CONFERENCE Overseas Conference Aito Overseas Conference: Delegates discuss Hays Travel’s expansion, Brexit
Hays Travel presents ‘huge opportunity’ for operators
A
ito operators intend to work more closely with Hays Travel following its acquisition of
Tomas Cook’s shops. Operators including Sunvil,
Exsus and Experience Travel Group welcomed news of more independent agencies on the high street as a “huge opportunity”. Aito chairman Derek Moore said:
“Tis is a huge opportunity for our members. Tese agents, who in the past have just sold Cook, are now free to sell other operators.” Sunvil managing director
Chris Wright said the operator’s distribution deal with Cook ended about 18 months ago and it now aimed to discuss an enlarged deal with Hays. He said: “Tis opens up
It doesn’t worry me
at all. It’s a good thing. We are creating a strong independent agent- facing high street”
shops we had stopped dealing with.” Extra distribution through former
Cook shops would not change the way the operator works with Aito agents, he added. “We have a strong relationship with Aito agents; that won’t change. But there will be some customers who only went to Cook shops, so if we can get extra customers through the new Hays shops, it is a win-win.” Exsus Travel head of trade sales Neil Sealy hailed the opportunity of
extra distribution but said operators needed to be sensitive to agent concerns about suppliers selling through Hays on the same high street. He said: “Some agents have
expressed concern and we as operators need to be a bit sensitive.” Experience Travel Group
managing director Sam Clark said: “Anyone who can give us business is an opportunity.” Aito agents who spoke to Travel Weekly were not concerned about extra high street competition. Dave Allen, director of Andara Travel, said: “Te more competition the beter as far as I am concerned.” Westway Travel managing
director Ian Prior said: “It doesn’t worry me at all. It’s a good thing. We are creating a strong independent agent-facing high street.”
Specialist Travel Agents aims for growth of 10%
Te Specialist Travel Association (Aito) aims to increase its Specialist Travel Agents membership by at least 10% by the end of 2020. Aito has 49 agent members with 68 branches. New trade partnerships
manager Marieta Maidman said: “If I could increase our agent membership by at least 10% then I would be happy, but actually I’d like it to be more; 20% would be great.” As part of this,
Maidman is asking operators to recommend agents to join.
16 28 NOVEMBER 2019
Marietta Maidman, The Specialist Travel Association, and Neal Sealy, Exsus Travel
She also hopes to
encourage direct-sell Aito operators to sell through Aito agents. Tere are currently 120
Aito operators, of which 86 work with Aito agents. Aito operators have a combined turnover of more than £1 billion. Operators that don’t
work with agents risk losing out on a sector of the market they don’t have access to, she added. “Agents know their
customers, so what comes to the operator is a qualified lead with a higher conversion rate.”
travelweekly.co.uk
Derek Moore, Aito
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