The Interview


Clive Jacobs and Julia Feuell


T ravel Weekly owner JMG stepped in to save Online Travel


Training from going into administration last week. Here, JMG chairman Clive Jacobs and OTT founder and managing director Julia Feuell outline their plans for the business


O


nline Travel Training grew rapidly up to 2020 to provide training not


just to thousands of UK travel agents but hundreds of thousands of agents around the world. But the pandemic hit the sector and its leading training company hard. Feuell explains: “The government


was supportive with various loans which kept us going. But as a technology platform we were attached to the travel industry and the poor travel industry was the last sector to come out of the pandemic. “We had so much disruption to


the budgets of tourist boards. People had left jobs and weren’t replaced, or a new person joining didn’t know OTT so we were taken out of budgets. Representation companies we work with lost accounts. People had budget problems so couldn’t pay us. Purchase orders couldn’t be written. And we’re a small business – there are just 14 of us.” She says: “It’s a difficult thing


to say, but when you run out of cash you have to raise a white flag and say ‘We’re struggling’.”


12 16 NOVEMBER 2023 Feuell reports there were Agents perform a critical role, but they


need to be trained. Training is fundamental to the success of our industry and to the continuity and relevance of travel agents


Jacobs notes: “The government


made loans available during the pandemic, but those loans were to help companies over a six-month period. For the travel industry, the pandemic lasted two years in effect. We all took on enormous amounts of debt. Those of us able to, funded our businesses at personal risk. Across the industry, we’re still repaying enormous debt and some businesses have simply run out of road.


Training is ‘key’ “That is what ultimately led me to rescue this great business. When a Travel Weekly breaking news story came through that OTT was in trouble, my immediate reaction was to say, ‘Let’s rescue this business’. A missing piece of our business ‘puzzle’


has been training. I’m passionate about the travel industry, and travel agents in particular, and training is fundamental to the success of our industry and to the continuity and relevance of travel agents. “Agents perform a critical role, but


they need to be trained. I felt it was essential for us to have training in the business. I admired OTT from afar but felt there was no point competing with a strong business. I saw OTT as strong in its field technologically and in the depth of its engagement.” Jacobs says: “Within hours, we


were mobilising to save the business. If a business goes into administration, it is damaged, and I didn’t want the business damaged. I wanted the business to be intact for its employees and for the confidence of the industry.”


expressions of interest in OTT from 17 parties but says: “Jacobs Media Group was far and away the most complementary business for OTT because we could just fit in snugly with the B2B marketing we both do and the sort of audience we have. I felt we would be turbocharged and be able finally to really grow, to be able to do what is needed globally as well as in the UK and not be bootstrapped for cash.” She insists: “It was an exciting


proposition Clive put forward, not just to continue the business but to make it stronger than ever.” Details of the deal remain


confidential, but Jacobs acknowledges it involves taking on some debt. However, he says: “That is something we’re totally comfortable with. We will absorb the debt. The business will be a subsidiary of JMG, keeping its brand name, keeping all the staff.” Jacobs argues: “Everyone


collected debts during the pandemic. Some of the debts in the industry are astronomical. The cruise lines took on billions and billions in debt. For OTT, it was all on Julia’s shoulders, and interest rates have gone up so


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