It was Intrepid Travel who last year, at the height of the pandemic, banged the drum for an annual celebration of agents, both within the industry and among the public.
This gave rise to the first National Travel Agent Day UK and Ireland; the initiative returns in 2021 every bit as relevant as it was 12 months ago with the travel industry still struggling to emerge from the Covid crisis and forge a road to recovery.
Last year, TTG hosted a special edition of its Agent Matters chat for National Travel Agent Day, and will do so again this year at 11am on Friday.
Claire Moore from Peakes Travel Elite and Jackie Steadman from TravelTime World, both of whom took part last year, return to reflect on what’s happened over the past 12 months, with Idle Travel’s Tony Mann completing the line-up.
You can watch the recording via the TTG website, Facebook or YouTube at 11am and on-demand after that.
There is a wide range of other activities set to take place via social media on Friday through the hashtags #NationalTravelAgentDay and #NTADUK, as well as a few in-person get-togethers.
Several operators and suppliers, meanwhile, are marking the day with special deals, giveaways and other activities to champion agents. We’ve rounded up some of the initiatives below.
Intrepid Travel
Intrepid Travel is offering agents the chance to win one of eight places on the operator’s first ever UK fam trip. The Walk the Cornish Coast trip will depart on 13 September.
To enter, agents should join the Intrepid Loves Agents Facebook group and tag a fellow agent they feel deserves a break. Both the person making the nomination and the nominee will be entered.
Entries are open until midday on 26 July. The winners will be announced later that day. Another two spots will be available to win during Intrepid’s Big Fat Travel Quiz at 4pm on Friday (23 July), which will also be hosted via the Intrepid Loves Agents Facebook page.
Intrepid is also offering an exclusive 20% off 2022 bookings made through agents. Discounts on agents’ own holidays have also been increased to 60% for an agent and 40% for a travel companion.
The operator will be raising money for Abta LifeLine and the ITAA Benevolent fund on National Travel Agent Day.
Gold Medal
Gold Medal will launch an instant giveaway on National Travel Agent Day to mark the start of a month-long "Spotlight on You" campaign championing agents.
Sales director Nick Hughes addressed agents in a video due to posted to the Gold Medal Facebook page on Friday morning, praising them for the "unwavering dedication" they’ve show customers during the pandemic. You can watch the full video below.
The campaign will then be launched via email and social media, and will give an agent the chance to win a £250 voucher to treat themselves and their colleagues to a night out or team-building activity.
Then, throughout August, agents will be invited to share their best sales tips, stories, and details of how they’re promoting the operator’s deals next month. Those who make submissions could feature on the Gold Medal Facebook page and win £100 Farebank Rewards.
"The last 18 months have been incredibly tough on agents, and National Travel Agent Day is a great opportunity for us to acknowledge their commitment, dedication and skill," said Hughes.
Sandals
Sandals and Beaches Resorts’ UK tour operator, Unique Caribbean Holidays Ltd (UCHL), has launched a National Travel Agent Day discount. Any clients who book a Sandals or Beaches resort holiday with a UK agent for departure before 31 October will get an extra £200 off. Agents should quote code NTAD200 when making the booking.
Sandals executive chair Adam Stewart has also recorded an exclusive video for UK agents thanking them for their support and for helping Sandals and Beaches retain 80% of bookings affected by Covid-19. This video will go live on the Selling Sandals Facebook page on Friday, and you can watch it below.
Karl Thompson, UCHL managing director, said agents had worked "relentlessly" to support their clients, adding the business wanted to show its appreciation for their continued hard work in the face of incredible hardship. "We couldn’t have got through this without them," Thompson added.
Olympic Holidays
Olympic Holidays has launched an agent exclusive "THANKYOU" discount code worth £50 per booking, and is also offering agents a £50 Love2shop voucher per qualifying booking too.
Bookings must be made over 23-25 July and can be for any summer 2021, winter 2021/22 or summer 2022 departures (23 July 2021 to 31 October 2022) featuring a minimum of two adults and running to a value in excess of £750.
References for qualifying bookings should be sent to love2shop@olympicholidays.com no later than 31 July, along with Abta/agent numbers and the name of the agent making the booking.
Explore
Explore is offering agents 50% off its small-group tours, and 30% off its self-guided trips and private tours to mark National Travel Agent Day.
Head of global sales Ben Ittensohn said: "It’s been a tough year for the whole industry. The unwavering support of our agents has meant so much to us. National Travel Agent Day is a good excuse for us to celebrate our relationship, but this is about supporting trade year-round. We hope many of our agents can get something booked to look forward to later this year or in 2022.”
There are no date restrictions on the offer. Agents can also save 25% for one companion travelling with the booking agent, and 20% for all accompanying children on family tours. Some consortia specific terms and conditions may vary, so agents should email trade@explore.co.uk for full details.
Hotelplan
Explore, along with its Hotelplan stablemates Inghams and Santa’s Lapland, will be giving away spot prizes every hour between 10am and 5pm on National Travel Agents Day. Agents should follow the brands on their respective Facebook pages for more details.
Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity Cruises welcomed 12 agents onboard Celebrity Silhouette to celebrate the ship’s return to service. The line is also offering agents a guaranteed £20 per booking on all balcony and above bookings made on National Travel Agent Day.
Malta Tourism Authority
The MTA has revived its Travel Agent of the Year award and is calling agents to nominate worthy colleagues. The victor will win a three-night city break for two at the Embassy Valletta Hotel, which can be claimed in 2021 or 2022.
The winning agent and their nominating agent will also win a place on the Malta Academy 2022 fam. Guests will visit a local vineyard as well as a sheep farm, where they will learn how to make traditional Maltese Gbejna cheese. They will also enjoy a meal prepared by a Maltese Michelin chef. The trip will take in Valletta, as well as Gozo.
Nominees must be put forward by a fellow travel industry professional, accompanied by a 200-word entry. Nominations should be sent to office.uk@visitmalta.com by the 24 August 2021. The winner will be announced on the MTA Trade Facebook Page.
Is your business doing something for National Travel Agent Day? Email jchapple@flymy.co.uk with the details and we’ll include as many as we can.
