ESCORTED TOURS TRENDS DESTINATIONS
and in the past 12 months, we have seen a huge rise in bookings – in fact, we are currently 34% up on bookings through the trade compared to this time last year.” Trends in solo travel, unsurprisingly, reflect the wider market, with more adventurous destinations – Just You has added tours to Iran and Mongolia plus river cruises along the Brahmaputra in Assam, India, for next year – but also a return to so-called ‘safe’ destinations. Andy Fairburn, marketing manager for fellow specialist Solos, says: “Geopolitical events have shaped travel trends over the past 12 months and are likely to continue to do so into 2017. Customers are choosing to holiday in seemingly safer destinations, such as Spain and Italy, or opting for the convenience and organisation of an escorted tour, allowing scope for sightseeing, cultural interaction and adventure, but with the guidance and support of an accompanying tour leader. “With the introduction of new
‘safe’ destinations such as Korea, Peru and Albania, bookings for our Discovery programme have increased by 25% in the past year.”
w ARE YOU SITTING COMFORTABLY? If your idea of escorted touring is barely a step above
backpacking, it’s time for an update. The appetite for comfort- level tours is bigger than ever, with travellers demanding all the individual attention of a tailor-made package within a group tour. Think higher-grade hotels, flexibility over meals and excursions, and more inclusions. Carl Burrows, managing
director at Collette, says: “For 2017, we have included more in every tour than ever before. From adding extra meals, excursions and amazing hotels, we have now included gratuities in our tours, making them even more inclusive than ever. We also recognise how individual our customers are, hence we introduced more choices on tour so they can tailor their holiday experience exactly the way they want it. For example, they can choose which restaurant they’d like to dine in at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, or choose between a whale-watching cruise and a sand dunes adventure in New England.” Cosmos Tours & Cruises has,
likewise, seen more demand for its premium-level ‘Select by Globus’ range, which includes private home pick-ups, higher- grade hotels, and more included excursions and meals. The operator has added 22 premium itineraries for next year. Lucy Jackson, European product manager at
10 November 2016
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