Tui Specialist Holidays Group is targeting significant growth next year with a new preferred partner scheme aimed at enticing more independent agents to sell its brands.
The group, which includes Hayes & Jarvis, Thomson Tailormade, Jetsave, Austravel, Flexible Flights, Sovereign, Citalia, Crystal and Meon Villas, has registered 200 agents on its scheme since launch earlier this year.
The scheme offers double-digit commission, extra training, incentives and rewards for sales growth tailored to agents’ specific businesses. But managing director Mathew Prior said the group is keen to see much larger volumes of third-party agents join the scheme.
“The scheme is group-wide and is specifically for agents who want to grow their business with all of our products. We want more third-party business and there are extra funds on the table depending on what you have done with us in the past. There is huge potential for agents,” he said.
SHG says it can offer the key services agents need including good technology and people, brand security and profitable relationships. Overall third-party agent sales are 11% up year on year for Tui SHG brands and the group has sold 600,000 holidays this year.
Prior is targeting “significant growth” next year. He added: “You could see this as stealing sales from competitors or migration to better quality brands. We want to grow the business across all channels; online, offline, direct, in-house and third-party retail.”
The group has targeted third-party sales for the first time over the past year. Previously it did not have a strategy to increase sales through independent agents.
One of its main brands, Crystal, generates half its sales from consumers and half from the trade. Of the 50% trade sales, around half are in-house and half are third-party.
Agents can join the scheme by emailing tradefeedback@specialistholidays.com