Travel Daily | Travel Counsellors top 100 firm

Travel Counsellors is celebrating after be named in the list of top 100 private firms with the fastest growing international sales.

The list compiled by one of the UK’s largest national publications The Sunday Times, has rated the company as one of top companies in the country with the fastest-growing international sales over the last two years of available accounts, ranking Travel Counsellors in 64th place.

Travel Counsellors was the first travel company to introduce the concept of experienced travel consultants working from home and now has operations in Australia, the UK, Ireland, Netherland, South Africa and Canada, with 1,200 agents operating as part of the world’s largest home-based travel company.

Since launching in Australia in 2007 the company’s unique business model, which focuses on providing an unparalleled level of support and technology to its agents so that they can concentrate on the service they deliver to their customers, has proven a huge success and has attracted travel professionals from an array of backgrounds who want to reap the benefits of running flourishing travel businesses from home. So much so that earnings per Travel Counsellor in Australia are up nearly 50% since the start of the year, testament to this recognition.

Travel Counsellors Chairman and founder, David Speakman, comments; “We are delighted that our expansion overseas has resulted in us being recognised in the Sunday Times International Track 100 list. We have seen exceptional growth in our overseas operations, and that is because we continue to focus on recruiting the very best agents and great head office staff to support them. Our international presence also allows our Travel Counsellors to benefiting from global deals and sharing information and knowledge with their worldwide family of 1,200 fellow agents via technology such as webcams and intranet message boards, ultimately for the benefit of their customers ”

The company ended its financial year (31 October 2010) with overseas divisions totalling £83m / A$126m, some 27% of total group sales. Travel Counsellors now has over 90 agents in Australia and a further 300 plus in its overseas operations in the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, South Africa, Australia and Canada, accounting for over one third of the company’s Travel Counsellors, who are supported by over 240 head office staff based in the UK and overseas. Total group sales for the year to October 2010 were £313m / A$475m, an increase of 24% on the financial year ending October 31 2009, with a forecast turnover of £350m / A$531 million for 2011.

The success of each individual agent’s sales increase has also been helped by the improved operating margins provided by the expansion of the company’s in-house dynamic packaging system into an international, integrated multi-currency booking system. The company also expects to recruit more agents over the next 12 months, as more travel professionals look to increase their earning potential by running their own travel businesses from home.

David adds; “The values of the business place the customer and the Travel Counsellor at the heart of everything that we do and the success of the strategy is proved in the company’s on-going growth. The investments we have made in our in-house dynamic packaging system Phenix and the international expansion provide us with a solid, robust platform for further growth in the coming years. We are predicting that our overseas operations will add a further £200m / A$303m plus in sales within the next three years, which will benefit each and every one of our agents who can enjoy the support and worldwide buying power of a truly international travel company.”