Trade-only operator Major Travel is set to expand into the US market, months after the company’s acquisition by InteleTravel.
InteleTravel president James Ferrara said Major Travel had been performing “very well” since the acquisition in May, but preparations are now being made for further growth.
“We’re bringing Major Travel into the US,” said Ferrara. “We’ve spent the last couple of months getting the proper regulatory entities set up and licensing and taxation structures and so on, so that by the first quarter [of next year] we’ll be able to announce Major Travel as a supplier to our US-based agents.”
In the UK, the operator’s booking platform is set to be integrated into the back-office system used by agents in an attempt to make it more straightforward for homeworkers to make bookings.
Outlining the benefits, Ferrara said: “Once our agents log in to our back office, they don’t have to log in again to go to Major Travel.
“It’s a single sign-on, so it’s convenient for them. They’re not accessing anything different from other Major Travel agencies, it’s just that we’re making it highly convenient for [agents] to get into the back office.”
He added that InteleTravel agents would soon be able to sell Major Travel trips with the agency’s branding on them.
“That has value for advisors as they will take some pride in selling something to our customers that has our brand on it, but it will be fulfilled by Major Travel,” he said.
Picture: InteleTravel president James Ferrara with Major Travel managing director Qasim Gulamhusein