The recent loss of two well established tour operators, Allbury Travel and Globespan is a sombre reminder to travel companies and the wider public about what a precarious state the travel industry is in.

Is it me or are there some dark forces at work? E Clear a credit clearing company seem to be involved closely with putting Allbury and Globespan into administration. From their reporting, the press seem to be inferring that it was a deliberate act? If so why? The only reason could be money, surely. But who would have the most to gain and why on the face of it put major customers out of business?

Is the implication that E Clear engineered the travel companies demise to avoid making payments? In the case of Allbury Travel they had a financial interest, allegedly, so why let them go under?

As you can see there are more questions than answers at the moment, hopefully we will begin to get the answers as time goes by. Either way it is shaping up to be a major story in the travel industry's history.

I see from the travel trade press in the UK that the numbers of Travel Agents using bed banks to create dynamic packages has increased sine the CAA/Travel Repubic court case!

As I have said previously, I believe that the travelling publics interests are best served by using dynamic packages offered by tour operators. This provides not only expertise on the destinations offered but also and most importantly, the financial security of ATOL/ABTA or TTA covereage. There is no ambiguity about the security offered by Tour Operators in these cases. I fully accept that most travel agents offer great financial security, in the case of dynamic packaging - while there is cause to doubt i.e. an appeal by the CAA in the court case and then clear protocols for the future - we should always recommend the safest route, which is Tour Operator's who offers DP.

Of course Tour Operators do need to have the right reservations technology in order to offer customers DP products that work and that technology much offer real value for money. Naturally, the Mach Associates - MARS software offers just that. With links to major bed banks like Traveco, HotelConnect and P&V plus other suppliers like Multicom and Holidayautos life could not be easier! MARS is offered on a rental basis so little by way of capital expenditure is required. The real bonus is that because users pay rental fees these are tax deductible at source. the MARS WEBOOKIT Internet Booking Engine adds fully integrated booking pages to existing websites.