How Travel Counsellors hopes to win in 2024

3. Collaborating with content creators 

A new marketing initiative will see head office partner with social media influencers to grow awareness of the brand and drive demand.

Customer director and chief marketing officer Dave Callan told TTG the brand’s social footprint had increased by more than 180% in the last year, with engagement at brand-level up by 98%, giving Travel Counsellors a powerful platform from which to “take the brand to the next level”.

“We are now very intentional in how we use social media and how we leverage the power of brand and our TC community in this space. We know that social platforms are now search engines for inspiration and that premium leisure customers are looking for authentic and trustworthy content to help with their purchase decisions.”

TCs will also be encouraged to nominate their own customers to take part in the initiative.

“It’s about how we can get your customers to advocate for the brand,” Callan told delegates at the conference. “If you have customers with a significant following, we can support you in making it work.” 

‘Pods’ of TCs will also be created to handle the enquiries generated by the campaign. The pilot series is expected to launch in February or March.

4. Piloting AI technology

The group is to trial AI technology that will automate certain daily tasks, such as alerting TCs when a client’s typical booking period is approaching, and suggesting suitable products for the client based on their previous bookings and on hotel review content, which can be dropped into quotes with one click.

By responding to its suggestions, TCs will be able to help the tool learn and improve its accuracy and relevance.

Bauer told TTG that AI “definitely cannot replace what our Travel Counsellors do”.

“If you’re high volume like On The Beach or Loveholidays, then yes, you can be replaced by Google. But for us it’s more about giving our TCs more time to focus on relationships, and enabling new joiners to get up to speed more quickly,” he insisted.

The digital assistant, to be named ‘TC Co-Pilot’, will be trialled from next spring.

5. Leaning into corporate travel 

Corporate travel turnover grew by 24% to £209 million this year, exceeding the £200 million mark for the first time. The organisation has welcomed 23 new corporate-focussed TCs this year, and seen 862 new client accounts opened across the business. 

But Kieran Hartwell, managing director corporate at Travel Counsellors, said this represents only 4% of the corporate SME sector’s travel spend in the UK. “There is vast headroom to grow,” he urged. 

Developments in the pipeline include enhanced new distribution capability (NDC), wider access to corporate hotel content, and - crucially, to enable scalability - an online booking tool.

More than half of the TC community are now using ‘TC Teams’ functionality to work together to service clients. This has been particularly successful in corporate travel, where some agents now work solely on winning new business that they pass on to colleagues, or work solely on administration and support, while still sharing in the profit. 

Corporate TCs Chris D’Arcy and Gary Fitzgibbon, named "Top Performing TC Global” at the conference, worked together to generate sales and associated sales of more than £10 million in the last year - making them the first TC in history to bust sales of seven figures. 

Hartwell said there will be a renewed focus in 2024 on encouraging leisure TCs to ask their client base if they also travel for work, and pass leads over to a corporate TC if they prefer not to book it themselves. 

TCs who do pass over a corporate lead take 10% of the profits in the first year of the client booking, which has seen at least one leisure TC earn "Gold Travel Counsellor" status this year as a result.