sowney and Bethany


Brandwood, both ArrangeMY Escape


Kelly Cookes


he importance of offering ‘value’ to holidaymakers has intensified to unprecedented levels in the current market, Advantage Travel Partnership conference


delegates heard. Chief commercial officer Kelly Cookes told a panel


discussion that members were reporting a desire for more value from customers booking all types of holidays, from budget breaks to luxury retreats. She said: “What is interesting to me is the focus on


value. It’s nothing new, but I have never seen it be a driver like it has been in the past few months. “Consumers want their budgets to stretch further, in


budget and luxury holidays. People want more for what they can afford.” Much of the demand for enhanced experiences or


services as part of a holiday was likely to be driven by what consumers see online, Cookes said, stressing that agents needed to improve their use of social media in their businesses. She said: “I think a large portion [of demand for more


value] will be driven by social media. Consumers want to go to the best restaurants and have cultural experiences.” Cookes added: “It’s not OK [for agents] just to be


active on social media –[they need to] have a content plan. “Everything is about personalisation, and showing your customer how you understand that, and using


locator on new website


‘find an agent’ search wasn’t a great user experience and a lot of work has gone into making this a better fit for the site. “We are looking to evolve it further in


future and going forward we will include a better level of specialisation.” He stressed


there were still “plenty of people” who wanted to find a local agent to speak with face-to-face.


David Forder


Consumers want their budgets


to stretch further, in budget and luxury holidays – they want more for what they can afford


the content to inspire, not just to sell holidays.” On a separate panel, Kuoni UK managing director


Mark Duguid similarly insisted there was a need for agents to offer more product that was not “easily available elsewhere” to stand out in the market. He said: “I don’t think just offering great service is


enough [for agents]. I think you need to differentiate by offering value by either being the cheapest, which means competing with online players, or in a different way, through product. In travel there is a ‘sea of sameness’.” John Sullivan, Advantage Travel Partnership


commercial director, agreed: “People don’t just want to be treated well. They want value.” He believed this was contributing to a rise in


all-inclusive bookings, with all-inclusive properties offering more extras as part of the holiday. The consortium reported that the proportion of


all-inclusive bookings was doubling every three to four years, having risen from about 7% of members’ bookings in 2018 to 15% in 2022 and 30% this year.


Agents urged to ask open questions about accessible needs


TV presenter and disability advocate Sophie Morgan urged travel agents to have the confidence to ask “open questions” about clients’ accessible holiday needs. Morgan, a paraplegic since a


Sophie Morgan


like, ‘What do you need?’ This does not require hours of training.” Morgan said agents should


car crash at the age of 18, fronted Channel 4’s TV documentary Fight to Fly about the problems experienced by disabled passengers on flights. She launched the Rights on Flights campaign, which aims to achieve systemic improvements in air travel accessibility. She said: “I would encourage agents to gain


confidence. Don’t let your fear [of getting it wrong] become a barrier [to sale]. You need to ask open questions


travelweekly.co.uk


not fret about using the “wrong language” as long as they were open with customers about not knowing the best wording, nor should they worry about the holiday not going to plan for clients with access needs. Her sentiments were backed


by Harry Hastings, co-chief executive of Ocean Holidays, who urged agents to overcome the fear of selling holidays to disabled customers, noting conversion rates within this market were four times higher and customers were twice as likely to rebook.


22 MAY 2025 11


PICTURES: Ali Elmes, ASV Productions


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