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The firm, which is wholly-owned by the Co-operative Group, plans a major campaign next year, to include advertising, in-store promotion and internal marketing.

The Travelcare account was previously handled by Partners BDDH.

Travelcare wants to make its independence a major selling point, in an industry that has been criticised for a lack of transparency in ownership and for brochures that fail to tell the true story about hotels and resorts.

The 350-strong chain of shops competes with brands such as Lunn Poly and Going Places, owned by TUI and MyTravel respectively, which tend to push consumers toward their tied operators, Thomson and Airtours.

In line with the ethical stance of its Co-op parent, Travelcare will market impartial, 'warts and all' advice in a bid to lure new customers into its shops.

AMV Advance managing director Steve Carrigan said: "Travelcare very much takes the stance of the consumer champion. Our task will be to build awareness and understanding of the Travelcare proposition both internally to staff and externally to customers."

In December 2000, the debut TV campaign for the Travelcare brand, created by Partners BDDH, used the Thunderbirds characters to show how consumers can be duped into visiting undesirable destinations by disingenuous holiday brochures.

COMMENT

The peak booking period for summer holidays is fast approaching, but travel agents face continuing consumer fears about terrorist atrocities.

There is also concern about the stability of the big holiday companies after many reports about MyTravel's financial woes.

In such an environment, Travelcare is well-placed to take advantage of its 'operator-neutral' status. It should be able to offer objective advice on destinations, operators and add-ons such as insurance. But it must back this up with superior customer service.