Thomson shuts its Glasgow call centre due to rising online bookings

Thomson Holidays has decided to close its Glasgow call centre in Cardonald, resulting in loss of 450 jobs.

The company blamed the decision on increasing numbers of people booking their holidays online, rather than by phone.

Thomson sales director Derek Jones said the closure had been necessary because the travel market had “changed beyond recognition” in the past seven years.

He said, “The whole marketplace has totally changed and we are having to respond to our customers. The people who used to book by phone appear to be the ones who are most inclined to move on to the Internet. The people who book by shops are a bit slower to make the change.”

As per the information available, the Glasgow call centre is the firm’s biggest such operation, dealing mainly in traditional package-style holidays. Thomson said it would retain its six smaller call centres in England, which handle business from its 750 travel shops and teletext bookings.

The Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) said in 1996 less than one percent of people used the Internet to book a holiday. But by 2004 a quarter of holidaymakers booked a package online, with only five percent booking a package holiday through a call centre.

Keith Betton, head of corporate affairs for Abta, said: “Ten years ago the internet was just getting to be known about. There weren’t very many websites selling travel at that point. Companies like Thomson and other big companies started to invest heavily in the Internet. I think most companies now find that their web presence is growing much faster than anything else. For many companies, the biggest growth is in online bookings.”

According to media, Thomson are facing a £1.4million grants probe after axeing 450 jobs at their Scottish call centre.