Travel firm expands with £275,000 investment

A West Yorkshire travel company is set to grow its operations and enhance its platform following a significant funding boost.

utc.travel, a subscription-based travel club offering members up to 40 per cent savings on hotels, holidays and other travel services, has secured a £275,000 investment from Finance Yorkshire’s growth fund.

The funding will support the company, founded in 2021 by a team of travel professionals, in creating jobs at its Leeds-based customer service centre, as well as enhance its online platform by introducing tools including a multi-destination itinerary builder and an AI chatbot to improve user experience.

Targeting businesses and organisations, utc.travel already partners with major names like John Lewis, British Chamber of Commerce and DHL.

Stephen Knight, chairman of utc.travel, said: “Our subscription membership model enables customers to book everything in one place with more flexibility, greater discounts with full customer service.

“We value Finance Yorkshire’s partnership approach in that the investment comes with advice and expertise from its fund management team.”

Finance Yorkshire provides flexible investment packages to support SMEs across Yorkshire and Humber in expanding, creating jobs and boosting productivity. Offering micro-loans, business loans, growth fund (loans and equity) and seedcorn funding, the organisation has invested £113 million in 500 companies since 2010, creating over 16,000 jobs and enabling £474 million in turnover growth. 

The growth fund is part of a £50 million regional initiative supporting SMEs across the region over five years.

Alex McWhirter, chief executive officer of Finance Yorkshire, added: “Stephen and Brett have brought together a team of seasoned travel professionals to deliver an attractive proposition to consumers, particularly via the employee benefit market.

“Our investment will support utc.travel’s growth ambitions at a time when today’s keen travellers are seeking the best deals.”

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