Are brochures a waste of paper?

Over the past few months the ATN news desk has been inundated with e-mails questioning the quality and the practicalities of the travel brochures that have been distributed this summer.

Most travel agents have bemoaned that fact that the majority of brochures out in the market are little more than a catalogue of hotels available in popular destinations.

I tend to agree.

Selecting and booking a hotel is a fairly easy process for a travel agent, but gaining an insight into the destination they are selling, is not.

Agents crave destination information, itinerary ideas, and first and foremost, selling tips.

From the agent's perspective, a brochure should be an essential selling tool - a destination manual, if you like.

Most brochures provide insufficient information, forcing most agents to browse the pages of Lonely Planet books in search of useful hints and tips.

However, there are a few refreshing exceptions to the rule.

One of the world's most established tour operators, Cox & Kings, which recently opened a Dubai branch, has printed brochures featuring itinerary suggestions, destination facts and useful information such as climate and currency.

Once a destination is selected, Cox & Kings provides the trade with a list of all the hotels available from three- to five-star plus, and rates are then negotiated.

The tour operator, which to date, has only released its mid-market packages in the UAE, claims it has received an overwhelmingly positive response from the trade - at last they have a portfolio of useful brochures at their fingertips.

No doubt they are looking forward to the operator launching its destination-driven brochures targeting the top end of the market later this month.

Some tour operators would defend the act of publishing a glorified hotel catalogue by claiming it is not intended to be used by travel agents.

The glossy covers are instead designed to lure the customer. But surely most customers demand destination information too?

What consumer decides on where they want to go on holiday by selecting the hotel before the destination?

Tour operators should also remember that in most instances, the trade still accounts for at least 50% of holiday sales, so to create an agent-unfriendly brochure does not make sense.

Eventually it would be great to publish e-brochures, packed with destination and hotel information, thereby saving a rainforest or two.

Looking ahead to next year, let's hope operators find a happy medium and tweak their brochure content to cater to a wider range of readers and users.

In the meantime, at least agents can rely on the destination reports in Arabian Travel News to provide them with essential destination information and key selling tips!

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