Compared to the year end of 2014, new weekly bookings for young travelers seeking an overseas experience have increased a whopping 100%, with a huge demand forecasted for the first quarter of 2016.
GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA – Gap-year travel brand, The Global Work & Travel Co., has shattered growth records for the 2015 calendar year.
Compared to the year end of 2014, new weekly bookings for young travelers seeking an overseas experience have increased a whopping 100%, with a huge demand forecasted for the first quarter of 2016.
“It was a year of phenomenal growth,” said CEO Jurgen Himmelmann. “2015 was, by far, the busiest, most productive year in our corporate history. We sent more young people on working holidays, volunteer trips, au pair exchanges or other gap year experiences in 2015 than ever before. We have an amazing team worldwide serving our customers and feeding that growth.”
But growth hasn’t been without its hiccups. “We’re offering something that’s new and disruptive to the established and rigid travel industry, and it comes with its challenges,” said Himmelmann. “Clearly we’ve tapped into a previously ignored demand, and it only seems to becoming a more and more popular way for youth to travel and see the world. We’re thrilled to be leading it.”
Himmelmann points to a recent settlement with the Office of Fair Trading, an Australian regulatory agency of the Queensland Government. “I think even OFT was shocked at just how many travelers are lining up at our door to take-off on a working holiday or other cultural exchange, and it’s broken their mold of established thinking of what a travel agency offers. Once we were able to sit down with OFT and explain our unique business, they now better understand this growing niche industry and we’re prepared to make 2016 our biggest year to date.”
The unprecedented rate of growth means one of the larger challenges Global has faced is staffing for the demand. “We’ve hired a lot of talented people, including a Chief Technology Officer, so that we can lead the way in digitalization and innovation, and to provide a revolutionary level of service and customer experience, and we’re still looking to add 30% to our Australian team in the next six months as well.”
The Global Work & Travel Co. is one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing gap year travel companies. Global has approximately 100 employees in three international offices and provides meaningful travel experiences for approximately 10,000 young travelers every year.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
