News

GOING Places has upped the stakes in the 2003 sales war as retailers compete aggressively on nil deposit and up to 50% off offers.

The latest Going Places-led campaign offers a £99 Airtours Sundeal holiday for every person booking a brochured Airtours winter or summer 2003 holiday. 

The £99 holidays fall in shoulder seasons for this winter and next summer - stock traditionally hard to shift. The offer follows Going Places’ ‘Book For Nothing’ campaign.

Lunn Poly has also launched its own ‘Book For Nothing’ offer and up to 50% off for summer 2003 and has selected £99 holidays for this winter. Travel Choice and Thomas Cook have reacted with selected no deposits, free kids and up to 40% and 50% discounts for next summer.

MyTravel’s latest promotion has been rolled out to Going Places. But Airtours is in talks to offer the deal to other individual independents. No flight supplements and guaranteed free child places are already offered on Airtours’ 2003 holidays and, with no deposits, remain the key early-booking drivers.

“There is no doubt we’re being price aggressive at the moment,” said a MyTravel spokeswoman.

Some independent agents claimed to be struggling to compete but welcomed Airtours’ decision to open up its latest offer.

David Geddes, owner of Geddes Travelcentre, Strathclyde, said: “We’d like to have been able to offer the £99 holidays at the same time but the fact they want to make it available to all is better than nothing.

“All agents can do is fight their corner, be aware of offers and match them where possible. Everybody is being aggressive for next year.”

Industry sources claim MyTravel’s rivals are unhappy offering no deposits. One said: “It doesn’t make commercial sense. MyTravel has done it to drive volumes and get a good message to the City.”