“I would not be concerned about our region because we simply don’t have travel agents that would specialize in such destinations,” reassures Dorota Namirowska – Sznycer, Chairperson of the West Pomerania Chamber of Tourism (ZIT) and owner of the Focustour travel agency. “Most of our travel agencies sell offers of other tour operators. In our region there are 139 registered companies which organize trips on their own, but usually those are trips to the neighbouring countries, sometimes to France, Italy or Croatia, most often by coach. Hence, the industry is rather stable and if anything, it can only profit from the situation.”

One of the natural consequences of the present tensions in Egypt and Tunisia will be of course change of holiday destinations. Tourists will re-examine Europe, though due to price differences the offer will not be available to all.
“We need to remember that Egypt and Tunisia offer very attractive prices,” says the Chairperson of ZIT. “Persons who have been choosing holidays abroad and rather higher-level offers will continue travelling. The so-called safe destinations which have recently attracted fewer tourists will once again become popular: Spain, Greece, Croatia. Turkey, which is a cheaper destination, will remain available. Some agents have already started changing their offer to include such destinations.

Travel agents selling holidays abroad do, however, expect a lower number of clients this season.
“Tourism is very sensitive to such unrests,” explains Karolina Eliasz, owner of Szczecin Jaguar Travel. “It’s not necessarily the difference in prices for specific destinations, but the general feeling of risk following the news from Egypt or Tunisia. This automatically influences many decisions concerning trips, and thus, sales.

The owner of Jaguar Travel also emphasizes that the present turmoil in the market and the mass of work to calm the situation basically prevents any strategic decisions or changes in the offers.
“Tour operators which specialize in such destinations are exposed to the biggest risk,” she explains. “Our situation, as of the agent, is slightly better because we co-operate with a number of tour operators and our offer is very broad - basically, to every part of the world, be it Spain, Asia or New Zealand. It’s the co-operation with various tour operators that gives us the flexibility and competitiveness.

Tourists may be additionally concerned about bankruptcies of travel agents. Several weeks ago an agent in Szczecin was closed down. In the opinion of experts, this has nothing to do with the present turmoil in the industry. However, Dorota Namirowska – Sznycer admits that the market is difficult and the number of travel agents is big. Is there room for more, especially in the face of new problems?
“If someone has got experience and a good idea, I think there is room for them,” says the Chairperson of ZIT. The most important thing is to know the industry and find a niche.