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Ebookers ‘no rival’ to Galileo’s agency customers
Galileo UK country manager Jason Clarke says Ebookers is a customer of the GDS and shouldn’t be regarded as a rival to its agency customers.
Galileo is part of Cendant Travel Distribution Services, the company that acquired Ebookers.com in December 2004.
“People will always book direct using the internet, and to cater for that Ebookers is our customer-facing channel, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for agents.”
“People are comfortable with booking some trips on the internet but with the higher value trips the consumer is less confident and would rather have someone to help them,” he continued.
Clarke added that this doesn’t mean the internet has ultimately captured the low value holiday and last-minute break market, leaving agents left only to sell the high value trips. “The future for the agency is demonstrating that their service exceeds that of a direct channel that the client can take themselves,” he said.
Clarke added that Ebookers is managed separately from Galileo and claims the online agency is a customer of the GDS in the same way that agents are. He claims agents can only benefit from other companies in the Cendant family.
“What we have clearly done is to share the technology and content that is available across all our distribution channels,” he said.
One example is that later this year agents will have access to merchant rate car rental content, currently only available on Ebookers.com.
“The key point is that agents are still held in high esteem. They remain in a strong position, but must look to match their capabilities with what the customer is asking for,” he said.
He added that following a recent survey of around 750 holidaymakers in Europe, Galileo concluded that customers like the security of booking with an agent. “Recent events like the tsunami have highlighted the better protection holidaymakers get when they book through an agent, and this is something agents must grasp as well,” he said.
Report by Ginny McGrath
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