TTD: Travelzoo says call centres are key for agents
Travel agents are better off ensuring they have quality product backed up by a call centre, according to one online specialist.
Travelzoo.co.uk managing director Chris Loughlin said too many agents worry about advertising online because they don’t have a bookable website.
“85% of all the volume we generate for smaller tour operators is going over the telephone so if you are an entrepreneurial agent with the best call-centre and product then you should be calling us.”
Loughlin was speaking as Travelzoo unveiled its latest tranche of travel companies to advertise on the site since January.
Travelzoo, which launched its UK service a year ago, now includes deals from bmibaby, Flight Centre, Peltours, Cosmos and STA.
Loughlin said: “There is an inflection point in any business and we’re starting to see that point where we can see some scale in the UK.
He also said Travelzoo’s Top 20 deals newsletter was now being sent out to 440,000 subscribers in the UK every week.
“We have kept quiet in the past year about what distinguishes us from everyone else out there. There is no other medium out there that allows you to advertise and generate thousands of calls within a couple of hours.”
By Linda Fox
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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