Travel Counsellors has welcomed its 1,000th agent.
Juliet Twena from Jersey has joined the company after 10 years’ experience working for tailor-made specialists and tour operators.
A total of 150 agents have joined the business in the last three months – more than double the number that joined over the same period last year. The company plans to recruit a further 400 globally by the end of 2017.
Twena said: “It’s all about the personal service and delivering a truly tailor-made experience for my customer, so becoming a travel counsellor has given me the technology, product and support to do this, whilst reaping the financial rewards of running my own business.
“The prospect of starting a business is a little daunting, but I am confident it will be a success and as a mother with a small child, this role allows me the flexibility to have a full career whilst juggling family life too.”
Travel Counsellors said it has seen an increase in recruitment enquiries from agents with tour operation backgrounds.
Chief executive Steve Byrne said: “It’s really positive that we are experiencing such a strong increase in interest from those looking to run their own business using our technology as it reflects the strength and future proof nature of our unique business model and support.
“We are passionate about empowering the best people to enjoy the flexibility and rewards of running their own business and empowering them to sell the right product for their customers.
“The continued growth in the business benefits each and every travel counsellor as we continually increase the investment in our technology and support, and we expect the business to scale significantly in the coming years as more people seek the flexibility and customer focus we provide.”
Travel Counsellors has offices in Ireland, Belgium, Australia, South Africa, the UAE and the Netherlands, with more than 600 overseas franchises in addition to 1,000 in the UK.
The business said sales for the first three months of 2017 were up 16% compared to the same period last year.