Unexpected ways tour operators make your life easier
WHILE travel
consultants may
have their gripes
when it comes to the tour
operators they work with,
at the same time there
are many ways operators
can alleviate some of the
burden and pressures that
agents face when selling and
booking travel.
Joanne Visagie, sales
and marketing manager of
Beachcomber Tours, says
one of the main reasons the
job of a consultant can be
so difficult is that they are
tasked with selling the whole
world.
With this in mind, one
of the ways operators can
assist is simply through
sharing their in-depth
product knowledge. “The
tour operator is normally an
expert on the destinations
they sell and can answer
many questions the agent
might have, like climate,
visas required, or even diving
opportunities,” she says.
Greg Taylor, gm of Pure
Tours, which comprises
Pure Skiing, Pure Sport
and Robinson Club, agrees
and says sharing direct
knowledge may be an
obvious way tour operators
can help agents, but it’s also
an important one. “Should
the agent never have been
to the destination, they
rely on the tour operator’s
suggestions.”
But time constraints and
the pressure consultants
face in terms of getting
quotes back to clients with
ever-shorter turnaround
times often mean there
isn’t time for agents and
tour operators to share
insights and destination
knowledge, says Annemarie
Lexow, sales and marketing
manager of Travel Vision.
“We rely on agents giving
us some information on
clients’ needs, interests and
demands in order for this to
work well.”
Live availability
Going through the
painstaking and timeconsuming
work of preparing
a quote only to discover
there’s no availability for your
clients’ requested dates can
be extremely frustrating.
Travel Vision only quotes
on availability, which
becomes increasingly
important around this
time of year when booking
travel to destinations like
the Mediterranean – which
are popular not only with
South Africans but also with
travellers from elsewhere
in the world – where
accommodation tends to get
snapped up quickly, says
Annemarie.
Additionally, Travel Vision
introduced an online
reservation tool to retail
agents over the last year,
which puts consultants in
almost direct contact with
accommodation suppliers
so that they can get an
immediate response.
Similarly, Joanne says
that to improve agents’
productivity, Beachcomber
created a powerful, efficient
and easy-to-use live booking
system. “Through this
system, agents can book
and pay for their clients’
holiday through our 24/7 live
system in a very short space
of time,” she says.
Of course, not all agents
are comfortable using
technology and systems,
and for this reason most
tour operators that provide
agent technology still give
consultants the option of
calling them directly.
Greg says that while online
tools can be extremely
helpful, he still believes
traditional telephone
conversations are the way to
go as it helps both parties
get a better feel of the
client’s needs. “I think the
connection between operator
and agent has grown too far
apart, with too many emails
and too little conversation,”
he adds.
Telephone contact is also
particularly useful when
consultants need to book
various aspects of their
clients’ holiday, says Joanne.
“Airfare, accommodation and
transfers can all be booked
on one call.”
This was also emphasised
by Theresa Szejwallo, md
of The Travel Corporation,
who said that tour operators
were able to take care of
all the details, with multiple
vendors on every tour or
guided holiday. “If travel
agents were to book the
intricate itineraries that we
put together it would take
them hours, from receiving
invoices and having to make
several payments, to then
collecting commissions
from multiple service
providers. This saves them
an enormous amount of
time – never mind the risks
involved.”
Peace of mind
Another way tour operators
make agents’ lives easier is
by offering peace of mind.
“Travel agents can be sure
their money is safe when
dealing with a tour operator
like Beachcomber, whereas,
when dealing with overseas
hotels and land operators,
there is always a worry
whether the services will
actually be provided,” says
Joanne. Also, as quotes are
done in rands, there are no
currency risks, she adds.
Theresa agrees and
says that should any
catastrophe or mishap
occur whilst guests are
travelling, Trafalgar and Cost
Saver would take care of
everything.
Did you know?
Beachcomber is offering a 20% early-bird discount, with an additional
5% off for repeat guests, provided bookings are made 30 days prior
to travel. Valid until October 31
Are workshops dying a slow death?
WITH many agencies facing
staff shortages and ITCs
struggling to spend time
away from their desks,
agent workshops are
beginning to decline in
popularity.
Annemarie Lexow of
Travel Vision says the
dwindling attendance at
workshops is not only
due to the pressures
consultants face. She
says that many workshops
just adopt the same old
formula over and over
again, and consultants
have grown weary of the
repetition. “It’s up to tour
operators to innovate and
offer something fresh so
that agents want to come
to their workshops,” she
says.
“For example, we host
training breakfasts with
ITCs, but instead of just
bringing in Travel Vision
staff, we also invite
suppliers like airlines and
cruise lines so that it’s
beneficial for the agent to
attend.”
Another issue is that
often tour operator
workshops don’t attract the
right audience. Alet Steyn,
gm of Wendy Wu Tours,
says sometimes it’s only
the junior agents who sell
domestic travel who attend,
which isn’t relevant to
an international operator.
“Online workshops and
even private training
sessions at the travel
agent shop or training in
small groups at a breakfast
are more feasible for us,
since we know that we
are training agents who
actually sell our product.”
Annemarie says if tour
operators don’t innovate,
the lifespan of workshops
as we know them may be
short lived. She says there
is definitely potential for
workshops to move into the
online realm. “For example,
Sure Travel and Travel
Counsellors offer suppliers
slots on webinars for their
staff.” Annemarie believes
there is opportunity for a
neutral company to provide
this service so that the
audience is broader than
just one consortium. Ross
Volk, md of MSC Cruises
SA, agrees and says online
workshops that the trade
could participate in at their
leisure would be a great
evolution.
Face-to-face time
But, technology doesn’t
completely replace facetime,
and many operators
have devised less
time-consuming, more
convenient strategies for
maintaining relationships
with their agents. Joanne
Visagie of Beachcomber
says instead of asking
consultants to come to
them, they go to the travel
agency.
“We offer ongoing and
very regular face-to-face
training in retail travel
agency stores. We train
them on what they need
to know, whether it be
hotel and destination
information, food and
beverage choices at
our resorts, five-staronly
training, as well as
sessions on how to upsell.
Training sessions are
customised to the travel
agents’ needs and we
meet them where they
can and when they can,”
she says.
Long live the workshop!
Greg Taylor of Pure
Tours believes there’s
no real replacement for
the traditional workshop
at this stage. “They
are great in terms of
getting face-time with
consultants like ITCs,
who work from home, or
retail agents who often
can’t engage due to
busy shops.” Workshops
also offer some of the
few opportunities the
outbound travel trade
has to network with one
another.
He says workshops
provide a platform where
agents can engage
with many different
brands, getting the
required information to
hopefully investigate
the operator at a later
stage. “The shortcoming
of workshops is usually
information overload
– but with all the
information packs given,
the ball is transferred to
the agent to study further,
so without this step, the
workshop is only partially
effective, he adds.
Technology and
workshops can also
go hand in hand. “In
the future, I would like
to see workshop apps
where operators could
easily upload material
that agents could access
during and after the
event, making it more
convenient for them,”
says Greg.
Theresa Szejwallo of
The Travel Corporation
agrees that workshops
are great as they give
the trade insight into
many suppliers and
what they have to offer.
“They also only have
to leave the office for one
workshop – whereas if
they had to have a sales
call or training for so
many different suppliers,
it would take weeks, if
not months, to cover the
same amount of supplier
visits.”
Robinson club to open two new resorts in Asia
ROBINSON Club will open
two new resorts in Asia
within the next year – one
in Khao Lak, Thailand, and
the second on the island of
Orivaru in the Maldives.
The Robinson Club Khao
Lak, on the west coast of
Thailand about 85km from
Phuket, is situated in the
Khao Lak rainforest.
The property spans over
280 000sqm and is located
on the beach. The resort
will have 320 rooms and
villas in 14 categories, with
the largest being 350sqm
in size. There will also be
three speciality restaurants
offered on a full-board
basis. Sporting activities will
be available, with a focus
on wellness programmes
along with tennis, football,
basketball, volleyball and
archery. Watersports such
as SUP and kayaking will
also be offered, as well
as trekking and cycling
excursions.
Construction work began
in January this year, with the
current resort undergoing
various upgrades, such
as the construction of the
sports complex and the
addition of a theatre. The
main restaurant including
the buffet, kitchen and main
bar will also be extensively
renovated and extended.
The Robinson Club Noonu
in the Maldives will open its
doors in spring 2017. The
property covers
150 000sqm and has its
own lagoon. A total of 60
water villas, 50 beach villas
and 40 double-storey villas
with high-quality furnishings
and fittings are being
developed on the island.
Transfer time is about 45
minutes by seaplane.
Photocap: New ship for MSC
MSC is launching three new classes of ship between
2017 and 2020. The soon-to-be-launched MSC Meraviglia,
MSC Seaside and MSC Seaview will offer clients a
choice of popular international destinations, including
the Mediterranean (such as Venice, pictured above). In
addition, early bookings are now open for the 2017/18
season and early booking discounts of up to 50% apply.
Did you konw?
Wendy Wu has just launched its 2017 brochure which includes more
Classic, Discovery (active-paced, off-the-beaten-track) and Exclusive
(five-star) touring options.
Seven amazing specials
1.Beachcomber is offering
a 50% discount on room
upgrades for selected
room types at its fivestar
properties until
October 31. Upgrades are
available 14 days prior to
check-in and are subject
to availability. Valid only
for existing bookings that
are paid in full and not
applicable to Royal Palm.
2.Pure Skiing is offering
a low-season ski
package to Austria with
rates starting from
R21 580pps. The
rate includes seven
nights’ accommodation
on a bed and breakfast
basis, resort guide, sixday
ski pass,
six days’ ski hire, 10
days’ travel insurance,
and five dinners at
different venues. It
excludes ski lessons,
flights and meals not
specified.
Applicable for stays
between January 6 and
13, 2018
3. LUX* is offering
discounted rates in
Réunion for bookings
made by June 30 for
stays until October 31.
For LUX* Saint Gilles, a
10% discount applies,
while at Hotel Le Reclif,
a 15% discount applies
4.Wendy Wu is offering
reduced rates on its
‘Burma Explorer’ tour,
with rates starting
from R58 655pps,
reduced from
R64 655pps. The 11-day
fully inclusive tour
includes stops in
Rangoon, Mt Popa,
Mingun and Ava,
Amarapura, Mandalay
and the opportunity to
explore Inle Lake.
5.Robinson Club is offering
a 20% discount on hotel
stays at its four-star
5.Robinson Club is offering
a 20% discount on hotel
stays at its four-star
property in the Maldives
for bookings made
before July 31 for stays
from December 16-23.
Rates start from
R22 870pps, including
return transfers, seven
nights’ accommodation in
an economy double room
on full board, but excludes
flights.ights’ accommodation in
an economy double room
on full board, but excludes
flights.
6. Wendy Wu is
offering a ‘Wonders
of China’ special with
rates starting from
R46 532pps, reduced
from R54 532pps. The
17-day fully inclusive
escorted group tour
includes stops in
Beijing, Xian, a four-night
Yangtze cruise, Guilin,
Yangshuo and Shanghai.
7.Beachcomber is offering
families the opportunity
to book a family suite
at the five-star Trou aux
Biches Beachcomber
Resort & Spa for the
price of a family
apartment at the four-star
Le Victoria. The special is
valid for travel on certain
June/July school holiday
set departure flights.
The Escape Beverage
Package will be charged
at the standard Trou aux
Biches rates
‘Use genuine customer reviews to close a sale’ – Trafalgar
TRAFALGAR has urged the
trade to take advantage
of Feefo’s unedited and
genuine customer reviews
when selling holidays.
“Feefo reviews are
really useful for travel
consultants. The
consultant is able to show
testimonials per trip or
tour, and this helps them to
close a sale more quickly,”
says Theresa Szejwallo of
The Travel Corporation.
Feefo is a ratings and
reviews, and customer
analytics platform that
collects genuine, purchaseverified
reviews on behalf
of over 3 000 businesses.
Feefo ensures that all
feedback is authentic, by
matching it to a legitimate
transaction.
