Insight Vacations: “Why Would You Want Less When You Travel?”

With Bruce Parkinson

Insight Vacations and its guided vacations are in a sweet spot right now, says the company’s hard-travelling and ever-enthusiastic CEO John Boulding.

“The business is back,” Boulding told Insight partners at a lunch at downtown Toronto’s AAA 3-Diamond Portuguese restaurant Adega. “We’re having our best year ever in Canada and globally. People are travelling. The Euro and the Pound are in a good place for Canadian travellers. I think we’ve caught the wave.”

There’s a large segment of travellers today who want authentic experiences and are willing to pay for them, says Boulding. About two-thirds of Insight travellers are Baby Boomers, with time, money and a strong desire for unique experiences.

“When you’re not trying to sell on price, you can put great experiences in there. That’s what we do. We create experiences.”

Many Canadians enjoy an enviable lifestyle, Boulding says, and when they travel, they expect nothing less.

“Why would they want less when they travel? They live so well in Canada, they eat so well in Canada. They want service, quality, fine food and unique experiences.”

Boulding says Insight’s Premium product delivers the best hotels and locations at that level of the market. The majority of dining is in local restaurants and each tour features signature experiences like visiting an olive grower or learning firsthand about the wines of Tuscany.

With Insight Luxury Gold, the bar is raised with boutique and luxury hotels, “VIP, epicurean and Michelin dining,” and exclusive experiences such as visits to private areas of museums, a small-group tour of the Doges Palace in Venice or an after-hours private dinner amidst Elvis’s automobile collection at Graceland.

Boulding says the key for agents is to know that for Insight’s target market, price is not their first concern.

“Again, when you’re not selling on price it’s the nuances that matter. And we have that in spades.”