Rail Tour Company Reaches out to U.S. Agents

Railbookers, a tour operator that specializes in custom-made rail vacations, has started working with travel agents in the United States.

The company was launched in the U.K. in 2003 with a focus on direct sales, but it is now recognizing the value agents can bring to a guest’s travel experience. It currently has offices in Los Angeles, Sydney, and Auckland, in addition to London.

Because of the personalized nature of Railbookers’ trips, “we’re taking a slow launch with travel agents and aren’t initially working with consortia,” said John Hale, director of marketing and communications. “Our product is very complex — all custom-made itineraries — and we will be working closely with each agent.”

Hale said the company will conduct conference-call training and one-on-one training sessions.

It also offers a range of materials to help agents learn more about the product.

Railbookers is developing a dedicated website for agents, but Hale said it will not be product-focused. Instead, it will provide selling tools and point-of-sale resources, such as posters and other collateral materials.

He said agents usually contact the company via email or phone, providing a brief outline of the route the guest wishes to take.

“Our product is not an off-the-shelf purchase,” he said. “When we take an inquiry, it is literally a blank canvas, and the options are endless. We put it together and tweak options as needed.”

The company has experience building complex rail itineraries with multiple destinations across Europe, Asia, North America, and Australia, covering some of the world’s most scenic routes, across 50 countries on five continents. Itineraries might include the Trans-Siberian Railroad from Moscow to Vladivostok, the Norwegian fjords, a European wine-tasting tour, Italy’s Lake Como and the Alps, the Canadian Rockies, or a Moroccan Grand Tour.

Railbookers offers only independent travel, so it does not require minimum numbers for a departure.  It offers 24-hour guest support.

Feefo, an independent customer review system for businesses, has accredited the company as a Gold Trusted Merchant.

Railbookers said it offers a competitive commission. It also is running an agent incentive program through March 31 that awards preloaded Visa cards at various levels when certain thresholds are met.