National parent urges agents to build domestic into business plans

Director of product and operations Paul Mason said he felt agents should build sales of secondary breaks into their business plans.

“We recently secured 1,500 seats on the Flying Scotsman for next April,” he added. “It’s a unique product no one else will be selling, great for agents’ windows. That will drive footfall."

The group has placed more than 100,000 seats on sale for 2021, and is working on replicating National’s top sellers while seeking to capitalise on markets new to JG such as family, sport and heritage breaks, all strengths of the National brand.

Mason said this would work in the other direction too, with the group looking to develop other successful group product for National customers – including two new Ireland tours.

He added the group’s primary focus right now was to perfect its domestic lines before expanding its European tour range ahead of the continent reopening.

Mason also said JG would be open to working with agents who have private or ready-made groups wanting a specific trip, or coaches to a particular event. "We can build that sort of thing for them," he said.

Crowe, meanwhile, said he expected the group’s trade team, which spans its National, Just Go! Holidays and Omega Breaks brands, to expand as demand returns.

"The ability to serve agents is massively important," he said, adding the group hadn’t ruled out further acquisitions after picking up National in July following the collapse of Specialist Leisure Group in May.