Selling Packaged Tour Vacations: Advice & Trends from Travel Market Place East

The packaged tour industry is still plagued by misconceptions. To better understand the industry and help advisors learn how to sell packaged tours to their clients, Travel Market Report put together a panel of tour industry executives at last week’s Travel Market Place East in Toronto to discuss who the right tour client is, what aspects of packaged touring advisors should focus on when suggesting a tour, and some of the hottest destinations currently trending.

Who Is the Packaged Tour Client?
“It’s really on you as an advisor to be able to identify who that customer is that will go on a tour,” said Carla Brake, director of business development for the Globus family of brands. “We find that people who take a tour are people that are curious minded, people that are really looking for immersive experiences.”

Additionally, she said they want their travel to be seamless. They don’t want to worry about the details, but they want the ability to explore the destinations they’re visiting.

“It’s really understanding what the client is looking for in a destination. They want to get to know the culture. They want to immerse themselves in with the people.”

“You need to qualify your clients about what they want to see,” added Anthony Saba, vice president of South Pacific Goway. “Ask them the questions about how they want to travel.”

Messaging
When talking to your clients about why a tour is a good option for them, panelists had a number of suggestions.

Globus’ Brake recommended focusing on the immersive nature of the trip. “You’re staying in a hotel that is in the middle of town. You’re doing all the activities within these communities. There are opportunities to speak to local people as you travel around. You get the benefit of local experts.”

“I always tell people that it’s the comradery on tour,” said Brett Walker, general manager of international business operations for Collette Canada and chairperson for the Canadian Association of Tour Operators. “What people often come home and talk about is the fact that there is incredible comradery among the people you meet on tour.”

Don’t Be Afraid of Tours
Packaged tours are still somewhat of an enigma to many advisors and their clients.

“A lot of people have never tried a tour before,” Walker said. “We have a real problem with pre-conceived ideas.”

On top of that, added South Pacific Goway’s Saba, for some travel advisors selling tours, particularly to long haul or exotic destinations, can be intimidating. But that’s exactly why advisors should be partnering with tour companies, he emphasized.

“There’s a fear sometimes with a lot of agents, they don’t sell a destination like Australia or New Zealand or Fiji or Africa enough, so they’re not comfortable with the product,” he said. “But working with us and our experts basically allows us to help you answer questions.”

It doesn’t help, added Brake, that clients rarely ask outright for a tour.

“Suggest a tour to your client,” she said. “Very few people if they’ve never taken one will come in and say I’d like to do a tour because they don’t understand the model or what type of trip that is.”

Trends
Panelists noted a number of trends within the tour industry, including a desire for more off-the-beaten path destinations and longer itineraries.

While the Caribbean, including spots like Jamaica and Mexico, continues to be the top destination for most travelers, Tony Saunders, CFO of TravelBrand, said they’re seeing a lot of growth in more exotic destinations, like Israel and Egypt.

At Collette, Japan is off the charts, Walker said, adding the tour company is also seeing a big trend toward Turkey, a destination that hasn’t been all that popular since the 1990s.

As most advisors know, Europe travel is also booming, but Saba noted a trend he’s seeing is a regional focus.

“These people aren’t bouncing all over Europe though, of course, you’ll always get those, but they seem to be focusing in on regions, which is great because that becomes a travel style.”

“We’re also seeing a lot of people going beyond seven days,” Saunders added. “It’s now becoming 10 days, 14 days.”

Another big trend? More off-peak travel.

“It’s a real mix,” said Brake. “I don’t think we’ll ever get away from those peak times, but the shoulder season is now booming. I find our peak time is extending, a little bit earlier in the spring, going through the fall.”

Perhaps, most importantly is the growth in travelers look for help.

“People who might have considered doing these destinations independently in the past, but at this point and time in a complicated world, are now looking for a tour company,” Walker said.

Other trends executives said they’ve noticed include an expanding booking window and more interest in multi-generational travel.