Jayne Shackleford, Tourism Ireland with Trafalgar's Doug Patterson
& Liesa Bissett
Maurizio Mazzola & Jason Stremble, Trafalgar Sales Managers
Trafalgar's Marie-Anne MacRae, Michelle Lee Hoy & Karen Micheelsen
It was a happy group of top-selling retailers, tourist board and airline representatives, and Trafalgar staff who gathered for a ‘Thank You’ dinner at Caffino Ristorante in the old Toronto Carpet Factory building in hip Liberty Village.
Success will do that. Trafalgar Canada sales will end 2013 up over 30% from 2012. Early 2014 sales show another 17% rise on those heady figures. Numbers like that will put a smile on any travel industry member’s face. An intimate ambience, fine Italian cuisine and vino helped keep the smiles coming.
The featured speaker was Liesa Bissett, Trafalgar’s Product Development Manager who travelled from the UK for the occasion. Raised in Zimbabwe, Bissett’s parents taught her early on that “travel is the school of life.” She clearly took the advice to heart.
Bissett spent nearly a decade as a tour manager for Contiki then a tour director for Trafalgar, and in the past several years has taken on senior roles for the company.
What is likely the best part of Bissett’s job is planning new itineraries and improving existing ones, by seeking out intriguing destinations and the “insider experiences” that have helped lead to a renaissance in escorted touring – or as Trafalgar puts it, “guided vacations.”
“We are all aware of the previous reputation of coach travel. We have injected some real life into guided vacations,” Bissett said. She says the growing success of the product comes down to one word – experiences. “As a noun it means direct participation in events and activities. As a verb, it means to undergo an emotional sensation. In both senses, that’s what Trafalgar is all about,” said Bissett. “Our mission is to offer unique and amazing experiences so our guests leave destinations inspired and enriched.”
The evening marked the launch of the 2014 Europe & Britain brochure, featuring 245 pages and 104 different itineraries in a variety of touring styles, including Discoveries, Regionals, Family Experiences, At Leisure, Special Interest and City Breaks.
4 itineraries are new: the 12-day Northern Spain, exploring an under-visited region of that great destination; the 8-day Swiss Delight; the 14-day Balkans & Venice that visits places like Sarajevo, Split, Dubrovnik and Zagreb; and the 10-day Delights of London & Paris, which allows for extensive guided and independent touring in those cities.
Bissett says that despite the new itineraries, much of the change for Trafalgar in 2014 consists of tweaking and enhancements to existing routes. There are now over 50 Be My Guest experiences, which sees Trafalgar travellers invited into country homes, farms, vineyards, villas and more, for a meal and shared experience with a local family.
Trafalgar Canada President Doug Patterson thanked the company’s retail, tourist board and airline partners, crediting them for embracing Trafalgar’s evolution and educating consumers on a mode of travel that continues to innovate and expand.
