Exsus Travel held its annual agents awards in London today, as part of its commitment to celebrating and supporting the trade.
The luxury tour operator hosted more than 70 travel advisors and 12 key suppliers at Shangri-La, The Shard, for an afternoon of networking over canapes and champagne, followed by a three-course meal. Ten awards, two of which were accepted remotely, were presented, with each category also including an honourable mention.
Speaking to TTG Luxury, Sinziana Renciuc, director of sales at Exsus, hailed the agents at the event as ‘just amazing’ and integral to its growth as a company.
“They’ll do anything for their clients,” she said. “We now have a lot of business from the same agents, booking year on year.”
Renciuc also revealed that Exsus, which has skyrocketed from a £4 million to a £20 million company since it started focusing on the trade in 2018, now owes ‘95%’ of its business to agents.
“Every day, we have a new agent signing up with us. The potential is massive,” she said. “Every single agent is really important to us and we will deliver the same service to you - whether you’ve been with us for one day or five years.” Renciuc went on to credit the addition of Exsus’s in-house 24/7 contact line as one of its ‘biggest strengths’.
The Top Overall Agency for the UK went to Designer Travel, who includes more than 150 homeworkers across the country.
“Exsus are one of our biggest partners, so this means so much,” Darren Bien, head of sales and commercial development at Designer Travel, told TTG Luxury. “Everything we’re giving them, they’re giving back to us. It’s about the partnership. We’ve got 150 homeworkers that all trust Exsus.” He added that, with the Euros final on Sunday, celebrations would be a ‘double whammy’ this weekend.
Meanwhile, Oasis Travel scooped the award for Top Agency for Northern Ireland.
“We love working with Exsus, particularly for the amount of flexibility, it can be very difficult sometimes when you’re in Ireland, working with the direct airfares out of Dublin,” Oasis managing director Sandra Corkin told TTG Luxury. “Exsus does that for us and packages it up, so they’re a brilliant company to work with. But it’s really about the guys on the ground who are selling it!”
Reshma Aggarwal of Not Just Travel snapped up the prize for Top Homeworker, after wowing judges with her impressive sales over the past three and a half years. “It means a lot to win this award,” she said. “Even the trickiest of itineraries, they can help me with, and they’re very responsive. They are my go-to luxury supplier.”
Winners at Exsus Travel Agent Awards 2024
Top Overall Agency for UK: Designer Travel
Top Agency for Northern Ireland: Oasis Travel
Top Agency for the South of England: Meon Valley Travel
Top Agency for the North of England: Aquilium Travel
Top Agency for Scotland: Murray Travel
Top Newcomer: See The World
Top Homeworker: Reshma Aggarwal, Not Just Travel
Top Retail Consultant: Sally Wallis, Beaver Travel
Top Office-based Consultant: Catherine Murphy-Birchall, The Ultimate Travel Company
Biggest Growth in Business: Abbotts Travel
