NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW 4


Juliet Dennis juliet.dennis@travelweekly.co.uk


Protected Trust Services is to launch a “new-style consortium” for experienced agents who want to be “masters of their own destiny”.


PTS, which started as a Package


Travel Regulations compliance service for operators in 2006, is to hold open days as it looks to take on at least 120 agents in the next year. It bills itself as a consortium for established, independent agencies that do not need marketing


5


New Major Travel scheme to help agency start-ups


Samantha Mayling


samantha.mayling@ travelweekly.co.uk


Trade-only operator and consolidator Major Travel has formally established a scheme to support start-up travel agencies.


Major Independent Partners is aimed at “experienced individuals” who want to set up a business. The company said partners


would need to have the potential to employ 20 reservations staff


by year five and to make almost £500,000 in profit a year. Marketing director Mohammed


Rashid stressed that Major Independent Partners is not a homeworking operation but will support agents who aim to “employ multiple people within three years”. Major Travel will provide


back-office requirements such as technology, a white-label website, product, accounts and licensing. It will also offer business coaching and mentoring, training and marketing support.


Qasim Gulamhusein, managing 6 travelweekly.co.uk 4 April 2019


Qasim Gulamhusein (left) and Mohammed Rashid


support or training but want the financial and technology “scaffolding” to support their businesses and the freedom to work with any supplier. Agents must have at least two


years’ experience to join. Managing director Daniel Landen stressed PTS was not in the business of “poaching” agents from rival consortia, but admitted


its model may cause “ripples” among traditional consortia. He said: “There are a plethora of consortia throughout the UK offering incredible solutions to start-up and experienced agents. “Some agents like the existing consortia model with huge amounts of marketing support and academies for training; this is not the market space PTS is touching. “Our intention is to only offer a solution to experienced agents who would like to retain 100% commission and have the capacity to run their own business.”


5 STORIES HOT PTS launches ‘new-style consortium’ PTS operates a trust account,


rather than a bond, and is registered with the Financial Conduct Authority. It has an Atol franchise, which allows members to apply for an Atol using the PTS trust fund in place of a bond. It charges a £999 joining fee and a monthly licence fee of £99 for the technology and trust account and an annual membership fee of £200. PTS charges a transaction fee – £20 per booking on average – instead of taking a cut of agents’ commission. Agents can work with any operator, as well as with more than 100 PTS-approved suppliers.


director, said the London-based operator had been running an informal version of the programme for more than 15 years and works with eight agencies. “We have never promoted this model of working,” he said. “But we can see how successful it has been and believe now is the time to help bring more new travel brands into the market.” The scheme will not charge joining or monthly fees but will take about 10% of the gross profit.


Partners will be able to sell Major’s products and any supplier of their choosing.


Applicants will be interviewed to assess if the business has potential. Major Travel will invest up


to £50,000 in each new venture and will prioritise agents who specialise in niche sectors. The operator has invested £450,000 in technology over the past financial year and said a large part of that investment was aimed at supporting its partner programme.


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