Sun sets on the Costa travel reps

THE travel rep, first port of call when things go wrong on holiday and hard-sell purveyor of day trips, faces extinction. Thomson is ditching 300 reps covering Spanish resorts in a move expected to save £2m a year.

They will be replaced with 100 so- called 'super-reps', who will have much less contact with holidaymakers and cover larger areas.

At the same time, its package holiday rival Cosmos is slashing 150 resort reps, a third of its total.

The thinking is that most British families are already familiar with resorts and need less day-to-day help on things to do, where to eat, how to hire a car and attractions to visit.

The move is further evidence that the package holiday enjoyed by families since the 1960s is effectively being dismantled. Items that were part of the deal such as in-flight meals and airport transfers are now 'optional extras'.

Thomson's cuts cover package holiday hot spots such as Torremolinos, Benidorm and parts of Majorca. These relate to around 30% to 40% of its customers.

Rather than having a rep on-site, there will be a 24-hour telephone helpline, day trip information will be provided before departure and there will be a presence at the airports. However, the reps' presence will be maintained on more expensive packages.

Travel agents fear many customers will be unhappy to lose their personal troubleshooters. And Thomson rival First Choice claimed that less well-off families who pay least for their package holidays are the ones who need most help from resort reps.

Overseas director Steve Harker said: 'Stripping out large numbers of staff could prove disastrous if there are airport strikes or long delays.'