Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Competition for the business traveller
convenient and fast centre-to-centre travel and is
popular on routes such as London to Manchester,
Birmingham to Glasgow and Bristol to London. High-
speed train services from London to Paris and beyond
are in direct competition with air services from Heathrow
and the other London airports.
Business travel is an extremely competitive industry
in the travel and tourism sector. Running a business
travel agency is all about maximising profi ts, by
offering a wide range of travel products and services,
while at the same time providing excellent standards
of customer service. Independent agents and bigger
travel management companies are always looking at
ways of gaining an advantage over their competitors.
Web and video-conferencing
Developments in technology have allowed business
people to take part in 'virtual meetings', using web-
based and video conferencing systems. These have
grown in popularity in recent years and are used by
companies all over the world in all industry sectors.
Using systems such as SABA and WebEx can save a
company thousands of pounds by not having to pay for
expensive business travel and accommodation.
Low-cost airlines are competing hard with full-service
airlines for business travel customers by offering lower
fares. Ryanair expects to carry 73.5 million passengers
in the 2010-11 fi nancial year - up from just 5,000 when
the airline was launched in 1985 - while easyJet's
passenger numbers totalled 45.2 million in 2009.
Meanwhile business travel on airlines such as British
Airways, Alitalia, Air France and Lufthansa has fallen
substantially during the recent global recession. These
companies are competing with the low-cost carriers
by reducing their prices on fl ights to many short-haul
European destinations. Many business travel agents
now book low-cost fl ights for their clients as part of the
overall service they provide, even though the airlines
don't pay commission to agents. Carlson Wagonlit
Travel has introduced a booking tool that gives its
clients access to the widest range of air fares, including
those offered by the low-cost carriers.
Activity 10.9
Visit the website of WebEx www.webex.co.uk and
gather information on its communication products
and services. Use the information you fi nd to write
a short fact sheet that explains how companies can
benefi t from its services.
This activity is designed to provide evidence for P4.
Train companies are working hard to attract business
customers away from airlines. Rail travel offers
Travel by train is a cost-ef ective option for business travel
