inside
Trafalgar
Gary Noakes examines the future of a family company providing guided holidays for 70 years
TIMELINE
1947 Trafalgar (then known as IRS) founded
1949 Trafalgar moves to 139 Grand Buildings in Trafalgar Square — the landmark that would later give the company its name
1950s Trafalgar launches innovative land and cruise combinations
1970s Trafalgar opens offices in South Africa, Canada, Australia, USA, New Zealand and Singapore
1990 Launches winter tours
1995 Website goes live
WHY IS TRAFALGAR IN THE NEWS? This year is the company’s 70th anniversary, having started life in 1947 as Industrial Recreational Services (IRS) from a small office overlooking Nelson’s Column. IRS originally brought former servicemen from Commonwealth countries back to England. From these humble beginnings came
Trafalgar Tours, which now claims to be the world’s largest guided holiday brand. Since then, more than five million clients have travelled with Trafalgar and today it offers 230 itineraries covering six continents.
WHAT ELSE IS TRAFALGAR DOING? It’s currently in its sixth year of a transformation programme, described by Gavin Tollman, Trafalgar Tours’ chief executive, as “a fundamental re-engineering; an evolution of the escorted tour to guided holidays”. He continues, “people want a deeper experience, they want bragging rights, just seeing iconic destinations isn’t enough.” The concept behind the brand, he adds, “is not about being a storyteller, it’s about being a story-doer”.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR CLIENTS? Trafalgar challenged its product teams to come up “with the very essence of a destination” and this saw the introduction of the Be My Guest initiative, where Trafalgar clients can dine in the homes of locals. It began in Positano on Italy’s Amalfi Coast and is now a feature of many itineraries. “It was one of the key memories on our guest surveys,” says Tollman.
HOW HAS THE OVERALL EXPERIENCE EVOLVED OVER THE YEARS? Trafalgar says clients see the world “from the inside”. There are three parts to this philosophy: experience, pacing and, most importantly according to Tollman, removal of “the cringe factor”. “We ask, ‘if we wouldn’t go there, why are we taking our guests there?’” This led to a change in how guides are hired — or, as it calls them, tour directors. “Previously they were always hired based on
their knowledge; knowledge is important, but it can be taught,” Tollman says. A former Virgin Atlantic crew trainer was hired to shake things up and the recruitment policy changed: “We took
1996 Introduces USA and Canada, the first trips outside Europe, followed by China, Vietnam and Nepal
2002 Launches new online booking engine
2009 First Be My Guest experience launched in Positano
2015 Brings Feefo onto the website, sharing unedited and uncurated reviews for every trip. Launches ‘Simply The Best’ strapline, prompted by the most frequently used word in guest feedback
trafalgar.com
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ABTA Magazine | April 2017
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