Tour firm to offer holiday homes

THE boom in the purchase of holiday homes will be getting a boost from an unlikely source - the UK's biggest tour company, Thomson, which is planning to offer properties for purchase in Majorca, the rest of Spain, Portugal and Cyprus. This means that all you have to do is walk into a high street travel agency.
According to Sky News, Thomson is starting the scheme at its 750 high street stores in partnership with the Parador Properties company.
Thomson marketing director Miles Morgan said: “Owning a home abroad is now a realistic option for lots of people.” And indeed, research shows that more than half a million British households now own a property abroad and owning a foreign home is now a life ambition for more than half of Britons. For many people, the research indicates, it is seen as a good chance to get a foot on the property ladder, while the younger age group sees the lower cost of living one of the chief attractions of owning a home overseas. And with travel habits changing, with more and more people opting for independent travel rather than package tours, it seems like an idea whose time has come for travel agents. It is a very competitive market and Miles Morgan said that “travel agents need to broaden the range of what they sell.”