1000 Mile Travel Group‘s Co-Founders and CEOs, Nicola Veltman and Ben Ross, say the introduction of its online travel booking platform, 1000Access, is broadening the company’s horizons, part of a long-term vision to give back to the industry.

Unveiled in May in partnership with Sabre Red Launchpad technology, 1000Access is 1000 Mile Travel Group’s (1000MTG) one-stop-shop designed for independent contractors. In its launch phase, 1000Access was an air platform, focused on streamlining the booking process. The GDS-free tech increases profitability, and will soon support ticket reissues and refunds. Now, 1000Access is a platform travel advisors (independent contractors/ICs) can use to book hotel and car arrangements, and LATTE can exclusively reveal, cruise is coming soon.

Veltman describes 2024 as a year of “big creation and innovation” for the company. That included the launch of four brands globally: i) 1000 Access; ii) 1000 Mile Travel Vacations in the North American market; iii) 1000 Mile Travel Escapes in Australia; and iv) in Australia, the 1000 Mile Independent Brand.

The latter debuted with two new agencies: LaTrove Travel and Magic Happens Here Travel and Cruise, specialists in corporate/high-end leisure and Disney travel, respectively.

“Year ’24 was very much about innovation and creation and Year ’25 is about bedding those businesses down and growing on what we’ve already created,” Veltman said.

1000Access opportunity

For Veltman and Ross, the key purpose of 1000Access was to provide a solution that will “save independent contractors time and make them more money”.While Veltman has been strengthening partnership with 1000MTG’s General Managers in Australia, the US and UK across the corporate and leisure space, Ross has been dedicated the past year to developing and raising awareness of the 1000Access platform.

He says travel advisors had been “loosing out” when booking air for clients, which was traditionally being processed either via an airline’s website or a third party, and “not making the IC any money. It’s happening in other markets too.”

“This tool enhances the IC’s productivity,” Ross said of 1000Access.

“We live in a world now that we need more time in our day than ever before. How do we get more productive? We have to be smart,” Veltman explained.

“1000 Mile Travel Group has always been about innovation. We evaluated how we could do things differently, and how we can service the market. And that’s what 1000Access is about.”

“1000Access is pretty exciting. It’s a game changer,” Ross says. “When you think about booking tools, you think about corporate, and 1000Access is an online booking tool for leisure. But it’s also for any travel advisor… for anyone. You can push your content through this tool. The Virtuoso agreements, corporate rates, anything that is missing, you can drive that content through 1000Access and they can tap into our content,” Ross said.

The front face of 1000Access is powered by Sabre LaunchPad, but as Ross explains, 1000 MTG’s team has designed a large slice of the automation in the backend.

“And that’s what makes it exciting. It is fully automated. Air, Hotel, Car, Cruise. Virtually book it, touch-less, done. Invoice, receipt, itineraries, everything.”Veltman notes: “We’ve created a tool that our network needs, but what our network requires is what the entire industry needs. We have a product that has been trialled, proven and in market.”

“What we’re doing is trying to help other people. We’re solving a problem not just for ourselves.”

“While that is the primary objective of 1000Access for 1000 Mile Travel Group, over the years, at all the events that we’ve been to, we’re hearing the exact same problem from people that we talk to. We realised that we can help other people, and that’s what we are doing.”

“There is so much need out there in the market for what we’ve created that we can’t get to it fast enough. That’s probably our biggest challenge,” Ross said.

“We’ve received a tonne of interest which is really exciting,” Veltman added.

In the North American market, Ross told LATTE, “I can’t even tell you how many people are desperate to get what we’ve got. It’ll launch in the US first and then into other regions. It will come to Australia and New Zealand, but for right now, it’s North America-centric.”

“We’re not just ICs now. We’ve got this other aspect of the business that people really want. We know they want it because all these members here at Virtuoso Travel Week are telling us ‘We need what you’ve got’.”

“If you’re in another network and want what we’ve got, that’s okay too,” Ross said, explaining how the tool is available to all. “If you want it and you need it we can give it to you now. It’s our platform but if they want their own branding, we can do all of that.

“Essentially it’s white label. We manage the backend, so it’s not ‘white white’.

Giving back

Ross and Veltman add that as 1000 Mile Travel Group matures – the company is about to celebrate its 10^th anniversary – it is looking at ways it can give back to the industry.

“When you’re young and hungry, everything was 1000 Mile, 1000 Mile. But as you grow and mature you broaden your horizons, you look at what other people are doing, or not doing, then all of a sudden it’s just not all about you. It’s what else can we do? Who else can we help? And that’s been our progression. It’s wider.”

Ross said a chat with Penny Spencer of Spencer Group of Companies at Virtuoso Travel Week cemented the 1000MTG’s Founders vision to “do more” for the industry.

Spencer Travel is a big player in the corporate and leisure space, ingrained in the Australian travel industry.

“While already busy enough, Penny is involved in other projects like TIME (which she founded), expanding her business and everything else. It made us evaluate broadening our horizons and consider who else can we help. And that’s the next part of our growth,” Ross said.

“That’s part of who we are. We like to give back. It’s not just about ourselves,” Veltman adds.

“Our entire careers have been in the travel industry, so to be able to give back to your own industry that has fed you, helped you raise your own family, it makes you feel like we’re making a difference. Yes, there’s ROI involved in running a company and you look at the business side of thing, but it’s more than that.

“It’s about assessing where others may have a problem but they don’t know how to fix it. Can we help them?”

Learn more on 1000Access at 1000miletravel.com/services/1000access/

Lead image: Ben Ross and Nicola Veltman, Co-Founders and CEO of 1000 Mile Travel Group at Virtuoso Travel Week 2024 | Photo: LATTE Luxury News

LATTE attended Virtuoso Travel Week as a guest of Virtuoso.