Corporate travel sector boosts sales for Travel Counsellors
Travel Counsellors is reporting record growth this year with total sales surpassing £600m for the first time since the company’s launch in 1994.
Between October 2017 and October 2018, total transactions were up 14% in the UK and 13% globally compared to the previous year.
Transaction value was boosted by a record month for sales in January 2018, with £77.4m worth of bookings made across its seven territories, which include Ireland, South Africa, Australia and the UAE.
The news comes as the company reports a 17% increase in sales made for 2019 departures to destinations outside of the European Union, with top locations booked being Florida (23% increase), Dubai (12%) and Mexico (11%).
Sales for 2019 departures to New York have also increased by 33% for Travel Counsellors, suggesting that the company’s customers are looking beyond Europe to long-haul destinations next year.
The last 12 months has seen Travel Counsellors celebrate its best year yet for global corporate travel sales, totalling £151m and representing a 16% increase on 2017.
The company’s strong growth figures follow the secondary management buyout of Travel Counsellors by Vitruvian Partners in June, bringing a close to three years of investment from Equistone Partners Europe.
During the three-year period, the business invested in a £2m new head office facility in Manchester and experienced rapid growth, with annual total transaction values growing by £130m to £512m.
Chief executive Steve Byrne said: "2018 has been a record-breaking year for Travel Counsellors, for both corporate and leisure travel sales.
"We’ve seen an increase in interest and sales to destinations outside of the EU next year, and anticipate this trend to continue as customers seek more value for money beyond the eurozone."
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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