Comment by Jeremy Skidmore: Effective lobbying crucial for the industry
The travel industry is again under the cosh and needs an effective lobbying body like never before. Bookings are down because no-one believes the discounts anymore. Tour operators are being accused of ripping off the public by hiking prices during peak periods and forcing holidaymakers to pull their kids out of school and risk new £100 fines for travelling in term time. But where are the arguments to counter those claims? In the past, several bodies from ABTA to the Federation of Tour Operators and The Tourism Society have promised to represent the industry on key issues. Maybe they are, but their voices aren’t being heard. The lobbying forces in the industry are still far too fragmented. Five years ago the then consumer affairs minister Nigel Griffiths claimed the industry was light years behind others when it came to influencing the government or even getting its point across to an aggressive media. The issue has never really been resolved but it’s crucial the industry has one effective and respected organisation to shout its corner. This may be ABTA – Keith Betton has worked very hard over the years to dispel some of the more dangerous myths about operators and agents – or the FTO. But the method of communication needs to be examined because for some reason the message is being diluted. The truth is that holidaymakers have never had it so good. There are deals galore around for this summer and the dollar/sterling exchange rate makes it a fantastic time to visit the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. The notion that holidaymakers are being ripped off is ridiculous. Mass market tour operators are making a four percent margin if they’re lucky. Travellers aren’t being overcharged in peak season, they’re just travelling at below cost during the shoulder period. Like any other business, the most popular products cost the most money. Why should the travel industry be demonised for doing what everyone else does? If prices were equalised across all seasons – a ludicrous concept in a free market – then shoulder season prices would simply have to rise to compensate for a drop in peak fares. Do the industry’s critics really expect travel companies to sell holidays at a loss? These are the points that need to be heard and it’s up to the industry to find the most effective way of making them.
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