Your Travel & Cruise targets 150 agents

QUEENSLAND-BASED “host agency” Your Travel & Cruise has established a new National Business Development role, with the aim of expanding its ranks by 50% over the next few years.

Bianca Schefe ( pictured) has been promoted to the position, with Your Travel & Cruise MD Les Farrar saying “our agent ranks are growing across Australia and we want to ensure all of our clients receive the support they need to run a successful home-based business”.

Farrar, who launched the operation in 2014 under the Cruise Holidays brand, said “cruising is in our DNA and will always be an important part of our business”.

However, over the last three years the offering has evolved to encompass all segments of the industry, with about 100 agents nationwide of whom about half are cruise-focused.

“With the growth in homebased agents set to continue, we have a target in the medium term to host about 150 agents... that size would be big enough to provide a full range of services and small enough to ensure our agents feel they are not just a number and will receive the attention they need to reach their full potential,” Farrar said.

A key point-of-difference with the Your Travel & Cruise model is that members are encouraged to operate under their own trading name.

“We stay in the background and help them grow their business from behind the scenes,” Farrar said, with a monthly fee covering all services such as a standalone website including a live cruise, air and hotel booking engine with an 80/20 commission split.

The business has a strong relationship with all of the major cruise lines, and is also a Cruiseco member giving agents a range of convenient fly/cruise packages as well as the popular music charter voyages.

Farrar told CW that while the group’s flight and touring business had grown exponentially in recent years, cruise sales still comprise about 70% of revenue.