Following the recent Rugby World Cup, during which around 40% of the operator’s business came via the trade, Inside Travel – parent to InsideJapan Tours and InsideAsia Tours – has taken on Travelwise’s Asia specialist sales consultant Andrew Tait.

London-based Tait took up the role on Monday (11 November) and will hit the road in support of InsideJapan and InsideAsia’s trade activity, strengthening relationships with existing agent partners and identifying new ones.

James Mundy, Inside Japan PR and marketing manager, told TTG that after spending time in China, travelling in Japan, and working with Korea, Borneo and other destinations in the Indochina region, Tait would complement the efforts of trade sales manager Matt Spiller; BDM (DMC sales) Lawrence Pryer; and the group’s dedicated eight-strong agent sales team.

“With continued demand for both InsideJapan and InsideAsia product and our growth in sales through the trade, we’ve been keen to get more people on the road,” said Spiller.

“With his enthusiasm and destination knowledge, I’m certain Andrew will be a great asset to the team and will soon be well known across the trade.”

Mundy added the group would seek to further engage the homeworking community next year and “up its game” in terms of agent training events.