Steve Witt, co-founder of the homeworking specialist, told TTG that the immediate increase in bookings was “akin to what we get when we get knocked out of the World Cup”.
Witt said customers were not only booking but also spending more money on their trips. He added that many clients were also booking two breaks, including one last-minute break to escape the UK winter weather.
“I think consumer confidence has definitely increased considerably,” he said. “There’s a lot more positive news out there. It’s come in time for us to have a great peaks.”
Witt was speaking as Not Just Travel hosted its two-day New Year New Start event for more than 200 of the brand’s travel consultants in Birmingham over this weekend.
The event saw the company announce its growth plans for 2022, which include doubling in size over the next 12 months, as well as the introduction of Marcus Jones as chief revenue officer to the senior management team.
Witt said that Jones would be “more than a head of sales” and would have responsibility for “making sure we put more money into the pockets of our homeworkers” through increased sales and commission.
“We are talking about the vision for 2022 and beyond, so they know where we’re going and can come along to enjoy the ride,” he added.
Announcements included the launch of the Ultimate Rewards programme for Not Just Travel’s consultants, which Witt predicted would “blow everyone away”. Although details of the scheme will not be made public until later this year.
“We also unveiled a number of exclusive plans to our travel consultants, but we’ve had to keep details behind closed doors,” said Witt.
“We’ve locked in a raft of exciting but confidential benefits to our members, which create our secret recipe of creating a highly profitable and loyal family of members.”
Not Just Travel has taken a series of safety measures to make this weekend’s event “safe and socially distanced”. This has included delegates taking pre-arrival tests to prove they are negative for Covid-19.
Everybody has also been required to wear face masks, while organisers have provided socially distanced tables in a venue designed for 600 people. Gloves have also been supplied for people to wear during buffet meals.
“We are a close-knit family and so nothing beats getting together in person,” explained Witt. “We know how safe it is to travel and so we wanted to emulate the experience at a completely socially distanced and Covid-safe event.”
Sunday (9 January) will see more than 40 trade partners attend the event in Birmingham to help homeworkers to increase their sales.
Not Just Travel co-founder Paul Harrison added: “The last couple of years has been a turbulent time in the travel industry, to say the least. However, as a business, we’ve continued to go from strength to strength.
“In fact, we have taken the decision to turn down multiple offers for investment and acquisition, and we’ve continued to expand.”
