Tailor Made Travel grows to 20-branch network


Ben Ireland


Miniple Tailor Made Travel is set to hit the 20-branch mark with the opening of two new shops in Wales. The first, in Cwmbran, opened on


New Year’s Eve, while an Ebbw Vale branch is due to open in the coming weeks. Both stores will be staffed by former Thomas Cook agents. The independent agency has taken on 14 former Cook staff in total. Ebbw Vale will be run entirely by


ex-Thomas Cook agents, while two former Cook employees have been recruited to work in Cwmbran. Chief executive Simon Morgan


stressed the importance of keeping agents in the same towns as their previous Thomas Cook stores. “It’s very simple: people buy


[from] people,” he said. “If you take someone who has a


trading history of 20 years in a town and move them to a different town, you have wasted that resource. “It’s my job to put them back in


the towns they belong. You can’t take a local butcher and slap them 20 miles away.” Morgan had previously registered


interest in picking up ex-Cook retail locations after its collapse in September, but all shop leases were


Audley Travel hires first trade sales manager


Tailor-made operator Audley Travel has appointed Greg Turston as its first trade sales manager as it targets increased sales through agents. Thurston, who joins from Cox &


Kings, is to head a dedicated team which will help agents understand Audley’s product. Audley Travel chief executive


Nick Longman said: “The majority of Audley’s trips have historically been sold direct through our in-house country specialists. “However, we recognise the


Simon Morgan


If you move someone who has a 20-year trading history in a town, you have wasted that resource


taken on by Hays Travel. “Hays hasn’t opened all the Cook


stores, and are using staff in other towns,” he said. “That’s leaving gaps in the market for us and we’re taking


Cyprus faces tourist boycott calls aer teen convicted in rape case


Calls for a tourist boycott of Cyprus have been backed by the mother of a British woman convicted of lying about being raped by 12 Israeli men. The Foreign Office expressed “serious concern” after the 19-year-old was found guilty of causing public mischief in Ayia Napa. Cyprus attracted more than 1.3 million British holidaymakers in 2019.


6 2 JANUARY 2020


opportunities as they arise.” The Travel Network Group


member has increased sales across its retail network from £1.2 million in 2016 to more than £30 million in 2019. Morgan said the agency was targeting £35 million in sales for 2020 and £50 million in 2021. He outlined plans for “two or


three” new shops through “organic growth”, and added: “As opportunity knocks, there could be a further two or three, and that’s not accounting for acquisition opportunities.”


New South Wales declares state of emergency due to fires


A state of emergency was declared in the Australian state of New South Wales this week as bushfires continued to ravage parts of the country. Thousands fled a “tourist leave zone”, with supplies running low in some cut-off resorts and towns. At least 18 people have died as a result of the fires.


Tributes pour in for three BA cabin crew killed in car crash


Tributes have been paid to three British Airways cabin crew who died in a car crash near Heathrow on New Year’s Eve. Two men aged 25 and 23 and a 20-year-old woman died when their car collided with a dnata lorry. A 25-year-old woman is in a serious condition in hospital. A GoFundMe page had raised more than £64,000 by Thursday.


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importance of the travel trade in a wider distribution model and are delighted to be able to offer them a dedicated team who will work with them on a daily basis to design tailor-made trips for their clients.” Thurston said: “It’s a really


exciting time to be joining Audley and I am delighted to have been asked to head up the new trade sales team. I’m looking forward to meeting agents and sharing the excellent product range and experiences that a trip with Audley can offer its loyal customer base.”


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