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Operator launches ‘Specialist’ scheme


Jet2holidays unveiled a ‘Specialist Travel Agent’ scheme at its conference in Turkey this week, offering the trade bespoke training and offers, branded ‘booking pods’ and joint marketing activity. Participating agents will also


be able to brand their premises as a ‘Specialist Jet2holidays Travel Agent’. The scheme offers product awareness training from the Jet2holidays trade team and “bespoke promotional sales and offers”. The branded booking pods


Steve Heapy says Jet2holidays ‘wants to pay agents even more’


Jet2holidays pays indie agents £75m commission


Lucy Huxley


Jet2holidays VIP Agents’ Conference, Antalya, Turkey


Jet2holidays will pay out more than £75 million in commission to independent agents this year as it rolls out a ‘specialist travel agent’ programme (see box).


The figure is up from  million


in  and  million in , and chief executive Steve Heapy said he would like the amount to be even higher in . Speaking on the first night of the


operator’s V Agents’ Conference in Antalya, Turkey, Heapy said: “As other operators are cutting back and paying agents less, we want to pay them even more.” Heapy revealed agents account for  of etholidays’ business


and would book more than , passengers with the operator in . “Unlike others, we don’t have


aspirations to increase the proportion of our direct business. We are very happy to see our trade element grow to , ,  per cent  there’s no limit,” he said. etholidays’ proportion of


trade sales has fallen since both Thomas Cook and Tui stopped selling the operator, something Heapy claimed had created an “opportunity for independents”. “Trade sales were at  until


our friends in eterborough and Luton stopped selling us. But that’s fine. We don’t want them any more. This is an opportunity instead for independents. “Give customers what they want  a et holiday  and remember


4travelweekly.co.uk29 November 2018


“We are very happy to see our trade element grow to 30, 40, 50 per cent – there’s no limit”


that your independent agency is the only place on the high street they can buy one,” he said. The latest Atol figures show etholidays is licensed to carry . million passengers in   more than Thomas Cook . million and On the Beach . million combined. “We have pulled away further


from Cook and we are catching up with Tui  and we are still growing,” said Heapy. Heapy reiterated his message


from last year’s conference, urging independent agents not to sell


Thomas Cook or Tui. He said: “f you’re an independent, why would you sell a Cook or a Tui holiday and give them money to keep the Cook or Tui agency across the road from you open and competing against you? “There are challenges on the


high street  ust look at the number of businesses that have downsied or gone into liuidation. et the high street has a lot to offer. ndependent agents have to  and do  demonstrate added value to ustify the price, so they need to show good product knowledge and highuality service. “We want to work with every independent agent in the country, and to increase the amount of


business that we do with them.”  See next week’s issue for full Jet2holidays Conference report


(pictured) can be used in-store and are adaptable to fit the available space in the shop.


PICTURE: JET2/GAVIN PRIESTLEY


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