Consortia have scotched rumours they will join Triton Travel Group following news of Advantage Travel Centres’ plan to quit the superconsortium.
Advantage chief executive John McEwan exited as Triton chairman last week and Advantage announced plans to quit the group next month, leaving 1,200 Global and Worldchoice members remaining in the group.
The move prompted speculation Triton would invite smaller consortia such as the Freedom Travel Agents’ Consortium and Elite Travel Group to join in a bid to increase branch member numbers.
However, Freedom head Jane Atkins said it would never consider joining Triton. “We’re a very robust business in our own right so I don’t see anygain in joining Triton,” she said.
She said Worldchoice and Global members, unsettled by Advantage’s exit, are likely to jump ship to rival consortia. “I feel sorry for agents constantly being given different messages. For us it’s great news as people will be looking for an alternative.”
Meanwhile, Elite Travel Group marketing and public relations director Peter Buckell said Elite had considered a move to Triton but decided against it. “We have no ambitions to join Triton. We have a good working relationship with Advantage. I think this is the death of Triton. It’s not always size that matters, being small can have advantages.”
Elite has also gaineda couple of members from Worldchoice and Global in the last week, Buckell said. “We are seeing a slow trickle,” he added.
Global chief executive Andrew Botterill is tipped to become Triton chairman on a permanent basis. He is covering the role until an official announcement is made in a few weeks. Botterill was unavailable for comment as Travel Weekly went to press.
- Homepage poll: Will Triton recover from the exit of Advantage? [End September 26]