IN FOCUS Safari in Botswana


SOUGHT-AFTER SPOTS


oÀ >vyÕinÌ VliinÌÃ] Ìhi ÜoÀl` ià ÌhiiÀ oÞÃÌiÀ°


ÕÌ ÜhiVh


`iÃÌin>Ìionà >n` iÝ«iÀiinVià `o >}inÌà Look moÃÌ vÀiµÕinÌlÞ voÀ hi}h-niÌ-ÜoÀÌh VliinÌö


Kate Hales, Hot Chilli Travel “Among the most popular are places such as Botswana, as it’s one of the best places to go on safari. The east also seems to be enjoying more demand. There are some amazing trips to places like Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand (pictured), and so many opportunities to do them in a luxury way.”


David Farrell, Ten Lifestyle Group “Luxury train journeys had a


bookings and leave no stone unturned to ensure that the needs of each member of the party are specifically catered for.” Carrier also follows a similar ethos


and, as part of its strategy for 2025, is putting a renewed focus on ultra-high-value bookings. Head of trade partnerships Lee Marshall says concierge has become “a very important part of the customer journey”. He explains: “We’ve bolstered our team, and we also offer things such as ‘beyond the booking’, which are pre-departure calls that our sellers host with the client and the travel agent to offer more personal insight and inspiration before the client travels. “This is about connecting with the


concierge teams and making sure that every single element of that client’s holiday is absolutely as it should be.”


A premium experience Crafting intricate itineraries that tick the boxes of affluent clients also presents agents with a lucrative opportunity to upsell and


generate a bigger commission. For her high- net-worth clients, Bentley adds “an extra level of care, making sure they’re really well taken care of”, which not only involves her organising boarding passes and visas for each traveller, but also securing board upgrades and additional drinks packages. The same goes for Travelwise’s £2.3 million booking, which started out on a budget of £1 million. “It’s the perfect opportunity to upsell,” Davies and Hart explain. “You know they’re wealthy enough to do this, and you want to make it the best trip of their life, so maybe we get a special chef in, or we ship champagne over from France. We do all these extra things that of course are going to cost more, but it’s the detail that really makes a trip like this.” Successfully executing ultra-high-value bookings takes considerable time and effort – and those who are rewarded have no doubt played the long game. But agents and operators alike should make the investment – it might just pay off.


resurgence for us last year. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, Rocky Mountaineer, Rovos Rail in southern Africa and The Ghan in Australia were requested from our members in higher numbers than past years. The Indian Ocean has also been as popular as ever.”


Nadine Brady, Limelight Escapes and Travl.Love


“One trend is the extraordinary demand for ultra-luxury long-haul stays over the festive period, where ENKGPVU CTG URGPFKPI UKZ ƂIWTGU for their holiday. I also recently arranged a two-week stay at a Tuscan estate, with 40 guests ƃ[KPI KP HTQO CNN QXGT VJG YQTNF q


aspiretravelclub.co.uk


JANUARY 2025 ASPIRE


31


CREDITS: -hÕÌÌiÀÃÌoVkÉƂl«Ã>À>l] >n`Þ,iÌÀiiÛiÀ] ,>`ik


oÀoÛk>] *>ÀiloÛ


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  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120