CONFERENCE Elite Travel Group Conference: The Future is Today was the theme of agency


Elite introduces managed scheme for homeworkers


E


lite Travel Group is to introduce a managed agents’ scheme as it grows its number of


homeworkers. For an annual fee of £250, plus


Elite membership, the scheme offers agents support such as back-office systems and Abta membership. Elite chairman Wayne Darrock


said: “The demise of Thomas Cook means there are many store managers and assistant managers who want to stay in travel. How can they do it? This is an opportunity.” He said the concept had been


trialled by former Elite chief executive Neil Basnett, who has been developing a new agency, Holiday Inspirations. The agency began as a homeworking business and now has premises in Stratford-upon-Avon.


It has never been


about getting to bigger levels of membership – it’s about the quality of members you bring in


Elite’s number of agency members


has remained steady at 48 over the past year, but the consortium has added 24 homeworkers. Combined annual sales have


reached £120 million this year, up from £100 million in 2018. “It has never been about getting


to bigger levels of membership – it’s about the quality of members that you bring in,” added Darrock, who is also managing director of JTA Travel Group.


“As Elite is smaller, members


have a voice, which is a key thing for independent travel agents.” The consortium has expanded


its head office team to six, recruiting Lauren Poole as marketing and digital executive in September and Abigail Shelton as business development manager last month. Shelton plans to visit all current


members and aims to get agents at other consortia to join Elite. Paul Riches, who works with


JTA Travel Group as a consultant and head of specialist sales, has been recruited as a consultant to advise on PR and commercial deals. Next year, Elite plans to hold


more networking events, with more options for members beyond its traditional heartland in the Midlands.


Bunce: Warn clients of potential Brexit changes


Abta’s director of legal affairs, Simon Bunce, urged Elite members to make clients aware of possible changes to travel following Brexit. While he reassured agents holidays would continue more or less as normal after the UK departs the EU, he


Simon Bunce, Abta


advised them to “make customers aware of things in advance, so they are not surprised”. “We want to avoid disruption to the 58 million trips


by UK travellers to the EU each year,” said Bunce. “The crux is to avoid surprises for customers, for example with passports, international driving permits and insurance green cards, new rules about pets, European Health Insurance Cards and data roaming charges. “There are still a lot of unknowns and a lack of


clarity. The industry has held up through all of that over the past couple of years, so take some comfort from that.” Dominic Carrick, head of sales south for If Only,


added: “The ‘sod it’ approach of the public has been great but it will run out. “Uncertainty is the devil word in the industry. We


need clarity to be able to go on, and ‘sod it’ will run out in the next few months.” But David Holland, director at Africa Pride UK, said consumer confidence had been hit by Brexit uncertainty.


16 5 DECEMBER 2019


Malaga to host Elite conference in 2020


Next year’s conference will be held in Malaga in late September. It will be the third time in four years that Elite has held the event in Spain. The city is known as the entry point to the Costa del Sol and the birthplace of Pablo Picasso. Tours will be organised for delegates during the conference.


travelweekly.co.uk


Claire Moore (left), Peakes Travel; Lloyd Morris, Cosmos; and Vicki Evason, Peakes Travel


Wayne Darrock, Elite


chairman


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