A new family travel wholesale brand will launch in April, a collaboration between House of Travel and family travel specialist Travel With Kidz.
Joint venture Travel With Kidz Holidays will be operated by HOT's wholesale unit Holiday Specialists and distributed jointly by TravelManagers' 370 home-based agents and TWK's 25 licensed offices.
In-house product will include destinations in South East Asia, the South Pacific and North America, with additional product from other suppliers covering Europe and Africa.
HOT director Barry Mayo described the project as a "mutual meeting of minds" and revealed the firm sees "a lot of potential in this particular segment".
"A number of our personal travel managers are parents with kids at school, so that's how they get a lot of referrals," he told Travel Today. He reported initial feedback as "very positive".
Chief executive Joe Araullo added TWK is the "logical" brand to partner with in order to capitalise on the "niche and fast growing" family travel market.
Meanwhile, TWK managing director Wendy Buckley said distribution by TravelManagers would "significantly boost" its reach, while enhancing its offering to its existing licensed travel agents.
"This JV provides us with scale, enabling us to introduce a dedicated reservations team staffed by parents who understand the needs of children travelling on holidays," she said. "Combining our expertise in this area with House of Travel's reach and supplier relationships is a significant boost for our business."
