DURING 2017, a number of tour
operators have scaled back their
offerings, including selling fewer
destinations and/or less product in
the destinations they sell.
But while a less diluted market
can make it easier for consortiums
and groups signing preferred
agreements to reach override
targets, it leaves consultants with
less choice and less ability to give
clients requested product, while
there is also less competition in the
market.
Annemarie Lexow, sales and
marketing manager of Travel Vision,
comments: “Consortiums are trying
to get their agencies to understand
that the more suppliers they use for
the same destinations, the more
they dilute their business and the
long-term effect is that they won’t
reach their target.” She adds that
with more operators scaling back
their offering, consortiums are better
able to reach the targets set out
in their preferred agreements with
suppliers.
Sailesh Parbhu, md of XL Nexus
Travel, says how the development
affects overrides really depends on
what is discontinued by the operator.
“If our non-preferred suppliers and
issued. Since then, Sue has
not issued any tickets through
SWG.
While TNW was unable to
reach Sue this week, when
previously contacted for a
response, she said she was
never notified of a suspension.
She said she stopped ticketing
through the group of her own
accord and preferred to book
tickets on the airline websites
as these were often cheaper.
When asked about the
clients’ claims, Sue said she
had forgotten to issue tickets
in the one case and, in the
other, booked the wrong dates.
In one instance she said she
had accidentally cancelled a
ticket when trying to check
in a client online.
Commenting on the incident,
Dinesh says this is one of
the issues that regulating
the industry could solve
because the requirement
for a certification would put
checks and balances in place.
“These days everybody with a
computer and a mobile phone
wants to be a travel agent.
