Burnes: MTA best model

HELLLOWORLD chief Andrew Burnes has declared Mobile Travel Agents (MTA) the “best of breed” among home-based agency networks in his first address to the group’s members.

At the MTA annual conference on the Gold Coast on Fri, Burnes said HLO was “thrilled and privileged” to have purchased a 50% share in the company from its founders Roy and Karen Merricks ( TD 21 Oct).

“The business Roy and Karen developed over the past 17 years is unquestionably the best of breed in this model of agency network,” Burnes said.

“Not only within Australia - I’ve looked at these models all over the world and I don’t know of a better one anywhere.”

Burnes said customer service was the key to MTA’s success and that it had a “fantastic future”.

“I get asked… ‘isn’t everyone booking online?’,” he said.

“It is unbelievable there’s that massive perception out there.

“We know it differently, and 80% of Australian leisure travel mid-haul and long-haul is still booked with a travel agent, so I have a great feeling of confidence in the ongoing success of our distribution businesses and most particularly this business.”

Roy Merricks said the decision to sell a half stake to Helloworld had been an acknowledgment of “the rapidly changing world and the importance for MTA to be soundly positioned within the industry for decades to come”.

He said he had been in talks with Helloworld for several years and had also considered continuing independently.

“However, after developments within Helloworld and the merging of the AOT group, we saw a refreshed network that now, under sound leadership, was also establishing itself for the decades to come,” he said, adding that this was the catalyst for the decision to forge a partnership.