Specialist Holidays Group (SHG) has announced a trio of trade-focused initiatives, including a dedicated bookings team, a new agent portal and an agent loyalty programme.
The operator said the developments underline its commitment to the trade, following 57% year-on-year growth in agent bookings in June.
A new dedicated trade bookings team is being created to support agents, with recruitment under way for Personal Travel Planners in Horsham and Chester.
The operator is also in the final stages of developing a trade booking portal, due to launch in the last quarter of this year. For the first time, the platform will feature all three SHG brands – Sovereign, Citalia and American Holidays, and offer agents 24/7 access to products, offers, incentives and bookings.
SHG Head of Partnerships Jorge Quibell said: “Having round-the-clock access will be particularly valuable for homeworking agents, who often work outside traditional office hours.”
In addition, SHG will roll out a dedicated trade loyalty programme later this year, rewarding top-performing agents.
Jorge added: “Our best-performing agent partners will be invited to join the programme, which will offer exclusive incentives, targeted promotions and a range of enhanced benefits.
“While this year has been challenging for much of the industry, we have seen stronger-than-forecast growth from the travel trade and are now doubling down on our commitment to the agents who have supported us by supporting them.”
