TMCs continue to track towards recovery with Travel Counsellors reporting a strong upturn in business travel and group bookings, while ATPI Group saw a marked increase in profits for the 2021 financial year.
Travel Counsellors said it had made corporate travel sales of £4.5 million during one week this month. This was only the second time in 2022 that weekly business travel sales have exceeded £4 million for the Manchester-based homeworking company.
The SME travel management specialist also noted there has been a surge in long-haul bookings to destinations such as the US and South Africa as Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted around the world.
Kieran Hartwell, managing director, corporate, at Travel Counsellors added: “Our customers remained loyal to us during the pandemic; they know that we provide the highest level of customer service. We are also witnessing a real revival of group travel, whether that be business or incentives.”
ATPI Group, meanwhile, delivered an operating profit of £17.5 million in 2021 across its wholly-owned and joint-venture businesses – a 60 per cent increase on 2020 profits.
In a statement released on Thursday, CEO Ian Sinderson said the TMC achieved “stellar performance and continued growth” in 2021 despite border restrictions.
“We have continued to maintain our pace of new investments and innovations, and stayed focused on the things that matter – delivering expert service to our clients around the world,” Sinderson said. “While making huge strides towards reaching our 2019 levels of revenue, we have also maintained and grown profitability each month of the year.”
In 2021, ATPI acquired German travel agency Hamburg Süd Reiseagentur, expanded its international partner network and launched new services such as ATPI Halo, which is focused on sustainability.