GlobalStar Travel Management is pleased to announce its latest strategic partnership with Travel Counsellors. Delivering bespoke corporate and leisure travel services since 1994, Travel Counsellors is an independent travel company with over 1,900 travel franchisees across six countries – the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa and UAE.
As an expert in its market, Travel Counsellors use the latest technology and management to deliver uncompromised corporate travel solutions. As a UK Top 20 TMC, as ranked by BTN Europe, and twice voted for by customers as the UK’s Best National Travel Retailer at the British Travel Awards, Travel Counsellors’ unique business model enables each client to work with a self-employed corporate travel professional.
Travel Counsellors believe this approach to corporate travel enables them to deliver the optimum blend of quality and value for their customers in the SME sector. They work with a vast range of businesses with diverse travel needs, from frequent travellers in multinational organisations and execs in SMEs, to high-net-worth individuals and board-level travel planners.
This new partnership allows the company to deliver uncompromised personal service and market expertise to clients within a global framework, giving access to incredible discounted air fare types and hotel rates, as well as local emergency support.
Kieran Hartwell, Managing Director for Corporate Travel at Travel Counsellors says: “We are excited to be partnering with GlobalStar, as this will enable our corporate Travel Counsellors to win, retain and grow their client relationships on a multinational level. The network gives us an un-rivalled global hotel programme and client technology portfolio to broaden our suite of offerings, as well as allowing us to work with a community of likeminded travel management experts focused on taking care of their clients.”
Hartwell continues “We are increasingly seeing that smaller businesses have the same expectations as larger multinational companies when it comes to business travel. Whilst their needs can be lost within a larger TMC focused on supporting and retaining the business of much larger companies, with Travel Counsellors, SMEs can work closely with a dedicated travel professional, whilst experiencing all the benefits which come with being part of a wider global framework.”
“I am delighted to welcome Travel Counsellors to GlobalStar”, comments James Stevenson, CEO of GlobalStar Travel Management. “This is an exciting addition to our network and builds our bench strength in the UK, one of our key driver markets. I am looking forward to seeing the team at Travel Counsellors benefit from new business, additional technology, improved supplier deals and the breadth and knowledge of our network. I’m personally looking forward to working with Kieran and his team.”
This partnership comes as the Travel Counsellors continues to see an upturn in corporate client travel. For the last ten consecutive weeks, the company has recorded over £1 million business travel bookings, which has doubled compared to this time last year. This upturn is being led by SMEs, with the biggest growth being seen in companies with an annual travel spend under £500k.