Stella Travel Services is to spend more than £5 million on marketing in its next financial year to build awareness of its brands in the UK.
The company’s UK portfolio includes Harvey World Travel, Travel 2/Travel 4, Travelbag and the Global Travel Group.
UK managing director Andrew Laurie said: “We have already spent £5 million in the last year on marketing but we will spend more next year marketing our travel brands is a big part of our business. I am not sure it’s TV marketing.”
This is likely to include direct mailouts, online, radio and press marketing. Harvey World Travel branded brochures have also not been ruled out. The company’s financial year runs from June to July the following year.
Research carried out by the company in November showed that Harvey World Travel was the most recognised brand within the Triton Travel Group, he said.
In Australia HWT is a household name and mostly run as franchise agencies. In the next 12 months, the company hopes to franchise out all its UK HWT agencies.
Stella Travel Services Worldwide chief executive Keith Stanley said: “We will be franchising out the shops to people in the trade looking for second shops or new people who want to come into the industry.”
Within three years the group wants one in ten travellers leaving the UK to have booked through one of its UK brands, he added.
Meanwhile, two new Travelbag shops are opening in the next month in Birmingham and Manchester bringing the total to 10 shops.