Recently appointed Director of Marketing Chris Jones with Globus family of brands Canada Managing Director Stéphanie Bishop.
Read all about it: the latest collection of Globus family brochures.
Traveller tastes evolve and change, and a tour operator’s product must change along with them.
That’s the wisdom of Stéphanie Bishop, long-time head of the Globus family of brands – Globus, Cosmos, Monograms and Avalon Waterways – in Canada.
Globus held a breakfast reception in Toronto this week to bring travel media up to date with 2020 plans and to introduce Chris Jones, recently named Director of Marketing for the company, following the retirement of Patrice Geske.
Jones brings considerable experience in traditional and digital marketing, mostly earned in an advertising agency environment. “It was really nice to have an opportunity to speak with the media as I’m getting fully immersed in the industry,” Jones told Open Jaw.
With the depth and breadth of Globus product, full immersion is definitely an apt description.
“We were going through what is new for 2020 and we came up with over 60 things,” says Bishop. “It’s so much fun, but I wouldn’t know what a dull moment looks like.”
Those 60 new things include about 30 new itineraries for Globus, a dozen for lower-cost brand Cosmos, eight for Monograms and 14 new river cruise itineraries for Avalon Waterways.
“We sell the world,” Bishop says. “And we’ve got a lot of products for a lot of different customers. From multi-generational families to honeymooners, Baby Boomers to young professionals, there’s a Globus product geared to their tastes and needs.
Monograms is a concept that has really taken off, Bishop says. Positioned as “independent travel with local hosts,” Monograms in not an FIT product, but offers increased choice and flexibility for travellers who desire independence but also want all the back-end logistics of travel and accommodations taken care of.
Bishop says the ‘Exotics’ offerings of Monograms, in places like Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South and Central America has great benefits for travellers. “It’s practically a private tour, and often is,” says Bishop. “In Africa, for example, Monograms guests have a guide and driver and maybe one other couple on the tour.”
Cosmos Lite is a product that was launched in 2019 but will roll out in an expanded form in 2020. Described as “the world’s first a la carte tour style,” Cosmos Lite packages include city-to-city transportation, comfortable hotels, and daily breakfast. But travellers are free to do what they like otherwise, including choosing from a wide variety of excursion options.
“Cosmos Lite is for a different customer, and it’s already beginning to take one a life of its own,” says Bishop.
For the many Globus customers who return again and again, the company continues to add depth.
“Someone might think that they’ve been to Italy, so they’ve crossed that off their list,” says Jones. “But with new itineraries like our Undiscovered Italy, Undiscovered Britain and Undiscovered Mediterranean, we’re taking people beyond the crowded spaces and into fascinating new destinations. We call it ‘the cobblestones less travelled.’”
Bishop says misconceptions about touring are still alive and well, but the product has evolved far beyond where it was in previous decades. She encourages travel advisors to take a closer look if they haven’t kept up with all the positive change in the escorted touring space.
“We’ve got lots of Early Booking Bonuses and ‘Welcome Back’ incentives for past passengers. There’s a whole lot to offer your clients.”
Bruce Parkinson Editor-in-Chief
An observer and analyst of the Canadian and international travel industries for over 25 years, Bruce uses the pre-dawn hours to prepare a daily news and information package to keep industry members up to date.
