Inside Travel to grow family sales Ella Sagar
Inside Travel Group has unveiled plans to boost its trade training and incentive programmes as it looks to expand its destination portfolio and grow family sales. The specialist operator
launched its first tours in India in September and plans to add two further destinations next year, taking the total to 13. Inside Travel Group co-founders
Simon King and Alastair Donnelly said the trade was “incredibly important” to its growing business, currently making up 42% of UK sales, but there was room for growth. “We need to do a better job of showing the value across all of our
destinations to the trade,” Donnelly said. “The big challenge we face is the fact we are known as ‘the Japan people’, so you can get typecast.” He said the operator would deliver
more training to “make it easy” for its trade partners to book Inside Travel tours across Asia, and will also bring back its Agent Insider Programme incentive next year with a new prize. Increasing the number of family
customers by at least 25% would also be a focus for next year, he added. King said families currently
account for up to 20% of the operator’s customers and that this segment of the market would be “front and centre” in 2026. He urged agents to recommend Inside Travel Group for family
Riviera outlines long-haul market leader aspirations
Robin Murray
Riviera Travel has revealed its ambition to become the “market leader” in escorted long-haul travel by 2030. The specialist set out its target at
an event in London to celebrate the launch of its 2027 long-haul collection, days before it unveiled its new digital assistant for agents, Riva AI. Head of long-haul product
Christian Locke told Travel Weekly the operator would use the launch of the programme, which includes Sri Lanka, South Africa, India, Morocco and Thailand, as a “springboard” for further growth in long-haul sales and
6 30 OCTOBER 2025
for other destinations to be added. “We want to put volume into
our existing tours as well as add new destinations to ensure we get a broad mix of different customers,” he said. When asked whether Riviera
Travel wants to be the market leader in terms of revenue or reputation, Locke said “it’s a mixture of both”, adding: “We’re already recognised as a really strong tour operator in the market in terms of repeat customers.” Locke revealed the operator,
which has an Atol for 81,255, is planning to make further investments in its long-haul business as it looks to grow its long-haul passengers to “about the 20,000 mark” by 2030.
The trade might think some of our destinations are not family destinations, but they are
holidays that offer “eye-opening cultural experiences and fun”. Donnelly said: “The trade might
think some of our destinations are not family destinations, but they are. I would like to see our family growth outstrip the rest of the business – we are targeting 23%-25% [total] growth year on year.” King said another priority would be the company’s “undertourism
strategy”, which aims to take tourists to lesser-visited destinations. Five locations have been
identified in Japan, and there are plans to roll this out to other core Asia destinations next year. The operator is on track to double
room nights in these destinations from 500 in 2024 to 1,000 in 2025, and aims to double them again for 2026. King said: “There is a real
hunger for the dispersion of tourists across Japan and for more places to get the benefit of that, so we will double down on this so you will see a tangible impact.” Inside Travel Group has also
added small-group tours in the summer and winter, offering alternative times for people to travel.
Thailand features in the 2027programme; inset: Christian Locke
He said the announcement
of a regional flying programme in September, which would see the operator offer flights from Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow from September 2026, was introduced largely to benefit trade partners. “We wanted to get that foothold
among agents across different parts of the country so customers can fly from their local airport,” he said. Locke added agents would be
“absolutely key” in helping Riviera Travel achieve its goal of becoming “number one in the market for long-haul group escorted tours
by 2030”, as he revealed long-haul sales through the trade are up 26% versus the same period last year. Overall, trade sales account for
about 30% of Riviera Travel’s business but “there are plans to grow that”. “All of the work the trade team
has been doing this year really helps to build trade business,” explained Locke. Unveiling Riva AI at the start of
this week, Riviera Travel described it as a “transformational” tool that would assist agents with itinerary details and destination insights, social media
content, client emails and more. i Riviera’s long-haul programme, page 17
travelweekly.co.uk
PICTURE: Shutterstock/Robert Harding Video
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