Going with the flow: tour operators that sell Europe say flexibility is the key to surviving uncertain times. (Europe).

Travel Agent, January, 2003 by Lisella, Maria

Although they report slight variations regarding what destinations are selling, operators that sell travel to Europe all feel the uncertainty caused by Iraq and the U.S. economy.

Says Nigel Osborne, president of Portland, Maine-based Auto Europe's Destination Europe: "The short-term threat of war with Iraq is forcing booking patterns to be very last minute--within 45 days to one week of departure. I think the long-term decision-maker will be the economy.

Commitment Phobia

"From the booking patterns, we see demand is there, but people are cautious to make commitments," adds Andras Bolgar, president of Los Angeles-based Tradesco Tours. Heinz Wesner, president of DER, says his group business is relatively small and is now handled by the Rail...

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.

Premium Content Partnership | HighBeam Research provides an in-depth online archive library of reference works.