Travel Counsellors has hit a major milestone, surpassing £1 billion in annual sales for the first time, driven by a post-pandemic surge in travel demand.
In the 12 months leading up to August 23, the personal travel planning company generated £735 million in leisure sales, with an additional £265 million coming from corporate bookings, primarily from small and medium-sized enterprises.
Founded in 1994 by David Speakman, Travel Counsellors has grown from a traditional travel agency in northwest England into a tech-enabled platform that supports over 2,100 self-employed travel planners operating under a franchise model. This unique approach focuses on building trusted relationships between travel advisers and customers, a key factor in the company’s success, according to CEO Steve Byrne (pictured).
Byrne, 59, explained, “The essence of our model is the personal relationship between the travel counsellor and the customer. People want to purchase services from someone they can trust.”
For leisure customers, the company arranges a wide variety of trips, from European city breaks to honeymoons and luxury holidays in destinations like Costa Rica and Mauritius. Over the past year, Travel Counsellors recorded more than 155,000 leisure bookings, averaging £4,717 each. Corporate bookings, averaging £1,577, also grew, with more than 164,000 transactions reported during the same period.
Looking ahead, the company is aiming to double its revenue within the next five years by continuing to attract talented individuals to run their own travel businesses through the Travel Counsellors platform. Byrne added that the growth strategy will focus on expanding both its premium leisure and corporate markets.
Owned by private equity firm Vitruvian Partners since a 2018 buyout, Travel Counsellors has seen rising demand for popular destinations such as the Mediterranean, the United States, and southeast Asia. Notably, there was a 70% spike in demand for trips to Japan, while cruise holidays contributed nearly £50 million in sales in the past year.