Big four “proud” of in-house sales figures
The big four are becoming increasingly open about the fact that they are steering large numbers of sales in-house, according to attendees at a recent Tourism Society meeting held at the University of Surrey.
The theme of the event was “Tourism Distribution Channels.’ E-tourism course leader Dr Dimitrios Buhalis (pictured), who chaired a number of sessions at the meeting, said the overall consensus of opinion was that whereas in the past the big four might have been reluctant to admit they were driving sales in-house, they now seemed to be proud of the strategy and less fearful of regulatory disapproval.
Mr Buhalis told TravelMole: “There is a huge switch-selling drive which is much more aggressive. In the past they [the big four] were always very concerned about things like the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. But in the next two to three years I think it is very likely that they will choose to have one brand covering retail, the airline and the tour operating side – a bit like what C&N are doing with Thomas Cook.”
The event, held on June 12, was sponsored by the Greek National Tourism Organisation and Travelmole.com. Attendees included Active Hotels chief executive Andy Phillips, Opodo travel director Soren Langelund, First Choice Holidays sales director Martin Froggatt, Travelbargains managing director Ian Brooks and ABTA chief executive Ian Reynolds.
See our previous stories:
27 May 02: Thomas Cook name takes to the skies
25 Mar 2002: Thomas Cook relegates JMC brand
20 Jun 2001: In with the old: Thomas Cook name replaces C&N
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025