Jayne Alldred, retail director for the House of Travel Group, says the weekend was an opportunity for attendees to reconnect with colleagues, reflect on experiences and learnings from the Covid years and celebrate the resilience of the group, which includes 34 business partners who have joined over the past six years, four of whom came on board during the course of the pandemic.

‘Another two have joined us as future business partners, and recruitment on the whole has been a success to date, with our front-line staff having grown by 50% since February.”

Alldred says the new recruits are a mixture of returning former House of Travel employees and consultants that have previously worked with other Kiwi travel brands.

‘With changes to airline commissions and distribution we are facing a changing landscape, and it’s vital that we’re well-placed to optimise our commercial opportunities in the future.’

House of Travel founder and executive director, Chris Paulsen, says one of the key factors in the company’s survival since the pandemic began has been the trust that it has built over the course of 35 years. ‘This is complemented by a culture of collaboration between business partners, who have worked together and supported each other in good times and bad.’