Advisors at Travel Counsellors are receiving record levels of earnings in the company’s 20 year history.
The average commission rate is up 10% for the first four months of 2013 compared to the same time last year, with overall sales up by 14%.
Each Travel Counsellor keeps 60% of the commission they earn. As they can adjust the commission on each booking, this means that in the majority of cases many are now earning more than in their former role on the high street, the company claims.
Sales director Malcolm Hingley said: “As our Travel Counsellors income is 100% commission and controlled by them alone, they will never be affected by something like a pay freeze.
“They are their own boss and if they book a £10,000 holiday it is them that will get rewarded for that. There is no limit on the amount of commission they could ultimately achieve.
“Our priority is to give our agents the tools and support they need in order to grow and develop their business.”
The company’s in-house Phenix dynamic packaging system enables agents to tailor-make holidays, offering exclusive components at competitive rates.
Importantly, the system lets agents alter their margins, allowing more control over their commission rates.
Hingley added: “In what is evidently a competitive market, Phenix gives each Travel Counsellor the opportunity to take control of their margin so that they can adjust their earnings for each individual booking.
“This is a luxury which few other travel companies can match. It could be perceived that running your own business on a commission only basis could be risky, yet our figures show that this is not the case.
“Our Travel Counsellors are flourishing and are achieving wages which they could never have attained in their previous travel roles. Commission-based wages are definitely the way forward for travel professionals, and in the long run, we believe it is this that will form the foundations for the travel industry.”