Issues and trends within the Travel Distribution & Tour operators industry |
We advise the industry on the significant issues it faces. In response we focus on the following initiatives:
- Reducing your cost to sell and serve
For many organisations, delighting customers and driving up customer revenues at the right cost is a constant tension between sales and marketing, customer service and finance. But in today’s tough markets your customer and commercial strategy and the cost of marketing sales and service functions are receiving additional attention. Your challenge is to cut costs from these customer-facing functions while retaining customers and even growing market share. Without this balance, success after the downturn may well be limited.
- VAT
Our Indirect Tax has a team of individuals specialising in the travel sector. The team provides advice to numerous travel sector clients ranging from some of the largest tour operators, airlines, cruise operators and car hire providers to some of the smaller more specialist travel companies. The work undertaken includes advice on compliance issues and ensuring VAT is correctly accounted for, something which clients are placing increasing importance to given the new HMRC penalty regime, through to identifying and managing VAT refund opportunities in various countries enabling significant cash savings to be made.
The travel team has built up considerable experience of the salient issues within the industry and produces regular newsletters and seminars. In addition to its strong UK knowledge base, Deloitte is able to use its international network of firms to ensure that it can provide advice on indirect taxes in many different countries, something which clients in the travel sector find invaluable and is essential to ensuring a comprehensive service to travel clients.
- Shared Services
Effective integrated support functions provide for better service provision and cost reductions. We have the skills and experience to assist throughout the entire life-cycle of a shared service project from developing a feasibility and business case through to design, building and testing, implementation, roll out and evaluation.
Making deals work - acquisition and growth strategies
The need to improve distribution, access inventory and leverage infrastructure is driving growth strategies through acquisition. At Deloitte, our in depth knowledge of the industry enhances the identification of potential acquisition targets and buyers, and ensures an effective due diligence process. Coupled with leading edge tax advice and unrivalled credentials in post merger integration transactions can be effective and efficiently completed
- Debt advisory
Current debt market conditions have created a complex and challenging environment for borrowers. Many businesses are currently examining their existing finance arrangements. In the current climate, it is vital to have the right adviser on board from the start. We provide expert independent advice and execution resource based on our in-depth knowledge of the markets. We typically advise clients on: renegotiation, refinancing, acquisitions, disposals & mergers.
- Customer relationship management and value growth
The need for a consistent, high quality and personal service continues to dominate surveys of customer expectations in the travel industry and is the key driver in building loyalty. At Deloitte, our in depth knowledge of customer experience management enables us to identify key points in the customer journey that can dramatically impact the level and value of customer service through improvements in business processes and technology.