Bouncing back
Benidorm 1955
Every book needs a big personality to give it a lift, and in Let’s Go! it’s without doubt Harry Goodman.
The flamboyant boss of Intasun and International Leisure Group (ILG) left school at 16 and became a multi-millionaire. ILG went bust in 1991 but he bounced back a few years later, setting up TV Travel Shop.
As soon as Harry agreed to talk to me, I knew that Let’s Go would turn out well. He was generous with his time and there was nothing he wouldn’t discuss, from triumphs to failures.
The long list of people who worked for Harry includes such well-known figures as Peter Long, who recently stepped away from the front line at Tui, and Hugh Morgan, now chairman of Cosmos Tours and Cruises.
As Tui prepares to drop the Thomson brand, it’s worth remembering some of the hundreds of other names that have disappeared. In Let’s Go! you’ll read about Horizon, Lord Brothers, Universal Skytours, Riviera Holidays, Gaytours, Clarksons, Global, Panorama, Yugotours, Unijet, Sunworld, Time Off, Travelscene, Bales, Wallace Arnold, Lunn Poly, NAT Holidays and many others.
Success stories
Benidorm today
But the book also celebrates some of the names that have lasted – Inghams, for example, which started in 1934; Club 18-30, which dates from 1965; and Kuoni, which arrived in the UK in 1966. The longest-established tour operator, though, is Thomas Cook, which celebrates its 175th anniversary this year. Cook treats its heritage with respect and provided me with a treasure trove of images, including the front and back covers of Let’s Go!
As Abta chairman Noel Josephides points out in the foreword, Let’s Go! is very much about people. Pioneers including Vladimir Raitz (Horizon), Harry Chandler (Travel Club of Upminster), Tom Gullick (Clarksons), Aubrey Morris (Riviera) and Roland Castro (Time Off) all played a major role in the trade’s early days with big personalities including David Crossland (Airtours) and Peter Long (Tui) coming along later. I wonder whether we’ll ever see their like again.
Escorted tours are also part of the story, and long-haul, coach, rail and adventure tours all feature in Let’s Go! I also focus on destinations and types of holidays including Spain, long haul, city breaks and skiing. Even North Korea and Pakistan – hardly places most people would go – get a mention. The impact of terrorism, financial protection, sustainability and the online future are tackled in the final chapter, Where Do We Go From Here?
Operators are under threat with the rise of online brands such as Google, Airbnb and Booking.com. The message I’m putting out is “use them or lose them”, as when an operator disappears a lot of expertise goes with it and we are left with a dumbed-down online world where everything boils down to price.
Was Henry Ford right, that history is “bunk”? That’s for the reader to judge, but I hope anyone picking up Let’s Go! will find it stimulating. I’ve set up a website, Facebook page and Twitter account for updates, and look forward to hearing from anyone with something to say about trade history.
Quote unquote
“It was 1958, and we ran two-week holidays costing 48 guineas (£50.40) from a grand-sounding address at Warwick House, Wimbledon. In fact it was our council flat.”
Christopher Lord, Lord Brothers
“We had 500 customers at a hotel in Palma Nova, Mallorca, where a huge crack developed down the side. I had to go out and face the press, at a very young age, and say, ‘what crack?’ Someone must have bunged the mayor some money.”
Hugh Morgan, then with Intasun
“I once drove 22 hours in one day as there were no driver controls at that time. We camped, and if the van broke down I had to fix it. I loved living on my wits.’
Derek Moore, later to join Explore
“If you play to win, don’t be surprised if you lose. I came from the slums of the East End of London to meeting royalty and the Pope and I’m grateful, not bitter.”
Harry Goodman, ILG
“Can it be possible that your wonderful, unique Time Off has been sold to the giants? Your company was the last vestige of a civilised time when personal, intelligent service was important.”
A customer, when the city break operator was sold to Thomas Cook
“People don’t talk about culture shock any more, but 20 or 30 years ago, the foreignness of these places really hit them.”
Wendy Kenneally, Kuoni
“It was like piloting an oil tanker. The rocks ahead of us were the low-cost airlines, and the lighthouse illuminating the rocks was the Internet. But we just couldn’t change course.”
Steve Endacott, then with Airtours
“When they reach about 55, some people pass through a sort of golden archway when they will start to enjoy a coach holiday. There are no more holiday decisions to make and you are content to follow the herd.”
Stephen Barber, ex-Wallace Arnold
“Not everyone can afford four and five-star hotels, and the big tour operators seem to have forgotten Intasun’s message in the 1980s that cheap holidays sell.”
Dermot Blastland, Loveholidays.com
“Islamic State is different to anything we have seen before, and there is a risk people will lose confidence in travelling.”
Alan Bowen, travel industry lawyer
“There is a lot of emotional attachment to the Thomson name, but the same was true of Lunn Poly and Britannia Airways, and who remembers them now?”
Peter Long, Tui
