Whilst 2021 has delivered an abundance of challenges to us all, one thing that stands out more than anything else, is the absolute resilience that our sector demonstrates on a daily basis. Despite the agonising hurdles that this pandemic has put in our pathway, time after time we meet these challenges head on, and despite its best attempts to knock us down, we have got back up, worn and exhausted with it, and stood strong for ourselves, our staff, and our businesses.
Despite the best attempts of Covid-19 to hamper everything, during 2021 the Focus family have delivered some great highs for the Partnership, some of which I wanted to celebrate with you:
- Two amazing new TMCs joined the Partnership
- 100% of our Partners renewed their commitment to Focus into 2022
- Partnerships with Trees4Travel and Greengage were established to strengthen our sustainability objectives
- Maintained regular engagement with our TMCs via bi-weekly partner calls and webinars
- Implemented the Focus rail programme in collaboration with Black Box Partnerships
- Maintained an incredibly strong fares programme with best-in-industry fares
- Knowledge based programmes were created to assist TMCs maximise the benefits of the FTP fares programme
- Launched Focus Innovations and the Focus Think Tank group to provide affordable tech to our TMCs
- Appointment of Anne-Marie Crawford to boost our business development objectives
- Partnered with Cranfield University to provide business coaching sessions to our TMCs
- Delivered an in-person event in November which has received rave reviews
- Forged a relationship with the DfT to represent the SME TMC at a Government level
I say this often, but the successes of the Partnership are shared by each one of us, from our amazing TMCs who are the heart and soul of this great organisation to our fantastic supplier partners who strengthen our model in so many ways. Without these strong relationships we would not be able to achieve excellence, and without these relationships, this last two years would have been much more unbearable than it already has been. We are ‘in this together’ not just because of necessity, but more importantly because of the strong spirit of camaraderie amongst us all.
Personally I am ready for 2022 and whilst we know we are not out of the woods yet with this new variant and the challenges it brings on our pathway to recovery, we will continue to demonstrate the resilience shown in 2021 and forge forward with that collaborative spirit and show next year what we are all capable of achieving.
Abby Penston – CEO
Focus Travel Partnership
