Less than two years after its 2006 launch in the U.S., Travel Counsellors has entered the Canadian market. The UK-headquartered, home-based travel company has 920 home-based agents and now operates in eight countries. Sales are estimated at $420 million for 2007.
“We are delighted to launch Travel Counsellors in Canada and the response we have had so far from the industry has been fantastic," said Travel Counsellors Group Managing Director Steve Byrne. "It has been part of our plans to launch in Canada for some time - we believe the market is ideal for us and we are looking forward to offering customers, agents and suppliers a new way of doing business.”
Travel agents in Canada will be able to sell a full range of travel products and benefit from both the company’s existing global travel deals and its new partnerships with key Canadian suppliers. Agents who join the company will benefit from a three-day training course in Toronto that will include in-depth training on the company’s technology.
Training will include Travel Counsellors dynamic packaging system, Phenix. This allows agents to quickly and easily search and compare different travel options for specific dates in a matter of minutes. Its innovative Contact Centre also allows agents to create, administer and market to their own personal customer database.
Travel Counsellors in Canada will be headquartered in Toronto and led by Lynda Sinclair, a well-known Canadian industry professional. The company’s official launch last week included events in Vancouver and Toronto and presentations from Travel Counsellors Chairman David Speakman as well as Byrne and Sinclair.
“This expansion will hugely benefit our existing agents as we continue to build on our global buying power and are able to re-invest in the tools and technology to support our agents and enable them to grow their businesses. Our Travel Counsellors agents also have the reassurance that they are working within a large, innovative company that is constantly moving forward,” Byrne said.
Travel Counsellors has launched a Canadian recruitment website for experienced travel professionals www.travelhomeworking.ca. The company also unveiled its website designed specifically for Canadian consumers, which can be accessed at www.travel-counsellors.ca.