HLO interest free holidays
A NEW Helloworld preferred agreement with HSBC Bank offering interest free holidays to customers is already generating $1 million per month in sales.
The pact, which launched late last year, has been gradually rolling out across the Helloworld network, and was detailed last night in Melbourne at a My Travel Group event which also featured Back-Roads Touring, Silversea Cruises and Tauck (see page 8).
According to Chris Godfrey, head of retail banking solutions at HSBC, the new option has been shown to uplift sales as it gives customers more spending power, as well as bringing forward spend to help agents seal the deal.
The new option comes at no cost to individual agencies, and is exclusive to the Helloworld network, with agents receiving payments within 48 hours.
The product also protects agents from supplier failure, he said, and allows Helloworld to tap into the more than 350,000 existing HSBC customers across Australia, many of them high net worth clientele.
Currently agents are also being offered $100 for each transaction under the new agreement.
Godfrey said Flight Centre’s rival interest-free holiday offering was now turning over $200m annually just 12 months after launch, with strong aspirations for growth through the new HLO product.
More details and sign-ups via themieglezos@hsbc.com.au.
LAST night the threefold luxury of Back-Roads Touring, Tauck and Silversea Cruises was jointly showcased to My Travel Group and Helloworld Associate members at an intimate Melbourne event evoking the essence of the upmarket brands.
As well as presentations about each product, attendees were treated to a “gnocchi master class” at the RACV Club by chef Mark Normoyle.
After trying out the tasty delights the treats continued with an array of desserts and a surprise opera performance in the venue’s Chancery Lane wine cellar by tenor Brenton Spiteri.
The event also included a presentation from HLO’s new interest free travel finance provider, HSBC along with the launch of a “triple indulgence” incentive to encourage agents to book clients across all three travel brands.
Interestingly, Back-Roads’ Emma McInnes noted that 55% of the company’s bookings were by clients who were also undertaking a cruise, with the new Back-Roads Asia program and existing Europe itineraries complementing Tauck and Silversea perfectly.
Pictured from left are Emma McInnes, Back-Roads Touring; Julie Pratt, Helloworld Associates; Anastasia Kotan, Silversea Cruises; Captain Dennis Basham, Back-Roads Touring; Michelle Riel, My Travel Group; Natalie Hudson, My Travel Group; Themi Eglezos, HSBC; and Rachel Javier, Tauck/ Travel the World.
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Travel Daily today has ten pages of news, including a front cover wrap for Virgin Australia, a photo page for Atout France plus full pages:
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