Agent earns £41k commission for single month’s departures

Awan runs his own long-haul specialist travel company Exquisite Escapes, which is part of Merlin Travel Group. He specialises in selling luxury trips to destinations such as Dubai and the Indian Ocean.

He achieved his highest monthly commission payment of £41,432 for departures taking place in December. For the final three months of 2021, Awan earned total gross commission of more than £55,000 from his bookings.

“I’m extremely proud to have achieved this colossal figure for just one month of departures,” said Awan, who joined Merlin Travel Group two years ago.

“My support has been fantastic, in fact, if it wasn’t for the team at Merlin Travel Group, I doubt my sales and commission would have been half of what I have accomplished in December.” 

Merlin Travel Group joined Protected Trust Services in August 2019. The Glasgow-based firm now has 38 members throughout the UK, including specialist operators, homeworkers and retail agencies.

Awan originally started his career as a travel agent with Independent Travel Experts (ITE), part of The Travel Network Group (TTNG), before moving to Merlin Travel Group in 2020.

Garry Butcher, Merlin’s operations and product manager, added: “Shehryar has worked incredibly hard since he became a member of Merlin Travel Group barely two years ago.

“His hard work, high standards and exceptional service to his clients have earned him a tremendous commission for his last month of 2021. The future is also incredibly bright for Exquisite Escapes, with strong bookings for this first quarter of 2022.” 

Butcher noted that consumer booking patterns have changed recently, with lead times down to six to eight weeks for many holidaymakers, including those going on luxury breaks.

“We think this reflects the consumer waiting until they feel confident that their holiday has a good chance of going ahead – we allow as much flexibility as possible for our members’ customers,” he added. “2022 is looking very positive, and we are excited for the future.”