A new travel agency which allows its agents to sell holidays while travelling the world has launched amid the coronavirus crisis.
Travelisto.com, which has joined homeworking group Travel-PA, says its ‘travel designers’ will be “hybrids between enthusiastic influencers and real travel experts”.
It says they will provide “the latest advice with the highest standards of customer service while enjoying a great work-life balance and productivity levels”.
The Atol-licensed agency has been founded by Abraham Bravo, who has 15 years’ experience in the UK travel industry in commercial and operational roles including at airlines, tour operators and niche specialty travel companies.
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Bravo said having agents in-destination meant they will gain a competitive “edge” on product knowledge and that it allowed to plan to meet clients.
Travel designers are encouraged to pick up each other’s bookings through the firm’s own cloud-based technology, which gives them access to fellow agents’ WhatsApp and text messages, emails, live chat and customer profiles.
Clients can schedule time slots for phones calls or video calls to agents operating in international time zones and quotes are updated in “real-time” online, which Bravo says is proven to increase conversion by 50%.
They will also be able to set up in co-working spaces across the UK to meet clients or fellow agents as and when they want to.
Bravo accepted the timing of the launch had been questioned, but said: “Travelling is in our DNA – during 99% of human history, we have been nomads. Travelling breaks through the imaginary barriers we often put ourselves and we do get know ourselves a little better every time we venture into a new and unfamiliar place in search for a new memorable experience.
“A crisis like we are living now highlights how unnatural it feels being banned from travelling and even socialise with others. The indirect outcome of such restrictions results in us longing even more for that permanent state of excitement we only enjoy when travelling. That is what is hard coded into our DNA. I am confident that in a matter of weeks, not months, we will see a normalisation of global travel. China has already reopened hotels and air travel is slowly going back to normality.”
Bravo said the idea for the business came from managing a relationship with his husband when they were both travelling extensively for work, which he added was “not sustainable”.