OPINION
Wayne Darrock
chairman,
Elite Travel Group In the last month we have seen
We must
all pull
together
some dramatic changes within
the UK travel consortia arena.
Last week we announced
the extension of Elite Travel
Group and Advantage Travel
Centres’ working relationship
to join forces on many fronts,
including advertising, marketing
and technology, while both
remain independent and
owned by our members.
“The current climate
emphasises the
importance of being
part of a consortium
rather than going
it alone”
These are two very like-minded
organisations and we have seen
many synergies over the last 12
months, while sharing information
and using fi nancial services. Both
parties could see the benefi ts of
sharing best practice and using
combined buying power and
resources to provide the best
benefi ts to members.
It’s time for consortia to
focus on their members and the
challenges of the next 12 months,
rather than adopt a ‘war of
memberships’.
Good relationships are
essential for a proactive
independent sector.
The TTA/
Worldchoice merger
will bring changes
from some of the old school
methods of previous years and the
business will see modernisation.
Global Travel Group will continue
to focus on bringing in-house tour
operations to market with Stella
products featuring more over next
12 months.
Supplier relationships will also
be key and there will be a real focus
on supporting the key business
partners who support us. There
will also be a focus to address
operators who try to cherry pick
members’ business without
commercial agreements with
consortia head offi ces. Our
members will see this is not in their
interests in the long term and by
supporting key partners, their
bottom line will become stronger.
There will also be a close
monitoring of direct-sell operations
where operators undercut agents.
Advantage has already been
working with key partners to get a
price guarantee for our membership
and expect other consortia to follow.
The current climate emphasises
the importance of being part of a
consortium rather than the
daunting prospect of agents trying
to go it alone.
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