Barrhead Travel is to create up to 100 new jobs after agreeing a deal with the Turkish Tourism Office to fulfil online and phone bookings and as it works to secure other similar deals.
To cope with the new business, the Scottish agency chain is looking for a 100-seat call centre in Glasgow to operate alongside its existing premises in the Oswald Street branch in the city.
From this week, Barrhead will also take online and telephone bookings generated by Goturkey.com, a site set up by the Turkish Tourism Office.
The deals mark the latest step in the agency’s strategy to expand its fulfilment business, having already secured a deal to take phone enquiries and bookings from lastminute.com.
Meanwhile, Barrhead has set up a division to grow its franchising business. Its first dedicated corporate travel outlet opened in Belfast in March and another five agencies are expected to open soon.
A spokesman said: “We have had a lot of interest. We are talking to a lot of people and have plans to expand it quite rapidly.”
Barrhead is also boosting the range of destinations to which it offers own-brand package holidays. Malaga and Alicante could be among six new destinations it plans to offer from Glasgow and Aberdeen airports.
It aims to plug the gap in capacity left by the collapses of Globespan and Seguro Holidays.
Sharon Munro, chief executive of Barrhead Travel, said: “With our lower overheads and costs, and with our ability to cut out the conventional tour operator, we can pass savings on to our customers.”