ENTREPRENEUR John Donnelly has signed up his first
travel agent for new franchise operation Harvey World Travel as he
launches a recruitment offensive.
Donnelly has poached his first recruit from the Global Travel
Group, signing up Shrewsbury-based agency Travel2Order –
which has two branches – as part of its plan to take on 70
agencies by June.
A third HWT branch will operate at Shrewsbury College of Arts
and Technology as a working agency and travel academy, as part of
the BTEC Leisure and Tourism qualification.
Donnelly announced plans for Australian travel giant HWT’s
UK arm last November. He said agents will also be able to sell
non-travel products including cars and properties abroad. “We will
be the next high-street brand,” he said.
Travel2Order managing director Ken Dyas said there were several
reasons for moving, including the product range, IT set-up and
“dynamic” characteristics of Donnelly himself. “All in all it was
an impressive package,” he said.
He added it was “time to make a change” after two-and-a-half
years. “We wanted to work in a dynamic, flexible environment with
more autonomy. We wanted to make more decisions based on our
business rather than on Global’s business.”
Global operations director Andrew Botterill said he believed
both Travel2Order and Global had failed to meet each other’s
expectations, but he wished Travel2Order “the very best”. He added
Global continued to go from “strength to strength” with its
1,000-strong membership.
The travel academy will train students in today’s market,
including dynamic packaging skills. HWT staff will also become
accredited Australian and British specialists, he said.
Roadshows are planned as part of a recruitment push in Bristol,
Walsall, Manchester, Derby, Leeds, London, Glasgow and Newcastle.
Donnelly is targeting existing consortia members and individuals
planning to invest in a new venture.