R


COMMENT IN MY OPINION


Convincing a customer to try touring for the first time isn’t always easy.


They may have preconceptions – of being herded around, of sitting on a coach all day that is full of old people and of having no free time – and may feel that it isn’t for them. These are a few of the things we hear


cited by those who haven’t yet taken an escorted tour. But there are ways of enticing people into the sector which are easier than you think. Who wouldn’t want to go on a


private tour with just their partner or some friends with their own driver/ guide so they can do things at their own pace? Or what about a small group tour as an introduction to the concept? Equally, many people don’t want to go somewhere culturally different on their own and just sit on a beach – they want to see and do more.


Client conversion Increasing numbers of people are opting for touring holidays to visit more remote and far-flung destinations and, it appears, travelling more frequently to do so. We find that, once people go on their first tour, they realise some of their misconceptions – and see that touring is a straightforward, stress-free and comfortable way to explore and experience a lot more but without the risks that doing it on their own would involve. A tour can also provide surprises and immersion into things that customers may not access on their own, such as having dinner with a local family or arriving at the right place at exactly the


Bust touring myths with enticing selling points


Highlight advantages of escorted tours to sway first-time customers


GILES HAWKE


CHIEF EXECUTIVE, COSMOS, AND CHAIRMAN, ATAS


right time to avoid the queues or to get the best views – local knowledge and insight that a touring trip can provide. Explaining to customers they can


experience the Taj Mahal at sunset, a rickshaw cycle ride, the Amber Fort and tiger spotting all in one trip – while being looked after and transported all the way without having to think and plan – just might be appealing enough to encourage them to try their first tour.


Agent familiarisation The Great Wall of China, an elephant sanctuary in Thailand, the mighty Niagara Falls and the top of New York’s Empire State Building are just some of the places our agent partners have recently experienced first-hand. With more Cosmos fam trips taking place this year and next, more agents will travel with us to aspirational destinations around the world. Agents have written blogs and


held training sessions for colleagues


afterwards, while our own staff have shared their experiences with the team. From a business point of view, we have received bookings from every agency that has travelled with us on a fam. Every one of us in the escorted


touring sector needs to offer as much training as we can to agents on exactly what our product offering really is. The key point is that touring is an important but often overlooked sector of the travel industry and that a tour really isn’t what most people think it is. Atas, the Association of Touring &


Adventure Suppliers, has been formed to give this sector a voice, to support agents to better understand touring products, and to recommend and ultimately benefit from selling this type of holiday. There really is a touring holiday for everyone!


FOR MORE COLUMNS BY GILES HAWKE, GO TO TRAVELWEEKLY.CO.UK


34 travelweekly.co.uk 15 June 2017


E


T O


O


I U


N


I


I


G


S


P


N


C


T


A


E


L


D


I


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