A travel agency owner says he has eased customer concerns around international travel and increased bookings by publishing “postcards” from satisfied clients on his Facebook page.
Richard Slater, of Macclesfield-based agency Henbury Travel, is certain the ten posts have brought in business. The first, sent by customers in Malta, went live on July 25 and the latest post, from clients in Majorca, was shared on August 29.
Slater said: “The postcards have boosted confidence. They say why they’re getting away, how great the hotel is, how straight forward it was to travel – that is a confidence booster.
“A couple of days after we posted the first one, we had customers calling up who had previously said they were not travelling anywhere in 2021. It was clearly building customer confidence.”
In the latest postcard, one customer wrote: “The whole process of form filling and testing etc… was not an issue.
“Thanks for your assistance and advice with the booking, we will be back, although as you know we have two holidays booked for next year already.”
Slater said a third of Henbury Travel’s bookings have been made by new customers this year. “They have come to us because they want a bit of hand-holding,” he explained.
On September 3, the agency booked holidays for 29 people. “The worm is turning,” he said.
Currently, Slater works alongside one other agent but is looking to expand the team by recruiting either an apprentice, a marketeer or “an experienced” agent.
He has also lined up a Kent-based homeworker to join the agency and work remotely.