Insight Magazine - The Travel Network Group

SPRING/SUMMER 2012

ATOL

Special

We take a look at how the new ATOL regulations will aect the Travel Industry, with a special interview from Andy Cohen, Head of Licensing at the CAA, and what you need to know about the changes.

Corporate Travel

Solutions

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The Travel Network Group - Championing the Independent Travel Market

Contents insight 02 Welcome

Contents 04

08 Stories and articles in this edition range from what we got up to on our round of ATOL Roadshows over the last few weeks to advice on running events.

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02-03

Welcome from Gary Lewis

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The Travel Network Group Member Page

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Great service with The Holiday Team/Cruise Specialists

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Running events and getting results

Much of the activity from our end over the last few months has been focused on the ATOL reforms (see pages 8 to 10) and the launch of Honeycomb. The ATOL roadshows have been a great success. By the time we finish the series of meetings we will have talked to over 250 members and, overwhelmingly, the feedback from those who have attended a session has been extremely positive.

For me personally, attending these roadshows has been a really useful exercise, as it’s not only been an opportunity to take members through all the preparatory work we have done on ensuring that as a Group we offer a range of options so that our members can be compliant, but a great opportunity to meet members from across the Group that I haven’t met before.

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The Travel Network Group Conference/Corporate Travel Solutions

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Top tips on increasing your margins

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Jetsave, The Holiday Team and Great Railway Journey

Plans are also well underway for our one day Business Partner Forum which is taking place in Central London on Friday April 20th (see page 11).

Prior to committing to this event, we did ask you, the members, if there was an appetite for this one day event and overwhelmingly the answer was yes. So, we are hoping for a very strong turnout on the day.

We all look forward to seeing you at the conference very soon.

A Spanish holiday for your customers

Enjoy the read and kind regards to you all.

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ATOL Reform: what you need to know

60 seconds with Stuart Kerr / Marketing Focus Group

Editorial input was provided by Alexis ColesBarrasso and Laura Hindmarch. Many thanks to all the members that helped with the magazine. We would like to hear from you if you have any interesting content for the next magazine. Get in touch with Marketing on marketing@thetravelnetworkgroup.co.uk.

Gary

Group Managing Director The Travel Network Group

Bringing you all the latest news for:

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Gary Lewis on ATOL Reforms

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Recently Gary was a guest journalist for Travel Weekly, when he was asked his views on the ATOL reforms....

I have spent the last four weeks on the road with the CAA meeting our members, discussing the ATOL reforms and the solutions we offer. As a group we are ready for the April 30 launch having implemented three options for members to enable them to be compliant.

Flight-Plus is a stepping stone to a future that will have one badge of protection. That will be an ATOL badge, but on reflection shouldn’t it have been an ABTA badge? ABTA is one of the most powerful consumer brands in UK travel, recognised widely by consumers, many of whom believe it offers 100% financial protection. All in the industry know it doesn’t stand for that any longer.

Seven years ago our industry had a chance of self regulation. Online travel agents [OTAs] were dynamic packaging, claiming they were agents for flights and agents for accommodation, and selling the flights and accommodation as a holiday. This sidestepped the Package Travel Regulations and the need to hold an ATOL to protect consumers financially.

Entrepreneurs, including TTA (Travel Trust Association) members, followed this growing market and took advantage of the explosion in no-frills airlines and growth of bed banks. The difference for TTA members was that, while they did not hold an ATOL, they were able to offer clients and business partners 100% financial protection.

Some ABTA members were also dynamically packaging, but without holding an ATOL and paying for financial protection. So we had the crazy scenario where a travel company could

fail and, because the client had purchased the flight and accommodation as separate components, they were not financially protected.

This got crazier when Freedom Direct Holidays failed in 2009. It held both ATOL and ABTA badges. The organisations argued over who should pick up the liability for non-packages.

The CAA, ABTA, TTA, AITO and the top 20 ATOL holders all believed OTAs should be financially protecting customers. We started talking about self regulation. Then ABTA changed its mind. We know the consequences of this change of direction: a series of court cases (ABTA v CAA, CAA v Travel Republic) and now secondary legislation to force through Flight-Plus.

I know how many high street travel agents feel about these new regulations because they’ve told me. They feel they have been hit by a sledgehammer swung to hit the OTAs, and I agree with them.

Sadly, the Department for Transport, guided by the CAA, has had to bring the OTAs into ATOL, when ABTA could have self regulated and targeted the OTAs selling mass-market holidays.

We now have the position where an agent selling a package and adding overseas car hire from a different supplier needs an ATOL to cover the car rental. If you are a high street agent selling 20 of these a year, you are probably going to stop.

We saw a similar situation when the Financial Services Authority had the bright idea of bringing travel insurance under its rules. The administrative burden resulted in many agents no longer selling insurance and you now have more people travelling uninsured than were ever mis-sold by an agent.

The next step will be for the CAA to bring airlines selling add-ons into financial protection and, ultimately, the ATOL badge will become the kite mark of financial protection in the UK. With the right marketing, the ATOL Certificate will become second nature to consumers.

What ABTA needs to ask itself is: does it want to be in financial protection any longer or should it focus on lobbying and its code of conduct? Leaving those who can offer consumers peace of mind to do that.

Corporate Travel

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02 Membership Contents insight 04

Striking the right balance with ITE Independent Travel Experts (ITE) launched in September 2011 and has now recruited over 34 homeworkers.

All ITE homeworkers must have a travel background and for many it is a lifestyle choice; working from their own home office and selling the right product to meet the needs of today’s discerning traveller.

New homeworker Linda Spina has joined ITE from a career break; Linda worked for US Airways in their sales and marketing team and has an in-depth knowledge of the travel industry beginning her career in reservations.

Whilst working full time with young children presents many challenges for parents, Linda has the added challenge of a disabled daughter, requiring regular trips to hospital and specialist treatment.

choosing to use her knowledge to help other families in similar positions to have a holiday in hotels that are adapted to make them more accessible for wheelchair users and to meet the more specific needs of these clients.

Linda said: “I am thrilled to be working with ITE. I have a great passion for the travel industry and I am excited to be able to continue in my career with the flexibility to be there for my family. Through Maisie’s hospital visits, I have met many families facing the challenges that we have as a family and I am delighted to be able to help them fulfil their own travel plans and use my personal experience to support them.”

This hasn’t stopped the family from travelling overseas and with personal experience; Linda will focus on holidays for disabled clients,

Winners!

Congratulations to all of our members who had customers win prizes for our last Marketing Campaign Competition.

There was a chance to win a holiday to Australia, a trip to Rome and 20 Thorntons Chocolate Hampers. Broadland Travel customer Theresa Carrol won the amazing trip to Australia! Miss Carroll describes how she felt when she was told the news: “I was overjoyed to receive the phone call, this came in a year that has a special birthday and gives us a chance to experience a holiday of a lifetime.”

Who knows, the next winner could be one of your customers!

Theresa Carroll, winner of the trip to Australia customer of Broadland Travel.

Thorntons Chocolate winner Hannah Wood with Vicky Brammer from Worldchoice Travel, Sheffield.

Pictured: Linda with her two children

Clean sweep at awards World Market Travel awarded the prestigious ‘Retailer of the Year’ by Bath Life Magazine At Bath Life Magazine’s Annual Awards Event, Tim and Peter Giles and their team at World Market Travel walked off with one of the night’s highest accolades - Retailer of The Year.

This prestigious award is open to all of Bath’s retailers, and the family-owned travel business couldn’t have been more pleased.

Tim Giles, joint owner of the agency, said: “The judges gave the award to us taking into consideration the experience of the staff, overall service levels to clients and client feedback plus the fact we have been in business for over 30 years and to date managed to compete with the onslaught of the internet and remain on the high street. We have dedicated the award to the staff here.

They are a committed and loyal team and this award recognises what a great job they do.”

Pictured from left to right : Jacqui and Tim Giles, Penny and Peter Giles

Gary Lewis, Group MD, The Travel Network Group added: “To be recognised as Bath’s retailer of the year has to be one of the best ever accolades. Bath has many of the country’s top brands on its high street, which makes it even more well-deserved. On behalf of us all – very well done.”

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Member of the year awards

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At last year’s Strength & Vision Conference in PortAventura, Mercian Travel and Worldwide Holidays Direct won the coveted Worldchoice and TTA Member of the Year Awards.

Elaine Jeavons from Mercian Travel firmly believes that their recent success was due to a new ownership structure and a different approach to their relationship with Worldchoice. “We started to become a more proactive member of Worldchoice and benefited from the excellent commercial agreements, increased incentives and good relationships with our suppliers.”

Worldchoice saw Mercian Travel as an agency that had come through a major transitional period and had managed to evolve and respond positively to a number of significant changes including the ever challenging business climate.

everything they do that helped them secure the TTA Member of the Year Award. “Ever since forming Worldwide Holidays I knew we needed to stand out from the crowd,” said Helen who founded the agency.

Helen’s advice to those who may like to think they will be next year’s winners, is to always make sure you focus on your goals. “Never take your eye off your destinations, or your customers and make sure you always continue to innovate. Embrace technology where it helps to communicate with your clients,” she concluded.

TTA Membe r of the Year : Worldwide Holidays Dir ect Ltd

the Year: Member of Worldchoice Centre el Mercian Trav

Helen Baille from Worldwide Holildays Direct believes it was their continued passion in

Make way for Medway Travel Earlier this year a key Worldchoice member, CT Business Travel in Tunbridge Wells, acquired Medway Travel. Insight caught up with owner Mark Kempster to find out the background to the purchase.

“We wanted to expand over and above our organic growth and Medway Travel was the perfect fit,” said Mark when asked about the deal. “Medway Travel has an excellent team already employed there so we can feel confident in running another remote location,” he added.

In the current climate it is essential that you focus on service, service and more service

Mark Kempster Medway Travel

Under its previous ownership Medway Travel was part of the Advantage consortium.

However, Mark was keen to move it to become a member of Worldchoice as he has enjoyed a long and beneficial relationship with the

group. Going forward, Medway and CT Travel will work closely with Corporate Travel Solutions. Tim Giles, Director of Corporate Travel Solutions commented: “I am delighted that CT have expanded their operation and pleased to welcome The Medway team into our special alliance with Uniglobe, which continues to grow in size and strength.”

Mark added that the first month of trading for Medway under its new structure has been good, and he is confident that despite the economic situation, it will continue to trade well. “In the current climate it is essential that you focus on service, service and more service, whilst accepting that in the short term it might cost you more to operate a high service business. It’s equally important that you look at what differentiates you from your competitors, who may well be cutting back on service levels during these challenging times.”

02 The Contents Holiday Team insight 06

Get great service, great choice with Having a Tour Operator that is proactive and helpful makes all the difference in providing your customers with their perfect holiday.

The Holiday Team has great connections all around the world, leaving you with the reassurance that you can get the best air fares and hotel deals. You will have all the support you need with experienced telephone staff and “on the road” Sales Team to give you individual attention.

Don’t just take our word for it, TTA member Raj Sodha from Air Travel Corporate works with

“They are always very helpful and patient.

Their fares are always very good. More importantly, they have a rep visit us every five weeks, which is very valuable to us” Daniele Broccoli - Britaly Travel

The Holiday Team on a regular basis. Air Travel Corporate uses The Holiday Team because their prices are competitive and they receive excellent customer service. Raj explains: “The customer service is good and we find their staff proactive and always willing to help.

Issues raised have always been dealt with in an efficient and satisfactory manner.”

Not only do you benefit from working with The Holiday Team, but your customers can too! Another reason why Air Travel Corporate is keen to work with The Holiday Team is the broad product range they offer with competitive prices, which is essential to attract customers, what’s more they have an efficient system in place to deliver the service

effectively.

Raj adds: “The seamless process reflects in us being able to offer our customers the very best”.

We are pleased to announce that The Holiday Team will be at The Travel Network Group Conference on Friday 20th April. Don’t forget to book an appointment with The Holiday Team to find out how working with them can benefit your business.

Cruise still set for growth...

Despite the gloomy economic outlook, the cruise industry continues to be the fastest growing segment of the travel industry with 2 million passengers projected for 2014. building customer loyalty. Likewise to help front line staff, Stephen has set up exclusive training days at the business partner offices in order to develop stronger relationships and to increase the depth of product knowledge, which in turn should help drive further sales.

As the cruise sector continues to grow and evolve, so does the proposition of our Cruise Specialists, formerly known as “The Cruise Club”. To get more information on the plans for this important part of the business, Insight spoke to Stephen Joyner, Cruise Specialist Manager.

“Our key focus going forward will be on providing support and training to agents who are new to cruise in order to make them specialists. For those agents who are already cruise specialists, we will help them to look at the many other areas in the sector which provide opportunities for growth.”

To support this initiative, Stephen and

Pictured: Cruise Specialists members getting tips on cruise marketing.

the team organised two cruise marketing workshops which were set up to provide support and to help agents adapt their way of thinking in attracting new customers, identifying viable customer groups and

“We are looking at ways of providing more flexibility to our members with the ability to dynamically package, and this is due to be rolled out to the Group very soon,” added Stephen, “The Group will also have access to special departures to help differentiate themselves from their competitors and be able to offer price point advantage points and increased value initiatives such as higher on board credit.”

If you would like more information on the value and the benefits of being one of our Cruise Specialists contact Stephen Joyner on stephen.joyner@thetravelnetworkgroup.co.uk

Local events 07

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Running events and

gettingresults!

Pictured: Andrew Odgen, Karen Ogden and Leanne Douglas from Travelbank Worldchoice

Event Advice from Leanne: “Choose what you are passionate in, be determined to make it a success and go for it! Make sure you pick the right venue, free parking always helps and get the timing right.”

Have you ever thought of running an event but have been put off by the thought of the time and cost involved in organising one? Well one of our members explains with a little time and effort you can see great results!

Travelbank Worldchoice held two events last year with Wendy Wu and other tour operators, and over 250 customers attended! Leanne from Travelbank Worldchoice explains how running an event with Wendy Wu helped generate bookings with current and new clients.

How did you promote the event?

“Once we had all the tour operators confirmed, we contacted our existing clients, many of whom have been on an escorted tour before and encouraged them to bring their friends along. We advertised in our local newspaper in their travel features, and also put posters up in local businesses.

What support did Wendy Wu give you?

The support Wendy Wu gave us was fantastic, they provided us with promotional material to send to clients before the event. We kept in touch with them throughout the planning and promoting stages which helped with the running of the day. Wendy Wu helped with the cost of the advertising and also offered travel show discounts to the clients. The enthusiasm, expertise and professionalism of Charlie Cooper from Wendy Wu was appreciated by our clients, resulting in bookings on the day.

logistics of the day. Organising the event was more exciting than stressful, we worked well together as a team and we were determined to make it a success. What’s more, we got a large turnover from bookings. We think the success of our event was down to working with the right partners, inviting likeminded clients and a determination to get bookings on the day.”

Wendy Wu believes that supporting members’ events is very important. With the combination of Wendy Wu’s great product, an experienced team both in the UK and Far East adds to the success of any event you wish to hold.

Charlie Cooper, UK Sales Manager for Wendy Wu, added: “Wendy Wu are very much trade focused and always have been, we don’t offer any direct discount so there is a price parity and there is always a trade call to action in any advertising.”

Was running the event worth it?

We had to put a lot of time in the planning and

If you would like more information about running your own event please contact the Marketing Team by emailing marketing@thetravelnetworkgroup.co.uk

02 ATOL Contents Reforms insight 08

Are YOUready for all the What you need to know...

Getting to grips with ATOL

What makes a Flight Plus Sale?

The next few months will see many changes in the Travel Industry. The changes will have a big impact on the way you work as independent travel agents. Here is a summary of the regulations and documents that will be introduced in April and October.

and /or

Flight

Accommodation

Car Hire

When your customers ask to book a flight with any overseas accommodation and/or car hire at the same time or within a 24 hour period this will require ATOL protection.

One common theme that has come up in our ATOL Roadshows is the time frame of when ATOL is required in Flight Plus. The examples below demonstrate when a booking is a Flight Plus sale:

ATOL Certificates The introduction of the new ATOL certificates aims to reassure the consumer that they are protected. The certificates need to be issued to your customers at the point of sale. As time goes on the certificates will become just as important as taking your passport and insurance documents with you.

This is an important document. Make sure you take it with you when you travel.

Flight Plus Sale Example: Miss Russell wants to book a flight to Tenerife. You book the flight as requested on Tuesday. However, the following day (within 24 hours) she comes in asking to book accommodation with you.

Why is this a Flight Plus Sale?

There are three different kinds of ATOL certificates: Flight Plus Package Flight Only

ATOL Certificate

This confirms that your money is protected by the ATOL scheme and that you can get home if your travel company collapses.

This certificate sets out how the ATOL scheme will protect the people named on it for the parts of their trip listed below.

Who is protected?

[Passenger Names]

Number of passengers: [xxxx]

What is protected?

[Departure and destination airport and dates of travel] [Name of air carrier] Who is protecting your flight?

[Name of protecting ATOL holder and ATOL number] [Booking reference] ATOL protected cost [£xxxx.xx, amount due to be paid to protecting ATOL holder ignoring any mark-ups, consumer’s insurance premium, and credit-card fees charged]

Your protection

You are protected from when you were given this certificate until you return to the UK. If [name of protecting ATOL holder] stops trading, the passengers named above will either: 1 be returned to the UK; or 2 depending on the warning below, receive a refund for the amount above (or your deposit if that is all you have paid so far).

Your protection depends on the terms of the ATOL scheme (available at www.atol.org.uk).

If [name of protecting ATOL holder] stops trading, you must follow the instructions at www.atol.org.uk (where there will be details of arrangements to bring people back to the UK, and information on how people can claim money back). Or, you can call (+44) 20 7453 6350.

Warning

This certificate only protects the flight you have booked, so you will not be able to claim a refund from ATOL if you asked to book accommodation or car hire at the same time as your flight and were given this certificate. However, you will be returned to the UK if the firm protecting your flight stops trading. Because of this, you may want to take advice on how you can protect your money. If you want to protect your trip with ATOL, you could ask for an ATOL-protected package or flight-plus instead.

By issuing this ATOL certificate, under Regulation 15 of the Civil Aviation (Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing) Regulations 2012, [Name of ATOL Certificate Issuer] confirms that the flight to which it applies is sold in line with the ATOL held by [name of protecting ATOL holder].

The ATOL scheme is run by the Civil Aviation Authority and paid for by the Air Travel Trust. To see what that is and what you can expect, together with full information on its terms and conditions, go to www.atol.org.uk.

As Miss Russell booked accommodation within 24 hours of booking her flight it requires Flight Plus Protection.

Unique reference number [ATOL holder’s booking reference]

Date of issue: /

/

ATOL Certificate Issuer:

ATOL number:

Flight-only sale

Agency Agreements NOT a Flight Plus Sale Example: Mr Cullen requests to book a flight to Rome. He comes back to see you two weeks later and wants to book car hire.

Why isn’t this a Flight Plus Sale?

The fact that Mr Cullen came back two weeks later to book car hire means that it is outside the time frame of requiring Flight Plus.

Dates to remember 30th April 2012: ATOL Regulations come into force 1st October 2012: ATOL Certificates launch

The CAA have agreed that The Travel Network Group can hold Agency Agreements on behalf of its membership. The Travel Network Group are busy collecting Agency Agreements from Business Partners selling flight only and flight inclusive packages.

These Agreements will be available for you to view and download shortly.

How do I get an agency agreement?

You only need to put in place Agency Agreements with flight only or flight inclusive package suppliers who aren’t Business Partners.

The supplier should have a copy of an Agency Agreement, but if not, this can be downloaded from the CAA’s website. You will need to retain a copy of the Agency Agreement.

To keep up to date with all you

Q & A with Andy Cohen 09

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We spoke to Andy Cohen, Head of ATOL Licensing from the CAA to get his thoughts on the ATOL reforms and what he thinks independent travel agents need to do.

Q

In your opinion, how has the industry responded to the new regulations and what needs to happen before April 2012?

Considering there is a lot of information for the trade to get to grips with, we’ve been pleased with the response. There has been a real willingness to engage with us. Our open days and other industry events were really well subscribed, and we know people are making use of the advice and guidance we’ve made available as well.

But the key for agents now is to make sure they are ready for 30th April. That means looking at what the reforms mean for the way they sell holidays, considering the options available to them and then taking action to make sure they have the appropriate level of protection. This is going to be law, so agents have to be ready.

A

Q

Are you confident that the UK Travel Industry will be ready for the legislation in April?

A Travel organisers obviously have a responsibility to take the necessary action to ensure they comply with the new regulations, but I do believe the majority of the trade will be ready. We’ve been working closely with the industry for a number of months now, and will continue to, so the trade gets the support it needs. The Government’s decision to not introduce the ATOL Certificate until October also gives travel organisers extra time to prepare.

Q

What, specifically should independent agents be doing in the run up to the new legislation being rolled out?

It’s vital that agents are aware of the changes, understand them and fully consider how their business will be affected. Doing nothing is simply not an option.

A

Q

Do you think consumers understand the importance of buying travel with an ATOL protected agent?

Consumers want to know that their holiday is protected; they want that peace of mind and especially at a time when many people across the country have less money in their pockets. For some time now though, there has been confusion over what is protected and what isn’t, and that’s exactly why these reforms are being introduced.

The reforms will make the picture a lot clearer for the consumer, and we plan to work hard to promote the changes to them once ATOL Certificates are being issued. Travel organisers too have a role in promoting to their customers the importance of ATOL protection.

A

Q

Will the CAA be promoting ATOL protection going forward?

consumers on board. We’ll be working on a consumer-facing campaign towards the end of the year, and hope to work very closely with the trade on this.

Q

When do you anticipate that airline holidays will be brought into the ATOL regs?

A We’re aware this is an issue that many people in the trade feel strongly about, but primary legislation is required to bring airlines holidays into the scheme so it wasn’t possible to do this as part of the current reforms. However, the Civil Aviation Bill proposes giving Secretary of State the power to introduce airlines into the scheme following consultation. The Bill is currently going through Parliament, so we will need to see the outcome of that process before we can say how this situation will develop.

Q

What will success look like for the CAA?

A These reforms are about making sure consumers know when their holiday is protected, and by whom. That’s the outcome we’re all working to achieve. In the long-term, we want to see the ATOL Certificate become an essential item for every holidaymaker booking ATOL protected travel – much in the same way many people take their insurance documents wherever they travel.

Our first priority is to make sure the travel trade understands the reforms and are taking necessary action. The next step will be to get A

u need to know about the ATOL regulations go to www.caa.co.uk

02 Contents ATOL Reforms insight 10

Get the right solution for you As you are well aware, the new ATOL regulations are law and they need to be taken seriously. The Travel Network Group has a number of options to make the new regulations easier for you.

Group ATOL

Honeycomb

Group ATOL is currently available to Worldchoice Members and will be available to TTA Members by 30 April 2012. Group ATOL allows you to provide ATOL cover via our ATOL Angel system for flight only and flight plus bookings by booking the product as a retail agent of TTAFS Ltd. Group ATOL offers two levels of coverage, Standard and Gold Plated. The Standard Group ATOL includes ATOL coverage and the Gold Plated Group ATOL includes ATOL, SFC and Travel Disruption insurance. The cost for Standard ATOL cover is £7 per booking and £5 per passenger. The cost for Gold Plated ATOL cover is £7 per booking and £13.50 per passenger. Members need to sign an Agency Agreement and be on TAPS or ACAS prior to accessing the ATOL Angel system.

Honeycomb is a booking engine that allows you to search and book flight, cruise, accommodation and transfer product either individually or together as a package.

Honeycomb is currently in development and being tested by a sample of members.

Honeycomb will be available to the whole membership by 30 April 2012.

Members need to sign an Agency Agreement and be on TAPS or ACAS prior to using Honeycomb.

What are my options?

T-ATOL

T-ATOL is the TTA’s franchise arrangement with the CAA. With the T-ATOL, the CAA recognises the unique 100% financial protection to consumers provided by the TTA. Therefore, the CAA will rebate the £2.50 APC cost charged to T-ATOL Holders by £1.75, total cost £0.75 per passenger. This cost is significantly lower than other ATOL licenses. There are two levels to the T-ATOL, below 1,000 licensable passengers and above 1,000 licensable passengers. The lower level cost is £710.00 and the higher level cost is £1,890.00. Both costs are reduced upon renewal.

For more details please contact your Membership Team or Account Manager

Your questions answered!

We’ve put together the three most popular asked questions at all the ATOL roadshows, along with the answers from the CAA. Q

What is the difference between Flight-Plus and packages?

A A package has protection under the Package Travel Regulations as well as ATOL protection, whereas Flight-Plus only has ATOL protection. If you agree to combine a request for a flight and accommodation and/or car hire with other services and sell at an inclusive price, it is likely to be a package. Otherwise, in most cases it is likely to be a Flight-Plus.

Businesses should take legal advice on whether such arrangements constitute a package or not. Advice is also available from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills at www.bis.gov.uk.

Q

My consortium usually handles things like agency agreements. Do I need my own written agency agreement now?

A The CAA’s Schedule of Agency Terms includes a term under which the ATOL holder can decide whether its agent can appoint subagents (Agency Term 10B). If the agreement in place between the ATOL holder and your consortia contains that term, you will not need your own written agency agreement. If it does not, then you should contact the ATOL holder and ask them to appoint you as their agent and provide you with a written agency agreement.

Q

Is it a Flight-Plus when a customer requests to book accommodation a week after their flight?

A No. A Flight-Plus exists when a customer requests to book a flight with accommodation and/or car hire either on the same day, or a day either side of the flight. As such, if the customer returns a week later, it is not a Flight-Plus.

Conference 11

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UK 1 Day Business Partner Forum - Friday 20th April 2012- Pestana Hotel, London

Book your FREE place today!

Don’t forget to register to attend The Travel Network Group UK one day Business Partner Forum and ATOL sessions There will be 50 top business partners in attendance with whom you can book 15 minute appointments. This presents a great opportunity for you and your staff to meet business partners, it’s free to attend, lunch is included and up to 5 staff can register from each agency.

Business Partners attending include: Pestana Hotels, A2B Transfer, All of America/Asia, Worldwide, Funway Holidays, Getabed, Gold Medal, Great Rail Journeys, Holiday Autos, Hurtigruten, Intourist Travel, Jetset, JTA Travel, Keycamp Holidays, Kirker Holidays, Lounge Pass, Monarch Group (Avro, Cosmos & Avalon), North America Travel Service, Page & Moy, Preston Holiday Group, Regent Seven Seas, RCCL, Serenity Holidays, Silversea Cruises, Sunspot Tours, Superbreak, The Holiday Team, Titan Travel, Trafalgar/Insight/Contiki Tours, Travel2, Travelcube, USAirtours, Viking River Cruises & Wendy Wu.

How do I register for FREE? TTA Members you should already have received an

Worldchoice Members can register and access the

email with a link to the appointment booking system, along with a user name and password. If you haven’t received the email please contact your Account Manager.

appointment booking system through Get It Quick, and if you have any questions contact membership@worldchoice.co.uk

Is corporate travel for you?

Are you finding your company is offering more and more travel solutions for the corporate traveller, or would you like to move into this increasingly lucrative sector?

If so, you may consider looking into working with Corporate Travel Solutions.

Corporate Travel can be a very profitable proposition, with larger revenue earning opportunities than leisure travel.

As The Travel Network Group’s business travel proposition and the new name for Corporate Solutions, Corporate Travel Solutions is a support network which provides both advice and technological solutions for members.

Corporate Travel Solutions can help you with networking and offer introductions to new suppliers.

We work closely with Uniglobe, who provide access to net fares and Travelport who are our preferred GDS supplier. Both provide opportunities for earning potential.

With three levels of membership Corporate Travel Solutions can help at all stages from advice on starting up, right through to providing net fares with over 60 airlines via our alliance with Uniglobe.

For more information on Corporate Travel Solutions please contact Tim Giles on tim.giles@thetravelnetworkgroup.co.uk

Corporate Travel

Solutions

Tier 1: Starting up

We can provide a step by

step guide of how to sta rted.

Tier 2: Business Health Chec

k If you are already workin g in this sector on a small scale, Tim Giles, Director of Corpo rate Travel Solutions will be able to offer help and advice on the best ways to move forward with the vie w of increasing profitability and quality of service. Thi s advice can include how to approach potential cus tomers and promote you r business, review the effi ciency of your team and off er guidance based on past and current experiences.

In addition, if you have a high level of corporate sal es but unable to obtain net fares with airlines then ou r top tier level of members hip that offers the allianc e with Uniglobe may be of interest.

Tier 3: Uniglobe Membe rshi

p Ideally a minimum of £5 00 BSP turnover is require d to make the proposition wo rthwhile.

02 How Contents to... insight 12

How to... increase your sales and margins At a time when increasing margins is more important than ever, we have some top tips in getting the most out of your margins from the Worldchoice Member of the Year, Elaine Jeavons from Mercian Travel and also Helen Burgess, Membership Director.

Do your research

Promote after sales services

Raise your gross margin

Get to know which operators are discounting heavily on-line, avoid giving out their brochures or looking for availability with them.

Your customers should trust your advice so your team need to believe that price isn’t everything - smaller operators often give clients a more bespoke service.

Get your team to believe they are worth paying more for and encourage them to point out to your clients the extra after sales services you provide.

Raising your gross margin by 1% will put £10,000 onto the bottom line of a business with a £1 million turnover and it’s great for staff morale!

Focus on your service Helen Burgess, Membership Director suggests: “In my experience it’s vital that you get your staff focused on selling a service rather than a product as this allows you to differentiate your price.” Let’s take John Lewis as an example.

Consumers may choose to go to John Lewis and pay more to buy an item, rather than purchase it on-line as they believe the after sales service you get from John Lewis is excellent.

Use the tools on offer to Dynamically Package You can make big savings on some types of travel but remember you are now acting as the tour operator and taking extra responsibility so you need to make extra margin don’t pass all the savings back to the customer.

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insight 14 Spotlight on Spain

Experience a

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with a difference

Stunning sandy beaches in El Torn

Portaventura Amusement Park

Spotlight on Spain 15

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Rock Climbing in the Costa Daurada region

Spain offers a vast array of options for holiday seekers in different locations Whether your customers want a relaxing sun worshipping holiday or an action packed adventure, Spain has it all. We can give you a taste of the variety Catalunya has to offer for your customers to experience a holiday with a difference.

Fun for the Family If your customers are looking for a holiday with plenty to do for all the family then PortAventura is for them. PortAventura Resort has an amazing theme park to keep all the family entertained, with the added bonus of three new golf courses for adults who want to have quiet time.

Stunning Beaches When you think of Salou you probably think of their sandy beaches - well we can’t blame you for thinking that! The Costa Daurada beaches have even won awards their quality.

Thirst for culture

The Valls Human Castles Festival is an incredible chance to see nearly 7000 castellers (Human Castles performers) from 56 Colles (Human Castles groups) present their magnificent and heart stopping feats.

Explore the cultural side of Spain by visiting the vine yards and taste the best wines in the country. Costa Daurada offers the chance for holiday makers to learn about wine and be confident in taking back a new found knowledge in wine tasting.

Active Holidays Do your customers want something different from their holiday? The Costa

Daurada is a perfect destination for hiking through forests and discovering medieval castles, chapels and climbing over cliffs.

There are plenty of routes that can be enjoyed.

Gegants i Capgrossos In Spanish and Catalan festivals you can often see “gegants i capgrossos” (Catalan) which means “giants and big heads.”

The giants are hollow festival figures made of papier maché (pictured above) usually several metres tall that show the upper part of the figure and have a skirt covering the lower part. The impressive costumed figures pull in the crowds to make a fantastic day out.

Discover the history behind Spain When you think of discovering historical wonders, you don’t necessarily think of Tarragona. However, your customers may be surprised to know that Spain is home to Rome’s first and oldest settlement. They can also learn about the largest inhabited abbey in Poblet or why not encourage them to have a look around the Modernist buildings and go the the Gaudi Centre.

60 seconds with... 16

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with Stuart Kerr, Holidaymate At the Stansted ATOL roadshow, we grabbed 60 seconds with TTA member, Stuart Kerr from Holidaymate. Holidaymate specialises in Turkey holidays and have both UK and Turkey offices. They pride themselves on being Turkey specialists which enables them to give their customers a personal approach with great value.

How long have you been with TTA? This is our 12th Year with the TTA.

What made you want to join TTA? Initially the ability to obtain credit card facilities and accounts with suppliers.

What are your plans for your business?

Market share is very important so the first objective is to increase this in our niche sector and then develop diversities and run these using our current business model.

How do you set up online to differentiate yourself from the other competitors?

How are you trading in the difficult times?

There is very little point entering the online market place without a good IT system however being a niche online travel agency selling Turkish travel arrangements it is not difficult to differentiate from the masses with the volume of product, good copy and of course exposure.

We see peaks and troughs in bookings just like any other online travel agency but don’t necessarily see the present economic climate as “difficult times”. We are sending more customers to Turkey each year and our brand is growing in the UK and in Turkey.

What do you think are the key ingredients to success in this economic climate?

Simply cash flow and cost control.

Thank you Stuart,we are always looking for members stories... if you would like to feature in our 60 seconds please email the Marketing Team: marketing@thetravelnetworkgroup.co.uk

A Marketing Road Trip We get out and about to understand and engage our members’ marketing needs.

For each marketing campaign we strive to make it better than the last one and the only way we can do this is with help from you! Over the past few months the Marketing team have been on the road in the East Midlands visiting members. The aim is to improve engagement and make the campaigns more relevant for members.

It’s been great to see all the different types of travel agents. One of the members we visited was Allison at Claridon Travel near

Nottingham. Allison thinks being part of the Focus Group is important for the Group as a whole and positive changes can be made to help members, she adds: “It was lovely to meet the Marketing Team face to face and discuss ideas for the future.”

Pictured: Allison and Debbie from Claridon Travel

The next campaign is due out in May, so keep your eyes out for the new look and feel!