While the long-haul specialist is promising price parity with its B2C website, the new platform will allow agents to determine their own selling price and commission earning for Kuoni products by using a slider function.
Agents will be able to use the site anywhere, any time, to complete Kuoni bookings, head of trade partnerships Sarah Weetman told TTG. It will also host hotel information and destination imagery.
“We know the bookable portal will be valued by travel agents," said Weetman, who joined Kuoni last summer. "It’s something they’ve been asking us about so it’s an important part of our trade evolution.
"It opens doors for travel agents to access our product and empowers them to determine their own selling price and commission, which we think is a really smart way of working.”
The new website is designed to allow agents to take more control of the booking, such as by doing their own research around their clients’ needs and offering them quotes. Agents can still call Kuoni’s Expert Hub if they need more information before booking.
Alongside the development, Kuoni has been conducting a strategic review of its pricing across the board, to ensure competitiveness.
Testing is under way with five partner stores, after which the platform will be rolled out to a wider pool of agents for further testing. However, Weetman stressed agents can expect to see the site “in the coming weeks”.
She added: “This development is only phase one of the platform and we’ll be taking the feedback we get from our test agents as we develop it to make sure it’s best in class.”
The move is the latest development in Kuoni’s strategy to re-engage with the trade. The operator now has a five-strong trade team, led by Weetman, which includes trade partnerships executive Dani Kelly and trade engagement executive Matt Sole.
Trade partnership managers Sarah Ashmore and Adam Morris joined the operator in March from Attraction World Group and Azamara, respectively.
