Travel Counsellors has reported yet another record month, along with “significant” growth from its newly acquired Holidaysplease brand.
Chief executive Steve Byrne said: “We have had 17 consecutive months of record sales, with another record in June.
“[Year to date] sales are 30% up on 2022 and 70% up on 2019.
“More than 70 Travel Counsellors had their best ever month in June.”
Worldwide, the company has 1,900 Travel Counsellors and has recruited 160 more in the UK so far this year. It is looking to reach 200 new Travel Counsellors in the UK towards the end of this year, added Byrne.
A “small number” of Holidaysplease agents have switched over to their new parent brand since the acquisition by Travel Counsellors in March but he is not aware of any leaving the company.
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“Holidaysplease is still seeing significant growth compared to last year, and there is good engagement,” said Byrne.
Several people from Travel Counsellors joined a Holidaysplease trip to Mauritius last month as colleagues built relations between the two brands.
“We have no plans to deliver widespread changes; it is a great business and it is trading well,” said Byrne.
“We’ll see where we can make it better and take our time. Our technology platform is something that we could offer them down the line.
“The most important thing is building a rapport, we want to focus on that.
“It’s a brand they have a lot of fondness for – but they are also open to trading under the Travel Counsellors brand.
“They are really busy with bookings and looking after their customers.
“The first priority is building bonds, relationships and trust and I’m very happy with that.”
Commenting on current sales, he said the premium leisure end of the market remains “strong” and is 20% up year on year.
“We have seen in recent weeks that the lates market is starting to soften a bit but there is continued demand for luxury and complex holidays, they are still doing very well,” he said.
The most popular destinations are Italy, Spain, Dubai, Bali and Mauritius, with searches for city breaks searches also doing “very well”.
The US is in the top one or two sellers in terms of percentage growth and is performing well, he added.
The company unveiled a refreshed brand on Tuesday (July 4) following “extensive” market research among its agents and customers.
Byrne said the rebranding is part of the “continuous evolution” of the business as it looks to the next five-10 years beyond its post-Covid recovery.
He added: “The investment in the branding is part of a wider investment in other parts of the business.”
About £10 million is being invested in technology over the course of 12 months, improving services such as the app, and ways to help Travel Counsellors to collaborate, as more than half of Travel Counsellors work together.