Travel Counsellors has hailed its investment in its TC Teams technology as one of the key reasons for its record annual results.
Last week, the homeworking agency said annual profits soared by 64% to almost £33 million last year, with total transaction value (TTV) rising by 31% to £941.6 million in the 12 months to October 31, 2023.
Steve Byrne, chief executive of Travel Counsellors, attributed the success to its ability to attract “really good” travel counsellors – with about 300 joining each year – plus investment in its technology, especially TC Teams.
Part of the company’s Phenix platform, TC Teams enables agents to work together when dealing with enquiries and bookings – delegating work to others or consulting with agents with skills and experience in certain products or destinations.
“The key is investment we’ve made is in Teams – that’s enabling travel counsellors to work together in a way that works for them,” he said.
“We have got two-thirds of our people working collaboratively in a way that meets their business needs.
“Many years ago, top selling travel counsellors might have been able to sell £1m, £5 million [a year].
“They’re now able to do £10 million or £20 million because they’re able to able to scale their business by using other people in the community.
“It provides a genuine ability for people to scale their business in a way that meets their ambition level.
“It has probably been the most significant evolution in the model, post-Covid, but was pioneered by some travel counsellors who were already doing it before Covid.”
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He said premium holidays account for about 78% of leisure sales and most of that is sourced and secured through the Phenix platform.
Beach holidays remain “strong” for the agency but he added: “We are seeing an increasing number of premium leisure customers want to have experiences and more complex, tailor-made itineraries.
“The Mediterranean still super, super important…but we have seen growth elsewhere, including last-minute holidays to Canada, Brazil and India.
“Our fastest growing destination is Asia – Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Japan are doing well, as is luxury cruising.”
He said the agency’s annual travel tracker survey “reinforced” how the US, Italy, Spain and Greece are still “super popular” destinations as well as more demand for experiences.
It also found 55% of those surveyed would prioritise spending on holidays, up from 45% last year, while nearly 29% plan to spend more on holiday, compared to 26% last year.
A quarter (24%) of those with household income of more than £75,000 plan to go on three holidays a year, compared to just 9% of those with a lower income, he added.
Booking figures show that departures for winter 2024-25 are up 25% year on year and departures for summer 2025 are up 37%.
“It shows there is a healthy appetite for travel,” he said.
“We have deliberately, strategically positioned the company to be on premium leisure business and, on the corporate side, focusing on the small to medium sized business, where there is more control of that discretionary spend and a deeper appreciation of what’s being provided by a caring travel professional, which is what our travel counsellors do.”
Byrne said there have been no major changes in the numbers of Holidaysplease agents who have moved over to Travel Counsellors, following the acquisition in March 2023.
By March 2024, 55 had moved across to become travel counsellors and that has now risen to 57.
“[Those who have moved] are seeing productivity benefits from being able to use Phenix to create tailor-made itineraries,” he said.
“We are really pleased with the outcome of the acquisition.”
Asked if more acquisitions are on the horizon he said: “We’re still very much focused on growing the company organically.
“That will be the mainstay for the foreseeable future.”