Due to strong demand for SME travel management, Corporate Travel Management (CTM) is expanding its host agency business, 1000 Mile Travel Group, in the UK and into the US.
Founded in Australia in 2015 and acquired by CTM in July 2022, the 1000 Mile Travel Group is a network of independent travel advisors offering travel management services to small businesses.
CTM Founder and Managing Director, Jamie Pherous, said it was taking the corporate host agency model into markets which have traditionally focused only on leisure travel.
“1000 Mile Travel Group delivers a unique and flexible travel management model for servicing small and growing businesses while offering all the benefits of CTM’s global buying power and enterprise-grade travel technology, including our proprietary online booking tool, Lightning,” he said.
“Small businesses are finding increased value in the expertise, support and negotiated deals available through CTM’s managed travel programmes.
“However, they require a unique style of servicing and engagement due to their more flexible operational and support needs. The independent corporate travel advisor fits those needs perfectly.”
Nicola Veltman and Ben Ross, the founders and co-CEOs of 1000 Mile Travel Group, have relocated to Denver, Colorado, to focus on establishing the brand in North America as well as integrating CTM’s leisure host agency, MTravel, into the 1000 Mile Travel Group business.
Veltman said: “What makes 1000 Mile Travel Group different to other host agencies is that we’ve ‘walked the talk’ – we were once travel advisors working for the mega TMCs and we took the step to set up our own independent travel business to achieve a better lifestyle.
“We were the business’s first independent advisors. It wasn’t easy, and we quickly found that there’s a lack of dedicated corporate independent network models that truly understand the unique needs of business travel. So, we built our own model, and we’ve developed and refined a unique ‘business blueprint’ that sets our agents up for success.”
She said many of the agents are earning “enviable six-figure salaries” working a third of their portfolio, from wherever and whenever it suits them.
