Homeworking agency InteleTravel says more agents than expected have been using its Atol licence, after being given the go-ahead in June.
The company was granted a licence by the Civil Aviation Authority in November 2021, allowing agents to package their own holidays.
Since then, there have been regulatory training sessions for agents who need to pass an InteleTravel certification process before they can use the Atol.
The licence is for 5,310 passengers a year and agents are urged to self-package only when a client’s needs cannot be met by selling under a supplier’s Atol.
Only a small percentage of InteleTravel’s 11,500 agents were expected to use the option, but James Ferrara, the firm’s co-founder and president, said: “It is turning out to be more popular than we expected.
“If a customer wants a particular hotel and we do not have it with our tour operator partners, we can still satisfy by building a package.”
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Talking to Travel Weekly at the agency’s annual conference in Belfast, he said: “New inexperienced agents are intimidated by the process, so it is for the more confident agents.”
The company has also developed technology to help agents comply with the Atol rules.
“There is a manual way for agent to decide what goes to Atol certification but they do not have to do that – the system does it for them,” said Ferrara.
“It makes it a quicker and easier process for them.”
But speaking to delegates at the conference, he reiterated the advice to use packages from partner suppliers where possible, as it means less work for the agent.
“The ultimate strategy is creating our own packages; it gives us larger margin and is more profitable,” he told Travel Weekly.
“But the short-term focus is teaching agents to upsell, so there is more luxury and group sales training.”
Having the Atol is also helping InteleTravel in its ambition to move into the Irish market, although this is taking longer than expected because of post-Brexit complications.
“Now we are Atol-licensed, the Irish government will allow us to do business,” he said.
“The only significant requirement is that we provide liability insurance in Ireland. Securing that without premises in Ireland is complicated.
“We hope to deliver on our Ireland promise soon, and are looking at Western Europe and Canada too.”
When an Irish division is set up, it will be run by UK director Tricia Handley-Hughes and her team in London.
But agents in Ireland will have their own website and suppliers, along with different content to cater for the Irish market.
The firm also has also expanded from its US roots to set up agents in the Caribbean and Mexico, again with different suppliers and travel practices.
“There are not so many tour operators in Mexico, more agents build their packages there,” explained Ferrara.
More than 100 people are employed by InteleTravel, 65 of whom are in the Florida head office.
There is also an office in New York, remote IT workers in places such as India and Pakistan, and regional offices, such as in London.
Handley-Hughes and her team also offer agents the services of a UK-based customer support team of three, which is set to expand shortly.
Ferrara said an office labour outsourcing company, WNS, has been taken on to help deal with back-office administration.
It also works with PlanNet Marketing which recruits agents for the InteleTravel network.
“There is always natural attrition; they keep us from losing numbers,” Ferrara said.
Furthermore, he emphasised he has no goal in terms of increasing agent numbers, only in making sure sales rise.
He told delegates that the company is on track to make more than $450 million in sales this year and he predicts $1 billion by 2024.
“I can support that ambition with our historic growth rates and the UK doubling year-on-year,” he said.
“We have a big span of agents, you can’t average it out, it’s the wrong maths.
“We are an aggregator. It does not matter to the suppliers what an individual agent does, it matters as an organisation.”
Suppliers at the event praised InteleTravel agents’ for their sales efforts and dedication to training.
Virgin Voyages was again a headline sponsor, as it was last year, and sales vice-president Shane Lewis-Riley and national training manager Luke Day hosted several sessions during the conference.
Lewis-Riley told delegates: “It is rare that you fall out of our top five partners. You can sell – we will continue to invest in you guys.”
Luke Vanderhoeven, key account manager for homeworkers at Royal Caribbean International, said a “massive thank you” to delegates for their “energy and passion”, adding: “We adore working with you.”
Diane Court, JTA Holidays’ senior sales manager, commented: “You are passionate, you have proven to be amazing.
“The amount of business you put through is fantastic.”
Damian Gevertz, founder at content sharing platform Widgety, said his firm has created a dedicated team of two to help InteleTravel agents with bookings, queries and training.
Looking at the prospects for 2023, Ferrara said there are “tailwinds and momentum from 2021 and 2022”, along with changes in travellers’ preferences, which make him optimistic.
“I’m looking at real data, what is being booked. I am looking at another great year next year,” he said.