Digital transformation among four pillars in Advantage Travel Partnership’s strategy

Three-year growth plans revealed by the leading travel agency consortium

The Advantage Travel Partnership has “ambitious targets” to expand its network and attract new members, as part of a new three-year strategy.

The consortium has also moved offices in London as staff have adopted a hybrid working environment.

The former offices are still owned by the organisation and rental from the property will be ploughed into the business as a revenue stream.

The consortium said it has “streamlined” its business to align its operations internally “ensuring that business and leisure travel divisions maximise opportunities to collaborate on communications, events and buying power to bring greater benefit and value to members”.

There are four pillars in the new strategy:

• Footprint Expansion will ensure existing members receive greater support through consultancy products and marketing and technology solutions. The consortium also has ambitious targets to grow it network and attract new members.

• Product & Portfolio Capitalisation promises to leverage more buying power on behalf of members.

• Digital Transformation will further the organisation’s commitment to fully digitise all stakeholder touchpoints and promote enhanced capabilities for data collection and analysis.

• Operational Excellence involves a holistic technology review and makeover of the Advantage public and internal digital platforms.

Julia Lo Bue-Said, Advantage Travel Partnership chief executive, said: “We’ve learned some hard lessons during the pandemic, and we’ve had to be honest with ourselves to identify areas in the business where we can fundamentally add more value to our members and support them through what will be a tough period of recovery.

“This has resulted in streamlining our services, consolidating our expertise, and ultimately working smarter in a market that will be tough for years for come.

“This framework which will take the business forward is ambitious and one I hope will further support Advantage as the consortium of choice for current members as well as future members.

“Continuing to be the voice of the independent agent both for business and leisure travel is now part of our DNA and we will continue to fight for the industry and strive for a trading arena conducive to sustainable growth.”

No jobs are to be lost as the consortium moves from its London head office on Provost Street to shared Regus premises nearby on City Road.

The company has 62 employees in total, of which 49 were previously classed as office based. They will now all be classed as hybrid workers and come into the new office for meetings and events.

Teams will continue to meet face-to-face and supplier and member meetings will continue as before.