Travel management companies (TMCs) must step up their efforts to attract new business in the expected economic downtown.
The advice came from Norman Gage, director of business travel for Advantage Travel Centres which represent small independent agencies in the UK.
He said many TMCs have under estimated the potential effects of the credit crunch on business travel budgets.
Mr Gage said: ”One the whole, our business travel members are reporting that bookings are relatively buoyant and they have not experienced much evidence of companies cutting back.
”But we have to acknowledge the wider economic situation, and also appreciate that many big corporate customers are spending to budgets that were set last year.
”Those clients who have their year-end in either October or December could certainly tighten their belts for 2009, and that could be bad news for the TMC sector.”
He said it TMCs had to increase awareness of their services in their local markets ” an especially strong selling point for independent business travel agents.
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