While experts are indicating that the number of empty shops on Britain?s High Streets has risen, the percentage currently stands at 12.4%, up from 10% in the middle of last year.
p>While experts are indicating that the number of empty shops on Britain?s High Streets has risen, the percentage currently stands at 12.4%, up from 10% in the middle of last year. Thomson and First Choice have outlined plans to open approximately 30 new shops over the next two years.
The companies? distribution director, Nick Longman, said: ?We have been listening to our customers and many of them have said they want face-to-face contact when booking and researching holidays. ?Many consumers see the benefits of having a travel agent to do the work for them. This can be for a number of reasons; whether they value the knowledge an agent can give them or they want the reassurance of having an expert make the booking. There are also a growing number of people who simply do not have time to undertake the research involved, so want to enlist the help of a third party.?
The findings are further confirmed by a Mintel report published last month suggesting that the travel industry has every reason to be optimistic, with the number of adults using an agent increasing by 6% between 2005 and 2009.
