Alan Godfrey opened his first branch in the market town of Alresford in March 2022, with a second – in nearby Wickham – opening last month, more than a decade after he earmarked the location for a store.
He said the Wickham branch has already received a warm welcome from local residents, who he said were excited to have their own travel agency in the village. “We’re the only agency in Wickham," Godfrey told TTG. "It’s not unusual for people to come in and spend a fair chunk of money."
Godfrey said New Era currently has six travel agents who work across both branches. “We’ve been very fortunate to be able to bring in some experienced travel agents,” he said. “The team has got in excess of 130 years’ experience combined – there are team members who have been in the industry for decades.”
He added: “We recently had a customer ask us if we had any experience of the Maldives between us. One of our staff had been there 12 times, and another had been 14 times.”
Despite the team’s hefty experience and knowledge, Godfrey said there were no apprentices in the New Era team who could learn from the existing staff. “We don’t have any apprentices at the moment,” he said. “We need staff who know what they’re talking about.”
When asked about future expansion plans, Godfrey said: “I had this view of life around 10 years ago where I wanted to retire at 60, but now I don’t want to put a cap on it.
“I’m not going to lie – having a second store has doubled my workload and responsibility, but I am looking to have five shops. I’ve had my mind on this number for the past 18 months. I know where the next shop will be, but it’s just a question of time.
“We’re just looking to be where the community is right and [where] they don’t already have someone on their doorstep.”
He added: “We’ve got to work in a market that is tough – and let’s be honest we’ve got to be cute.”
However, Godfrey admitted how some walk-ins say “we didn’t know travel agents existed”.
“We had a guy come in recently who said they’d found a holiday £200 cheaper online, but he said he would book with us because he wanted to see a travel agency in Alresford,” Godfrey noted.
While Godfrey admits the Covid lockdowns were his “worst” experiences in the travel industry, he did see one positive. “Agents had a chance to shine,” he said. “I think Covid gave us the chance to show people our value. The travel agent is not dead.”
He also explained how the agency’s name came from the fact the travel industry was starting “a new era post-Covid”.
Last summer, staff at the New Era Travel branch in Alresford hosted customers and suppliers at 12 afternoon tea events in the walled garden at the property.
“Customers came back time and time again,” said Godfrey, who added he planned to approach more destinations in 2024 with a view to hosting more.
“These events have worked really well to get people through the door and given us the platform to open another branch in Hampshire,” Godfrey said. “Most towns have homeworkers, but I feel we have the edge with the garden.”
