Advantage CEO Julia Lo-Bue Said open to talks with Inteletravel
Advantage chief executive Julia Lo-Bue Said has not ruled out holding talks with controversial homeworking agency InteleTravel, which is looking at joining a UK consortium.
Speaking at the Advantage Travel conference in Cadiz, Said refused to confirm whether she has already been approached by InteleTravel boss James Ferrara.
He claims to have already spoken to at least one travel consortium about the possibility of joining after being granted ABTA membership earlier this year.
InteleTravel has signed up around 2,500 travel agents in the UK. More than 1,000 have joined since the US-based business won the ABTA badge.
However, many in the industry are concerned that it recruits inexperienced agents and that the US-based business encourages homeworkers to sell travel as a hobby rather than a full-time business.
When asked if she would consider InteleTravel joining Advantage, Said replied: "We wouldn’t not talk to anyone just because they are seen as a disrupter.
"We would speak to anyone who approached us."
Advantage has already stated that it wants to expand its business into more countries, but mainly on the business travel side. It has entered five new countries this year and it is talking to a further eight, said global product director Neil Armorgie.
It has also taken on resources in America and the Asia Pacific ‘so we have boots on the ground to find the right agents for us and the right TMCs," he added.
Advantage already has 30 agencies signed up in India and it expects to add a further 15 by the end of the year.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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