Quo Vadis Business Agencies – ESKY Closes, WNT goes to Touroperators

Subsequent agencies react to the crisis on the business travel market. Esky closes a business division, WNT counts on tour operators. Is is enough to survive?

For large agents servicing the business traffic, the time of very difficult decisions is coming. Faith that that  traffic will return before the holidays vanished. Waiting for autumn may no longer be time/resources.

Esky closes its business division in Warsaw

Information that will undoubtedly make thinking everyone present on the business travel market Poland. Reached us from the largest internet agent in Poland ESKY. Well, after long-lasting analyzes, he decided to close his Warsaw Department of Business Travel. A difficult decision but certainly understood.

About how pessimistic can be predictions as to the return of business travel, it can provide the fact that Esky had theoretically the possibility of transferring business travel to its headquarters in Katowice. Of course, this would involve some investments. Finally, however, this decision was not taken.

Open issue may remain whether Esky will return to the Business Travel. The company is involved in Self Booking creation under the start up Stery. Come back  would seem logical somewhere in the future. The Stery will need operating support for your business. However, it may also be so that their debut will be delayed, therefore, keeping the department to handle a business movement did not make sense.

Why Not Travel aggressively fights for the Touroperator Market

Another significant player on the business travel market Why Not Travel tries another tactics to catch the breath. He turned to operate the  tour operator’s movement. And especially who put on dynamic packaging. Recently, he signed a deal with one of the key tour operators present in this area to cooperate. And this segment with his star, which is Dubai Destination, is working really good.

Will WNT be able to acquire more tour operators to cooperate? This is a possible scenario although technical and tariff requirements are definitely different than those that were at the disposal of the company from Rzeszów. However,  Blue Sky medium size IT-developed agent bought before the pandemic may help to cope with tech problems.

It is also not excluded that on the market it can play a game of “taking over Blue Vendo – after all this platform has a dominant share in the sale of dynamic packaging. And the one who controls it can choose an agent that will provide ticketing services.

Small  agents and applications for self-booking are won

Scenario that we anticipated a few months ago seems to be implemented. The painful consequences of the pandemic affected the most largest agents serving the Travel business market. It seems that the above-mentioned fresh examples of ESKY and WNT testify to the situation mature to radical choices.

There is also no doubt that small and medium agents will advise on the market much better. This is also evidenced by the fact that some of these smallest occurs about their own IATA qualifications. Using the simplified Pre-Paid option. New entities also arise on the market, with ambitions to use narrow specializations and super personal service to permanently acquire the niche on the market. The TravelPoint24 agency example is one that demonstrates this trend.

Small efficient travel offices also arise during Covid – a personalized service will always sell

However, the biggest winners will be apps for self booking of business travel. The adoption process of this type of solution must accelerate in Poland. This is a chance for new players on the market to float on the problems of traditional business agents.

The aforementioned start-up of the Stery, or located near to Poznań  Hotailors who is already a couple of years on the market are already those who can be the largest beneficiaries of the current trend.

Business travel applications will also be conducive to growing emphasis on analytical analysis of the needs/sense of business travel. Such a discussion is already in the west of Europe, the first models are created for this type of analysis. The second important area will be sustainability, here also the need to verify the Travel Content will increase rapidly under this account.

Automated solutions will be much easier to respond to these challenges and adequately address them.