New Survey Finds UK Travellers Now Prefer to Book with Larger Travel Companies

The travel survey, which was commissioned by TripAdvisor, questioned over 2,000 British users of the travel site, and revealed that 90% of those questioned were now hesitant about booking a holiday with an independent travel company after the demise of Kiss Travel, Sun4U and Goldtrail, and were choosing to book with a more-established holiday brokers, such as Thomson Holidays. This is a result which comes as no surprise to industry insiders.

It’s been a turbulent few months for the holiday industry,” says Richard Bray of online travel experts Travelmatch. “With three holiday companies ceasing trading within such a short time, and during the busiest time of the year for travellers, consumer trust in travel firms has hit an all-time low, so many holidaymakers are choosing to book Thomas Cook holidays instead of booking with independent travel agents.”

This new mistrust of smaller companies has been beneficial for the more well-known travel companies in the UK and worldwide, as the consequences of the ongoing news coverage of the bankrupt travel providers reaches holidaymakers across the globe. This lack of confidence in the industry means customers are now more unsure than ever of which company to travel with, and their rights if the worst should happen.

“This is a difficult time for travellers and travel companies respectively,” says Bray. “Should consumers go on a holiday provided by a small company that they haven’t heard of before, or stick with a bigger company, like Cosmos holidays. Another common worry we’re encountering is holidaymakers not knowing what services and privileges they can expect if their travel agent goes into administration. The best advice I can give is do your research, go with an ATOL-protected travel company, and pay for your holiday with a credit card, and once you get abroad, remember to relax and have a good time.”