Three travel agencies in Perth have adopted an innovative new business model, merging into the one office space to combat the cost of overheads.
Carol Shaw (Tour de Force Travel), Jan Welch (Sorrento Quay Travel) and Sue Holmes (Carine Travel Bug) have decided to tackle the issue of rising costs by relocating into new shared business premises in Perth, effective July 2016.
While the three award-winning agencies will continue to function as separate entities they will share the cost of leasing the new office and an office administrator. In addition, the three companies have created a new brand, Elite Travel Group, for use in joint local marketing initiatives, such as product evenings.
The initiative will allow the three agencies to dramatically reduce overheads, and where appropriate combine resources and experience to seize new sales opportunities.
Individually each company boasts decades of travel industry experience, as well as strong alliances with a wide range of partners, including airlines wholesalers and cruise operators.
This new operating model will allow them to share costs, resources and experience, and ultimately enable the principals to more-effectively focus on their core business of selling travel and providing superior customer service to their strong and well-established customer bases.
Sue Holmes from Carine Travel Bug told Travel Weekly, “we really wanted to reduce overheads and combine our resources for marketing.”
When asked about what the challenges may be and how they will combat them, Holmes said “we don’t envisage too many challenges, we have an excellent Office Administrator to handle the running of the office and to direct walk in enquiries to each of us on a rotation basis. We will have weekly meetings to address any potential issues that may arise, but we all have the will to make this work, and it is an exciting new innovation for the future.”
The new premises will officially open on 4 July 2016 at Carine Quarter Unit 4/473 Beach Road Duncraig, corner of Beach Road and Davallia Road. (Part of the Carine Glades Shopping Complex)
