p12-13 Touring roundtable Jan15 13/1/10 18:45 Page 12
in-depth
ttglive.com
Special report: escorted tours trade association
Never mind the
coach, here’s the
destinations. . .
TTG joined top escorted tour companies at London’s Montague
on the Gardens hotel to discuss the creation of a new trade
association. The result was BEST (Better Escorted Tours)
– and a clear strategy for agents. Rupert Murray reports
T
he main aim of BEST’s founding mem- window displays, media coverage and training.
bers is to emulate the cruise industry’s Tony Byrne said the cruise industry’s profile at
achievement and put touring at the last year’s Travel Convention was what touring
front of agents’ minds when talking to should be aiming for.
customers. The group eventually wants touring “There were times when huge numbers of Clockwise from left: Venice, Canadian Rockies, Lake District, and China – j
tabs to appear on every agent site, for brochure agents disappeared off to cruise ships, almost
racks to have dedicated touring sections and for like a mini dedicated cruise convention within agents already doing well with escorted touring
agents to sell escorted tours proactively, rather the larger one,” he said. “We need to ask for to help promote it to others.
than reactively. panel discussion slots and breakout sessions.” The biggest challenge facing the escorted
They realise success will not be achieved Caroline Brown said it was important for key touring sector is perception, according to BEST.
overnight but believe the bond formed by the It wants agents to concentrate on the destina-
creation of the BEST group is the first step in tions visited and think of the products as multi-
what is essentially a huge training exercise. centred holidays with many excursions, rather
Peter Traynor summed up the change in than relying on outdated images of coaches.
approach needed for the group to succeed. Mascarenhas said he thought agents
“Much of the training we do is about encour- considered it a niche product with a very specific
aging the trade to sell our tours rather than audience and unless a customer asked for an
a competitor’s – but with BEST we are joining escorted tour, most agents wouldn’t think of it.
forces to promote the concept and we will all
reap the rewards,” he said. Dispel myths
Paul Melinis added: “If we combine our teams “We need to dispel the various myths because
we can cover more ground and achieve every-
BEST FOUNDERS
there is a big knowledge issue,” said Mascarenhas.
thing we have been trying to do individually.” “Would an agent consider an escorted tour?
Ashley Dellow said BEST could be used to
Standing: Paul Melinis, director of sales, Insight
Probably not. But with training and by making it
Vacations & Trafalgar Tours; Colin Wilson, head of
approach consortia and retail giants such as
sales, Page and Moy/Just you; Peter Traynor, general
crystal clear what it is we actually do and how it
Thomas Cook to push for more support for the
manager, Collette Worldwide Holidays; Manuel
fits with their clients’ needs, they will start
sector and to play a bigger role in conferences. Mascarenhas, managing director, Wendy Wu Tours putting the idea to customers as a viable option.”
Manuel Mascarenhas suggested new relation-
Sitting: Ashley Dellow, head of retail sales, Leger
Melinis highlighted the word “coach” as a
ships between consortia and BEST could be used
Holidays; Tony Byrne, head of trade relations, Cosmos
historical and major perception issue.
Tourama; Caroline Brown, commercial director,
to create an escorted touring month that would
Shearings Holidays
“Agents and consumers remember cramming
be filtered through to members and backed with themselves onto a rickety old uncomfortable
12 15.01.2010
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60