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focus on
Attraction & show tickets – Get more bang for your booking –
P re-booked
tickets to shows, theme parks or
popular attractions can save travellers time, effort and money, as well as providing the agents who booked them some healthy extra commission, says Laura Gelder
In an age where commission is being squeezed and 'adding value' is a must in order to compete with internet bookings, pre-booked tickets can really make a difference to both the client and an agent's income. “Not only can agents improve their customer
service and offer customers fantastic, often unique, products that can’t be booked at the destination, but they also signifi cantly increase their own bottom line," says Attraction World’s (attractionworld.
co.uk) Group Sales & Marketing Director, Tony Seaman. “It’s a no brainer - a win/win!” Innstant Travel (
innstant.travel) has been selling theatre, concert and attraction tickets (along with tours & events) for a year, and has over a thousand products with live availability on its books. “We believe that these extras are in demand but
many agents in the UK just don’t promote them enough,” says Innstant Travel’s Head of Sales – UK, Gary Gillespie, who estimates that agents can increase their revenue by up to 20% per year just by offering attraction tickets to every customer.
But even more important than this, he says, is
tickets as an ‘added-value differentiator.’ “You can show off your local expertise, help your
customer maximise their travel experience and also help them save money – all of which should secure a sale over a competitor.” Expertise is what agents trade on, and having insider knowledge on the best hard-to-fi nd-on- the-internet deals available could be crucial in securing that booking. “It’s our job to make agents look good,” says Annabel Cove, Business Development Manager at
DoSomethingDifferent.com. “We offer competitive rates, booking fl exibility and up-to-date services," she says. “Walt Disney World Florida tickets are a prime
example. They are all MyMagic+ enabled, so customers have even more chances to pre-book their fast pass experiences," Cove added. Theme park capital Florida offers a plethora of opportunities for ticket commission and is the key destination for Attraction World. “Our original bundle ticket – The ONE –
continues to be a best seller," adds Seaman. “It was created to offer one simple, value-for-money ticket with access to all the main theme parks.” Beyond Florida, London, Paris, New York, Las
Vegas, Cancun, the Canaries, Balearics and mainland Spain are all key ticket add-on destinations for Attraction World. Short break specialists SuperBreak (
superbreak.com) offers a wide range of shows and attraction
sellingtravel.co.uk
tickets closer to home, including passes to all the major UK parks and Disneyland Paris, West End and Broadway shows tickets and entry to 02 Arena concerts in London. They also offer commission on attractions like the Shard and Madame Tussauds in London and, UK-wide, Cadburys World, Edinburgh Castle and the Eden Project. Superbreak’s National Sales Manager, Graham Balmforth, says: “Key attractions for us right now are The Making of Harry Potter studio tour, Legoland Windsor, Disneyland Paris and, new for 2014, PortAventura in Spain. In terms of theatre breaks, top-selling shows are Lion King, Jersey Boys, Billy Elliot, Wicked and Les Miserables. Across the pond, Wicked and The Lion King
continue to be among the most in-demand shows on Broadway, according to Broadway Inbound’s (
broadwayinbound.com) Bob Hofmann. Broadway Inbound created Broadway Collection
to enable busy agents to add value to their customers' New York stays, with 25 specially- selected shows available to book through tour operators and specialist ticket sellers like Attraction World and Encore Tickets. Broadway will welome back the classic musical
comedy On the Town this October. It tells the story of three sailors on shore leave in New York City. And two timeless shows will get their latest
Main picture: Billy Elliot The Musical is a top seller for SuperBreak. Left: London's 02 is a big concert venue. Opposite page: Universal Studio's Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Florida
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