Are agents missing out on a great selling opportunity?
VALENTINE’S Day
may once have been
considered overcommercialised,
without
enough genuine sway to
tempt couples to travel,
but this is slowly but surely
beginning to change.
“Over recent years,
Valentine’s Day has become
a big thing with retailers
and restaurants, and the
travel industry is following
suit,” says John Ridler,
PR and media manager of
Thompsons Holidays.
The result is a tangible
pick-up in the pace
of bookings for the
Valentine’s period, notes
Ramesh Jeenarain, md of
World Leisure Holidays.
“Valentine’s Day offers
certainly entice travellers to
consider a romantic getaway.
In fact, I would estimate that
about 30% to 40% of leisure
travel in February revolves
around Valentine’s Day and
the ‘month of love’ theme.
We also see a number of
honeymoon packages being
sold over this period.”
For Trafalgar, the number
of romantic getaways over
February is even more
significant.
“I would say couples
constitute around 75% of
our holidaymakers over
February,” says md, Theresa
Szejwallo. “Couples, young
and old, often like to escape
over this period as it gives
them an opportunity to
spend quality time together.”
Ramesh believes the
reason for the increase
in bookings is because a
number of travellers have
already firmed up their
traditional year-end travel
and are now focusing on
the new year. This fits in
with the overall trend of
forward bookings, driven by
uncertainties in the political
and economic arena, he
says.
Another reason for the
popularity of travel over the
Valentine’s period, Ramesh
says, is that some travellers
have decided not to travel
over the peak season and
are rather deferring their
travel to a quieter time
of year. “Valentine’s Day
therefore gives them the
perfect opportunity to spoil
themselves and their better
halves.”
However, it seems that
travel agents may not be
taking as much advantage
of the public’s increasing
interest in Valentine’s Day
as they could. “The current
feedback is that we are not
seeing a spike in bookings
over this period, which
suggests to me that there
could be an opportunity to
promote Valentine’s Day
packages moving forward,”
says Monica Horn, product
manager of Harvey World
Travel.
She believes part of the
reason for the opportunity
having been missed up
to now is that historically
agents haven’t seen
particular interest in travel
around this time.
There’s no price tag on romance
ONE OF the significant
advantages of booking a
romantic getaway is that
couples are typically looking
to indulge and don’t mind
adding on all those extra
bells and whistles, which
translate into more revenue
for agents.
Four- and five-star
properties tend to be the
most popular choices,
confirms John Ridler of
Thompsons Holidays. He
says Valentine’s packages
generally include extras
like romantic turndown
services in the bedroom
with petals and sparkling
wine. “Romantic dinners
might also be included as
add-ons, as well as couples’
spa treatments.”
In terms of destination
choice, John says packages
for properties within a twohour
drive of Johannesburg,
Cape Town and Durban
are always a winner. “Most
popular Valentine’s specials
are between two and
seven days’ long.” He adds
that Thompsons offers a
wide variety of Valentine’s
packages to agents that are
usually valid for the whole
month of February. These
are also typically on offer
well in advance.
When it comes to popular
international destinations
over the Valentine’s
period, Trafalgar’s Theresa
Szejwallo, says Peru is
growing in demand. “And
Trafalgar offers great trips to
this romantic destination.”
Trafalgar has also seen
significant uptake of its
Regional Explorers and
Discovery itineraries which
take place throughout
Europe. “For travellers
looking to see as much of
the continent as possible,
the Discovery itineraries are
perfect as they cover multi
destinations. Our Regional
Explorers itineraries on the
other hand, are best enjoyed
by repeat guests or those
who would like to have a
bit more of an in-depth
exploration of a region or
country,” says Theresa.
Worth noting for agents
is that Trafalgar currently
offers a 7,5% early payment
offer on its 95 European
and British itineraries.
Eastern Europe is
particularly popular for
romantic getaways at the
moment, especially when
it comes to cruising, says
Harvey World Travel’s
Monica Horn. The
Caribbean is a trending
destination for the same
reason, she adds. “We are
noticing encouraging growth
in international cruising
because of the value it
can provide. Harvey World
Travel is also noticing a rise
in interest in the UAE as a
destination, with bookings
in general showing an
encouraging increase of
230% over last year.”
Not surprisingly, travellers
headed on romantic
getaways favour more
leisurely trips, such as
Trafalgar’s At Leisure
packages. “This is
especially the case for
honeymooners, as these
trips offer later starts and
see travellers spending no
fewer than three nights in
one country or city,” says
Theresa.
“With these, and all
Trafalgar trips, everything
is taken care of, so all
agents need to do is book
and they will receive the
full commission on the trip
price.
Give timeless destinations that special touch
THERE are certain romantic
destinations that will always
remain popular. While in
some respects this makes
it simple for agents to sell
packages to these places, it
also means they need to find
ways of providing additional
value to differentiate any
specials they are offering.
“Zanzibar, Mauritius and
Thailand continue to be our
top three destinations,”
says Monica Horn of Harvey
World Travel. She says
they remain a favourite
with South Africans, partly
because of their affordability
and partly because of
the ease of access that
preferred airlines provide.
World Leisure Holidays’
Ramesh Jeenarain says
Mauritius is particularly wellpositioned
for romantic trips.
“It’s a quick three-and-a-halfhour
flight and no visas are
required by South African
passport holders.”
He points out that
Valentine’s Day also
happens to be a convenient
time for travellers to
visit the island because
February falls outside the
peak season. This also
means there are often great
offers available for both
accommodation and flights,
Ramesh says.
To take advantage of these
great deals, agents can visit
the World Leisure Holidays
website and log on to the
online booking tool.
In terms of activities that
agents can recommend
to couples, Monica says
romantic dinners on the
beach are always a win.
“Those travelling to
Zanzibar should include a
sunset dhow cruise and, for
Mauritius, a day excursion
on a catamaran, which
usually includes a barbecue,
is lots of fun,” says
Thompsons’ John Ridler.
When it comes to
international travel,
Trafalgar’s Theresa Szejwallo
says Italy, and particularly
Sicily, will always be seen as
a romantic destination. “The
combination of countryside,
food and cultural
experiences, makes Sicily
very popular with couples.”
Paris is another great
romantic destination,
according to Theresa.
From wine regions to
street cafés and picnics in
the countryside, Paris is
practically synonymous with
love.
For something extra
special, Theresa
recommends dining in
the Vatican after hours –
something that can only be
done on a Trafalgar trip.
Indeed, Ramesh believes
that a truly phenomenal
romantic getaway is made
complete by unique touches
and spectacular surprises.
And for agents looking to
differentiate the package
they are selling, attention to
these details is key.
“This is why at Sun
Resorts we endeavour to
make guests’ stays more
memorable in any way we
can. From special turndown
services to tropical fruit
baskets and bottles of
prosecco, it’s these special
touches that help create
timeless memories.”
