‘We need tour operators’ – agents
THERE is still a place for
the tour operator, as
long as the partnership
between the travel agent
and the tour operator offers
value for both sides, say
South African travel agents.
Late last month, UK
publication, Travel Weekly,
ran an article following
an interview with Travel
Counsellors’ chairman,
David Speakman, who
reportedly said the decision
to take on more of a tour
operator role was “just
business” and was “the way
forward” – and the future –
for all agents.
According to the article,
David said cutting out the
tour operator to ensure
the travel agent had a
vibrant future and earned
better margins was the way
forward.
David’s stance should be
seen in context, says gm
of Travel Counsellors South
Africa, Mladen Lukic. He
says Travel Counsellors
believes there is still a
place for the tour operator,
as long as the partnership
offers value for both parties.
It is important for tour
operators to offer something
that the travel agent can’t,
such as access to specific
product or specialised
product knowledge, he says.
Besides working with tour
operators, ITCs under the
TC umbrella can dynamically
tailor-make packages
for their clients, with the
help of Phenix, a tool that
allows agents to combine
components to build unique
packages, says Mladen.
Savvy agents have been
doing this and bypassing
traditional local tour
operators for years, says
Wally Gaynor, md of Club
Travel. This doesn’t mean,
however, that the end of the
tour operator is in sight.
“There will always be niche
operators that heavily invest
in a product and financially
commit, specialise and
possibly own many
elements of the package.
An example of this would
be Beachcomber Tours;
agents cannot effectively
dynamically package its
product.”
Monica Horn, product
manager of Harvey World
Travel, says agents
increasingly tailor make
packages for destinations
most tour operators do not
cover. “The benefit for the
customer is the lower cost
of the in-house packaging
– a selling point that can’t
be ignored and which
influences the agency’s longterm
strategic approach.”
Although there is a
shifting dynamic in the
relationship between the
TMC and the tour operator,
Monica also believes this
relationship will continue
to be synergistic in the
local market, as tour
operators are still able to
negotiate excellent IT fares
on certain routes that are
not accessible to TMCs.
The tour operator will
continue to offer a number
of products that a TMC just
cannot match, she says.
Dynamic packaging
is a difficult and timeconsuming
job, agrees
Rachael Penaluna, business
manager of Sure Maritime
Travel. “Travel agents do not
want to do this. It is not our
forte and is extremely time
consuming.”
Rachael says agents
should relieve some of their
daily pressures by referring
clients to a reputable
tour operator that sells a
good product and will take
responsibility if anything
goes wrong. “Tour operators
know their product. They
have deals with respective
service providers and
they can offer competitive
prices.”
A win-win
“There is still a place for
travel agents and tour
operators to maintain
a transparent and fair
relationship and feed one
another business in the
South African environment.
It is not necessary to
re-invent the wheel, even if
the margins are a little more
appealing,” she says.
Cathie Bester, national
sales manager of World
Leisure Holidays, says
the operator should add
value by providing good
service and product and
by paying commissions to
agents timeously, while
the agent can add value by
introducing clients to the
tour operators’ products.
If tour operators want to
add value, they need to
ensure their service delivery
is impeccable and facilitates
the job of the travel agent,
says Joanne Visagie, sales
and marketing manager
of Beachcomber Tours.
“Retailers have to sell the
world so it is up to us, as
their tour operator partner,
to ensure that we make it
as simple and enjoyable as
possible when they call on
us for support. We need to
help our retail partners be
productive by providing great
service, quick commission
remuneration and ensuring
that their clients love the
experience so much they
will return again and again.”
For the relationship
between the travel
consultant and the tour
operator to thrive, trust and
reliability are non-negotiable,
says Joanne. “We do not
take direct bookings. We
also do not undercut our
travel agent partners by
giving clients a cheaper
price if they book through
other external parties,
such as banks, insurance
companies, etc.
“We enjoy a very close
relationship with the retail
trade. They are our client
and, as such, are our
primary focus. By being
attentive to our clients’
needs, we are able to
ensure our mutual client is
always happy.”
Alet Steyn, business
development manager of
Wendy Wu Tours, agrees:
“We prefer bookings
to come through travel
agents. If we get a direct
client who does not have a
preferred travel agent, we
will refer them to one of
our supporting agents in
the specific area where the
client resides.
How should your tour operator
service you?”
1. Effective communication
Regular and effective
communication helps build
solid relationships.
Giles Clinton, director of
both Checkout Tours and
Checkout Travel, believes
optimum communication
is achieved by regular
sales visits, during which
the sales representatives
discuss new opportunities
and the latest product
updates.
“Our agents are our
lifeblood and we do what we
need to in order to service
them efficiently,” says
Erica Barrett, gm of Sun
International Dreams. “Our
sales team is in constant
contact with our retail
partners, which we believe
is key to understanding their
changing needs.”
Cathie Bester says, in
addition to face-to-face calls,
the operator communicates
regularly with the trade
via email and through
advertising in the media,
brochures and flyers. “We
create approximately 500
personal touch points per
week. This establishes
unique and long-lasting
relations and keeps us in
the forefront of the agent’s
mind.”
After-hours support is also
important. Trafalgar recently
launched its Follow the Sun
service, which offers afterhours
telephonic support
service for travel agents
who have queries or want to
make bookings.
2. Knowing the product
Helping agents with
product knowledge
will go a long way in
nurturing the professional
relationship, says Theresa
Szejwallo, md of Trafalgar.
“Trafalgar’s offering
has developed over the
past three years and we
encourage all agents to
utilise the training we
put into the market. An
agent who may feel they
‘know’ Trafalgar because
they’ve been selling us
for years might not have
had the benefit of an
update through a recent
training session, attending
our annual launches or
receiving our monthly
newsletters. We want
these agents to come to
our training.”
First-hand experience
is still the best way
for a travel agent to
successfully sell a
product, says John Ridler,
spokesperson of Cullinan
Outbound Tourism.
He says although the
Thompsons Holidays sales
team does a great job at
running regular in-house
training sessions and
sales cycles for specific
destinations, educational
trips are still first prize.
“Educational trips to
popular destinations
give agents first-hand
knowledge. Thompsons
also offers special
rates for agents who
wish to visit a favourite
destination on holiday.”
3. Quick turnaround times
In an increasingly
demanding and
competitive world, agents
rely on tour operators not
only for extensive product
knowledge but in the
quickest turnaround time.
John says agents
have always set high
standards for service
delivery. Any failure in this
area will drive them to a
competitor.
Joanne Visagie says
it is not so much travel
agents who have become
more demanding but their
clients.
“We strive to ensure
our turnaround time is
incredible and do our
utmost to ensure that
even the most demanding
of clients are impressed
by their travel consultant’s
quick, knowledgeable
response, thanks to
the support we have
provided.”
“The traditional 24-hour
turnaround time is now
considered outdated,”
agrees Erica. She says
clients have direct access
to information via the
Internet and they expect
their travel professional to
give them an immediate
response or they feel
they can get the answers
themselves.
Cathie adds that very
often clients will have
done their own research
on a particular destination
and give the agent a
very specific brief on
their requirements. “We
prefer this because it is
important to us to deliver
good holidays to people.”
Technology goes a
long way in helping tour
operators to ensure a
quick turnaround time on
quotes and demands.
Dreams can advise its
agents of specials and
changes and update
information in minutes,
Erica says.
Trafalgar’s online
booking, invoicing and
payment system provides
real-time availability.
Agents receive an
additional 1% commission
when booking online.
Checkout Tours offers an
online booking platform
that agents can use for
quotes and to make live
reservations.
WLH recently created
the IBE facility for agents.
Cathie explains: “Once
the verification process is
finalised, travel agents
can then request quotes
at all our Mauritian
properties, with various
meal plan options,
flights, transfers and
even excursions. In
fact, they can go as far
as booking online and
issuing all documentation
themselves if required.”
For more complex
routings and destinations,
clients value a well-crafted
package that shows the
consultant’s knowledge –
even if it takes more time,
says Giles.
Alet Steyn agrees. “We
have all our group tour
rates and itineraries ready
to send or to quote but for
private itineraries we need
to work through our local
office and there are time
differences that have to
be kept in mind.
4. When things go wrong.
When things go wrong,
the tour operator needs
to step up to the plate.
Giles says it is imperative
that the tour operator’s
service includes resolving
disputes. “We are flexible
and always willing to
assist. We always see
what we can do, regardless
of the source of the
dispute, to solve it and
make sure the agents are
kept up to speed at all
times.”
Theresa adds: “It helps
to have a state-of-the-art
telephone system where
every call is recorded
and where disputes can
be quickly resolved by
having access to the full
conversation, especially
when the dispute is of a
‘he said, she said’ nature.”
WLH keeps record of
all communication, both
verbal and written, that
is linked to a quotation
or booking. This way,
if disputes are raised,
WLH is able to retrieve
telephone calls and
correspondence pertaining
to the dispute and ensure
that the matter is resolved
timeously. “It is imperative
that disputes are settled
as quickly as possible,”
says Cathie.
Train that brain!
Training on demand
Beachcomber organises
on-going training at the
offices of consortium
partners as well as at
their conferences and
workshops. Joanne
Visagie says: “We’ll
train wherever and
whenever it suits our retail
partners and are there
to up-skill them at every
opportunity.”
Dreams is continuously
doing in-store training
for its agents. The tour
operator also makes use
of online workshops, such
as TI Workshops.
Fam trips
Checkout Tours organises
familiarisation trips during
the year to educate agents
on the product and the
destination. Giles Clinton
says: “There is no better
form of marketing then
actually seeing the place
for yourself!”
WLH also holds regular
educational opportunities.
“Our educationals are
structured in such a way
that the travel agent
has the opportunity to
experience and enjoy
our resorts and not to
spend the day doing one
hotel site inspection after
another,” says Cathie
Bester.
Roadshows
Wendy Wu is participating
in the yearly Eastern
Cape roadshow from
March 31 to April 2. For
those in other parts of
the country, Wendy Wu
will be hosting some
short morning/afternoon
informal training sessions
around Gauteng and Cape
Town in the upcoming
months. Alet Steyn says
sales representatives will
be available for anyone
who’s interested in product
training sessions.
Webinars
Theresa Szejwallo
personally conducts
webinars for the trade
on major launches, such
as Trafalgar’s autumn,
winter and spring offering.
Trafalgar also hosts
in-house webinars through
various consortiums.
Trade shows
Thompsons participates in
all the main trade shows
for travel agents. The
tour operator also held
Mauritius, UK and Ireland
workshops in the last six
months.
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