PICTURE: ISTOCK
MYSTERY SHOPPER
The target
Middlesbrough,
Cleveland
Wanted
A holiday to
Croatia taking
in city, beach
and inland
discovery
It was a mixed bag in
Middlesborough this
week. On this particular
occasion, there was a
poor consultation from
Thomas Cook. Dawson
and Sanderson and
Tate’s Travel were both
helpful. However,
Thomson received the
top score because the
agent made an extra
eff ort to provide
information and tried
the hardest to get
Mystery Shopper to
return to book.
> See Destinations,
pages 57-62, for more
on Europe
More Mystery Shopper at
www.travelweekly.co.uk/
mysteryshopper
46 | Travel Weekly | March 6 2009
Dawson and Sanderson
127 Linthorpe Road, Middlesborough
73%
The consultant who
served me was
polite and helpful
and her willingness to fi nd me
the best deal was excellent.
However, points were lost
because I had to wait fi ve minutes
to be served, I wasn’t given any
means of contacting the agent to
follow up and the agent didn’t take
my contact details. She suggested
TOP
5TIPS
Tip 1
All the agents off ered
one-centre holidays.
Croatia is a relatively
small country and it is
easy to get around and
see many areas through
day trip excursions.
Alternatively, both Balkan
Holidays and Cosmos
twin the beach island of
Korcula with Dubrovnik.
Tip 2
Thomas Cook
107 Linthorpe Road, Middlesborough
31%
This branch had a
number of travel
deals in the window
display and the interior was
well presented.
The brochure racks were neatly
organised and all staff were
wearing full uniform.
There were eight travel agents
and 13 customers visible when I
entered and I waited seven
minutes to be greeted.
that I fl y into Dubrovnik and book
day excursions out there.
The consultant found quotes for
£1,500 for Apartmani Ivana and
fl ights, but when she looked
into booking the fl ights and
accommodation separately it
brought the price down to £800
per person for two weeks.
She said she would match any
quote from another agent.
Tate’s Travel
2 Newport Crescent, Middlesborough
77%
The consultants at
this well-presented
agency were all
busy when I entered, but I was
soon asked to take a seat.
The consultant suggested I fl y
to Dubrovnik, and looked at a
number of diff erent sites to fi nd
the appropriate information.
She found quotes for separate
fl ights and accommodation at
Regent
Holidays off ers
a 10-day selfdrive
itinerary,
beginning in Split and
visiting Hvar island and
Krka National Parks.
Routes are picturesque,
but tend to be single lane
so can sometimes be slow.
Tip 3
Croatia off ers value for
money at the moment
because it is outside the
eurozone. Jet2.com and
easyJet are off ering new
routes to Croatia this year.
Tip 5
Alternative ways to
get a feel for the country
Once my enquiry was being dealt
with, the consultant attempted to
search for some of the packages
they had available.
Unfortunately, she then stated
that they did not have any suitable
packages for Croatia and visits to
the Dubrovnik area.
I left the agency feeling
disappointed that the consultant
didn’t make much of an attempt to
assist me.
Apartmani Ivana costing £827 per
person, and also bed and breakfast
at Sumratin Hotel for £870 per
person, including fl ights.
Before I left the agency the agent
gave me her name and branch
contact number.
She was cheerful and helpful
and made me feel comfortable.
However, she made no attempt to
close the sale.
are via cruises and
coach tours. Operators
including Thomas
Cook off er a cruise
down the Dalmatian
Coast. Regent Holidays
and Inghams both
off er seven-night
coach tours.
Tip 5
For a complete rundown
of all the resorts and
hotels in Croatia visit
www.gazetteers.com.
The website also contains
photos of resorts and
hotel reviews from fellow
travel agents.
www.travelweekly.co.uk
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