Exodus Adventure Travels reveals plans to bolster trade relationships

Exodus Adventure Travels plans to host more agents on fam trips next year than ever before as it aims to make the trade an increasingly important part of its strategy.

The operator, which reported “strong double-digit growth” in trade sales for the year to date compared with last year, has been ramping up its agent focus since the pandemic.

Sales via agents now account for about a quarter of total sales, up from a share in the “mid-teens” before the pandemic.

Sales director Brendan Phelan said: “The trade is becoming more and more a part of what we do. It’s something we would like to see grow.”

Exodus believes fam trips will play an increasingly important in its trade strategy. The operator used to run two a year before 2020, but it will have hosted five or six – equating to up to 60 agents – in 2025 by the end of the year.

“We’re definitely doing considerably more than we did pre-Covid,” said Phelan.

“It’s one of the things we’ve invested quite a bit more money into since Covid because we find it’s one of the best ways to engage the agents with us so they can understand the Exodus product and sell it on to their customers.”

In addition to "always on" trade incentives, Exodus recently introduced a scheme that will run until the end of September.

The ‘Book Three, Go Free’ incentive enables agents to secure a place on a trip worth up to £1,500 if they make three bookings for 2025 departures.

Phelan revealed he was “really happy” with the trade’s response to the incentive, adding: “I think it’s something we’ll bring back on a fairly regular basis.”

He noted that strengthening relationships with the trade was an important step in letting travellers know “the value of what we do”.

“The incentives we’ve been putting out over the last couple of years are not just to incentivise agents but to make them feel valued and part of the Exodus community,” he said.

“For us, they’re a huge part of what we do and we always recognise the vital role that agents play in connecting customers with the right adventure experiences.”

Recent trends that Exodus has identified include a growth in interest in lesser-visited destinations, increased demand for multi-generational travel and further demand for flexibility.

Phelan said examples of flexibility included arranging hotel upgrades and adding extra days to a trip before or after a tour.