Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Multiple travel agencies are in fi erce competition with
each other to hold on to their share of the holiday
market and are also under pressure from direct sales
via the internet, which do away with the need for the
services of an agent altogether.
equipment. Examples of e-agents include lastminute.
com, ebookers, Travelocity and Expedia. E-agents
benefi t from the speed and fl exibility of the internet,
but must generate high sales volumes to remain
profi table. E-agents are also tour operators since their
websites allow the packaging of accommodation and
fl ights. In fact, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) fi gures
indicate that e-agents are currently the fastest-growing
tour operators carrying passengers under ATOLs (Air
Travel Organisers' Licences).
Weblink
Check out these websites to see how
e-agents operate.
www.lastminute.com;
www.expedia.co.uk;
www.ebookers.com;
www.travelocity.co.uk
Home workers
Thomas Cook travel agencies are a familiar sight on the
high street
Developments in technology mean that travel agents
no longer have to be located in a branch to carry
out their work. Selling leisure and business travel
is well-suited to home working, offering fl exibility
to staff and the benefi t of lower overhead costs to
travel agencies. One of the biggest home working
companies in the UK is Future Travel, part of the United
Co-op Travel Group, which also has high street travel
agency branches. Travel Counsellors UK is another
home-based travel company that is growing fast.
Home working is particularly suitable to people with
previous experience of selling travel products and a
high degree of motivation.
Activity 9.1
Carry out some research to fi nd out how many travel
agencies there are in your local area, making a list
and a map showing their location. For each one,
fi nd out whether the agency is an independent,
multiple or miniple. Also, try to fi nd out if each
agency is a member of a trade association or agents'
consortium.
Weblink
This activity is designed to provide evidence for P1.
Check out these websites for more
information on home working in retail
travel.
www.travelcounsellors.co.uk;
www.futuretravel.co.uk
E-agents
The growth in the use of the internet has led to
the development of e-agents (where e stands for
electronic) which offer services to both leisure and
business travellers. These are a kind of 'virtual travel
agent' as they have no branches and usually operate
from a single base with the latest IT systems and
Call centres
Call centres (sometimes known as contact centres) are
common in all walks of life, from insurance companies
