NEWS
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Mystery Shopper Can Middlesbrough agents
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VisitBritain research reveals just 4% of domestic holidays were booked through an agent in 2007
Trade told to push UK breaks
Edward Robertson
ed.robertson@rbi.co.uk
Agents should do more to drive
UK tourism after it was
revealed that the proportion
of domestic bookings they
account for is just 4%.
The most recent VisitBritain
research revealed the limited
share both online and highstreet
travel agencies have of
the market. It found that 45%
of respondents who went on a
domestic break in 2007 did not
make a fi rm booking before
their trip – suggesting a potential
growth area for agents.
ABTA head of business
development and consumer
affairs Keith Richards said
although he believed the
proportion of sales through
agents was higher than 4%, he
admitted sales of domestic
product through UK agents
have diminished.
Richards said agents should
seek to reverse the trend,
and he has taken a seat on the
Despite being in its best position for a
long time, UK inbound tourism still
faces an uphill battle if it is to prosper.
VisitBritain head of government
affairs Bernard Donoghue said the
weakening of the pound against the
dollar and the euro had made the UK
about 27% cheaper for Americans and
those living in the eurozone.
However, UKinbound chief executive
Mary Rance said despite this advantage,
visitor numbers from the US fell 16%
year on year in December, while only our
closest European neighbours were
taking advantage of the exchange rates.
She said: “There’s never been a
“Our members
will be looking for
other options to
sell and we must
help them”
board organising British Tourism
Week to help drive sales
through the association’s
members.
“Domestic tourism is a part
of the market and therefore we
have to ensure the companies
we represent are benefi ting
from that,” said Richards.
“Certainly [with the weakened
pound discouraging
consumers from travelling
overseas] our members will be
looking for other options to
sell and we must help them.”
He added this is why ABTA
continues to run its own UK
tourism group. Agents interested
in increasing their share
of the market can ask ABTA
for information and trading
TOP 10 MOST VISITED CITIES AND
TOWNS IN 2007
1. London 10.1 million -7%
2. Manchester 2.3 million -6%
3. Birmingham 2.2 million 0%
4. Blackpool 1.9 million +5%
5. Bristol 1.6 million -15%
6. Scarborough 1.5 million +8%
7. Leeds 1.4 million -2%
8. York 1.2 million -4%
9. Sheffi eld 1.1 million +21%
10. Newcastle upon Tyne 1 million -16%
Source: UKinbound. Figures compared with 2006 results and based on visits by UK
residents
Pressure on inbound tourism
despite eff ect of weak pound
better time to come to the UK and
enjoy the good value and it is a
message we need to put out.”
Rance said despite the potential,
VisitBritain is still dealing with an 18%
funding cut announced in 2007, while
the increase in Air Passenger Duty due
in November could further dissuade
the long-haul market, including key
customers in India and China, from
visiting the UK.
Donoghue said the tourism board
hopes tourism minister Barbara Follett
will prove a success, thanks to her fi rsthand
experience of the benefi ts tourism
brings to local communities.
Chatsworth House in Derbyshire attracted almost 600,000
visitors in 2008
promotions to get started.
VisitBritain head of government
and public affairs
Bernard Donoghue agreed
agents could help themselves to
a larger slice of the market,
despite consumers booking
domestic breaks increasingly
late. “We still think travel
agents have a really important
role to play. They can add value
thanks to their knowledge
about the product and they can
actively sell it, which is why we
work very closely with ABTA,”
he said.
UK VISITORS
The UK received 32.8
million visitors in 2007.
The top fi ve markets were:
1. The US 3.6 million
2. Germany 3.4 million
3. France 3.3 million
4. Republic of Ireland
3 million
5. Spain 2.2 million
Source: National Statistics
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March 6 2009 | Travel Weekly | 7
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