The Interview


Kelly Cookes, InteleTravel


The homeworking agency’s commercial director says industry resistance to the business is starting


to ease as she hails the dedication and enthusiasm of its agents. She talks to Juliet Dennis


A


year on from her surprise move from a traditional travel agency


consortium to an industry ‘disruptor’, Kelly Cookes is bursting with enthusiasm about InteleTravel’s agents, ethos and future in the UK. Cookes, who has worked in travel


retail for almost 20 years, shocked many agents when she left Advantage Travel Partnership to work for InteleTravel on September 1, 2025. Her remit has since expanded, taking on commercial responsibility for the United Arab Emirates following the group’s launch there in June, as well as the UK and Ireland. The number of InteleTravel’s UK


homeworkers has increased year on year since she joined, up from around 35,000 to 42,000, and agents are not only selling more but rising numbers are working full-time, Cookes says.


Reputation Cookes doesn’t underestimate the task of overcoming the negative “side-


10 3 SEPTEMBER 2026


hustle” publicity that has dogged the group since its UK launch in 2018, but is confident about progress to date. She says: “Naturally everyone


has a view and potentially makes judgements, and there is definitely a journey to go on, but we have come a long way and industry partners have nothing but positive things to say [about InteleTravel]. “InteleTravel faced a huge backlash


in the early days and to some extent we will [always] have a bit of that because our model is different. “One of the reasons I moved was


because the growth of InteleTravel was like I have never seen in the industry.” Cookes says “three to four”


suppliers now contact her daily to work with InteleTravel. “With suppliers there is no


backlash,” she adds. “What we have now is hopefully really solid relationships and a background of delivering for partners. “I was lucky there was such a


welcoming team [when I started] and the business was at such a stage of accelerated growth. I’ve been


able to work with them to shape the strategy.” But she notes: “I get a lot more


questions from agents I’ve known for years about why I moved, but as time has gone on there has been more interest. People want to know what InteleTravel is like and how it operates, especially with PlanNet.”


Homeworkers What has stood out the most to Cookes since joining are the InteleTravel agents themselves, many of whom come from other professions, including banking and law. “The advisors have surprised me: their dedication, especially those newer to the industry,” she says. She recalls the enthusiasm of


agents to learn at InteleTravel’s 2025 conference when she was just three weeks into the job. “The main room was filled from front to the back with people taking notes and photos. The classrooms were all full.” She adds: “Most of our advisors


have no experience in selling travel when they join, so our training has to be effective and ongoing to keep the momentum. A lot of them are highly educated and well travelled. “We were criticised in the


early days for bringing in people with no experience. We now see this trend in virtually every homeworking business, so we are the ‘leaders’. The reality is suppliers keep investing in product so distribution has to grow too.”


Everyone potentially makes judgements, and there is definitely a journey to go on, but we have come a long way and industry partners have nothing but positive things to say


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