Speaking at TTG's Fairer Travel Event in London, members of the collective unveiled the early findings of their "Swap the Sky" project, which explores how the industry can accelerate the uptake of flight-free travel.
The group said travel agents remain one of the biggest barriers to growth; not because of a lack of customer interest, but because many advisers lack the confidence, knowledge and tools to sell rail holidays.
Research carried out by Byway Travel and Lemongrass Marketing, including a survey and interviews with around 70 travel professionals, found agents cited the perceived complexity of rail bookings, pricing and time pressures as the major obstacles to recommending overland itineraries.
Paul Conroy, Head of Partnerships at Byway Travel, said the industry should focus on the quality of the holiday experience rather than sustainability messaging alone. "People aren't walking into travel agents saying, 'I'd like to buy a sustainable holiday'," he said. “They're saying, 'I want to go on a really lovely holiday'. Travelling slowly can be a really joyful, connected, educational and cultural way of travelling."
The project is now developing a four-part action plan, with the first phase bringing together tourism boards, tour operators, transport specialists and other industry partners to develop a shared approach to growing the overland market.
Travel by B Corp will then collectively lobby policymakers for changes that would create what speakers described as a "more level playing field" between rail and aviation.
Conroy argued that the current tax system disadvantages rail, pointing to the UK's lack of tax on aviation fuel while rail operators face higher operating costs that are reflected in ticket prices. "We believe trains are too expensive and flights are too cheap," he said.
The initiative also aims to equip travel agents with training, practical toolkits and case studies to improve confidence in selling rail holidays, with campaign leaders arguing that overland travel should become easier to book and promote across the trade.
Jessica Cochrane, Account Manager at Lemongrass Marketing, said industry capability must be addressed before any large-scale consumer campaign.
"We want to arm the travel trade with the toolkits, the case studies from overland specialists such as Byway and the training so that people feel confident to sell overland travel," she said.
She added the rail journey itself should be positioned as "part of the holiday experience" rather than simply a means of reaching a destination.
