Travel Counsellors has admitted that a small number of agents may decide not to continue their businesses as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking on a Travel Weekly webcast, chief executive Steve Byrne said the company had offered as much support as possible to its homeworkers and he believed the vast majority would be “desperate to stay in the industry they love”.
“Our community has been extremely supportive, something which is facilitated by the culture – we help our people,” said Byrne.
“But it’s a large business and this is a rollercoaster.
“I would be kidding myself if I said that every day it’s rosy. It’s not and that’s going to affect people in different ways. Our people are at different stages in their journeys and in life, in terms of their relationships with their children, for example.
“As a business, we want to do all that we can because Travel Counsellors is a people-based business. I’ve no doubt, if we’re being honest, we’ll lose some people as a result of this. We haven’t seen that yet. But it’s going to go on for a good few months yet.”
He added: “I think for the most part, people will be desperate to stay in this industry that they love. They may question when is it going to come back, but I think they’ll be desperate to stay in it and desperate to keep the relationships that they’ve built with their customers.
“We will do all that we can to help them, because that’s the right thing to do. And you can only do your best.”
Byrne said the government’s business loan schemes were a “last resort” for agents but could be necessary for some to stay in business.
He said: “This new Bounce Back Loan scheme – the terms on it are pretty attractive, but it’s got to be paid back. It’s 100% covered by the government in the first year, then there’s a 2.5% charge in the second year.
“So I think it’s a last resort, but when your back’s against the wall, in every travel business, you’ve got to be honest with people.”
He added: “I am optimistic about the future but, we can’t kid each other. For a prolonged period of time, as individual Travel Counsellors, or as a business, if you’ve got no income coming through, you’ve got to find the least imperfect solution for you that enables you to get through this, so that in three months’, six months’, nine months’ time, you’re still plying your trade as a professional travel advisor doing the job that you love.”