While over three quarters of Which? members are happy with the service tour operators provide, bigger does not mean better according to new research by the consumer champion. Smaller, independent operators came out on top in the Which? Holiday survey, leaving their larger rivals to bring up the rear. Which? members voted France specialist VFB Holidays top, awarding it a 94 per cent customer score, and five stars for its customer service, accommodation, overall organisation and any…
While over three quarters of Which? members are happy with the service tour operators provide, bigger does not mean better according to new research by the consumer champion. Smaller, independent operators came out on top in the Which? Holiday survey, leaving their larger rivals to bring up the rear.
Which? members voted France specialist VFB Holidays top, awarding it a 94 per cent customer score, and five stars for its customer service, accommodation, overall organisation and any journeys involved in the holiday. Which? members who had taken a VFB holiday described the tour operator as “efficient” and “dependable”.
However, holiday giants Cosmos and Thomas Cook have the dubious honour of propping up the bottom of the table, scoring 57 per cent and 58 per cent respectively. Fewer than half of people who booked their holiday with Cosmos described the company as efficient, while Thomas Cook received a lower rating than any other tour operator for its reps, and only a third of its customers found its brochure to be very accurate when describing destinations.
The survey also revealed that, despite the credit crunch, the amount Which? members spent on a holiday in the last 12 months was considerably more than in 2008 – rising from just under £900 per person to more than £1000 on average.
Rochelle Turner, Head of Research for Which? Holiday, says: “It’s great to see the small operators doing so well. They have the advantage of being able to offer a more personalised service – something valued by many.
“However, larger tour operators still have an important role to play in offering affordable holidays to families. The vast number of holidaymakers that these companies deal with each year means it may often be harder to provide the attention to detail their smaller rivals can offer.
“Although the larger tour operators performed well in terms of the accommodation they offer, they really need to up their game across the board and give their customers what they expect in terms of quality of service and value for money.”
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
