Demand for tailor-made holiday packages is up, say retail travel agents.
Travel Counsellors SA reported a 14% growth in this sector for the first three months of 2013. The consortium also said travellers were spending more on tours. “Year-on-year sales are up for holidays that cover a wide variety of activities, including escorted tours, rail journeys, safaris, theme parks and museum tours,” says gm, Mladen Lukic.
“Contrary to popular belief, it is not just about offering the cheapest holiday. More of our clients are looking for new and exotic destinations with tours and excursions and are looking for more value for their money. Until recently these were considered nothing more than an ‘add on’,” he says.
Other travel companies are also picking up on the trend. Esmari Borchardt, an independent wholesale consultant at eHolidays’ EuroCorner, says customers want everything pre-booked so they don’t have to worry about queues, finding a taxi or spending time on travel arrangements while overseas. He says travellers with more disposable income are willing to spend money to secure the service while those on a tight budget prefer to see if they can get it cheaper at their destination. EuroCorner says customers who want to have everything pre-booked are often looking for things like museum tickets, cooking courses, ferry tickets, and private tours.
eHolidays head office acting md, Maree Adkins, agrees, saying many clients ask the operator to pre- book rail or underground tickets and don’t mind paying a little extra for the convenience.
Esmari advises travel agents to get into the habit of offering basics such as airport transfers, a basic city tour, a hop-on, hop-off sightseeing tour and show tickets. “Clients are likely to pay for these when they arrive at their destination in any case,” he says. “Build a relationship with an operator that can offer these extras or special requests or will source them for your clients. You don’t need to know everything, just where to find the information.”
