The buzz of the Big Apple
By Janchrister EgneforsBack to work after the holidays. It feels great to be rested and ready for the new challenges of the autumn. I’m always saying that the travel industry is the world’s most exciting and interesting industry to work in. Not just because travel really broadens people’s horizons, but also because it takes a great deal to stay at the top in an industry that changes as quickly as ours does.
Travel is addictive. It wasn’t long after my family and I got home from Greece that I was on the Internet booking a new holiday. In the autumn my son and I are off to the Big Apple to experience some world-class basketball.
And experiences are exactly what New York offers. In this issue of the Amadeus Magazine, Josephine Bornebusch, one of Sweden’s most promising actors, tells us about the city that has everything.
Basketball or other sporting events aren’t really what draw her to New York. For her, it’s more about the city’s fantastic and never-ending range of restaurants, bars and shops. New York has a buzz about it that’s difficult to find anywhere else, offering inspiring encounters with fascinating people.
High demand for great holidays
Autumn also offers another kind of buzz. Our industry is facing major change. Paper tickets are rapidly being replaced with electronic tickets and Internet sales.
I, like many others, think that this is a positive trend. It’s great to be able to sit at home in peace and quiet and make my bookings. Personally, I prefer booking via a travel agent’s website, as everything relating to the holiday is there in one place. All it takes is a few clicks to book flights, hotel and transfers.
The strength of the travel agency, and it’s big challenge, is the packaging of services. Before the summer, Amadeus carried out a fascinating survey of 600 travel agencies. The results were clear – by far the most difficult issue facing the industry right now is finding new ways to get by, when revenue from airline tickets is practically non-existent.
Since service sales and online shopping are such hot topics, we talked to Lastminute.com for this issue. They give their take on the future of travel agencies, discussing survival strategies and giving good advice on packaging services for sale online.
Enjoy the read!
