CONFERENCE InteleTravel Conference: About 170 of the homeworking agency’s 10,500 UK


InteleTravel ‘to gain Atol licence in next two weeks’


A


n Atol licence will be secured by InteleTravel “within a couple of weeks”, according to the


homeworking agency’s co-founder and president. James Ferrara said: “We have


received an offer of a licence for an Atol from the CAA. “It means we have to sign the


final documents and provide some up-to-the-minute financials – we have provided them all the way through the process – then they will issue the licence.” He said InteleTravel did


not control the timing of that announcement but added: “It is imminent – in the next couple of weeks.” Speaking during the agency’s


conference in Spain, he said the “arduous” and “gradual” process of


It is a game


changer. You will be matching competitors, on a par with other homeworking agencies


obtaining a licence had been set aside because of the pandemic. But he added: “We have been back on it over the summer.” InteleTravel UK director Tricia


Handley-Hughes has been working on training resources, compiling an ‘Atol bible’ for agents and developing new software. Ferrara said agents will not be


able to link elements and make a package until they have completed the mandatory training. “It is a retail licence, we did not


apply to be a tour operator,” he said, adding that agents had had “one hand tied behind their backs” because they had not been able to package and link holiday elements. Handley-Hughes told delegates:


“It is about reassurance for your customers. It gives us credibility and gives our brand credibility. “It shows we are a serious player in the business and gives you a competitive edge.” Joanna Kolatsis, UK legal counsel


for InteleTravel UK, added: “It is a game changer – offering flights under Atol will open up a world of possibilities. You will be matching competitors, on a par with other homeworking agencies. “A lot of naysayers have been


waiting for it to go wrong. “We want to get it right and show them we can do it properly.”


Agency credits domestic focus for hike in sales


InteleTravel said its UK sales had increased by 71% in 2021 to more than £28 million, despite the pandemic. President James


Tricia Handley-Hughes


Ferrara announced the sales figures for the year to date during the agency’s conference, when he also confirmed the company


now has 61 preferred supplier partners, having signed up 14 over the past year. He also said the number of transactions made by


the company rose by 53% to 27,400 and the top-30 agents had accounted for £1.1 million worth of holiday bookings, up 47% year on year. From November, UK agents will also be able to


speak to three staff in a UK-based call centre rather than relying on US-based support teams. Ferrara said an increased focus on domestic


product had seen staycations account for more than 70% of sales at the height of the pandemic, a move credited to Handley-Hughes. “It was Tricia’s specific strategy early in the


pandemic to focus on domestic, with products and showcases – it helped us through the pandemic,” he said. “That is the kind of nimbleness you need in times of stress.” Handley-Hughes added: “We have had a fantastic


year of growth but next year it will be beyond the boundary.” Ferrara and Handley-Hughes said they were


confident more supplier partners would be introduced, particularly after the agency’s Atol licence had been confirmed.


Kavanagh joins as admin chief


Industry consultant Sue Kavanagh has joined InteleTravel as administration manager to support its growth plans in the UK. Kavanagh is working in the team’s


new London office, in Canary Wharf, with UK director Handley-Hughes, office manager Geraldine Nolan and Marilyn O’Rourke, who has a part-time administrative support role, working with suppliers. Kavanagh has 35 years’ industry


experience, having started in retail with Lunn Poly before joining Pickfords Travel and Carlson Wagonlit Travel, where she moved into HR. She worked for Qatar Airways for almost 10 years before setting up her own consultancy in 2019. She said: “I was brought


on board because of the expansion in the UK. “I am getting involved


with everything; it is a fantastic opportunity.” Kavanagh also works


Sue Kavanagh


with Nolan on training webinars, which are currently virtual ahead of plans to return to face-to-face activity this year.


14 21 OCTOBER 2021 travelweekly.co.uk k


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