Budget Travel will stop selling its holidays through independent travel agents from next year.
Ireland’s largest tour operator said it would no longer take holiday bookings from independent travel agents and has written to approximately 600 travel agents around the State notifying them of the decision.
The company also said that “the business relationship is being terminated immediately” with those travel agents who had sold no Budget travel holidays in recent months.
The company said it would rely instead on selling direct to customers through its website and call centre.
Budget holidays will also be sold through the group’s 40-strong chain of stores around the State.
More: businessworld.ie
Related Travel Information
Tour operator Budget Travel has announced it will cease taking bookings via independent travel agents from December.
The company will concentrate instead on dealing directly with its customers via its 40 Budget Travel shops, its call centre and its website.
Budget Travel accounts for an estimated 40% of the package holiday market in Ireland.
In 2004 it carried approximately 400,000 people from Ireland to holidays across Europe, the Caribbean and America. Turnover at the company is in excess of €200m.
Budget Travel managing director Eugene Corcoran said that the move followed an exceptional performance by the company’s directly owned channels over the past six
Travel agents down shutters
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Speaking to The Hindu, Balbir Mayal, President, TAAI, said, "the loss due to the bandh today would amount to around Rs. 2 crores for the travel agents, particularly because this is the holiday season.'' Representatives of the two nodal travel associations Travel Agents Association of India
Travel agents across the country on strike today
Nearly 2,200 travel agents across the nation will go on a one-day strike on Friday to protest Air-India’s plans to drop their commission from seven per cent to five per cent.
This was declared at a forum convened by travel associations including the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), the IATA Agents Association of India (IAAI).
Ajay Prakash, chairman, western region, TAFI, said, “Travel agents generate around Rs 2,500 crore business for Air-India. By dropping commissions they are biting the hands that feed them.”
The agents have also decided to
Travel agents to down shutters on April 8
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"Our negotiations with the airlines have failed. While we will continue the suspension on Air-India ticket sales, the agents have also decided to stop selling Lufthansa tickets," a Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) representative
HIGH-STREET travel agents have been warned to change - or become extinct - as fewer holidaymakers opt to use their services for booking annual trips abroad.
Up to 50% of independent holidaymakers, those who book hotels, flights and other arrangements separately, are snubbing high street travel agents and booking breaks on the internet or via phone calls to tour operators.
The Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) yesterday said operators must begin to specialise in areas like cruises or adventure holidays if they are to survive.
And although around 80% of us still use high-street operators for package deals, this too is changing
