Find a rep · UK

How do I find a UK travel trade rep for my property?

Look for a rep who already sells your kind of property to UK tour operators and travel agents, carries no direct competitor of yours, and can tell you which UK operators they met last quarter. List free on RepBud Ready with the UK as a target market and you are matched with reps in RepBud’s network who cover it; when you both say yes, you are connected.

List your business free The guide to finding a rep

Who buys

How the travel trade in the UK buys

Tour operators

Much UK long-haul and specialist travel is put together by tour operators, from large programmes to small tailor-made specialists built around one region or one kind of trip. They decide which properties go into itineraries, brochures and websites, which is why they are the first call for most UK reps.

Travel agents and travel designers

High-street, independent and homeworking agents sell operators’ programmes and also book direct, and travel designers book at the top end. Agents come to know a property through training, fam trips and a rep they trust.

Consortia and agent groups

Many independent agents belong to consortia or groups that negotiate together and run their own trade events. A rep who works with them can put a property in front of many agents at once.

From RepBud’s own research

RepBud audited which trade buyers sell four southern and east African countries, as at 16 August 2026: 561 companies, 505 of them UK-based, counting tour operators, travel agencies and safari operators only. Of those checked, 307 of 473 sold South Africa, 260 of 473 Kenya, 202 of 453 Zimbabwe and 174 of 456 Zambia.

How to find which tour operators already sell your destination →

The work

What a rep in the UK does

Visits to tour operators’ product and contracting teams, with rate and product updates.
Agent training — in person, at trade evenings and online.
Trade shows: attending to take meetings, or exhibiting on a stand where your brand appears.
Arranging fam trips and site inspections, and briefing the people who go.
Trade newsletters and mailings to the operators and agents they know.
A monthly report: who was seen, what was discussed, what was promised on your behalf.

Where the trade meets

Trade events held in the UK

Each links to its RepBud event page, with dates, venue and who it is for.

WTM London

The travel and tourism trade event at ExCeL London. Ask a rep whether they attend or exhibit, and what your property gets in each case.

Experience Africa London

Brings safari lodges and tour operators from Africa together with UK luxury travel advisors in central London.

The Annual Africa Tourism Evening

A London evening for the UK trade that sells Africa, co-hosted by African properties, DMCs and luxury rail.

The Luxury Travel Fair

A consumer travel show at Olympia London, open to the public rather than a trade event. If a rep proposes it, ask what they expect it to do for you.

More: London, UK & Ireland travel trade shows

Before you approach a rep

What to have ready for the UK

Next season’s trade rates out before operators build their programmes — a rep cannot place a property whose rates are not ready.
Material UK operators can use directly: a fact sheet, images cleared for trade use, and descriptions written for a UK buyer.
A view on which UK operators already sell your destination, so the rep starts with the right list.
Fam trip and site inspection terms agreed in advance, so a rep can offer places without coming back to you each time.

How to choose between reps, how they are paid and the red flags are in the guide to finding a travel trade rep.

RepBud Ready

Be matched with reps who cover the UK

List free on RepBud Ready and choose the UK as a target market. Properties, lodges, hotels, DMCs and experiences list free.

List free

Tell RepBud Ready what you are, where you are, the source markets you want a rep in and your budget for each. Free for properties, lodges, hotels, DMCs and experiences, with no expiry date.

Matched by market and budget

Your listing is matched with reps in RepBud’s network whose source markets or destinations overlap yours, and whose minimum fee your budget meets. Your budget is used for matching and is not shown on your listing. Reps on all plans are matched, including the free Economy plan.

The rep says yes

A matched rep sees your listing and says yes or passes. When they say yes, you see who they are — name, company and the markets they cover.

You say yes or pass

When you both say yes you are connected, and you can message each other in the RepBud app. Terms are agreed between you and the rep; RepBud takes nothing from the arrangement.

FAQ

Finding a rep in the UK

How do I find a UK rep for my safari lodge?+

Shortlist reps who already carry safari properties into the UK without carrying a lodge that competes directly with yours, and ask which UK operators they met last quarter. On RepBud Ready you list free with the UK as a target market and are matched with reps in RepBud’s network who cover it; when you both say yes, you are connected.

Who does a UK rep sell to?+

Mainly UK tour operators — who decide which properties go into itineraries and programmes — and the travel agents and travel designers who sell those programmes or book direct. Consortia and agent groups are a route to many agents at once.

Is WTM London enough on its own?+

A trade show is worth what comes out of the fortnight after it. The ongoing work — operator visits, agent training, fam trips and follow-up — is what a UK rep is for. Ask what they do after a show, not only whether they go.

How are UK reps usually paid?+

Most often a monthly retainer for an agreed scope, sometimes with a performance element, with trade show, travel and print costs usually outside the fee. RepBud publishes no fee figures; compare proposals on what they include.

Other markets

Find your rep in the UK

List free on RepBud Ready. Reps whose markets fit yours see your listing; when you both say yes, you are connected.

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