"After any sort of major event, Just You always generally bounces back quicker than Travelsphere," he says. "Historically, solo travellers are normally the first to start booking again. This was the case after the Covid pandemic."

Morgan had suggested we catch up so he could share several updates around G Touring brands – solo touring specialist Just You and escorted touring brand, Travelsphere.

One part of the business Morgan is particularly keen to talk about is Kindred, which Just You launched in June. Put simply, it is an online forum for Just You customers, or potential customers with the brand, where they can exchange messages and ask questions about upcoming tours.

The word Morgan constantly uses to explain why Kindred was rolled out is "reassurance". "There's no one out there that's got a community online tool like we have for solo travellers," he explains. "We think it can be really good for agents. It is really reassuring first-time solo travellers that even though they're traveling solo, they're not traveling on their own."

Morgan's revelation that Just You rebounds stronger from geo-political events, or pandemics, is surprising given the brand has created a platform that is designed to reassure customers who may have concerns about travelling alone for the first time. As Morgan explains: "It's a really big step to start traveling solo if, from the age of 20 to 70, you've been traveling with someone else. It's a real big adjustment for people."

Morgan stresses that Kindred is not a sales tool, but acknowledges that agents can use Kindred to tell customers how like-minded people with similar interests will be joining them on the Just You tour. This, he argues, could help get a booking over the line. "I think it gives people that reassurance that they're going to see and get friendly with other people," he continues.

G Touring decided to launch Kindred when it spotted a gap in the market. "We just want to make sure agents are fully aware of the benefits of booking Just You," he says. "We're really keen to get across we're a brand that is fully dedicated to solo travellers. So that's why Kindred fits in brilliantly – we're fully dedicated."

When asked how travel agent sales channel is performing currently, Morgan says: "For this year, we're looking at just over 35% for Travelsphere, while Just You's been just under 30% year on year," he says.

Kindred is not the only improvement G Touring has made in the last two years since Morgan joined the Market Harborough-based company. The fam trip programme has been overhauled; the amount of brochures it has printed has doubled; its regional flying programme has grown; its trade team has been expanded and a travel agent advisory board has been launched.

It is these tweaks that Morgan believes have helped G Touring not just survive a turbulent two years for everyone within travel but actually thrive.

'So many agents are scared to sell touring'

Take the new and improved fam trip programme, for instance. G Touring now offers three different types of trips to meet the different needs of travel agents. These are new-to-touring fam trips, intermediate fams and VIP trips for the brands' top-sellers.

Morgan says a new-to-touring fam to see Monet's Garden in Giverny is departing a couple of days after our interview.

"These fams are slightly shorter and aimed at agents who have never sold a tour," he adds. "We talk to them about everything from what is good about touring and how to get them to sell their first tour to how to advertise a tour.

"I think there are so many agents who are scared to sell a tour because they just don't understand it."

Morgan confirms intermediate fams are for agents who have sold one or two tours but don't know the differences between the brands, while VIP fams are a "thank you" to agents who sell a lot of touring. They also want to take their touring business "to a completely new level".

G Touring's Five Stans 'success'

Just You has clearly benefited from some good fortune, such as not having stacks of Middle East product to shift and having a destination portfolio that appeals to customers.

Just You's "Five Stans", where customers can visit five countries – including Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan – in three weeks, is selling "unbelievably well", according to Morgan, while Canada for both brands is selling "exceptionally well".

"We haven't done big, fancy, flamboyant things, we've just done lots of small things well, getting back in front of agents," Morgan explains. The changes are clearly paying off.