In the days when I was the editor
in chief of Travel Weekly, I was what they call hands-on, demanding
to see every major story by 5 p.m and the whole days production by
6 p.m.
Decades later, Im no
longer editor, and Arnie Weissmann, Travel Weeklys editor in chief,
has the advantage of calling up files from wherever he is in the
world. The newer, faster technology expedites the job and enables
articles to be added to the paper right up to deadline.
By the same token,
travel agencies are steadily gaining faster access to travel
inventory as one supplier after another installs direct access.
Club Med is an example. With its new Web site, Clubmedta.com,
agents get access to live inventory, including scheduled and
charter air fares; can check price availability 24/7; and when
theyre ready to book, complete the transaction on the sites booking
engine.
The inclusivity of
the sites functions squares neatly with the notion of the
all-inclusive resort and improves the companys marketing
campaign.
It still remains to
be seen whether direct access is preferable to the cozy
relationship between travel agent and supplier
reservationist.
In the best of all
worlds, the reservationist and agent forge a close relationship on
the phone, and the suppliers rep is highly motivated to get the
booking straight. But over the years, there have been too many war
stories of reservations information being mishandled or
misinterpreted.
The best friendships
wont survive bad handling of a reservation, which could cost an
agent a valuable piece of business.
Speed plays a great
part in todays business world and achieves some overnight miracles
and even faster contact than we could have dreamed a decade ago. It
also powers e-mail, which has made it possible for agents and
suppliers on opposite sides of the planet to stay in closer
touch.
Its amazing how close
a contact in Zambia can seem when e-mail is the mode of
communication. I have a friend in the Far East from whom I hear
more regularly than I do from most of my contacts thousands of
miles closer to me.
By and large, the
travel industry has expanded and benefited from faster,
longer-distance communication.
But there is more to
good communication than simply connecting electronically. And the
advent of miraculous technology shouldnt take the place of the most
powerful form of communication: the handshake.
A firm handshake
between well-meaning businessmen and -women holds the prospects of
a long-term relationship and is difficult to replicate on a
computer.