Brochure racks disappear as agency re-positions - TravelMole


Brochure racks disappear as agency re-positions

Wednesday, 16 Oct, 2006 0

Independent agency Haslemere Travel is emphasising the expertise of its staff as travel consultants by ditching brochure racks.

The Surrey-based outlet has been revamped as part of a re-positioning exercise and all brochures are now stored away.

Managing director Andrew Brownrigg, a member of the AITO Specialist Travel Agent grouping, said he had taken the decision to remove brochure racks from the agency to highlight the knowledge and professionalism of the consultants.

The agency’s client newsletter has been redesigned with the frequency increased to three times a year and Brownrigg has invested in more local marketing as part of the changes including local cruise, travel and lifestsyle showcase events.  

He explained that there was always one member of his 10-strong staff away either on an educational trip or training programme at any one time – and it is the expertise gained that he wants to project in the face of growing levels of direct, online bookings.

Brownrigg said: “I felt the image people have of a high street agent was geared to what we look like and having lots of brochures was to me the wrong way of projecting what we do.

“The brochure is a working tool, not just a selling tool. We used to have 100 brochures on display, now we have one rack tucked away for reference but have a whole brochure store room.

“The way the trends in the industry are going with the internet making so easy for clients to book direct, we have got to be seen to be adding something extra.

“We are knowledgeable and professional and work hard to get to know what we are talking about and take our responsibilities seriously.”

He added that while the 18-year-old agency had a loyal client base, many are now making travel arrangements themselves online so it was important to draw in new business. 

“We must be competitive, hopefully by building in value with first-hand knowledge and expertise,” said Brownrigg. “I’m confident there will continue to be a need for travel experts, and that can cover operators as well as agents.”

Report by Phil Davies



 

profileimage

Phil Davies



Most Read

Mark Jaronski of Explore Georgia on FIFA World Cup 2026

Connecting Small Businesses to Global Tourism Markets: Nate Huff of Tourism Exchange

North Carolina’s Resilience: Wit Tuttell on Recovery and Tourism

Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns

James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel

Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination

Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics

Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy

Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene

Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee

Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail

Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
TRAINING & COMPETITION

Our emails to you has bounced travelmole.com Or You can change your email from your profile Setting Section

Your region selection will be saved in your cookie for future visits. Please enable your cookie for TravelMole.com so this dialog box will not come up again.

Price Based Country test mode enabled for testing United States (US). You should do tests on private browsing mode. Browse in private with Firefox, Chrome and Safari