Post by artisans on Mar 20, 2009 18:36:56 GMT 2
I am always critical about the quality of the ‘good deal’ offered by tour companies – the one which should benefit them, their clients and their suppliers (Roda’s accommodation owners and operators). I have often considered the ridiculously low room rate paid to accommodation operators, but it now occurs to me that the tour operators are moving more than ever to all-inclusive complexes owned by …. themselves. In reality, they have no interest in supporting local businesses in small villages like Roda. In spite of the fact that Roda was probably the first resort village in the north of Corfu, and has paid them handsomely over the years, there is no loyalty now.
The all-inclusive concept was developed to allow tourists to visit some of the riskier destinations around the world, places like Jamaica and Thailand and it would seem now that travel companies are losing interest in safe places like Corfu. In countries where safety is not an issue there is less profit to be made because people are free to ‘do their own thing’. In countries where there is considerable risk, the all-inclusives can create a captive audience and, if they can combine that with an abundance of sites to visit, they are in a heaven of their own making. They have their customers painted into a corner, spending their money in a wholly-owned company hotel and only leaving their complex on organised trips which cost a small fortune. I believe that this exploitative form of ‘vertical integration’ does little for the customer and absolutely nothing for the resort if, indeed, one exists at all. The operator takes all the money – you use their airline to reach their hotel, change money at their desk, buy sun lotions in their shop and use their coach to visit places of interest. One of the attractions of vertical integration, to tour companies, is that competition is negated and prices can be better controlled – hence higher prices in 2009. If this practice is allowed to continue – holiday prices will carry on rising and we already know that some countries like Belgium can only go on all-inclusive packages. Inevitably they pay more for the privilege as their travel operator approaches a monopoly situation.
It is interesting to use Ian’s link to the Foreign & Commonwealth office’s pages on Egypt & Turkey. It is of no surprise to find that bookings to those two destinations this year are bucking the trend and are up by almost one third over last year. Of course they are – they match all the criteria!!! Perhaps it is time for Corfu to turn to crime - clearly more safety means less profit!
The all-inclusive concept was developed to allow tourists to visit some of the riskier destinations around the world, places like Jamaica and Thailand and it would seem now that travel companies are losing interest in safe places like Corfu. In countries where safety is not an issue there is less profit to be made because people are free to ‘do their own thing’. In countries where there is considerable risk, the all-inclusives can create a captive audience and, if they can combine that with an abundance of sites to visit, they are in a heaven of their own making. They have their customers painted into a corner, spending their money in a wholly-owned company hotel and only leaving their complex on organised trips which cost a small fortune. I believe that this exploitative form of ‘vertical integration’ does little for the customer and absolutely nothing for the resort if, indeed, one exists at all. The operator takes all the money – you use their airline to reach their hotel, change money at their desk, buy sun lotions in their shop and use their coach to visit places of interest. One of the attractions of vertical integration, to tour companies, is that competition is negated and prices can be better controlled – hence higher prices in 2009. If this practice is allowed to continue – holiday prices will carry on rising and we already know that some countries like Belgium can only go on all-inclusive packages. Inevitably they pay more for the privilege as their travel operator approaches a monopoly situation.
It is interesting to use Ian’s link to the Foreign & Commonwealth office’s pages on Egypt & Turkey. It is of no surprise to find that bookings to those two destinations this year are bucking the trend and are up by almost one third over last year. Of course they are – they match all the criteria!!! Perhaps it is time for Corfu to turn to crime - clearly more safety means less profit!