Edwards, who joined the operator from Classic Collection in March 2025, is heading into her first peaks with the business, but was taken aback by agents' view of the "forgotten" brand. “I kept hearing – 'we’ve always known about Olympic, but we thought they’d gone'," Edwards told TTG. “That was a bit soul-destroying.”
To incentivise agents, Edwards said Olympic had prepared a “rich" peaks offering for agents, including a lower £60 deposit, 10% off all holidays via a promo code rather than the flat £100 off it offered last year, and a prize draw to win spots on an island-hopping fam trip, which us to be hosted in partnership with a luxury hotelier this May.
“I’m going to be biased, and say that this year’s campaign is Olympic Holidays' best yet,” Edwards said.
"I'm really proud of our new BDMs"
Last year, Edwards recruited two new business development managers, Cassie Mullen and Danni Gallagher, to strengthen trade partnerships, whom Edwards said had “got off to a wonderful start”. “They’ve used their personalities to really grab hold of the trade – and have a bit of fun too,” she said. “I’m really proud of them both.”
The pair are responsible for Olympic’s trade engagement programme, which includes webinars and informal coffee catch ups, as well as ongoing outreach through the brand's Facebook page.
The latter has been “spiced up” by Mullen and Gallagher, according to Edwards, and now features live streams, weekly offers, spot prizes and Wild Wednesdays, where the brand posts a deal "every hour, on the hour".
“Olympic always had the Facebook page, but it was a bit dull, to be honest,” Edwards said. “Now we’re at 22,000 followers, which is amazing. And there are plans to expand onto Instagram and TikTok once peaks is over, too.”
More than just a Greece specialist
Mullen and Gallagher will also be available for some hands-on work during peaks, which Edwards hopes will be a “win-win” for both agency and operator.
“Agencies can borrow them for the day to put the kettle on, work the floor and interact with customers,” she explained. “Which means they can also offer some on-the-spot recommendations for Olympic packages.”
To a similar end, the operator plans to push in-store training this year, with a focus on weddings and island-hopping, two of Olympic's most renowned lines. “Agents are typically selling these types of holidays, and we want them to think of us first,” Edwards insisted.
She also told TTG boosting agents’ awareness of its lesser-known offerings, including winter sun packages and multi-centre breaks, was "crucial", echoing managing director Reeva Kingston's sentiments at last year's WTM London breakfast, where she told guests: "Everybody knows us as a Greek specialist, and we want to change that."
Edwards added: “People associate us with Greece, which is great, but it’s also about making sure they know about Cyprus, or Gambia."
There are no imminent plans to expand the trade team, with Edwards expressing full confidence in Gallagher and Mullen. “I wish we could have six BDMs,” she said, with a laugh. “I’d love to grow the trade side, as the results have been phenomenal. But it’s early days, and the pair are doing a wonderful job as is."
"Agents need to know what's in it for them"
Agent interest goes beyond a strong product offering, according to Edwards. "I'm trade through and through – I understand that agents need to know what's in it for them," she said, explaining price parity was one of the brand's more "unique" offerings, particularly when combined with commission and incentives.
"They earn so much commission with us without having to undercut our own website – it ticks all the boxes," Edwards continued.
Agents also get a £15 voucher for every package booked, which rises to £25 for island-hopping holidays. “If a travel agent makes four bookings a month, that soon adds up,” Edwards added.
The trade can also look forward to new announced Olympic Holidays roadshows, which will host 50 agents in three locations across the country. Full details are yet to be announced, although Edwards put forward London, Manchester and Birmingham as potential locations.
“We’re going to host a Greek night, a Mamma Mia-style night, and just have some fun training and engaging agents about our products,” Edwards explained.
She urged agents to sign up to the Olympix website before March 2026, which is when the offers and incentives will “really start kicking off”, before re-iterating developing trade relationships was her major goal for the year.
“Agents are so, so valuable to us, and I want Olympic firmly on the map – and on their minds,” she insisted. “We’ve got a great brand, fantastic offerings, and I’m really proud to work for them."
