Hays Travel Independence Group 2023: Members credited CONFERENCE D


Hays praises IG members’ ‘exceptional performance’ 60%


ame Irene Hays hailed “exceptional performances” by Hays Travel Independence


Group (IG) members following record January and February sales. Like the overall Hays Travel


business, the record IG performance during peaks was buoyed by consumers defying the squeeze on household budgets. Hays IG accounts for about 20%


of the Hays Travel business, but in January its total transactional value was about 26% of the company’s total. Dame Irene Hays, chair of IG


and of its parent company, warned of gloomy economic challenges for businesses – such as rising bills, including the national minimum wage – but said there were still “immense” opportunities as most consumers were determined to spend money on holidays. “Older and more affluent


consumers expect to spend more,” Hays IG has 132 limited


Year-on-year increase in Hays IG sales for the 10 months to February


she said, urging IG members to focus on profitability and their product mix, taking advantage of trends such as a predicted 36% growth in cruising over the next three years. Jonathon Woodall-Johnston, chief


commercial officer, also hailed a focus on the right product mix, with increased sales of more expensive holidays such as cruises. He added: “Hays IG has diversified and it benefits from the buying power of the group and our commercial terms.” Sales for Hays IG were up 60%


year on year for the first 10 months of the company’s financial year, from May 1, 2022, to the end of February.


businesses, which represent 220 outlets, with six members having joined in the past 10 months. “Everyone is doing well across


the board – 32% of members have doubled their January turnover; it is a stellar performance,” said Woodall-Johnston. Natasha Marson, head of Hays


Travel IG, noted how some members hit the headlines with strong peaks performances, such as Not Just Travel and Holidaysplease. She also said Miles Morgan Travel had seen 13 consecutive record-breaking months. She urged members to focus more


on foreign exchange sales to improve their service and boost revenue. Hays Travel has a forex team to


support agents and offers clinics to boost selling skills. Woodall-Johnston said the new


forex system for Hays’ retail and IG outlets, launched in September 2022, was seeing “lots of demand”.


Covid highlighted worth of ‘brilliant agents’


The pandemic was the “best thing that ever happened to brilliant travel agents”, according to Amanda Matthews. The managing director of Designer


Travel said: “We categorically could prove our worth. Brilliant travel agents have come out of Covid better than we went in.” She told delegates how her


agency offers a 24/7 service and adds a human touch to stand out from the crowd. Fellow panellist Scott


Murray, founder of Murray


Travel, outlined how he rebranded his business after Covid, putting customer service at the heart of the changes. His agency began in an office in Inverness but now has branches in Elgin and Forres, with a fourth opening in June. He said the shops are like airport lounges with a free bar and consultation pods rather than desks. Dame Irene Hays, chair


Amanda Matthews


of Hays Travel, said: “The entrepreneurial spirit is not dead in travel; there are masses of really clever, bright people.”


Agency focuses on ‘customer excellence’ by joining the ICS


Hays Travel has joined the Institute of Customer Service to boost its offering to consumers. Dame Irene Hays said the company approached the


ICS late last year to help it further improve its service. She said ICS research showed public expectations are


now higher but consumer satisfaction with the handling of complaints is lower than before the pandemic. “We are absolutely passionate about our focus on


customer excellence,” she added. Hays Travel recruited 546 apprentices last year to


help it deal with the surge in the peak selling season and Hays hopes to take on a further 420 this year. “The apprentices enabled us to optimise our bounce-back in January and February,” she said.


10 16 MARCH 2023 travelweekly.co.uk


Jonathon Woodall- Johnston


Dame Irene Hays


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