Measured between March 2016 and March 2017, the total transaction value was boosted by a record month for sales in January, with £65 million made in bookings, which represented a 22% increase in UK sales and a 20% increase globally when compared with the same period the previous year.
In addition, Travel Counsellors has focused heavily on recruitment and announced the appointment of its 1000th UK-based consultant earlier this year.
The firm has a further 600 Travel Counsellors working overseas, with operations in Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa, Australia and the UAE.
Elsewhere, Travel Counsellors claimed an increase in brand loyalty, reporting that 63% of bookings in the last 12 months were from repeat customers. Average spend has also risen by 25% to £2,600 in the past five years.
Travel Counsellors claims its growth can also be attributed to its ongoing investment in technology, including the development of its in-house quote and booking system, which has seen a 12% increase in sales globally over the past 12 months, with 25% of its total revenue now generated outside the UK.
Backed by private equity house Equistone Partners Europe, total accounting turnover for the business rose to £188 million in the year to October 2016, up from £162 million last year – the 11th consecutive year of double-digit revenue growth.
Profits were also up by more than 34%, and have grown a total of 60% since the 2014 private equity investment.
Steve Byrne, chief executive at Travel Counsellors, said: “Our service is underpinned by the caring that runs throughout the business, enabling us to maintain a shared culture across our Travel Counsellors.
“By continuing to invest in improving the digital infrastructure that our business owners require, we are able to instil a sense of community and ensure that they are able to provide the best possible customer service... we are confident that we can accelerate this momentum in the coming years.”
The news comes after an admission by Byrne over the weekend that Travel Counsellors is considering a stock market flotation.
He was quoted in the Telegraph as saying that an IPO (stock market flotation) was a “consideration”.
Byrne told the newspaper that the company “could double” profits in the next three to five years by recruiting more agents and selling its own dynamic packages.
