Travel Trade Partnership Manager / Agent Relationship Manager

TRAVEL TRADE PARTNERSHIP MANAGER
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA  —  TRAVEL REQUIRED
COMPETITIVE SALARY + BENEFITS
  
Travel Trade Partnership Manager job in Cape Town within the luxury safari industry, offering a competitive salary plus benefits. This is a newly created role building global trade and agent relationships, growing new markets, and developing a structured programme of repeat-guest engagement.
  
  
▌ Do you?
  
Do you have proven experience building and growing relationships with international travel agents or trade partners within luxury travel or the safari industry?
  
Are you equally confident nurturing existing partnerships and opening new doors — researching prospects, making first contact and converting them into active, revenue-generating partners?
  
Are you a natural relationship builder who also thinks commercially, tracking enquiries, conversion, revenue and partner performance to ensure strong relationships deliver measurable results?
  
Do you have a genuine passion for Africa, strong knowledge of the luxury safari market and the confidence to represent a premium travel brand at trade shows, market visits and agent meetings?
  
If so, this is a rare opportunity to build a relationship management function from the ground up, growing a global agent network alongside repeat and referral business.
  
  
▌ Our Customer
  
Our client is a premium, independently owned safari operator and destination management company, designing bespoke safari experiences across East and Southern Africa for a discerning international client base. Deep destination knowledge and a genuinely personal, concierge-style approach to every client are what set them apart.
  
This is a brand-new role at the heart of one of the business’s most important and scalable revenue streams. Agent relationships have never existed as a formal, dedicated function before, and as the first person in the role, you will build it — developing trust with key global trade partners, growing new agents in priority markets, and creating a structured programme of past-guest engagement that turns satisfied clients into repeat business and referrals.
  
  
▌ The Role
  
In this role, you will build and own the trade and agent relationship function, developing trust with global partners, growing new markets, and creating a structured programme of repeat-guest engagement.
  
– Own day-to-day relationships with key global travel agents as their main point of contact
– Maintain a structured contact programme of calls, updates and destination content
– Monitor enquiry volumes, conversion rates and partner satisfaction, acting early where relationships need attention
– Identify and pursue new agent opportunities in priority markets
– Represent the business at trade shows, industry events and market visits
– Manage a structured repeat-guest programme that drives referral and repeat business
– Track and report on agent channel performance, pipeline and revenue contribution
– Feed market intelligence from agent conversations back into the business
– Work closely with senior leadership and marketing on strategy, content and campaigns
– Coordinate with the wider team to ensure agent enquiries are handled to a high standard
  
  
▌ Experience Required
  
– 4 to 7 years’ experience in relationship management, account management or sales within luxury travel, safari or a closely aligned service business
– Demonstrable track record building and managing relationships with international travel agents or trade partners
– Proven new business development experience, from prospecting through to conversion
– Solid understanding of the luxury safari market, including key destinations and how agents and their clients operate
– Strong communication skills, confident on agent calls, at trade shows and in writing
– Experience managing a loyalty, ambassador or repeat-client programme is a strong advantage
– Comfortable working in a small business where initiative matters more than process
– Willingness to travel for trade shows, market visits and agent meetings
  
  
▌ Benefits
  
– Competitive salary
– Provident Fund
– Hybrid Working
– Real ownership of a brand-new, scalable revenue channel — built from the ground up
– A team culture that genuinely protects work-life balance, not just talks about it
  
  
▌ Frequently Asked Questions
  
What is the salary for this Travel Trade Partnership Manager role?
The salary is competitive, and will be confirmed with shortlisted candidates — along with full details of the benefits package — by Ambitions Travel Recruitment.
  
What does the role involve day to day?
Building and managing relationships with global travel agents, developing new agent partnerships in priority markets, and running a structured repeat-guest programme — with regular trade show and market travel.
  
Is luxury safari or travel industry experience required?
Yes — this role needs a solid understanding of the luxury safari market and experience managing relationships with international travel agents or trade partners.
  
What does a Travel Trade Partnership Manager do?
A Travel Trade Partnership Manager owns and grows a business’s global agent network, developing new trade relationships and driving revenue from repeat and referral business through structured guest engagement.
  
How do I apply through Ambitions Travel Recruitment?
Apply via this page. Ambitions Travel Recruitment reviews every application personally – no automated screening. Register at ambitionstravelrecruitment.com to be considered for future roles.
  
Who are Ambitions Travel Recruitment?
Ambitions Travel Recruitment is the leading global recruitment agency dedicated exclusively to leisure travel. We place exceptional professionals at every level, from entry-level roles to C-suite appointments, across tour operating, luxury and tailor-made travel, safari, expedition and adventure travel, ocean and river cruise, ski, and UHNW concierge businesses. Our specialist leisure travel recruitment services cover the UK, South Africa, the GCC, Asia and North America.
  
  
Click here to apply for this Travel Trade Partnership Manager job, which is being recruited by Ambitions Travel Recruitment.
  
Ambitions Travel Recruitment places professionals across all areas of leisure travel, including tour operators, tailor-made travel, safari companies, expedition and adventure travel, ocean and river cruise lines, ski operators, and UHNW concierge businesses, in the UK, South Africa, GCC, Asia, and North America. With over 100 combined years of industry experience, we are trusted by global corporations, independent travel businesses, and growing operators to source hard-to-find specialists through a headhunting approach that reaches candidates who never appear on job boards.
  
  
▌ IMPORTANT
  
– If this role ticks your boxes and you’ve got the relevant experience, then click and apply
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