ttgluxury Seminar 2012 London


February 21 ■ InterContinental Park Lane ■ London Sarah Roberts has dropped the word ‘budget’ SELLING STRATEGY REPORT CONFERENCE


■THE EVENT: Fourth annual ttgluxurySeminar ■AUDIENCE: 130 premium-travel professionals ■THEMES COVERED: Key destinations for 2012, luxury brand partnerships and online strategy


■CONCLUSION: Speakers stressed the importance of offering “in-the-know” experiences and using different language to define the job of the luxury agent. Today’s travellers were described as less flamboyant as a result of the recession and more mobile than ever


ADVENTURE TRIPS


Agents need to tap into ‘luxplorer’ trend


OPERATORS NAMED Antarctica, Burma and Sri Lanka among the destinations set to be popular with “luxplorers” in 2012. Justin Wateridge, managing


director of Abercrombie & Kent UK, said the BBC’s Frozen Planet series had driven


huge interest in the North and South Pole. “Antarctica is a place of superlatives and you can now reach it in a certain degree of luxury,” he added, with the operator chartering


Compagnie du Ponant’s L’Boreal to take clients south. He said ships with stabilising systems, and sights such as vast penguin colonies,


18 01.03.2012


now make the region top of many travellers’ lists. Ampersand Travel founder James


Jayasundera, meanwhile, claimed Sri Lanka was experiencing “a new lease of life” since the end of the civil war in 2009: “People are discovering that Sri Lanka boasts some of the best Blue Whale-watching in the world between December and April.” He advised agents to create a


memorable experience by combining conventional accommodation with treehouse and “mud hut” options. Jonny Bealby, the founder of


adventure operator Wild Frontiers, said that while travellers to Burma may see no outward signs of oppression, care is needed when booking accommodation to avoid government-supporting hotels. He said: “The proliferation of


24-hour news has opened people’s minds to more adventurous destinations. It’s important to


A&K’s Justin Wateridge explains Antarctica


remember that space and time and getting off the beaten track also can be luxuries for these people.” Julian Hagger, chief sales and


marketing officer of Lux Island Resorts, formerly Naiade, added that bringing more of a destination into a resort, through craft stalls and cooking demonstrations by locals, was needed to distance luxury hotels from the “sea of sameness”. Ethiopia and Cambodia were touted as other destinations to watch. Bealby added: “This generation is the most travelled yet and parents are using their children’s education as an excuse to travel.”


Rethink sales speak to woo luxury clients


CHANGING THE language used to describe holiday pricing could help rebuild perceptions of value amid discounting in the luxury market, a panel of independent agents suggested. Sarah Roberts, manager of Chester agency Deva Travel, said: “Instead of asking about “budget”, which generally denotes cheap and cheerful, we are asking how much clients would like to ‘invest’ in the experience.” She added: “We also need to challenge the client who asks for cheaper quotes on what ‘best price’ actually means for them.” Jennifer Atkinson, chief executive


of ITC Classics, agreed: “We need to define what we do as an industry. Our booking processes are becoming more like a price comparison service.” Jane O’Shea, head of sales and


marketing UK, Ireland, Nordics and North America for Lux Island Resorts, added that while flash sales had their place, overuse was leading to hotel rooms being seen as a commodity rather than an experience. Gemma Antrobus, managing


director of Haslemere Travel, suggested the industry needed to unite on the issue of consultation fees to denote that an agent’s services were worth paying for. “We need to implement fees and we may need to become more like consultancies offering extra services,” she said.


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