Business travel agents working harder for fewer bookings, says Capita
Travel management consultants are having to work harder for each transaction in the current recession, according to Capita Business Travel.
Managing director Simone Buckley said the travel management company’s latest figures show clients are making more calls but are booking less.
“If you look at our January figures, transaction volume is down by 13% compared to January 2008, but our phone and email statistics show that enquiries are actually up,” she said.
"Whereas it used to be about three calls per transaction, now it’s closer to four."
Buckley believes clients are being more strict about which trips they make and are being forced get approval before booking trips.
“I think this is something that other large TMCs would also see if they broke down their figures,” she added.
Capita has also noticed a downward shift in the number of air transactions but a rise in rail bookings.
“Whether this shows a shift from air to rail, or a change in the types of journeys people are making, we don’t know.”
Capita Business Travel signed £32m of new sales in 2008 with a a mix of business from the corporate and public sectors.
It also reported a 98% retention of existing clients in 2008.
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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