Bespoke travel firm enjoys record year with £650m worth of bookings
Independent firm Travel Counsellors said it has seen a 14% increase in bookings over the last month.
The Manchester based firm completed £650m worth of transactions in the last 12 months – for the first time since its launch in 1994.
The company, which puts together bespoke packages for its customers, also saw a 20% increase in people travelling over the festive period.
And the collapse of Thomas Cook led to a wave of new recruits sigingin on with the business.
The most popular destinations were the USA, South East Asia and the Caribbean.
The most popular destinations for 2020 departures are expected to be Florida, Dubai, Mexico and the Indian Ocean.
Chief executive Steve Byrne said: “2019 has been another record-breaking year for Travel Counsellors, marking the company’s 25th year in business and 17th consecutive year of double-digit growth.
“It’s clear that customers are still keen to make travel plans after the UK general election, with bookings going strong throughout the festive period, and over 24,000 customers travelling with us over Christmas and New Year to destinations across Europe and beyond.
“With that is an increasing interest in destinations outside of the EU, and we anticipate this trend to continue as customers seek more value for money beyond the Eurozone.
“Each and every customer travels with the benefit of their personal Travel Counsellor’s insight, advice and care, and with the support of our global business and duty office should they need it, offering peace of mind that travellers really value over the festive period and throughout the year.”
The company’s services are delivered by over 1,900 Travel Counsellors in seven countries.
The number of new ‘Travel Counsellor’ business owners increased by 21% in 2019, including a wave of former Thomas Cook staff following the tour operator’s collapse.
Steve Byrne said: “Year-on-year we are continuing to welcome more entrepreneurial travel experts, including 12% more travel professionals from a tour operating background, as well as professionals from non-travel industries, to the Travel Counsellors community.
“From November 2018 to date, over 300 new business owners have been supported by the company’s bespoke technology platform and global community to grow successful corporate and leisure travel businesses, all connected through a shared passion for providing the greatest levels of customer experience and care.”
He added: “With 20% of our business owners hailing from the Thomas Cook community in the last five years, we’ve also been pleased to help over 50 new joiners who faced an uncertain future this year after the tour operator’s collapse, launch a new business in an industry they love.”
