£100M turnover achieved for the first time since the division was established

The Advantage Travel Partnership has announced today, ahead of its formal year-end results which will be reported next spring, a record set of results for its Advantage Managed Services (AMS) division for the year 2021/2022.

For the first time since inception, Advantage members operating under the AMS model achieved £100m in turnover for the year, with revenues increasing by 41% and bookings increasing by 13.4%.  Average booking values have also increased by 44% for the year versus 2019.

The Advantage Managed Service model was established back in 2009 to help travel companies reduce their back-office costs and take away the administration of running an agency, leaving agents to concentrate on delivering exceptional customer service, driving sales and increasing profitability.

Over the last 13 years this successful division of The Advantage Travel Partnership has grown to over 80 branches and is the fastest growing area of the Partnership’s membership portfolio.

Kelly Cookes, Chief Commercial Officer, The Advantage Travel Partnership, said: “We are thrilled to have achieved this record result, especially on the back of what has been the most challenging period in history for the industry and our members.  It absolutely demonstrates how hard our members who operate under the AMS model have worked during the past 12 months and is a great credit to them collectively for achieving this milestone.”

Paul Nunn, Chief Operating Officer added: “The offering of our AMS proposition is invaluable to those operating in both leisure and business travel and continues to evolve and adapt to the changing needs of our members.  Today AMS offers a market-leading trust account model, where all monies are protected - not just ATOL monies - giving consumers and the agent maximum protection and continues to offer best-in-class merchant facilities. Members operating under the AMS model also have a dedicated contact in the AMS finance team who can act as a business partner across a wide variety of finance issues as well as having access to the full range of benefits that comes from being an Advantage member.”

Lisa Mousley of Chic Travel Boutique, who has operated under the AMS model for the last six years, said: “Operating under the AMS model makes everything much less stressful and gives me more time to sell holidays and market my business. You always have somebody to turn to if you have any problems and you know that Advantage always has your back. I can’t recommend it highly enough.”

Mark Pollard of Where Would You Rather Be? added: “AMS offers the full package. Amazing marketing support, back-office systems, Advantage Holidays, consumer trust account and always great support from the team to help run the cogs of my business turn while I do what I enjoy which is arranging customers’ travel arrangements.”

Cookes concluded: “As a member owned organisation, our focus remains fully on the success of our members. Through our significant buying scale to the friendliness of our network. Giving our members a say in how we operate through our member forums remains incredibly important. We remain committed to looking for further ways to add even more value to them and their businesses going forward.”