The Future of our High Streets

Shop! Mary Portas at Thomas Cook

January has always been a crucial month in the holiday trade. No sooner have we rolled the box of tinsel into the loft than we reach for the glossy travel brochures. I’ve never bought into the idea of the internet forcing travel agents off our high streets; I make my travel plans based on the recommendations and advice of real people, and I like the idea of having someone to moan at if it goes wrong or if there’s a change in my plans. Inevitably, my business partner, Peter, will research my plans online first, on my behalf, ringing travel journalists and reading reviews on TripAdvisor to ensure I don’t inadvertently book a hotel that’s undergoing major renovations (I swear he was a travel agent in a past life). Of course, not everyone has a business partner like Peter to call upon, and many more of us are booking holidays – some of our most expensive purchases, don’t forget – without any human interaction at all. The upshot of these industry changes has been plain for all to see. At the end of last year, one of the giants of the travel trade and the pioneer of the package tour, Thomas Cook, was in the news on an almost daily basis.

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