Egypt specialist Red Sea Holidays is looking to recruit a member of staff dedicated to supporting travel agents as the operator recovers from the effects of the pandemic.
The London-based operator lost more than half of its staff as it had to make redundancies during the Covid crisis and now has a headcount of six.
Managing director Andrew Grant said about 80% of sales come through the trade so it is important to engage more with agents.
“They have given us huge support through all this and it is time to reinvest and support the trade again,” he said.
“We have been thankful for their support; it is now time to get back to normal as sales are picking up.”
He said the operator went back on sale in February but the recent problems at UK airports have had “a bit of a knock-on effect” on bookings and consumer confidence.
However, as the company is now looking to sales for winter 2022-23 and summer 2023, he is confident about business, adding: “I would urge people to buy now rather than later as costs are going up.”
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He also highlighted the “great value” offered by Red Sea destinations, especially in comparison to other wintersun hotspots such as Dubai, the Caribbean and the Canaries.
Grant aims to recruit one trade support executive initially, with hopes to increase the trade team to help engage with agents and look at developing fam trips.
Currently, flights from the UK are with easyJet and Tui but he expects more capacity to be added for the winter and the operator hopes to have its own charters too.
Hurghada (pictured) is currently the main destination for UK holidaymakers, and Grant expects Sharm el Sheikh will take another year or 18 months to fully recover.
The resorts have also been hit by the lack of Russian and Ukrainian tourists since Russia invaded Ukraine at the end of February. They accounted for about half of the market to Red Sea resorts, added Grant.
The Red Sea used to attract 600,000 UK holidaymakers a year at its peak.