When to tailor your clients’ trips

IT’S no secret that a
well-put-together package
can save agents a great
deal of time and research,
while providing them with
great commission-earning
potential. However, many
agents still prefer to go the
tailor-made route for various
reasons, the most common
being the ability to cater
more particularly for clients’
needs.
The primary benefits of a
packaged trip, says md of
Flight Centre South Africa,
Andrew Stark, are that the
logistics are all taken care
of, with no need to worry
about linking your transfer
time with your flight or
your pre and post nights’
accommodation before your
flight the next day.” The
other significant benefit
comes with the supplier prepackaging
meal plans, drinks
plans, excursions and other
activities into one price, all
in South African rands.”
While Pentravel ceo, Sean
Hough, agrees that allinclusive
packages provide
great value for clients,
particularly with the weak
rand, he says it’s also
about aligning yourself with
brands that can provide the
best possible experience to
travellers.
Commodities are very
price-driven, says Sean, but
that’s not what Pentravel’s
business is about. He
explains that agencies
simply can’t offer the
infrastructure required to
provide all of the value-adds
and special touch points
throughout the trip that a
tour operator can.
Manager for Travel Experts,
Rishen Radhella, points
out that a good agent will
generally qualify the client
and guide them towards
making the right decision,
whether it is pre-packaged
or tailor made. Rishen
says a customised holiday
allows the agent to use their
knowledge and expertise,
shifting the focus from price
to quality of holiday and
relationship.
“I like to research hotels
for my clients. I love looking
at the hotel website,
TripAdvisor and Google Maps
to find a hotel that will really
appeal to my clients. They
will get there and know
that I actually understand
their needs,” agrees Travel
Counsellor, Donna Powell.
A tailor-made tour enables
agents and operators
to direct clients to what
they want to see and do,
says Anne Hill, md of
British T.I.P.S. “Yes it is
time consuming, but the
excitement lies in not
knowing what challenge
awaits.”
What’s more, tailor-made
itineraries create the
opportunity to source new
and different offerings. “It
means that we are not tied
to one supplier and can
source exciting offerings
at excellent prices for the
client,” notes Jan Jenkins,
md of Umvuselelo Tours and
Travel, adding that tailormade
itineraries also enable
greater flexibility when it
comes to altering services
and dates.
Complex itineraries
As another agent points
out, tailor-made trips work
well for more complicated
itineraries. “I contact the
local DMC for the country in
question, who has on-theground
local knowledge,
especially for regions such
as Central and South
America as well as Russia
and the Far East,” she says.
The agent cautions,
however, that the decision
to tailor make ultimately
depends on the price
received from the tour
operator and whether it can
be bettered by tailor-making
through a DMC. “If looking at
a regional holiday it is easier
to suggest a packaged tour.”
Senior travel consultant for
Sure Giltedge Travel, Carol
Maasch, agrees, saying
that for Southern African
bookings she definitely
prefers tailor-making
individual itineraries. “You
get to learn far more about
what is out there and get to
interact directly with various
hotels, lodges and other
suppliers.”
However, she also agrees
that for the Indian Ocean
Islands and certain other
overseas destinations,
packages are much easier
through suppliers like
Beachcomber, Club Med, On
the Go Tours, TravelVision,
World Leisure Holidays, and
so on.
Popular destinations vs
off-the-beaten track
For more popular
destinations it is, in fact,
quite likely that agents might
find cheaper deals for their
clients by booking a prepackaged
tour.
“Tailor-made packages are
generally more expensive
and come with a great
deal of knowledge needed
about the destination to
tailor make an ideal holiday
yourself,” says Andrew.
“Ideally off-the-beaten track
destinations allow for tailormade
itineraries. Generalist
destinations usually make
more sense to package for
the South African market, as
volume deals have gone into
the overall pricing.”
Generally pre-packaged
trips are put together during
a very specific time-frame
because it is at this time
that tour operators are able
to access the cheapest
flights, explains sales and
marketing manager of
TravelVision, Annemarie
Lexow. “As such, prepackaged
trips make a lot
of sense for clients who are
available during that timeframe
and who want the
convenience of being able
to just go ahead and book
the trip.”
Mladen Lukic, gm of Travel
Counsellors South Africa,
says ultimately, the decision
to tailor make your own
package will depend on the
strategy of the agency in
question. Travel Counsellors
has its own platform,
Phoenix, which enables
agents to put together their
own packages. Mladen says
the advantage to this lies in
the agent’s ability to provide
clients with differentiated
product and to improve
their earning potential
significantly.
He adds, however, that it
is also important for
agencies to be wary
of jeopardising their
relationships with suppliers,
noting that it makes the
most sense for agents to
tailor-make packages when
it comes to trip requests
that are not already well
catered for by existing
operator packages.