NEWS 1
YOU NEED TO KNOW
at a glance
l Tui bought Travelmood in 2008 but stopped using the brand in the UK.
l The revived Travelmood will focus on long-haul and multi-centre product.
l It will work solely with third-party agents and will not be bookable by Thomson agents.
Lesley Rollo says Travelmood is looking to support independents
Tui gains mixed reaction to trade brand Travelmood
Hollie-Rae Merrick and Jennifer Morris
Agents gave a cautious welcome to Tui-owned Specialist Holidays Group’s launch of a trade-only brand, with some fearful of forging ties with the operator.
Travelmood will work solely
with third-party agents and is not bookable by Thomson agents. Although the new brand has split opinion in the trade, managing director Lesley Rollo insisted the team was looking to support independents. “This has all been developed
following feedback from the trade – agents told us they wanted a brand that sold only through them,” she said. “Some agents told us they were
a bit hesitant of making bookings for Hayes & Jarvis because there was always a fear customers would book direct.” Nick Marks, joint managing
director for Baldwins Travel, welcomed having a new player in the market and advised agents to “sit back and wait” before turning against it. He said: “We need more players in the market and the fact that this is trade-only is music to my ears. “To be completely honest, we had lost faith with SHG [Specialist Holidays Group] because of its non-trade-only approach to discounting direct and not price matching. Three years ago, the SHG brands were our biggest suppliers – over the past year or so that was completely decimated. “This could change that. Once
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travelweekly.co.uk 15 October 2015
“We need more players in the market and the fact that this is trade-only is music to my ears”
it is up and running, I will look at Travelmood.” Paul Hardwick, group retail manager at Fred Olsen Travel, also welcomed the brand but said SHG would have to ensure price parity on products also sold by sister brands. Caroline Jeacock, sales manager
at Deva Travel in Chester, added: “I like that this is a trade-only brand, but as an Aito agent, we would never favour a Tui or SHG brand over an independent operator.” Travel-PA homeworker Jenny Jackson said that despite the
l The brand will share the Specialist Holidays Group sales team, which has eight people on the road.
l During November and December, the team plans to visit up to 40 independent agents each day to showcase the new brand’s benefits.
l The brand will be the first operator to partner with My Booking Rewards to incentivise the trade.
distinction between SHG and other Tui brands, the association between the two would always “ring alarm bells” for independent agents. “The name Tui sends the majority of independent agents into meltdown,” she said. “We feel like, over the years, it has done the dirty on us. Everybody knows we supported Thomson for decades and when it went online, we got stabbed in the back. We don’t want to get sucked in and spat out again.” Jackson said she was “sceptical”
but was willing to hear what Travelmood had to say. Meanwhile, at Abta’s Travel
Convention, Tui UK and Ireland unveiled its plans to expand its long-haul range with the
introduction of Sri Lanka for 2016. › Talk Back, page 21
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