Case Travel’s Ally Case on growing client referrals and repeat rates

I got into travel… to escape my small town. At 19, I left my boring local office job to be cabin crew with Dan Air, sparking my love of travel. I wanted to take a leap into the heart of the industry, so I spent 12 years with Travelbag, which was a huge education. I specialised in the Far East, Australia and New Zealand and moved Down Under. Then, after a break from the industry, I joined Travel Counsellors for 12 wonderful years.

I started my business… after lots of convincing from my daughter and co‑founder, Danielle. After completing a management diploma (I’m working on a further degree now), I felt ready to open Case Travel [under Travel Counsellors] in early 2024 after a year of setting up a seamless operation.

I’ve grown the business… through numerous referrals. I’m proud that I haven’t lost any of my luxury customers, and they provide client recommendations all the time (helped by a generous referral scheme). My non‑luxury customers have dropped off organically, leaving me with a loyal high‑end client base. 

The fastest growing area of the business is… holidays the internet can’t provide. Dynamic packaging is my speciality – clients expect hand‑holding, personal check‑ins, hand‑delivered tickets and extras in hotel rooms. They keep coming back because we always give that extra value.

Our strongest supplier relationships are with… a range of companies, and they form the foundation of our goals this year. We’re working towards booking targets with suppliers such as Grecotel Hotels & Resorts, Ikos Resorts and Explora Journeys to build our partnerships. We also stick with reliable DMCs, such as Wide Eyed Tours in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, and Columbus Tours in Sri Lanka.

My proudest career achievement is… opening my own successful business. I always knew I could, but I wasn’t sure I would. It’s been especially rewarding bringing Danielle into the business, working with her and introducing the younger generation to the trade. 

My biggest industry bugbear is... Just how much chaos the weather can cause. Your entire day can be disrupted in seconds, and the UK is particularly bad at dealing with it. Aircraft can land in Lapland, but here you get a smattering of snow and airports shut down. I’d like to see some improvements to infrastructure.