DESTINATIONS TRENDS ESCORTED TOURS
ASK THE EXPERTS
LEFT: Tikal,
Guatemala RIGHT:
Lake Louise, Canada
BELOW:
Killarney, Ireland
Brian Young, managing director, G Adventures “Today’s traveller is looking for more sustainable and authentic travel options, so anything agents can do to arm themselves with this kind of information will help them sell more adventure travel trips. Agents have a big part to play in helping sell responsible holidays and educating the
consumer on better ways to travel that help keep money in local economies.”
Shearings Holidays, says: “We’ve seen a demand for more flexibility, whether that’s being able to choose from a range of hotels – varying locations or varying star ratings – tailoring the board basis, or customising itineraries. We offer ‘Your Holiday, Your Way’ on our river cruises, which lets customers combine cruises and pre or post-cruise stays so their holiday is unique and personalised to their own preferences.” Even at the younger end of the
Louise Heatley, head of product and contracting, Great Rail Journeys “We have already introduced seven new Great Britain and Ireland tours for 2017, and have plans to bring in more with our December brochure release. We have seen an increase in domestic bookings, especially to Ireland, and anticipate this will only increase next year.”
market, there’s demand for more comfortable accommodation. TrekAmerica’s Plus tours, added this year, use value-driven hotels and lodgings rather than the brand’s standard camping accommodation, and have already attracted a slightly older demographic, with an average age of 26 and an 87% female take-up. Tucan Travel has rebranded its ‘Budget Expeditions’, aimed at 18-35s, as ‘Adventures for 20s & 30s’, with
more two-week tours for time-poor professionals seeking adventure without the luxury of a backpacker’s time-scale.
w LIVING LA VIDA LOCAL It’s hardly new to say escorted touring gets travellers to the heart of a destination – one of its key selling points has always been experiences that immerse guests in the destination – but operators have been stepping up their game even further.
For G Adventures, that means more
homestays and more social enterprise projects, so travellers can give back to the communities they visit, while Intrepid Travel has added local experiences such as joining a nomadic Berber family on a walking expedition through the High Atlas Mountains next year. Likewise, Cox & Kings is introducing more market tours and opportunities to meet local people for next year, following positive feedback for activities such as calligraphy lessons in China and tea ceremonies in Japan. Newmarket Holidays is also
responding to good feedback about existing activities – joining local fisherman to see the early-morning catch in Kerala or staying overnight in a traditional Rajasthani village – by adding more, with a new village stay option in South Africa and a Harley-Davidson biker tour through the Canadian Rockies.
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travelweekly.co.uk 10 November 2016
FAST FACT
APT, Leger Holidays, Riviera Travel and Tauck report a significant rise in tour-and-cruise combos
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