New Aito members: Jamie Loizou, AmaWaterways; Neal Sealy, Exsus Travel; Derek Moore, Aito chairman; Sara Zimmerman, The Travel Department; and Alan Rooney, The Cultural Experience
‘Holiday frequency and spend will be the same or more’
Roy Barker, Spike
Aito Insights Survey sees resurgence for direct mail
Direct mail is becoming increasingly effective as a way for specialist operators and agents to keep in touch with customers, according to the latest Aito Insights Survey.
More than a quarter of
holidaymakers (26%) were happy to be contacted by post. And while email was the most popular method for contact, chosen by 81%, this was followed by brochures, at 46%, highlighting the importance of printed marketing materials for Aito clients. The results caution against a
sole focus on digital marketing and e-brochures. With direct mail volumes in decline, Roy Barker, director of customer and business insight specialist Spike, which conducted the survey, said marketing materials “on the doormat” would have more impact. He urged Aito members to consider personalised direct mail-outs and to combine this with emails and brochures. He said: “The effectiveness of
direct mail is increasing and there is more you can do in terms of targeting it, while personalisation is easier than ever before. “The ultimate is to link direct
mail, email and brochures to the right people.” The three methods – direct
mail, email and brochures – were the preferred choices of communication for 96% of the 22,443 consumers who took part in this year’s survey. Aito executive director Kate Kenwood said postcode analysis
of Aito customers – also being undertaken for members who took part in the survey – would further help them target the right clients. Distribution specialists Carrier
Group said the results were “welcome news”.
Alistair Bruce, business
development manager, said: “Ten to 15 years ago, we saw a decrease in brochures [being posted to clients] but if you look at the lifespan of a direct mail piece, it’s quite a long time. An email is deleted.”
The majority of clients of The Specialist Travel Association (Aito) will take the same number of holidays or more over the next three years and spend the same or more, according to the latest Aito Insights Survey. Only 9% of respondents planned to take fewer holidays in the next few years, while 69% said they would take the same number and 22% said they would take more. The results are almost
exactly the same as last year’s, suggesting holiday demand has not waned, despite the uncertainty in the market caused by Brexit. When it comes to spend, 66% said they would spend the same amount, 25% said they would spend more and only 9% said they would spend less. In total, 22,443 responses
were analysed by customer and business insight specialist Spike after Aito members sent the survey out to their clients. Aito chairman Derek Moore
said: “Aito customers are resilient and Brexit is a blip. Bookings will probably take a hit early next year, but people will book. They are confident Brexit will be solved.”
Ras Al Khaimah sets aggressive target of 3m visitors by 2025
Overcoming misperceptions and embracing Middle Eastern culture is key to the growth of Ras Al Khaimah, according to its tourist chief. The emirate, one of the seven that make up the
United Arab Emirates, has set an aggressive target to grow from one million visitors by the end of this year to three million by 2025. Delegates at this year’s Aito Overseas
Conference in Ras Al Khaimah were told there was a gap between “perception and reality” when it came to travel to the region. Tourism Development
Authority chief executive Haitham Mattar described the emirate as “liberal” in term of its laws. He stressed different emirates had different
cultures and rulers, and urged the trade to tell holidaymakers to put stereotypes aside. “Ras Al Khaimah is liberal; the laws allow you to
do anything you do at home,” he said. The emirate has traditionally been viewed as “an
extension” to Dubai. “People thought of us as a suburb of Dubai and we have worked tirelessly for three years to give Ras Al Khaimah its own space.”
29 November 2018
travelweekly.co.uk15
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