Discounted deposits boost January sales

A RECENT trend of discounted
deposit promotions has
emerged among operators
looking to spur sales during
January, a traditionally slow
booking month.
Early last year, Intrepid
Travels introduced a global
discounted deposit promotion.
It allowed clients to secure
a tour space for only R25
per person, a much lower
commitment that the usual
R4 000 deposit that the
adventure company usually
required. Similar promotions
ran concurrently around the
world where deposits were
reduced to GBP1 or AUD1 for
a limited period.
Caroline Tinsley, business
development manager of
Intrepid Travels, said the
company had decided to
reintroduce the popular ‘Travel
More, Deposit Less’ special
again this year.
She said the marketing
campaigns had created a lot
of interest in their products
globally and, although initial
commitment required by
clients was very low, the
2017 campaign had resulted
in a global cancellation rate
of only 6%. Caroline said,
in South Africa agents had
generally tied their clients
into the bookings with prebooked
flights that they
were able to afford earlier
due to the reduced deposit,
and that there had been no
cancellations from the market
for bookings made during the
promoti.