Virgin Holidays reaches out to agents with new site

Virgin Holidays has launched what it claims is a first for the travel industry and a tool to upstage online travel companies – a self-service tool for traditional travel agents. The new service – running via a new website called VHols4Agents.com – will allow agents to book a Virgin Holidays product plus monitor and amend…

Virgin Holidays has launched what it claims is a first for the travel industry and a tool to upstage online travel companies – a self-service tool for traditional travel agents.

The new service – running via a new website called VHols4Agents.com – will allow agents to book a Virgin Holidays product plus monitor and amend details ahead of a departure date.

Virgin Holidays said the new system will give agents for the first time ever the ability to make significant changes to a consumer’s holiday with a mainstream operator, post-booking.

Flight and hotel upgrades, adding car hire or excursions, ticket printing and changing customer details will all be available on the trade-only site.

The move has been touted as a significant step for the industry as tour operators look to forge a new kind of relationship with travel agents.

Sales and operations director Virgin Holidays, Stewart Baird, said: “This is a huge step forward for the travel industry and another nail in Viewdata’s coffin.

“Travel Agents don’t want to wait in a telephone queue to simply change a name or add an excursion to a booking.

“Our technology enables them do this and so much more in a simple and user friendly way.”