NEWS
Travel staff turn Covid surveyors to boost income
Juliet Dennis
Travel industry staff are taking on roles created by the pandemic that has put their livelihoods at risk in the first place. Agents whose businesses have
been forced into ‘hibernation’, and tour operator staff made redundant as a result of Covid-19, have found work outside the sector to boost their income until travel revives. Self-employed homeworker Jan
Buchan, as well as Steve Wilkinson and Beverley Philpotts, made redundant this year by Kirker Holidays and Great Rail Journeys
respectively, have all taken jobs with medical agency Star Outico. They will help carry out a Covid-19 infection survey for a joint venture that includes the Office for National Statistics and the University of Oxford. Buchan, of The Personal Travel
Agents at Co-operative Travel, usually turns over about £500,000 a year. She said: “The irony is the very thing that has caused my business to come crumbling down is now the thing giving me back some money. “I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t
have to but it takes the pressure off with Christmas coming up.” She has taken a six-month, part-
time contract so she can work on her business two days a week. “I have to be there for my clients
but it got to the point in September where my bank balance was reducing further and further and I had to do something. I’ve cancelled £100,000 worth of holidays; the loss of earnings is horrendous.” Wilkinson, a former regional agency
sales manager at Kirker, said: “I was reluctant to leave but relieved to find something worthwhile which utilises my people skills and experience.” He hopes to return to travel but admitted: “Sadly it may be quite some time.”
Jan Buchan (left) and Beverley Philpotts
Philpotts, former regional
business development manager at GRJ, said: “I put a couple of feelers out [in travel]. There was interest but no jobs. I’m thinking of this as a six-month breather.” Kayne Travel director Emma
Kayne, who closed her Wath upon Dearne shop after hearing South Yorkshire was to be placed in Tier 3 lockdown, is applying for full and part-time roles in admin and retail. “It’s soul-destroying in travel,”
she said. “It would be nice to get out for a few months and come back in January with a fresh mind.”
‘Sourcing tests for clients seals sales’ Ben Ireland
Agents say the “extra layer” of work involved in sourcing Covid tests for clients is “the future” and will encourage more customers to book through the trade. Four-branch Savvi Travel has
partnered with Confirm Testing and secured £10 discounts – reducing the price of tests from £149 to £139. Chief executive Dave Batley said:
“It makes clients feel more confident. They don’t have to go hunting for tests. We needed somewhere locally to send clients knowing they’d get results in time.” Batley said some clients had
struggled to source tests, with some
travelweekly.co.uk
firms asking them to travel long distances or pay up to £250. Clients “aren’t happy” with the
cost, he said, but “realise they need to do it to go on holiday”. Batley predicted costs would fall
as more companies, like Boots, offer tests. He said Boots’ trial offering – in 10 stores in five cities – only helped agencies in those locations, adding that the “best-case scenario” would be tests at airports. Batley said being able to provide a
testing option had salvaged bookings for Savvi, including a £10,000 Cyprus trip that clients were considering cancelling because of the hassle. Tui is offering a discount code for Randox Health on its website.
Boots now offers Covid tests for £120
Bianca Wassell, who runs The
Travel Concept in Eastbourne, has four go-to testing firms. She shares recommendations with fellow agents, noting clients get peace of mind when firms come with
positive reviews. “It’s no different to recommending a hotel or a tour operator,” she said. Wassell noted the “extra layer” of
work was for no commission but was part of her new ‘Covid checklist’. “It’s a lot of extra admin but shows
the value of booking through an agent,” she said. “We have to adapt.” Dan Salmon, of Brentwood-
based Never a Wasted Journey, said sourcing tests had got last-minute bookings over the line. Noting that some destinations require results within 48 hours of departure and others 72 hours, he said “there’s no room for error”, adding that he urges
clients take out adequate insurance. i Business, back page
29 OCTOBER 2020 7
PICTURE: Matthew Howell
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