Unlike Sochi, Rio’s World Cup Spurs Big Interest
by Harvey Chipkin /While the Winter Olympics in Sochi has been a bust when it comes to spurring travel sales, the travel outlook for the World Cup in Rio de Janeiro this June is strong.
“Rio is an attraction in itself, and soccer is growing in popularity in this country. The World Cup is usually our biggest sports-related request,” said Becky Treakle of Best Connection Travel in Annapolis.
The popularity of the World Cup, along with this year’s location, makes it a selling opportunity for travel agents. But operators say there are a few things agents should know before jumping in to selling travel to the World Cup and other high-profile sporting events.
Tricky logistics
Alex Wagner of Ludus Tours in San Diego has been in Rio since early this year to prepare for the World Cup and for the preliminary games that will take place in 12 other Brazilian cities.
Eventually Ludus Tours will have a staff of 20 to 25 people in Brazil to handle an estimated 500 clients attending the World Cup and pre-cup elimination games.
“The logistics can be tough,” said Wagner, “If you want to be sure to see the team you’re rooting for you have to go to preliminary games. As teams are eliminated, you’re taking a chance of not seeing your favorite team.”
Too adventurous for some
Annbritt Stengele, founder of Sports Traveler in Chicago, said she has seen a lot of interest in the Rio soccer events, but not so much for other event destinations, including the three Brazilian cities where Team USA is scheduled to play.
“The kind of person who travels to a big event tends not to like destinations that are more appropriate for adventure travelers.”
Travel sellers and suppliers with expertise in travel to major sporting events offered the following advice for agents.
Sell more than the event
“Focus on the intangibles like showing people a great time, building community, pairing travel groups together, etc.,” advised Adam Dailey, managing director of Ludus Tours.
That approach has helped Ludus Tours differentiate itself, Dailey said. “Our company is built on more than just having the same package as everyone else. We really are a community of travelers and try to promote and sell so that that becomes the main value-add.”
“People get married from meeting on our tours. We have single travelers who become roommates on trips. They form real bonds,” said Dailey, whose clientele sometimes includes the parents of athletes participating in events.
Sell side trips
Just as with a cruise or other trip focused on one element, side trips are a natural.
Stengele of Sports Traveler said her company will be doing trips to Peru and Argentina around the World Cup in Rio. “People are traveling a heck of a distance and want to make the most of it.”
Don’t wait too long
“Get out early with it,” Stengele said. “You’ll be surprised at how early your clients will be interested – as much as a year before.”
Treakle of Best Connection Travel agreed. “You will starting seeing sports junkies jumping on the next bandwagon as soon as the current one is over.”
Stengele urged agents to “stay on top of your local teams to see if they have a chance to be in something like the Super Bowl.”
“Those events can be great as corporate incentives,” she added. “Reach out to corporations if it seems like your local team has a chance.”
Choose the right partner
“Make sure you work with a provider who understands ticketing and the ins and outs of each event,” advised Robert Tuchman, president of Goviva in New York.
Complicated logistics make it advisable to work with an operator knowledgeable both about the specific sport and the specific sporting event, said Andrew Hill, president of Sports Travel Tours in Arlington, Texas.
“There has to be the right amount of time between games, the right activities to fill in those gaps and all the logistics involved.
“We focus on training travel agents so they can create the ideal holiday for clients. That means having the right amount of activity during their trips. You can’t do it all, and some people have unrealistic ideas.”
Of course it’s also important to work with an operator who knows the destination, he added.
For example, he said, “Russia is a lot different from Canada where the last winter Olympics were held. You can’t transfer the knowledge you have of Vancouver to Sochi.”