Kuoni has admitted its sales through the big multiples has been hit since the merger of the big four last year.
Releasing its annual Long-Haul Report, the operator’s managing director Nick Hughes said the coming together of TUI and First Choice, and then Thomas Cook and Mytravel, has hit Kuoni sales through these newly merged giants.
But he said this drop was balanced by a significant rise in sales through independent agents.
“I can’t help wondering if that’s because people were going from shop to shop when they could not find the product they were looking for,” he said.
He said the operator was now talking to the ‘big two’ to see how much they were losing out on Kuoni sales.
Looking ahead to 2008, Hughes said it would be a tough year for the whole industry, particularly due to the credit crunch.
But he said those companies that adapted their business and survived could come out the other side in an even stronger position.
By Bev Fearis
