A new trade-only tour operator is poised to go live within weeks, offering commissionable “mix and match” packages bookable direct via travel agents’ websites.
EveryHoliday is being piloted with a select group of agents prior to its national rollout and promises “attractive prices” and “unparalleled flexibility and convenience” for agents to book destinations worldwide.
It has been set up by managing director Kevin Coles, who has more than 30 years’ experience in the industry and is a shareholder in the business. He was previously UK and Canada managing director of Kognitiv’s travel businesses and held senior roles at Travel 2 and Travelbag under Stella Travel Services.
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EveryHoliday has partnered with travel technology provider Travelgenix to enable agents to search and book flights online and match them with accommodation to create financially protected and commissionable packages.
The tour operator has an online bookable website for the trade, but in partnership with Travelgenix can also integrate its packages into agents’ websites for clients to book direct online without the agent’s intervention.
EveryHoliday has also partnered with a “large number” of suppliers and directly contracted hotel groups, allowing it to offer “highly competitive” prices and exclusive offers unavailable to consumers direct, said Coles, who believes its trade-only policy will protect agents’ margins and foster trusted partnerships.
He added: “It’s about choice and better margins. When I first started in travel more than 30 years ago, there was a wide range of package holiday operators to choose from, with the option of booking flights and hotels separately, adding decent margins in the process. Today, the choices are more limited, and many operators sell direct to consumers at discounted rates.
“We want to give agents the choice to offer and book the holidays their customers want while maintaining, and potentially improving, their bottom line.”
The Atol-bonded operator plans to offer a wide range of point‑to‑point packages to long-haul, mid-haul and short-haul destinations, including European beaches and cities, the Middle East, Indian Ocean, the US and Caribbean.
It has recruited five trade support executives, while more than 130 agents have already registered prior to launch.
Coles added: “The first year will be about getting it right, not about the quantity we sell.”
Commission will be about 11%, but agents can also set their own margins to secure a deal, he said.