"We only back exceptional high-growth technology-enabled businesses with stable, proven leadership teams"
Our story
From our roots in the North West of England, UK, to an international travel business, our story is one of incredible growth and success.
It’s a story that's as remarkable as it is compelling, and we’d love you to be part of our next chapter.
A pioneering model
We were born in the North West, in a town called Atherton in 1994, when founder David Speakman anticipated the move towards travel professionals running their own leisure or corporate travel businesses from home.
His pioneering franchise model enabled its holders to provide an unrivalled level of personal care and attention for their customers when creating bespoke travel experiences.
The entrepreneurial spirit and the dedication to the principle of offering a truly personalised travel service, underpinned by the values of trust and customer intimacy, remain as true today - as we approach 2,000 colleagues in seven different countries - as it was right back at the start of our incredible journey.
Expansion follows
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1999
We welcome our 100th Travel Counsellor to the family
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2003
We’re the very first travel company to win the Queen's Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category
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2004
We launch our own unique financial trust in the UK, to ensure our customers' money is 100% safe when booking with us, no matter what
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2005
Our growth continues apace, as we launch Travel Counsellors in Ireland and the Netherlands
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2006
Our bespoke-built, in-house booking platform, Phenix, is launched, enabling our people to create truly tailor-made travel itineraries
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2007
We welcome Travel Counsellors in South Africa
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2008
Our 1,000th Travel Counsellor joins the company
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2011
Travel Counsellors is named in the Telegraph 1,000 Britain’s Brightest Businesses
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2012
Our global expansion continues, as we expand into the UAE, and again in 2013, when we open in Belgium
A new chapter
2014
Our 20th year celebrations are marked by a significant financial investment in our future from private equity firm, Equistone Partners Europe.
2015
We move Travel Counsellors headquarters from its birthplace in Bolton to stunning new £2m premises at Trafford City in Manchester.
2016
We recruit the 300th member of our global support team, as our business continues to scale and grow.
2017
The myTC app is launched. With a 4+ star rating on the Apple and Android store, over 15,000 users a year enjoy the paperless experience of having their travel documentation all in one app, and connecting to their Travel Counsellor at the tap of a button.
Fast-forward to the present
Travel Counsellors celebrates 16 years of successive record growth in 2019, with sales in excess of £650m. Customers vote in the British Travel Awards, twice crowning Travel Counsellors the UK's Best Travel Retailer in 2019 and 2020
The company celebrates its biggest sales day in history in January 2020, with the value of bookings exceeding £5.1m on a single day, and global sales for the month at £89.5m.
For the third time, Travel Counsellors won the Queen's Award for Enterprise in April 2020 and climbed the rankings in the Sunday Times PwC Top Track 250 for the sixth consecutive year in September 2020, against a challenging backdrop posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
