Advantage Travel Partnership welcomed 20 new members in 2017 with a combined turnover of £63.5 million, taking it to 650 associate travel agencies.
Ten business, with a combined turnover of £51m, joined as traditional members while a further ten, with a combined turnover £12.5m, joined as Advantage Managed Services (AMS) members.
Cruise 365 and Trust Travel are among the most recent agencies to join under Advantage’s traditional membership model in the last quarter of the year.
The growth in Advantage’s traditional membership was led by business travel, which for the first time out-paced leisure member sign-ups.
Arundel Travel, in Leeds, and Destination Lounge, an ex-Freedom Travel Group member, are among the latest to join as AMS members.
Overall, AMS saw 20% year–on-year growth of members signing up for the scheme which included seven new start-up businesses. AMS includes ATOL, ABTA and IATA protection, assistance with front and back office systems and PDQ facilities; with supplier payments managed by Advantage.
David Moon, head of business development at Advantage, said: “We are very proud of the calibre of our membership and the new members who joined us last year bring exceptional levels of professional travel services, further enhancing our highly regarded organisation.”