The Good Travel Company ‘100% open’ to further expansion

The Good Travel Company director Vanessa Good has said she is “100% open” to expanding beyond the business’s second store, which last month began selling travel as well as offering a foreign exchange service.

The Dumfries shop hosted a grand opening on May 22 after several weeks of trading in the refurbished property, which had previously operated as a currency specialist since 2000. The agency received £10,000 through Jet2holidays’ Scale Up Your Street scheme to support the makeover.

Good said the travel department, led by new manager Douglas Smith, had enjoyed a positive start, including higher-value bookings.

“We’ve seen some really nice bookings coming through,” she said, noting strong demand for departures this summer.

“Everyone wants a last‑minute holiday,” she added. “We’re seeing a massive percentage asking about the Mediterranean.”

The Ayr branch is also benefiting from continued momentum in the lates market, which is helping the business to recover from setbacks caused by the Middle East conflict.

“Things are quite good just now,” Good said. “Even with the massive black hole that was March and April, the industry seems to have come back quite well and people still have the appetite to travel, so we’re seeing encouraging signs.”

She added the geopolitical challenges are prompting greater interest in booking via the trade. 

“We’re getting a lot of new clients in the Ayr branch. People are wanting the security of an agent again,” she said. 

“After Covid, there was a massive push back to travel agents and the Middle East crisis has again taught people they need that reassurance [from the trade].”

Clients are frequently asking questions about the EU’s Entry/Exit System, but they are accepting the agency’s advice.

“There’s no way to predict which airports are going to be busy at what time, so we tell customers to get there in plenty of time,” said Good, adding: “We’ve not had any clients who have missed flights.”

Asked about the possibility of opening additional stores, she said: “Our focus is on Ayr and Dumfries, but we’re 100% open to seeing where there are gaps in Scotland.

“It’s about the right town. It’s not just about being in this geographical location [Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway].”