Excursions operator Not In The Guidebooks (NITGB) has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help expand its ranges of experiences.
It is inviting travel agents to make investments, starting from £10, and claims that more than 135 travel industry professionals have already put money in the scheme.
More than £81,000 has been raised so far, with the target set at £100,000.
NITGB has set up the crowdfunding campaign with investment company Seedrs to help its expansion plans, which include developing technology to enable live availability.
Investors will benefit from NITGB’s trade rewards programme which is tiered according to the level of investment offered.
The levels range from Bronze, which is offered for an investment of £10, through Silver, Gold and Platinum, which is for sums of £500 or more.
The different levels also offer varying benefits – Bronze entitles the agent to a badge on the agency dashboard and entry into a competition to win a NITGB European experience for two.
Other benefits accrue with increasing sums, including early notifications of new products and discounts off NITGB experiences.
For the Platinum level, there is a range of benefits including a place on NITGB’s VIP Advisory board, offering the chance to be involved in the development new experiences, and priority access to NITGB’s educationals.
Carol Savage (pictured), founder and director of NITGB, said: “We have noticed since the start of the pandemic how collaborative and resilient those working in the travel industry have been in the face of adversity.
“We therefore wanted to launch a scheme to help rebuild our community-driven business by inviting agents to invest in the future of travel and to have a say in how this is curated.
“As we come out of lockdown, travelling responsibly and sustainably is going to be a key priority for many travellers.
“Some of the greatest travel experiences come from working with locals who introduce people to their places and cultures and they need our support now more than ever.
“We are excited to invite travel agents to join us on our journey to support local partners and have a share in the success of our growing business.”
As part of the Government’s Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), investors will benefit from Income Tax relief on 30% of their investment, Capital Gains exemption on profits earned on shares held for a minimum of three years and loss relief reassurance up to 40% on the total after income tax relieve has been accounted for.
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