Featured Press Article

At your service - Travel Weekly - 22 Apr 2005

"As we all know dynamic packaging is sweeping the independent sector and, for the first time, there is as credible alternative to the major tour operators' product - or is there?

The fundamental element of a package holiday is not the flight, since this now can be sourced from either low-cost or charter aircraft through a number of different sources.

The key to a good holiday is its delivery on the ground. With dynamic packing, holidaymakers can source the same hotels but there are some core elements missing.

For example how do clients get to and from the airport? We launched HolidayTaxis private transfer service three years ago to fill this gap. It remains one of the fastest growing sectors of the dynamic package.

But there is another element missing - the in-resort rep. Over the past years they have become less relevant to customers.

Nonetheless, customers do want assistance to be available in resort, which is why we launched Destination Care. Many of the major tour operators have dramatically cut back on the number of reps they employ overseas in an attempt to reduce operational expenditure, leaving many clients with a reduced service on holiday.

Similarly, growth in the dynamic packaging market has seen many thousands of customers exposed as they travel to resort without any kind of representative service.
So what happens if something goes wrong - who should the customer call? This is a major concern for retailers as package travel regulations state that, when packaging holidays, a contact number must be provided for the clients to be able to call in the event of a problem arising.

Customer demands have changed considerably while operators have not really kept up with the pace of change. Clients often know more about the destination than the current breed of traditional reps and don't need to be hand-led from the airport and spoon-fed information around resort.

But there is still a need for clients to contact someone locally in the event of a problem or for advice, and a simple phone call gives customers the security of having a rep service they can use should they need to."

Paul Stanyer is Managing director of Destination Care and Holidaytaxis.com