New partner for TW People Summit Travel Weekly reporters


Travel Weekly and Best Workplaces in Travel are to team up for the third annual Travel Weekly People Summit, to be held on Monday, June 10. The half-day conference will


be hosted by Deloitte at its central London offices, ahead of the third Best Workplaces in Travel awards at the offices of Grant Thornton the same evening. The Travel Weekly People Summit


has become an essential forum since 2022 for those invested in the travel industry workforce, with discussions and presentations on topics including recruitment, retention and training. It will be held for the third


and to celebrate the achievements of the 2024 Best Workplaces in Travel nominees and winners.” Gail Kenny, founder of Best


Workplaces in Travel, said: “Employee engagement and retention in these changing times are more important than ever before; the Travel Weekly People Summit will provide insights from the Best Workplaces in Travel survey as well as plenty of practical


time with the support of headline sponsor Jet2holidays. Best Workplaces in Travel was


founded by industry recruitment specialist Gail Kenny in the same year and consists of an annual employee engagement survey and awards. Lucy Huxley, editor-in-chief of Travel Weekly Group, said: “Best


Exodus eyes bigger trade team ahead of Morocco fam


Juliet Dennis


Exodus Adventure Travels is considering expanding its on-the-road team as it looks to deepen trade relationships and run a 50th birthday mega-fam. To mark its half-century, the


operator is giving away 50 places on its November fam trip aimed at supporting Morocco’s recovery following last year’s earthquake. Half of the places will go to UK agents and the other half to US agents. The operator, which changed its


name from Exodus Travels to Exodus Adventure Travels in a brand refresh


6 8 FEBRUARY 2024


last year, is also running 50 departures this year with additional, “special” experiences and offering 10% off as an exclusive trade incentive on all trips booked between February 20-29. It plans further fam trips this year,


including to Vietnam and Portugal. Managing director Sam Seward


hailed strong sales through agents, which account for 20% of business, particularly for Asia. Exodus Adventure Travels is now


looking to bolster its trade team if sales continue to grow at the current rate, but is focused on improving current relationships rather than expanding agents’ share of sales.


Workplaces in Travel has been a sponsor of the People Summit since its inception, and it made perfect sense to further strengthen that relationship by holding the event and awards on the same day. “We are delighted to be working


in partnership to curate another compelling conference programme


takeaways and food for thought.” i Entry is now open for the Best Workplaces in Travel 2024. For more information and to enter, visit: bestworkplacesintravel.co.uk


iTo register interest in attending the Travel Weekly People Summit 2024, head to: travelweekly.co.uk/peoplesummit24


Exodus will host 50 agents on a fam trip to Morocco


It currently has an on-the-road


sales team of three. Seward said: “They have never been busier. We are looking at growing that team if we carry on the way we are going because there is high demand for their presence.” But he noted: “This year is about


deepening and growing existing relationships. We are looking for quality over quantity in terms of agents. We want meaningful connections with agents. I’d like to see growth from all our accounts.” He added: “We want to invest


time in agents, give them the depth of understanding of the products and highlight the importance of the right


holiday for the right customer.” Seward said it was encouraging


to see agents taking a “slightly larger chunk” of business than last year, adding the operator was “always delighted to hear from agents who want to branch into small-group, ethical adventures”. The operator, which recently


became B Corp-certified, is working to reach more agents online through webinars on topics such as wildlife tourism. “As a new B Corp company, this is a good opportunity to grow that base of agents who are looking for holidays and experiences with those credentials,” Seward said.


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PICTURE: A bertto Loyo Alberl


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