Press Article

Agent Shehryar Awan has achieved total commission of more than £41,000 for December 2021 departures after seeing an “upturn” in bookings during the final few months of last year. Awan runs his own long-haul specialist travel company Exquisite Escapes, which is part of Merlin Travel Group. He specialises in selling luxury trips to destinations such…

Hopes of a near-normal summer have risen a week after news of eased travel testing rules but agents have stressed the need for consistent government advice. Firms described 

Travel agents nationwide have enjoyed buoyant sales over the first weekend since the easing of testing requirements but reported mixed views on the year ahead. Many firms said they were inundated with enquiries on the first Saturday 

Protected Trust Services has appointed Sarah Ryan as Business Development Manager of its new membership team. Ms Ryan previously held business development roles at The Global Travel Group, Rogers Hospitality, WebBeds and Advantage, but spent the last 15 months working outside of the travel industry. Sales Director Mark Sutton said: “We are looking forward to…

Travel agents expect the government’s relaxation of testing for international travel to boost consumer confidence as it removed a “major barrier” to bookings. Prime minister Boris Johnson today confirmed that pre-departure tests for those travelling to England would be scrapped from Friday January 7, and that self-isolation and PCR tests on arrival would be ditched…

Fears are rising in the trade about family travel to Spain this Christmas following tighter entry rules due to the requires all arrivals over 12 to prove they are fully vaccinated, effectively barring UK teenagers as most to date have had only one vaccination. Morocco, Israel and Portugal also beefed up entry restrictions, while the UK…

Critics of model are misguided, argues Protected Trust Services financial director Tom Clay Trust accounts are being embraced by the UK travel industry for many reasons. Trust accounts offer travel companies, consumers, stake holders and suppliers far more comfort than any other protection model available. The key is that the trust account is well managed…

A leading provider of travel trusts has opposed calls from trade bodies for the CAA to reconsider its view that segregating customer payments could ease the financial demands of merchant acquirers on tour operators and agents. The CAA, which is still considering the more than 300 responses to its consultation on potential reforms to Atol,…

Platinum World Travel has opened a store in Gloucester “four times the size” of its former site in the Forest of Dean – and plans to open a further seven before 2027. Founder and director, Arron Mitchell and co-director Matthew Chamberlain want to have shops, trading as Resfeber Travel, in Cardiff, Bristol, Birmingham and Cheltenham.…

Protected Travel Services’ Jacqui Landen talks about the problem with Refund Credit Notes, the benefits of trust accounts – and why travel businesses need to have a Plan B.