Press Release

20 April 2021

Accompanying images: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/34p00l5e9uajqwm/AAAi0vKjHFmlACTcI30U7-D5a?dl=0

YOUR CO-OP TRAVEL HAS HOLIDAY HEALTH IN HAND

Co-op Launches “Travel Healthcare” Service For Holidaymakers 

Your Co-op Travel*, part of The Midcounties Co-operative, has teamed up with Your Co-op Pharmacy to launch a dedicated “Travel Healthcare” service to give holidaymakers added protection for their health when they travel. 

The “Travel Healthcare” website features video content from television's Dr Hilary Jones on a variety of travel healthcare topics and the service offers Your Co-op Travel customers access to a UK NHS registered online doctor, should they fall ill during their holiday. 

The initiative has been launched as the independent travel company unveils its refreshed cooptravel.co.uk book and search website and re-opens all of its 78 Your Co-op Travel and Carrick Travel** high street branches, following the easing of lockdown restrictions on 12 April. 

Your Co-op Travel's “Travel Healthcare” service provides customers booking a holiday with Your Co-op Travel online, via the call centre, or in-store, access to a UK NHS registered online doctor during their holiday for £9.99 for Midcounties Co-operative society members and £14.99 for non-members. In addition, they will receive a 10 per cent discount on a range of Your Co-op Pharmacy products available online, including sunscreen, travel kits, masks and sanitiser, flight accessories, and travel sickness, malaria, and jet lag medication. They will receive discounted travel vaccinations too. 

Sara Dunham, Chief Officer, Travel and Leisure for The Midcounties Co-operative, said: “We're delighted to have re-opened all 78 of our branches across England's mid counties.  We know our customers like to have a choice of how to book and interact with our expert travel agents, which is why we have the cooptravel.co.uk website and call centre, in addition to the high street agencies, for those who prefer to visit a branch to book their long-awaited getaway.  

“Following the publication of the government's Global Travel Taskforce report on 9 April and the re-opening of our branches last week, we have seen a lift in optimism among our customers that they will get their summer holiday abroad this year.   Bookings last week were up 250 per cent versus the previous week and holidays for late summer 2021 accounted for 43 per cent of the bookings, up from just 21 per cent the week before.  Couples are leading the charge when it comes to bookings for this summer and they are opting for luxury escapes, after months spent in lockdown at home.  We're also seeing a growing trend for “seacations” around the UK, with regular cruisers and new-to-cruise customers, alike, taking advantage of the raft of cruise lines bringing ships to the UK for the summer.   The ships themselves are proving to be a major draw as customers get to experience the luxury accommodation, dining and entertainment onboard these spectacular ships that would usually be located in far-flung destinations, involving a flight to reach them. 

“Summer 2022 remains strong, particularly among families, representing 44 per cent of the bookings made last week. The most popular destinations are Tenerife, Majorca, Dalaman and Antalya in Turkey and Lanzarote. 

“We're bringing sunshine back into our customers' lives with a raft of amazing holiday deals available in store, online and via our call centre, courtesy of the many and varied travel companies we work with. Holidaymakers can snap up luxury holidays at great prices and with an unprecedented level of flexibility, including seven-nights, all-inclusive at the five-star, adults-only Marmaris Bay Resort in Turkey, with Co-op Holidays, from just £602pp, including flights and transfers, based on 5 May 2022 departure; 10-nights, bed and breakfast at the four-star, Eix Lagotel family resort in Majorca, with easyJet Holidays, from £2,223 for a family of four, including flights and transfers, based on 28 July 2022 departure; and a four-night “seacation” in the UK onboard MSC Cruises' MSC Virtuosa ship, departing on several dates this summer from £499pp, based on two people sharing a balcony cabin, including all meals, a premium drinks package and gratuities. 

“We know that value is still important to our customers but, post-pandemic, safety, health, flexibility, and the reassurance of booking with a trusted travel agent and a financially secure business, such as Your Co-op, is more crucial than ever. That's why we're offering flexible payment options, free child places as well as free changes and cancellations, low deposits and cash refunds within 10 days, as part of the Co-op Holidays Promise***. 

“In addition, our refreshed cooptravel.co.uk website features a new Covid Travel Service section that includes information on Covid testing, the latest updates from the FCDO, a guide to what to expect when you travel, an extensive frequently asked questions page and the all-important travel checklist. 

“Because Your Co-op Travel is part of the wider Midcounties Co-operative society, we are not just a travel business, and are able to utilise the resource and expertise of the other businesses in our society, to benefit our customers and members”, continued Dunham.  

“The new Travel Healthcare service offers holidaymakers valuable peace of mind that they can call on a UK NHS registered doctor for advice, should they or a family member become ill or have health concerns during their holiday.”  

Your Co-op Travel has 78 branches across the West Midlands, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Somerset, Wiltshire and Rutland, in addition to a virtual call centre and website, where customers around the UK can make bookings and enquiries. 

For more information on Your Co-op Travel, please go to www.cooptravel.co.uk or call 01922 908 389.

- Ends –

Press Information
Contact: Anita Clements / Cat Hamilton
Tel: 44 (0) 7557 908 454 / 44 (0) 7879 440 663
Email: anita@hamilton-pr.com / cat@hamilton-pr.com
Website: www.hamilton-pr.com

Notes to Editors
* Formerly called “Co-operative Travel”

** Seven Carrick Travel branches and all colleagues employed in them joined Your Coop Travel on 2 October 2020. The shops continue to trade as Carrick Travel but are now part of the Your Co-op family.

***The Co-op Holidays Promise, which is applicable on any package holidays booked with The Midcounties Co-operative's tour operator brand, Co-op Holidays, features four key elements:

• Book it – Deposits from £49pp
• Change it – If holidaymakers decide to change their travel plans, for any reason, the only costs incurred will be those charged by third-party suppliers, for example airlines or hoteliers. If prices increase or fall, as a result of the change, customers will either pay the extra or be refunded the difference.
• Cancel it – Guests can change their mind and cancel their holiday, for any reason, up to six weeks before travel, and only lose the original deposit paid.
• Refund it – If Co-op Holidays has to cancel the holiday for any reason, cash refunds will be paid to customers within 10 working days, including their deposit. Co-op Holidays will not issue deferred refunds or refund credit notes. 

About Your Co-op Travel
As part of Your Co-op, a family of businesses operated by The Midcounties Co-operative, which is one of the UK's largest independent consumer co-operative societies, Your Co-op Travel is proud to offer one of the widest selections of holidays on the high street. The travel agency is not tied to any particular tour operator or service provider, which means customers are always offered the best holiday deal for them, as well as truly independent travel advice. Your Co-op Travel's 78 branches are located right across England's mid counties, from Nottinghamshire down to Somerset, providing award-winning service and specialist knowledge to their local communities. 

In addition to the extensive branch network, customers can book their holidays online with Your Co-op Travel at www.cooptravel.co.uk. 

Your Co-op Travel is a member of ABTA and holds an ATOL license, providing full holiday protection for customers. 

For more information, go online at www.cooptravel.co.uk or call 01922 908 389.

About The Midcounties Co-operative
The Midcounties Co-operative is one of the UK's largest independent consumer co-operative societies. It operates a range of “Your Co-op” businesses across Travel, Food Retail, Healthcare, Funeral, Childcare, Energy, Post Offices and Flexible Benefits. The society has over 700,000 members, employs over 8,400 colleagues and boasts an annual turnover of £1.5 billion. 

With headquarters in Warwickshire, Midcounties Co-operative also has trading outlets across Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Shropshire, West Midlands, Avon, Somerset, Dorset, Worcestershire and the surrounding counties. 

The Travel division of The Midcounties Co-operative features four businesses: Your Co-op Travel, which has 78 high street travel agencies located across England's mid counties, from Nottinghamshire down to Somerset as well as a strong digital presence via www.cooptravel.co.uk; Co-op Travel Consortium, a group of 140+ independent travel agencies, which utilise the strength and backing of the consortium to build their own successful businesses; The Personal Travel Agents, in partnership with Your Co-op, a network of 165+ independent, self-employed, homeworking travel agents located all over the UK; and Co-op Holidays the in-house tour operator for the business. 

For more information on The Midcounties Co-operative go to www.midcounties.coop.