Janine Loves Travel plans conference Juliet Dennis


Janine Loves Travel is planning to host its first conference and roll out a new reservation system to make booking easier and quicker after reaching 300 agents. The homeworking group, part of


JLT Travel, increased from about 200 members in August last year to 300 by November. It turned over more than £6.8 million in 2024. Janine Marshall, who set up the


agency during Covid, said the group’s fast, organic growth, and the chance for agents to meet and network with suppliers, were behind the decision to host a conference. The ‘JLT Jamboree’ will be


held at Mottram Hall in Cheshire


on March 27. More than 100 homeworking agents have already signed up to attend, plus 25 suppliers, tourist boards and hoteliers. There is capacity for up to 300


at the event, which includes an overnight stay with a gala dinner,


Fred Olsen Cruise Lines backs trade after record year


Lucy Huxley


Fred Olsen Cruise Lines expects business from agents to continue growing, after surging trade sales helped it to achieve a record year. Samantha Stimpson, chief


executive, said: “We’ve seen more than 20% growth through the trade this past year [and] there is definitely growth to come this year. “Geoff [Ridgeon, head of sales]


and his team have done an amazing job, but so have all our partners. Most of that has come through retail.” The past year was the “best


ever”, following the previous record year. “That hasn’t been from price


6 16 JANUARY 2025


increases, it’s from occupancy increases,” she said. Just over half (54%) of sales were direct, with 46% from the trade. Trade sales grew as a result of engaging with agents at events, plus an improved website and training, she added. Stimpson, who has 20 years’ travel


experience, joined last February. “Part of me coming into the organisation was for growth. We definitely need more than three ships,” she said. “This is the year of digitalisation,”


she added, highlighting plans for an app and live chat for agents. Other changes coming next year


include making Borealis adult-only and adding fly-cruises.


Janine Marshall


entertainment, charity raffle and agent awards. Supplier workshops, a ‘power hour’ for one-to-one chats, supplier bingo and a trade fair will also be held during the day. Marshall said: “We’ve got a lovely


community of agents and it will be really nice to get them together to meet each other face-to-face and meet the management team. We have agents coming from as far as Aberdeen and Devon.” A key focus of the event will be


the group’s new reservation system, which went live in December. Devised in partnership with Top


Dog Travel Systems, the system makes the group’s suppliers, including tour operators, flight consolidators and transfer companies, accessible


for agents to book in one place. “We can plug in our own suppliers


so agents don’t have to go into each supplier’s portal to get prices,” said Marshall. “The search engine brings up package options from different suppliers. It’s a real time-saver.” Dynamic packages represent 30%


of sales by the group, which obtained its Atol in 2023 as part of Protected Trust Services. Marshall added that Janine Loves


Travel continued to attract new recruits but had no set target. “We are open to taking on new


agents who are serious about travel as a part-time or full-time business. Our new reservation system shows we are serious about making this a proper career for agents,” she said.


Samantha Stimpson


“We spent a lot of money on


Balmoral’s dry dock, trying to modernise her but still keeping traditional values,” Stimpson said. The same will happen for Borealis


in 2025 and Bolette in 2026. A loyalty scheme and revamped


menus are planned for 2025, but she noted: “The main bit of feedback from guests is, ‘Please don’t change anything with the crew, because they really make our whole experience’.” Stimpson said marketing


messages will show how crews are “fantastic”, thanks largely to the ships’ smaller sizes. “For every two guests, we’ve got one crew member. That means they’ve got time,” she said.


Most customers are retired or


semi-retired, aged over 55, and the repeat guest rate is more than 50%. “We’re also seeing an increase


in new-to-Fred guests,” Stimpson added. “The retention level on those guests is also high.” More agents and customers now


understand how Fred Olsen fits in the market between the Saga and Ambassador brands, she said, adding: “What we must do now is ‘myth bust’ about being old and dowdy.”


Watch the interview with Samantha Stimpson in full at travelweekly.co.uk


travelweekly.co.uk


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