“When you’re running alongside a potential client, they can’t really get away from you. I mean, they can, but they’d have to run a lot faster than you,” jokes Craig Weatherill.

The Admiral Travel director runs 25-35 miles a week – both on his own and as a member of Sandymoor running club – and he has found that his preferred method of exercising has helped widen his client base.


“When I first joined the group, my motivation was to get fit and meet people, but then a couple of runners started booking with me, and it just escalated really,” he explains. 

“When you’re out running, you’re talking to people, all new people that you’ve not met before. Everyone goes on holiday, and running beside them is a chance to build that trust and a relationship.”


He adds: “It’s £23 a year for the club subscription, which gives me access to about 200 people on a weekly basis and I’d say that generates around 100 bookings a year, which can be any size, from a couple to a larger group.”


Alongside a weekly run, the running group offers dedicated hill training and speed training sessions: “You’re running with all types of runners and can mix with everyone in the club,” Craig says. “It feels like free networking.”


As well as fielding more general holiday enquiries from his fellow runners, Craig has also booked running groups who want to take part in official organised races taking place abroad. This works particularly well when the event includes a marathon, half-marathon and 10k, and group members can select whichever distance they wish.

“In Europe, 10k racing is a big thing, because you can do the run as part of a weekend break, and still fit in sightseeing and visiting local bars and restaurants," he says.

“Some people take it more seriously, and are aiming for personal best times, while others just want the escapism and are looking forward to the socialising with like-minded people."

Focusing on runners has also helped bring down the average of his clientele, who he describes as the Instagram generation, more interested in notching up experiences while on holiday than in doing pub crawls.

And running has done wonders for his own wellbeing: “I’ll always pack a pair of trainers, and I run most days on our family holidays. It gets me up and out early, and helps me explore the local area.”

Craig would urge all agents to join their local running groups, or if that really doesn’t appeal, then find another group that caters to their particular hobby or passion.  

“Only about 5% of runners in my club are elite runners, focused on smashing their times. For the vast majority, they just want to talk to people and have that social engagement. And you’re never going to be in a group filled with travel agent runners, so there’s very little competition when you promote your services.”

Parkrun tourism

At Fred Olsen’s Tonbridge branch, both branch manager Bettina McCue and assistant manager Jacqui Nocton are keen runners.


“I started running in my mid-30s, once my kids were a bit older,” explains Bettina. “It’s mainly to keep fit – it just makes you feel better doing exercise. But as time’s gone on, I’ve joined a running group, and we’re all really good friends now.”

© Fred Olsen Travel

About three years ago, when she was still working for Baldwins Travel, Bettina booked her first Parkrun tourist, and the bookings have steadily grown since. She estimates she’s booked around 15 Parkrun holidays in all.  

For the uninitiated, Parkrun is a now a global phenomenon, a weekly free 5k run that brings communities together. At the latest count, it has 10 million registered participants, and a presence in 22 countries. All you need is a pair of trainers, and your personal barcode, which delivers your results by email, and you’re good to go.

“Parkrun tourism is a genuine thing,” Bettina explains. “There’s even a Parkrun Tourism Facebook group with 52,700 members.”


“Parkrunners have their milestones like completing 50, 100 and 500 runs etc, and then there’s doing a run in a location starting with every letter of the alphabet,” she continues. “It’s good to pick up on these challenges.”


The branch’s Parkrun inspired bookings have included a holiday in Holland, starting with the Amsterdam Bos Parkrun and ending with the Zuider Parkrun in Hoogeveen. They also booked a Parkrun-themed break in Sicily: “That was really well-received. They did the Mt Etna Parkrun, which is very rural, and the place they stayed was really quirky and very Italian, and they ended their trip with the Palermo Parkrun, which is a city, so a different feel.”


Many of the bookings have been personal recommendations shared between Bettina and Jacqui’s running contacts, but they’ve also seen results when they’ve interacted in the Parkrun Tourism Facebook group and tagged their branch in their responses.  

“Sometimes, when people have written, what’s the best way to get to this place, we’ve jumped in and helped, adding that we can organise all the travel arrangements.”
Although the bookings have tended to happen organically, Bettina and Jacqui are now stepping up their efforts with more intentional promotion and have created flyers for the shop window.

They’re also planning to attend the Tonbridge Parkrun, not as runners, but to showcase Fred Olsen Travel and distribute brochures.

“Parkrun is such a lovely initiative – there was nothing like this when I was young – and now you see the community spirit and families with young children taking part. As a branch, we see so much potential in this – 100% it’s worth the effort,” Bettina says.