Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and banks to telephone companies and car breakdown
services. They make fi nancial sense for the companies
concerned, since all their operations and staff can be
centred in one location, thereby reducing overhead
costs. Call centres can also offer a better service to the
public by offering more consistent levels of customer
service. In travel and tourism, call centres are used
by tour operators, travel agency companies, tourist
boards, airlines, car hire companies, hotel groups, etc.
They free up sales staff in branches and allow them to
concentrate more on selling products and services.
time reaping the benefi ts of the extra buying power
that a consortium can offer. There are a number of
consortia in the retail travel industry, including:
•
Freedom Travel Group;
•
Global Travel Group;
•
Worldchoice;
•
Travel Trust Association;
•
Advantage Travel.
Advantage Travel represents around 700 independent
travel agents, while Worldchoice is the biggest UK
agents' consortium with approximately 800 member
companies.
Holiday hypermarkets
These are large-scale travel agencies offering customers
a wide choice of holidays and travel products in a single,
convenient, themed setting. First Choice has pioneered
the development of holiday hypermarkets in the UK
since it acquired the Holiday Hypermarkets company
in 2000. First Choice now has 36 holiday superstores,
typically covering 10,000 to 12,000 sq feet, and often
located in large retail parks such as the Trafford Centre
in Manchester and Bluewater in Kent.
Miniple travel agencies
A 'miniple' travel agent is a company with a small
number of branches, often in a particular geographical
area. They pride themselves on being able to give
independent advice on holiday choices and a personal
service to their clients. Having a branch network gives
miniples the chance to negotiate more favourable
terms with principals. Kyle Travel in north-east England,
Barrhead Travel in Scotland and Althams Travel in the
north-west of England are examples of successful
miniples.
Consortia
As well as becoming members of ABTA (see case study
on page 311), travel agencies sometimes decide to
join other trade bodies, known as consortia. Often,
these are groupings of independent agents that come
together to increase their infl uence and buying power,
and join forces to compete with the big multiple agency
chains. Being a member of a consortium allows a travel
agency to retain its independence while at the same
An Advantage Travel Centre in the Cotswolds
