NEWS CONFERENCE REPORT
Freedom Travel Group Conference 2017: Consortium and homeworking division unveil plans to increase brand awareness and drive bookings to agents. Juliet Dennis reports from Nottingham
Keynote speaker: Mark Durden-Smith
Freedom targets growth of 15% in next 12 months
The Freedom Travel Group has revealed plans to grow in size by 15% in the next 12 months following its rebrand.
The group, part of the Thomas Cook Group, has already grown by 10% in the year to September 30. Figures refer to the number of agents in Thomas Cook’s rebranded homeworking division, Freedom Personal Travel Advisors, and its Freedom Travel Group consortium agents. A new logo and website for both
divisions was also announced. Freedom Travel Group head Kelly Cookes said: “The 10% was
good, but I would like a bigger growth figure in 2018. I am aiming for 15%.”
As part of this, the group
revealed plans for a recruitment campaign to start this week. Initially this will seek agents to join Freedom Personal Travel Advisors, but this will be followed by recruitment advertising for Freedom consortium agents. Thirty agents joined the consortium or homeworking division in the 2016-17 financial year, accounting for the 10% growth in the overall business. Cookes added: “In terms of
recruitment, this is our strongest year for the last four years, since I have been in the job. We have done some recruitment campaigns, but it has come mainly from recommendations.” Three personal travel advisors
have also switched to become Freedom Travel Group consortium members in the last year as a result of growing their businesses, she said. Cookes, who now reports to head of commercial, sales and relations Phil Gardner, following a senior reshuffle, also revealed the group’s sales were up by 13% for the year, passenger numbers up 11% and average sales values by 4%. She admitted it had been a
KELLY COOKES: ‘I want people on the street to recognise the Freedom name’
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travelweekly.co.uk 7 December 2017
“turbulent year” as a result of Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean and the collapse of the Monarch Travel Group, adding: “It looks like 2018 will have its own challenges, kicking off with credit card fees. We want to carry on doing what we do well.” Freedom revealed next year’s
conference will be held in Finnish Lapland from December 4-7.
Freedom seeks to be consumer brand
Freedom Travel Group bosses aim to turn the Freedom name into a recognised brand among high street consumers. The homeworking division,
The Co-operative Personal Travel Advisors, has been officially rebranded as Freedom Personal Travel Advisors, with a new website and logo (pictured) going live this week. It follows the end of Thomas
Cook’s joint venture with The Co-operative Group at the end of last year. Group head Kelly Cookes said: “I want someone to walk down the high street and recognise the Freedom name. “We are in a time where
consumers have never been more brand-conscious. “This is about maximising the impact [of our brand] and taking it to the next level.” There are 140 Freedom
Personal Travel Advisors homeworkers and 155 branches in the Freedom consortium.
PICTURES : STEVE DUNLOP
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