Abercrombie & Kent aims to build on record sales and grow trade relations

Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group’s (AKTG) new UK chief reported the “largest growth ever” in the company’s trade sales last year and confirmed the trend has continued into 2025.

In her first interview since taking the helm, Debra Fox said agents had underpinned a record start to the year across its three brands.

“They have delivered the biggest contribution to our growth,” said Fox, in a webcast with Travel Weekly editor-in-chief Lucy Huxley. “They are critically important to our business – absolutely paramount.”

She reported a notable rise in sales through homeworkers but added retail agents continued to play a crucial role.

Fox, who previously led the business in Asia-Pacific (APAC), took on additional responsibility for the UK in April, succeeding Andrew Burrett as UK managing director. She said a key priority for the group was to "continue to focus on and grow our partnerships", including sales with existing partners and through new business relationships.

A&K is now recruiting for a trade salesperson to cover the north and the Midlands to fill the role previously held by Richard Hey, who left to set up his own representation company in March.

The operator’s customers have been “skewing slightly younger” in the past few years, revealed Fox, with “a greater number” aged under 65.

She said customers aged between 45-55, families and multigenerational groups were “the biggest growth areas” and presented opportunities for agents to explore new sales avenues.

Abercrombie & Kent is now looking to expand its range of product and destinations in a bid to consolidate its growth.

The operator plans to explore new touring opportunities in South America, in particular Bolivia, as well as the Kimberley region in Western Australia.

“There is a lot of expansion coming, which is about [embracing] an adventurous spirit. We are developing products in new regions to deliver growth,” said Fox.

She highlighted new themed culinary and wellness tours, plus lodges in locations such as Moab in Utah, that will offer customers “a new level of adventure”.

Fox added that the group’s Cox & Kings brand would also be expanding its product range for the UK market, spearheaded by new managing director Jennifer Charlton.

The expansion follows a rebrand of Abercrombie & Kent unveiled in February, which the group said was designed to “capture founder Geoffrey Kent’s spirit of adventure”