As of late, most of us prepare our journeys for ourselves on the web. If we’d like recommendation, we will cellphone a journey agent, and lots of the greatest work at home by an organisation referred to as Journey Counsellors.
So are the times of the excessive avenue journey agent numbered? Final month, Thomas Cook dinner introduced it was closing practically 200 branches, a transfer described by one skilled as the biggest single contraction ever on the excessive avenue for the journey business.
Discovering the excessive avenue: Upmarket journey model Kuoni now has 26 shops throughout the nation
Nonetheless, different main vacation firms are growing their presence in our metropolis centres.
Till just lately, Kuoni – a number one supplier of long-haul holidays – did not have any outlets. Now it has 26, 4 of which opened final autumn in John Lewis malls. I just lately visited the Kuoni concession within the Cardiff department. On arrival, you are invited to take a seat in a sensible little lounge space (couch and armchairs courtesy of John Lewis), and to get you within the vacation temper, you are provided a glass of Pierre Mignon champagne (that is for each customer, not simply visiting journalists). If you wish to preserve a transparent head, there are espresso, tea and juices.
You may watch movies of the inns Kuoni use on a big display screen and when you’re undecided the place you wish to go, you should utilize an iPad to give you concepts with the gross sales employees Kuoni name ‘private journey specialists’.
The entire place feels infinitely extra refined than your run-of-the-mill journey company, and in line with someplace you may be prepared to half with the 1000’s of kilos that almost all Kuoni holidays price.
Out with the outdated? Conventional journey brokers are in decline however, says Fred, there’s nonetheless room for top avenue journey brokers notably when you’re searching for a bespoke, far-flung journey
Subsequent cease was Virgin Holidays’ concession in Cardiff’s Home of Fraser – certainly one of 100 Virgin Holidays shops to have opened prior to now six years. Decked out in the identical daring purple livery because the airline, it is vibrant and upbeat. And like all issues Virgin, there’s an off-the-cuff really feel to the set-up: discussing your vacation plans, you sit again on a settee at proper angles to the member of employees in entrance of their pc display screen.
In contrast to on the Kuoni concessions, you pay a £20 price for reserving the vacation in-store as an alternative of on the cellphone or web, which appears daft to me.
So is it value visiting these outlets? If you happen to’re after a packaged long-haul vacation, in a phrase, sure. The outlets are nice environments, you are prone to get good, wellinformed service in regards to the holidays on provide, and when forking out for costly journeys with maybe complicated itineraries – as is usually the case with Kuoni and Virgin Holidays breaks – a face-to-face chat could make all of the distinction in ending up with what you need.
Nonetheless, keep in mind that the Kuoni and Virgin Holidays outlets promote solely their very own holidays and people from sister firms, so you will not be provided a variety of reserving choices.
If you wish to chat to somebody in particular person a couple of tailored long-haul journey or flight, I would advocate you additionally contemplate visiting one of many 26 Trailfinders journey centres across the UK.
The outlets are much less gimmicky than Kuoni or Virgin Holidays: do not count on sofas, iPads or free champagne.
Nonetheless, employees are very properly skilled, well-travelled and educated, and there is no additional cost for bookings made within the centres.
Particulars of store places may be discovered on kuoni.co.uk, virginholidays.co.uk, and trailfinders.com.
