Travel Counsellors launches summer kids’ club

Parents working for Travel Counsellors should be free to make the most of a strong lates market after the company introduced a summer activity programme for agents’ children.

The company has set up TC Kids to keep children entertained throughout the school break, allowing their mums or dads to focus on selling holidays.

The 150 children aged one to 16 who have signed up so far will tune in to Travel Counsellors TV webcast every Monday to be given their activities for the week.

Sales director Malcolm Hingley and business development executive Victoria Trundle – also known as Uncle Malcolm and Auntie Vicky – will read out children’s birthdays on the webcast and each week one participant will win a prize.

Most tasks will be possible in children’s homes or gardens. The first task set this week challenged children to “design their own country”.

The programme aims to free up Travel Counsellors to take advantage of a buoyant lates market – sales in July were up 22% on the same month last year.

Hingley said: “Customers are booking their holidays much later this year and, as a result, we’re seeing the emergence of a very strong late bookings market, especially for family groups.

“With TC Kids, each day brings a new activity. Every task takes at least a couple of hours to complete, freeing up mum or dad’s time to concentrate on their customers.”

Oxford-based Sallie Rudman, one of Travel Counsellors’ ‘gold’ consultants, has signed up her three children to the programme. She said: “Juggling work and being mum can be tricky during the long summer holidays but TC Kids has really captured their imagination and enables me to provide a great service to my clients while my children are busy.”

Chairman David Speakman added: “This is another way we are helping our agents do their jobs effectively, while at the same time involving the children in our company community.”