NEWS of Touring & Adventure Suppliers event. Samantha Mayling reports from Birmingham
Association unveils search tools and December ‘week’
T recognising excellence:
Seven Atas Recognition Awards for agents’ efforts over the past two years were presented by Atas chairman Brian Young and account director Claire Brighton (right). Winner of the Most Engaged Agent award was Amy Wright of Select Travel Holidays, who hosted a touring and adventure festival in the midst of the pandemic and has continued to promote experiences throughout the crisis.
he Association of Touring & Adventure Suppliers has unveiled more services to help agents capitalise on growing demand for holidays in the sector.
Atas account director Claire Brighton announced the
developments, which include a free search widget from associate member TourHound that agents can add to their websites. Furthermore, there will be a dedicated Atas training
week from December 6-10 to help agents prepare for the busy peak sales period over the New Year and January. Brighton said next year’s touring and adventure month
in April will feature “more campaigns, more training, more assets and competitions”. She urged agents to ensure they are featured on the
Atas website as the association will be adding a search function for consumers. Agents heard how lucrative the sector can be for agents,
thanks to the commission levels offered by operators and the value for money of the holidays. Brighton said the average holiday in the sector cost
£2,900 and the average party size was 2.8 – making the average booking value about £7,540. With commission
being about 12% or more, agents could net more than £900. She urged agents to book the suppliers’ ‘hero’
offers, adding: “If you sell one extra touring or adventure holiday per month, that is an extra £10,800 for your business a year. Sell an extra one per fortnight and that is £23,400 extra, and one a week would be £46,800 extra.” Brighton said operators offer price parity for trade
bookings, and holidays are “amazing value” as they are about 30% cheaper than an independently packaged tour put together by a consumer. To highlight the value of escorted tours, three agents
from the audience joined her on stage for a game of The Price is Right, along with moderator Lucy Huxley, editor-in-chief of media partner Travel Weekly. Representatives from APT, Explore, Travelsphere,
Newmarket Holidays and Cosmos showcased key itineraries for the agents to guess the price – and to demonstrate the value of included elements, such as flights, meals, accommodation and experiences. Brighton hailed the efforts of agents during the
pandemic, saying they had supported the touring and adventure sector with “such enthusiasm during such hard times”.
‘Take marketing inspiration from TV’s Squid Game’
Hit TV drama Squid Game can inspire agents’ marketing, according to Atas Conference speakers. The South Korean show
has become the most-watched programme on Netflix, surpassing the success of costume drama Bridgerton. Steve Rushton, Travel Marketing
Steve Rushton
travelweekly.co.uk
Systems founder, explained how the South Korean government launched a plan to turn the country into a ‘soft power’ and become a global cultural influencer – a strategy that helped the success of Squid Game and Oscar-winning film Parasite. “The relevance [to agents] is planning – stop random acts of
marketing and make a plan,” he told delegates. He advised agents to improve
their online presence, noting that 81% of Atas agents did not mention touring or adventure on their websites. For social media, he suggested
focusing on Facebook and Instagram, and said email marketing can be more effective and targeted. Donna Jeavons, The Travel
Corporation UK and EU sales and marketing director, also cited the success of TV shows. She advised agents to look
outside the travel industry for inspiration and tap into trends such
as Squid Game and Bridgerton. “There are now tours based
on Bridgerton. They are different, fun, relevant and quirky,” she said. She agreed that planning
marketing strategies is important, urging agents to look at regular dates on the retail calendar – such as Christmas, winter breaks and cyber weekend. Ant Stone, G Adventures’
EMEA marketing director, added: “Look at the automotive sector and how they are selling cars. “Holidays cost about $2,500;
they are a highly considered purchase, so consumers look at a lot of details and reviews.”
28 OCTOBER 2021
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PICTURES: Steve Dunlop
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