In Future tour operating will be sharper by the activities,mergers and acquisition of the large companies only.Smaller independents will only survice if their from alliances with suppliers,each other, independent distributors or if their product offering is highly specialized,appealing to small niche segments of the market.
In the short term it seems likely that the battle among the larger operators for market share will continue and the smaller independents will have no respite from their perpetual struggle to survive. Presumably, existing competition legislation will prevent more mergers that compromise the consumer's interests.
For a more creative view of the future of travel, see TUI AG'S web page'Visions of the future 'at http:// www.tui.com