And the big news keeps rolling in from Travello … after witnessing 240 per cent year-on-year growth in business and opening its first bricks and mortar store, the company has unveiled former Tourism Australia managing director Andrew McEvoy and ex-Virgin Velocity CEO Phil Gunter as new board members.
Queensland-based Travello named McEvoy as chairman and Gunter as board director as the travel tech company witnesses all time high business.
Whilst at the helm of Tourism Australia, McEvoy spearheaded the Tourism 2020 strategy, which saw the country double tourism receipts in less than 10 years.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Travello, and what particularly excites me are the two visionary founders, Ryan and Mark, who have demonstrated a keen understanding of travellers and identified the perfect formula for meeting their needs,” McEvoy said.
“With an outstanding platform already in place, I see enormous potential for Travello to scale up.”
The biggest challenge
A former Virgin Australia and British Airways executive, Gunter has been an advisor and investor at Travello since 2019. He also holds leadership positions in multiple tech companies.
“When I first joined Travello years ago, I was impressed by their unique approach of bringing the traditional discovery of tours and activities into the digital age, enabling travellers to connect with like-minded individuals and share experiences,” he said.
“Travello is perfectly positioned to leverage the global trends of social commerce, while also addressing the challenge of optimising capacity for experience providers.”
In his years working within the travel sector, Gunter said he had “witnessed the evolution of trends and the challenges faced by businesses in the industry”.
“The biggest challenge for Travello is deciding which opportunities to pursue,” he stated.
“I am excited to be a part of this journey.”
Meanwhile, Travello CEO and co-founder Ryan Hanly said the company was “beyond thrilled to appoint Andrew and Phil as the newest members of the Travello leadership team”.
“They both have a proven track record at the highest level, scaling travel and tech companies globally as well as offering a unique understanding on the evolving needs and behaviour of travellers.”
Getting physical
Last month, Travello Group announced the opening of its first physical retail store in Cairns, based on the inside of a private jet in which Kim Kardashian flew.
According to Hanly, the bricks and mortar store is part of an “omni-channel approach” to growth.
“Having a retail store is simply another way to expose our Backpacker Deals brand to the tourist market, both domestic and international, and further brand exposure,” he said.
“Interestingly, we are seeing retail spend in this industry grow by 16.5 per cent in the last financial year highlighting that while some travellers prefer the convenience of online bookings, there is still a significant demographic that likes to walk into a store and speak with a travel expert.”
Meanwhile, Travello recorded 240 per cent y-o-y (to date) growth in business including 400 per cent and 600 per cent increases in multi-day sales and internationally-sourced bookings respectively.
Earlier this year, a Travello study revealed the impact travel has on your love life.
