GONE are the days when
travellers mindlessly
followed the guide’s
umbrella from one monument
to the next. Escorted tour
operators are working hard to
shed the image of cramped
and boring tours for the mature
market and are now actively
promoting the adventure
options in their brochures.
Alet Steyn, business
development manager at
Wendy Wu Tours, highlights
numerous adventure options
such as crawling through the
Cu Chi Tunnels in Saigon,
hiking in Sapa in Vietnam and
staying with local hill tribes, or
experiencing a Mekong Delta
homestay, overnighting with
a local family. Top Gear-type
biking tours through Vietnam
are also a popular option.
Alet says nowadays tours
are graded to assist clients in
deciding which itinerary best
suits their physical ability and
personal liking. They range
from comfortably paced and
medium paced to active tours.
Sarah Whiteside, sales &
marketing manager for Travel
Vision, has noticed strong
growth in adventure travel.
“Adventure companies like
Exodus, G Adventures, Intrepid,
Grand American Adventures
and Trek America offer
inspirational small group tours
with similar guided touring
experiences to traditional
coach tour companies but
whose business models have
been adapted to appeal to
a younger, more socially and
environmentally aware client.
All of these companies employ
responsible tourism models.”
According to Sarah, this
new generation of tours for
adventure-seekers tends to
keep groups down to about
10 people rather than filling
a bus of 40. “The smaller
size impacts less on the
environment, allows you to
visit more genuine and
off-the-beaten track attractions
and offers a more intimate
interaction between group
members.” These tours are
often more active than a
traditional coach tour and
frequently make use of local
transport, giving clients a more
authentic experience.
For Contiki, adventure is
also top of the agenda. Kelly
Jackson, Contiki gm, says:
“At Contiki, we have a way of
life. It’s called #NOREGRETS.
We treat every day as a
new adventure. We build
friendships that last a lifetime.
We live every day as if it’s
our last and leave absolutely
nothing behind. We have also
embraced our travellers on all
forms of social media.”
Authentic experiences
Theresa Szejwallo, md
of Trafalgar, says the tour
operator has invested a
lot of time and money in
honing its product offering.
“We introduced the Insider
Experience just over three
years ago as a response to
market research on what our
guests are looking for. The
Insider takes guests deeper
into the destination.” She adds
that Be My Guest experiences
enable travellers to overnight
with people they meet on their
travels, sharing their personal
stories in the intimate settings
of their own homes,
farmhouses and vineyards.
Trafalgar also offers Authentic
Accommodation, letting guests
stay in unusual venues such
as the Renaissance Palace in
Spain or a Turkish cave hotel
in Cappadocia.
Exotic destinations
A distinct advantage of
escorted coach tours is that
they employ the services of a
guide who speaks both English
and the local language. This
gives travellers deeper insight
into exotic destinations. Says
Alet: “Many of our destinations
cover areas where language
and communication are a huge
problem. This is, however, not
a problem when you’re on a
Wendy Wu tour, as the local
guides and national escorts
are always there to assist.”
Sarah says clients often
seek out a small group
adventure tour when they are
travelling to less established
tourism destinations, where
infrastructure and language
barriers exist. “South America,
Russia, China, India, Vietnam,
Cambodia and Turkey are
particularly popular for guided
tours.”
Family market
Coach tour operators have
also focused their marketing
efforts on the family market.
The Family Experiences by
Trafalgar, for example, are
great for multi-generational
travel and offer experiences
the whole family enjoys. These
range from visiting a gladiator
school in Rome, flamenco
dancing in Spain and zip lining
in Costa Rica.
Wendy Wu has also begun
catering for the family market.
The ‘In Pursuit of Pandas’
10-day tour is now available for
children eight years and over.
So far, it has been a great hit
with South African travellers,
says Alet.
Irish specials from TV
Travel Vision’s Irish
Adventure Coach Tour is a
seven-night tour that takes
visitors to Dublin, Waterford,
Killarney, Galway, Derry
and Dublin. The tour price
starts from R23 836pps
and is valid from May 5
to September 24 (departs
Mondays and Wednesdays).
A local guide escorts
travellers through Dublin
and on walking tours of
Waterford and Derry, as well
as sheepdog trails in the
Ring of Kerry.
Your clients will take
a ferry ride across the
River Shannon, see the
Book of Kells at Trinity
College in Dublin, go to the
Glendalough Visitor Centre,
the Dunbrody Famine Ship,
the House of Waterford
Crystal, Blarney Castle,
the Blarney Woollen Mills,
the Skellig Experience, the
Cliffs of Moher, the Knock
Shrine, W. B. Yeats’ grave,
the Giant’s Causeway and
Titanic Belfast.
The eight-night Irish
Explorer coach tour takes
visitors to Dublin, Donegal,
Galway and Killarney and
starts from R26 386pps.
It is valid from May 4-25
Kompas offers flexibility
KOMPAS coach tours,
specialises in Eastern Europe,
and offers guaranteed
departures on all tours.
Inge Dobihal, owner of
Austria Connection, the
company promoting the
programme in SA, says:
“A point that is appreciated
by clients is that they can join
or end the tour one or two
days later than scheduled.
In addition, for each unused
night US$70 (R745) per
person will be deducted from
the coach tour price.”
Book it!
Priced from R15 768pps and departing May 10, Trafalgar’s
Iberian Explorer is the perfect way to explore Spain and
Portugal. Travellers spend 13 days getting to see all that
Iberia has to offer.
Putting value to the test...
TRAVEL agents often punt
coach tours as true valuefor-money
for travellers
struggling with their holiday
budget during tough
economic times.
Alet Steyn says Wendy
Wu has always thrived on
its ‘value for money’ motto.
“We believe this approach
to group travel lets our
customers receive the very
best prices by consolidating
all the tour components into
one cost-effective package
so that there are no hidden
costs.”
Theresa Szejwallo says
coach tours have always
been a firm favourite with
travellers but have become
more popular because of the
value factor. “The Costsaver
by Trafalgar product is a great
example of how travellers
can have an amazing holiday
while still watching their
pennies, with savings of
up to 30% compared with
booking on their own.”
Holiday feature 15-day independent holiday 15-day Trafalgar European Impression
Accommodation:
14 nights (1 night
Amsterdam, Florence,
Rhineland and Innsbruck;
2 nights Vienna, Venice,
Rome, Lucerne and Paris)
R11 711 plus:
• Research to find quality
• Retail prices
• Extras on top
Included:
• Carefully chosen quality hotels
• Tips and porter service
Sightseeing R2 965 plus:
• No guide
• Queuing at sights
Included:
• Expert travel director
• Local guides in Vienna, Rome and Paris
• Express entrance at major sites
• River cruise in Venice and the Rhine
Meals R4 965 plus:
• Research to find quality/
making reservations
• Pay restaurant prices
• Tips
Included:
• 14 breakfasts and five dinners
• Reservations and recommendations
• Quality local food
• Tips
Transport R19 104 plus:
• Foreign road rules, signs
and routes to learn
• Languages to grasp
• Tolls and parking
Included:
• Daily travel on luxury coaches
• Experienced coach driver
• Fuel, toll charges and parking
• Chauffeur-driven, worry-free journey
• On-board WiFi
Total (per person) R38 745 R26 95
Independent packages from Wendy Wu
WENDY Wu has introduced
a number of independent
packages for travellers who
enjoy the comfort of travelling
at their own pace. These
packages can be entirely
tailor-made, or added to the
beginning or end of an existing
group tour.
Independent packages are
inclusive of accommodation,
private touring with local
English-speaking guides,
entrance fees, some transfers
and meals as detailed.
Book it!
Priced from R11 475pps with a May 10 departure, Trafalgar’s highlights of the Italian Lakes lets
guests explore Lake Maggiore, Lake Lugano and Lake Como plus Verona, Lake Garda, Brescia
and Milan in an eight-day itinerary. They also enjoy a cruise to Bellagio. Accommodation, with
breakfast daily and three three-course dinners, is included
