NEWS
At this time of year, the buzz of summer has ended and the next opportunity to wear that
favourite linen outfit may now be next May. But we should welcome the cooler weather, and
hard-working parents and devoted grandparents with childcare responsibilities can now celebrate the fact that the little darlings really have gone back to school. For all of us involved with selling holidays,
Ted Wake
DEPUTY CHAIR, AITO SPECIALIST TRAVEL AGENTS, AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, KIRKER HOLIDAYS
As the leaves start to turn, it’s time to target some fall’s gold
this transition from one season to the next is the perfect opportunity to capture the consumer’s attention as they adjust their lifestyle patterns and progress to the next phase of the year. We all develop a routine of some sort, and our
most loyal clients will use this change of season as a prompt to visit to their local travel agent to book a holiday with guaranteed warm sunshine to escape the cool, damp autumn days. Of course, it’s not that simple in the early 21st century: many consumers don’t have a ‘local travel agent’, while seasonal patterns – and life itself – are more likely to be based on an algorithm in the cloud which, ironically, makes it even trickier to predict your customers’ next move. However, the principles
And don’t underestimate the value of interacting directly with your customers – why not organise an in-person event, where you team up with your favourite specialist operators to demonstrate your expertise and personal commitment to the success of your clients’ next holiday?
Beware e-message overload Many customers, especially older clients – potentially the most loyal segment of the market – are suffering from electronic message fatigue due to email/Instagram bombardment. Increasingly, this feels less like a well-targeted, personal message and much more like an invasion of our personal space. I am not advocating abandoning your Instagram
“Marketing
strategies need to be multi-faceted, so beware of those who tell you brochures are a thing of the past”
remain the same, and consumers are as keen to travel now as ever – so you mustn’t miss the opportunity to sell them another holiday before January.
Push winter sun Don’t wait for the tree leaves or autumnal chill to prompt your clients – you need to get out there with your proposition, whether that means creating an eye-catching winter-sun window display, or sending email broadcasts or perhaps an Instagram video clip to your followers. Marketing strategies need to be more
multi-faceted than ever, so beware of those who tell you that brochures are a thing of the past or an ‘outdated expense’ that consumes trees and are bad for the planet. Naturally, we need to be prudent, but don’t abandon paper marketing on the strength of a well-meaning millennial’s opinion. Make certain that you understand your target
market’s needs. If you enjoy browsing a magazine or reading a book, you can be certain that many of your clients will like reading a real brochure too.
12 19 SEPTEMBER 2024
and e-broadcast plan, but I would encourage you to reassess the value of brochures and in-person events. Some of our most successful collaborations with agents involve joint sponsorship, where customers are invited to meet an expert from a specialist operator’s team. It is a priceless way to
attract a discerning traveller’s attention, and there are many Aito operators who would be delighted to share
their personal expertise and to support agents who are determined to tailor-make holidays that are perfectly matched to each client’s needs. As we all search for a Utopian plan that will
persuade more clients to book, rest assured that your customers will experience the same urge to escape the autumn chill. These more discerning clients relish the opportunity to read a brochure and to consult an expert agent – they find these processes reassuring, and they have learnt that it is the best way to ensure that their next holiday exceeds their highest expectations. In the meantime, I am fortunate to have booked
my own autumn escape, with a quick trip to Fez and Marrakech with Mrs Wake. It has been 10 years since we were last in Morocco, and we can’t wait to escape for a dose of that late-summer sunshine. Now, where did I put my linen shirt and hat?
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