Hoteliers wrath

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Hoteliers wrath

The Spanish association representing hoteliers has initiated legal proceedings against the British tour operator Thomas Cook. This action is being taken as a result of the 5% reduction in payments that Thomas Cook imposed on hotels during the key period August and September 2010. The hoteliers took this decision after a meeting of delegates from all the main tourist areas of Spain.

For Thomas Cook the justification for their action is that the 5% reduction was imposed to compensate for money lost earlier in the year, caused by the volcanic eruption in Iceland. The tour operator has announced a 141 million euros loss for the second quarter of this year. The prominence of Thomas Cook in the Spanish market is such that it is the major company bringing British tourists in Spain.

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Thomas cook fulfills promise to increase tourist numbers

The British tour operator, Thomas Cook, has fulfilled its obligations as laid out in an agreement signed with the eh Balearic Government and hoteliers regarding the number of tourists the company would bring to Menorca this year, increasing its figures from 77,000 last year to 80,000 this summer. The achievement, which endorses the payment agreed in the 2010 agreement, received acclaim from the Balearic delegation at last weeks World Travel Market in ExCel, London.

The Travel Market provided an opportunity for a meeting between Thomas Cook and CEHAT (the Spanish Confederation of Tourist Hotels and Accommodation) to discuss the tour operators recent decision to unilaterally reduce prices paid to hoteliers. following a tense discussion, during which there were moments when negotiation threatened to break down, Thomas Cook undertook not to make similar reductions in the future and promised to increase its operational capacity in Spain by between 5% and 10% over the next few years, as well as compensating those establishments affected by the cuts by increasing the amount invoiced next year. In return the Spanish hoteliers agreed not to press legal charges against the company for its recent actions.

The President of the Island Council of Menorca, Marc Pons, present at the WTM, greeted the agreement with satisfaction, pointing out that the conflict between the Spanish hoteliers and the tour operator was distinct from the agreement made with the Balearic Government to promote tourism in Menorca, which Thomas Cook had fulfilled.