INTERVIEW TRAVEL INDOCHINA
AGENCY SUPPORT
RICHARD SWAIN AND PATRICK CHASE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGERS TRAVEL INDOCHINA
Travel Indochina is one of several operators giving increased emphasis on travel agency and homeworker sales. In general why is this happening now? Our renewed focus and greater emphasis on our relationships with travel agents and homeworkers in the UK comes as a result of significant growth in passenger numbers from the UK market to our core area of the world, Indochina – Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos – where we have six offices on the ground, and to the regions beyond that where our small groups and style of travel is still just as successful in Thailand, China, India and Japan. This growth has been down to
agency and consumer events. Whatever the needs of the trade we have both been on hand to offer our commercial, creative and specialist support and will continue to do so. We both have a real passion for the product and the region having travelled through it extensively and it is this passion and our knowledge we wish to relay to travel agents.
What do you do to encourage agents to sell your products amongst all the competitive options? At Travel Indochina we have the widest range of itineraries and departures throughout Indochina in 2011 of any UK tour operator – this should really help agents
What USPs will Travel Indochina be able to offer travel agents? We believe that small group sizes are the best way to travel, so in Indochina we have a maximum of 16 passengers on any one tour, and 18 elsewhere in Asia. We have low minimum numbers too and, in some cases, our groups can operate with just two-four travellers depending on the tour. Having small intimate groups allows us to take our guests beyond the typical tourist traps to witness the real Asia that larger groups just wouldn’t be able to see and experience. We also have a combination of western
tour leaders as well as English-speaking local guides. The western tour leaders
“We both have a real passion for the product and the region having travelled through it extensively and it is this passion and our knowledge we wish to relay to both travel agents and homeworkers”
continued support from both agents and our trade partner Travel 2, and to the added benefits that come from having a direct-sell office in the UK, which has assisted in increasing brand awareness of Travel Indochina with staff in the UK to support and train agents using our specialist knowledge.
How will you communicate this repositioning to the trade? The communication has already started with both of us supporting agents with customer enquiries, dedicated training sessions on our destinations and product portfolio and attendance at
to find something suitable for their clients, whatever their requirements. By also having low minimum group numbers we are able to guarantee more departures than other tour operators as well. Furthermore, to help encourage sales we have both been travelling extensively around the UK, visiting agents and our trade partner Travel 2, delivering presentations on our destinations as well as our product offerings. By arming travel agents and homeworkers with key information we are giving them the confidence and knowledge to sell our part of the world to their clients.
understand what our clients want out of their trips and act as a bridge between cultures to help the tours run smoothly.
What are the main types of holidays Travel Indochina offers? We specialise in a variety of quality small group journeys ranging from classic three- to four-star touring to specially-designed family tours. The journeys we offer have a broad appeal to a wide demographic so we regularly have a really interesting mix of people travelling with us which adds so much to the whole holiday experience. Because we have offices throughout Indochina we can also
Richard Swain (far left) and Patrick Chase (second right) with a western tour leader and local Travel Indochina guide pictured in Vietnam
arrange tailor-made itineraries which range from ‘design your own touring’ for the more independent traveller through to bespoke, escorted private itineraries accompanied by expert local guides.
How do you view prospects for 2011 in general and specifically for the Asian countries? Indochina is an exciting emerging destination which is safe to explore and offers a real experience for all kinds of travellers. Indochina represents the best value within Asia, giving it a great selling point over other long haul destinations in times of economic austerity. So we believe the prospects for repeat business are very good.
Will you be organising any fam trips? Watch this space very closely is all we can say at this stage! Travel Indochina fully sees the enormous value in getting travel agents to experience a country first-hand.
Do you offer any special rates for travel agents personally to experience your products? Absolutely we do. Discounts for the travel trade are available off our Small Group Journey departures and our tailor-made products too. Just contact either of us with your preferred dates. patrickc@
travelindochina.co.uk and richards@
travelindochina.co.uk
www.sellinglonghaul.com • February 2011 21
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