TravCorp Gets Early Start On 2012 Sales

with Bruce Parkinson

To travel well is to engage and exercise all of our sensory receptors, so ‘the five senses’ made an appropriate theme for a product launch by The Travel Corporation and its 4 key brands Trafalgar, Insight, Contiki and the Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection.

The art-deco venue at the former Eglinton Grand theatre in Toronto was a fitting setting for an event held by a company that operates in 60 countries with over 4,000 staff, but has made its mark by introducing travellers to the wonders of Europe.

The 1st week of October marked an early launch for the group, which says it is responding to consumer and agent demand by getting its product to market ahead of its usual schedule. Trafalgar, the largest of the TravCorp brands, released its 2012 brochures a full 6 weeks earlier than in previous years.

“The 4th quarter of the year has become a more and more important booking season for us,” says Wolf Paunic, who heads up the sales side at Trafalgar Canada. “We’re not a discounter and our clients understand that and like to plan ahead. Both our customers and our top-selling agents know they won’t see anything better than our early booking offers.”

After mingling and enjoying a parade of multi-flavoured hors d’ouevres, agents sat down to watch and listen to presentations from each of the brands, including short videos designed to sum up the essence of each.

For Trafalgar, the focus was on new branding, under the tagline “See the World from the Inside.” The goal of Trafalgar’s tour product is to offer its passengers “unique, authentic, exclusive insights into people, destinations and history.” For 2012, the escorted operator now offers 200 ‘Be My Guest’ experiences, where travellers are invited into private homes, farms or local restaurants, in order to get a real feel for the lives of a destination’s citizens. Trafalgar is also celebrating the success of its ‘At Leisure’ program for independent-minded travellers by dramatically expanding the product.

At Insight Vacations, a wide range of new tours – 22 in all – was the headline for 2012. Insight now travels to 42 of the 46 countries in Europe. Eastern Europe is a major focus for the premium brand, which for the 1st time released a standalone brochure for the region, featuring less-travelled locations like Albania and Macedonia, as well as hot properties like the Balkans. Insight has also doubled the number of its high-end Insight Gold tours, now featuring 10 in Europe and 5 in North America. For agents with clients who still think escorted tours are a whirlwind, Insight Canada President Cris David pointed out that 75% of Insight tour stops are for 2 nights or longer.

Contiki Canada President Brad Ford says the 18-35 operator is positioning itself as the “ultimate road trip” for young travellers, offering a hassle-free, educational experience with plenty of free time for independent adventures. Ford described Contiki’s new Easy Pace touring options as the “hangover-friendly” touring style. He says today’s Contiki consumer “is more demanding, more informed but also more confused,” by the travel choices out there. To be successful in selling Contiki, he says agents “need to act as peers” and that some agents “are really getting it and finding success.”

Uniworld’s Michelle Palma says advance sales are up for 2012 as river cruising continues to be a hot property for Canadian travellers. Palma said Zagat awards for Uniworld’s dining and cabin quality have given the line a boost, and she encouraged agents to check out Uniworld’s river cruise specialist program. She also stressed the fact that Uniworld markets exclusively through the trade, and like other Travel Corporation brands, offers a lucrative revenue source for travel professionals.