I would like to
commend David Cogswell for his excellent article on Grand Circle
[Grand Circle: Consumer-direct approach paying
dividends, July 12]. His thorough reporting resulted in a fair
and accurate presentation of the success of our business model as
well as the sales and marketing strategies of our competitors and
others in the travel industry.
While David was fair
to Grand Circle, I cannot say I was fair in my remarks about travel
agents and their future. Professional travel agents provide a
valuable service to their clients and to the industry. And, from
reading Davids article, I learned they have made -- and are continuing
to make -- the necessary changes to remain
competitive.
At Grand Circle, we live by a set of
values, and chief among them is thriving in change. We believe we
owe our nonstop growth to our capacity to adapt to a constantly
evolving and often unpredictable marketplace.
The travel industry
is big enough to accommodate a variety of business models and to
provide ample opportunity for all of us to succeed. I apologize for
my ill-chosen words to describe a long-fundamental sector of our
industry.
Alan
Lewis
Chairman and
CEO
Grand Circle
Corp.