New York-based homeworking agency Fora Travel is looking to expand its presence in the UK after securing both ABTA membership and an ATOL licence.
Having launched in the US in 2021, it now has more than 15,000 members globally, including in Canada and Mexico where it also has operations, and around 100 in the UK, where it began recruiting in 2022.
Head of International Sofia Minvielle said it is looking to significantly grow in the UK by securing relationships with more suppliers after getting ABTA’s seal of approval and landing an ATOL licence, for 500 passengers a year.
Until now, its UK-based advisors have sold mainly hotels, using contracts secured in the US, but Sofia said it planned to expand its package holiday business, focusing on luxury, including cruise and luxury train travel, such as Orient Express and Belmond.
“This is what our existing advisors are looking for,” she said, adding that Fora’s average booking in the US is around $4,000. “It is already higher in the UK,” said Sofia.
She said Fora also plans to offer luxury yachts and private flights, although it doesn’t yet have any UK contracts in place.
Like its US competitor InteleTravel, Fora accepts agents with no previous travel industry experience and has low annual fees. “There are a lot of moms working with us,” added Sofia, although she stressed it will focus more on recruiting experienced agents.
“We are already getting enquiries from people who were waiting for us to get our ATOL.”
It offers ‘more than 900’ online training modules, she said, some of which – covering ABTA and ATOL sales – are mandatory before agents can start selling.
Membership costs £222 a year or £74 a quarter and the commission split starts at 70/30. As members grow their business, this increases to 80/20. There is no minimum contract and no notice period. Agents will continue to receive their commission for forward bookings when they leave, added Sofia.
Unlike InteleTravel and some UK-based homeworking groups, she said Fora does not offer its agents an incentive to recruit. “We are already seeing quite a lot of organic demand, without doing any marketing in the UK,” said Sofia. “I think that speaks for itself.”
However, Fora does work with brand partnerships, including with luggage company Away.
She said what differentiates Fora from other homeworking groups is its technology, which allows advisors to work from anywhere in the world. Currently, it has members in 140 countries.
“We have a large group of engineers working on the tech every day,” said Sofia.“ They come up with an impressive number of launches every month.”
Its UK ‘chapter’ has been run since 2022 by former US travel consultant Tara Anbudaiyan, who organises partner events and co-working sessions to connect advisors.
Fora has plans for a dedicated UK team, but in the meantime, it will be managed by Sofia.
Fora also has a presence in Mexico and Canada and, in total, it has booked $3 billion in travel since its launch five years ago. “We are aiming to double year on year in the US and, over time, our ambition is for the UK to represent a double-digit percentage of our global business.”
