Travlux owner Ross Johnson reveals agency’s growth strategies

I got into travel… after starting my career as a pianist and conductor. I worked on amazing productions such as Mamma Mia!, Evita and Strictly Come Dancing, before playing on board Azamara ships. By the time the pandemic hit I’d travelled far and wide for 12 years, so I decided to try my hand at the travel trade.

I started my business… in October 2020. Travlux was born under Not Just Travel, which was a great springboard as a beginner, but I always knew I wanted to focus on luxury. As the business expanded, Sarah-Louise Jolliff joined me in 2022, followed by Alice Manville in 2024.

I’ve grown the business… by trying different things. We were quite lucky early on as a Facebook post blew up and led to 30 bookings worth about £100,000, so since then we’ve run lead-generation campaigns each month. We do a lot of creative video content and we have our own podcast, which both fuel referrals and boost brand exposure.

The fastest-growing area of the business is… Indian Ocean and Asian destinations. Last year I spent a month seeing product in the Maldives, Bali and Thailand as they’re so in demand. Interest is also increasing in Sri Lanka as we show clients how it can tick all the boxes, including the experiential side. We recently secured a £161,000 booking to Barbados, which included a £9,000 longevity plan, so wellness and functional medicine is definitely something people are becoming more aware of as well.

Our strongest supplier relationships are… with tour operators who help with research – we use Gold Medal for lower-end enquiries and Elite Travel Concierge for high-end luxury. It’s important to get exposure through marketing so we work with agencies including Clear Marketing, Canopy Marketing and Four Corners Marketing. Last year I became a Grecotel Hotels & Resorts ambassador, so I connect with them a lot too.

My proudest career achievement is… winning Luxury Seller of the Year at the Aspire Awards 2025 just five years after joining the industry. Hearing people in the room supporting me as I was on stage was so gratifying

My biggest industry bugbear is… When agents rely too much on operators’ knowledge instead of their own. There are so many opportunities for agents to take learning into their own hands – plenty to have at least an adequate knowledge of destinations, hotels and experiences.