SPECIAL REPORT R


NEWS


From far left: Some of


the Newmarket Holidays team; Nepal; Newmarket brochure; Tuscany, Italy


atend these events – where else can we showcase what Newmarket offers?” Many high street stores now


have their own touring sections, Sharman noted. To tap into this growing demand,


Newmarket upgraded its trade portal earlier this year to offer more training and marketing support – and is seeing positive feedback from agents. Overall, Newmarket employs 150


staff, and its trade sales team of six plans to recruit more in the second half of 2019 to help growth in 2020. Furthermore, it has dedicated


retail support in its call centre, marketing and finance teams. Plans for 2020 will get another


boost in September when new chief executive Niel Alobaidi takes the reins. “Tat appointment represents


the next significant step in the implementation of our strategic plan,” said Sharman. “We have a loyal customer base,


a firm financial base, and excellent relationships with our suppliers and partners. We also, and most importantly, have a team immersed in destination and operational expertise.”


travelweekly.co.uk


We have a loyal


customer base, a firm financial base, and excellent relationships with our suppliers


One particularly strong market


is long-haul, and Europe is still growing, albeit in an “unpredictable” manner, Sharman said. Newmarket has nine tours to India


and Nepal, with more in the pipeline, and other growth areas are Asia, South America and African safaris. “Touring America and Canada


continues to be popular and these destinations remain at the heart of our portfolio,” added Sharman. Despite uncertainty in Europe,


Sharman remains “bullish” about the overall picture on the Continent. “We have therefore continued


with our own European flight charter programme to Italy in 2020,” he said. “Italy continues to be the


destination of choice and we offer a range of tour types, from gourmet to vineyards, opera to train journeys, plus favourites such as the stunning Amalfi coast or the less-travelled beauty of Puglia.” Newmarket is also looking to


expand its range in Croatia. “Te strategic review to focus


on escorted tours by air and cruise holidays has enabled us to further strengthen our core activities and not chase sales in areas that were not performing,” he said. “We introduced 35 new tours


in our January 2019 collection and our summer launch will see further exciting additions.”


Target market Te over-50s market is Newmarket’s priority and its portfolio of more than 300 holidays is evolving to cater for different audiences within that sector. “Te introduction of small-group


tours, for example, appealed to a new customer base that wouldn’t


look to travel on a tour of 40. We also have a growing number of rail-based escorted tours,” said Sharman. “You don’t have to abandon your


core to appeal to a wider customer base.” He added: “Tere are now more


than 23 million people aged over 50 in the UK – that is more than a third of the population and it is also the third with the highest level of disposable income.” Further ahead, Sharman feels the


issue of overtourism is one of travel’s biggest challenges. “Satisfying customers’ thirst


for travel, exploration and new experiences needs to be balanced with achieving it in a sustainable way,” he said. “If we don’t do this ourselves,


I can see the consumer calling us to account and demanding that we provide travel in a sustainable way.”


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