Dnata UK chief says Travelbag will 'not become a full-service retailer'

Dnata Travel Group’s UK chief has said the future of Travelbag is most likely to be “a distribution channel” rather than a full-service retailer.

The agency chain currently has eight shops, with three added in the last year, in Marlow, Harpenden and Cobham.

Earlier this year, Lesley Rollo said the organisation had “the next list ready” of future locations, which would be revisited at the end of this year in to the beginning of 2026.

When asked about these expansion plans at Travel Weekly’s Future of Travel Conference, Rollo said: “What we’re trying to do with the Travelbag as part of the whole review of all of our brands is decide what we really are.

“Travelbag is not a retailer, but that is not to say that maybe that’s a shift that it should become one in the future.

“We have delved deep into the business, and it is a very successful tailor-made long-haul tour operator that happens to have some distribution branches that complement it.”

Rollo confirmed that currently Travelbag “does not really sell” any other products aside from Dnata brands, adding: “At the moment, Travelbag will not become a full-service retailer. It is a distribution channel that enhances the other channels.”

She reiterated problems the agency had had with staffing new branches, where finding people willing to work in a travel agency in affluent towns had proved challenging.

Rollo added the group had “learned” from the Travelbag business in terms of how customers are interacting with different distribution channels, and how each can play a role in the path to purchase.

She highlighted there are “many other angles” that customers come to research and book a trip now, that may not start or end with a shop, but it was important to “not ignore the value of all of the channels”.

Rollo added customers have been booking not only on social media, but on WhatsApp and Messenger and were spending “a significant amount of money”, even up to £15,000.

“You have to embrace different ways of people to engage with you,” she said.