Travel Counsellors is aiming to grow its number of business travel specialists in the UK by 25% as it continues driving this area of the business over the next 12 months.
There are now more than 200 consultants specialising in business travel, with a turnover of £44.5 million. The company plans to increase business travel turnover to £54.2 million by the end of 2011.
Leisure agents are also branching into business travel, with 25% of them now more active in the sector since the start of the year. Some 35% of Travel Counsellors now have at least one corporate account.
Speaking at the company’s Business Travel Conference in Birmingham, managing director Steve Byrne said: “We have seen an impressive increase in agents expanding into corporate travel. Worldwide we have seen the corporate travel sector bounce back quicker than leisure travel.
“As a result, the company’s business travel division now accounts for 20% of Travel Counsellors’ UK sales and 22% of global business.”
To drive this growth, Travel Counsellors is to expand its business travel support team.
Sales director Malcolm Hingley said theteam would help agents win business by providing proposal documents, presentations and documentation, as well as attending pitches with agents.
The company is working on its induction programme for new corporate specialists that join the company and developing a dedicated course on the tools, training and technology necessary.
Byrne said there would also be a focus on growing the corporate travel business in the overseas divisions.
“We look forward to continued growth in the sector and invite travel professionals who share our commitment to customer service to build their own business as part of Travel Counsellors.”