DESTINATIONS MILLENNIALS ESCORTED TOURING
RIGHT: Iceland
FAR RIGHT: Russia
BELOW: Central America
SAMPLE PRODUCT
Tucan Travel’s Inca Explorer trip from Lima to La Paz starts at £669 plus a local payment of $390 including hotel, camping and hostel stays, with one night in a homestay, alongside
transport, some meals and a tour leader.
tucantravel.com
Topdeck offers a 17-day Trans- Mongolian Railway trip
from Moscow to Beijing. Prices start at £2,999 including accommodation (with six nights on the train), some meals, city tours, entrance fees andtransport.
topdeck.travel
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travelweekly.co.uk 1 March 2018
and time again that immersive, cultural and authentic experiences are what sway this market, so emphasise the fact tours give clients a chance to delve into exactly these things. Insider knowledge from guides and hand-picked add-ons and inclusions mean guests often get to see things that those going it alone might not know about. Take InsideAsia Tours’ Insider Experiences, which include visiting Tokyo’s video arcades with a gaming aficionado, and getting a behind-the- scenes peek at a sumo session, or Topdeck’s Trans-Mongolian railway trip, which offers the chance to stay in a nomadic Mongolian ger camp. New for this year, the itinerary joins other more unusual trips offered by the operator to the likes of Israel, the Balkans, Alaska and Iceland, introduced in response to a demand for more off- the-beaten-track spots that escorted tours can make seem more accessible. “Millennials are looking for something more than just the usual
Insider knowledge from guides means guests often get to see things that those going it alone might not know about
tourist attractions – they want experiences,” says Vaivav Todi, director of Greener Pastures, which offers sustainable, bespoke tours in northeast India. “Adventures like trekking the Himalayas and visiting rural cultures appeal to millennials, so highlight these.”
w SEALING THE DEAL Of course, one of the biggest selling points for an escorted tour is the sociability factor – especially for solo travellers who might be worried about going it alone and want to travel with likeminded people – so underline this element. Mark Henderson, senior product and commercial manager for touring at Travel 2, says: “Travel is as much a social experience as a chance to see a specific site, which often makes small-group touring a perfect fit.” Last but not least, there’s the financial aspect. For budget-conscious youngsters who might shy away from tours, emphasise the inclusions and relatively good value for money they can provide – particularly for solo travellers who can avoid single supplements by sharing a room – and be honest about it, says Richard
Hanson of TrekAmerica. “Millennials appreciate the truth – they’re savvy bookers,” he says. “We are open on how much things cost versus doing it yourself and would actively encourage the comparison.” And if you manage to succeed in
convincing them, it’s not just your clients’ pockets that will feel the benefit.
Destination trends
w Tucan Travel highlights South America – especially Peru – and southeast Asia as the most popular choices among millennials, while Topdeck says Japan is selling well.
w G Adventures says North America, Oceania and Indochina are the most popular choices for 18 to 24-year-olds, while southern Africa, Oceania, Central America, Buenos Aires and the Caribbean rank highest among 25 to 29-year-olds.
w STA Travel highlights Colombia (pictured), Mexico and Costa Rica as destinations on the rise.
PICTURES: ANDREY PAVLOV; SHUTTERSTOCK; SOPHIE WEGENER/BUSABOUT
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