The latest operator brochures that could help boost your business

Maria Cook, general manager

What’s new?
New tours for 2021 include a 12-day Caspian to the Black Sea rail tour, which journeys from Baku to Batumi; a Go Behind the Scenes of Railways in Central Europe tour; and a 14-day Visit Magical Morocco escorted tour. There will also be repeats of cancelled 2020 new tours.

What amends have been made due to Covid-19?
We’re preparing operational guidelines for tour leaders and clients to follow, which will be adapted by destination. A full refund will be given to all customers if tours are cancelled due to Covid-19.

What should sell well?
Shorter European tours with less travel involved, as well as tours to more remote destinations such as Romania and Labarador in Canada.

Any selling tips?
Recommend travelling with reputable, financially secure travel companies who provide good direct personal service. Go with experts who know their destinations and have strong relationships with ground handlers.

For the brochure, click here

Stu Darnley, national sales manager

What’s new?
Some of our popular tours have been reworked to include additional physical distancing as part of the Travel with Confidence Plus collection. We’ve also introduced the new Book Your Bubble collection, designed for groups of friends or families. Meanwhile, the new National Geographic Family Journeys with G Adventures collection will be included in the National Geographic Journeys brochure for the first time, designed to help families connect with each other through unique experiences for all ages.

What should sell well?
Tours that offer physical distancing and a robust safety policy. Destinations will be reliant on the government’s quarantine list and we expect closer-to-home tours in Europe to sell in the short term. For 2021 destinations such as Thailand, Peru and Costa Rica are expected to perform well following current booking trends.

What should agents be marketing now to get business back off the ground?
Working with operators who have clear policies to ensure the safety of those on a trip will help reassure travellers at the time of booking. Additional physical distancing on trips, private groups, active holidays and more remote locations are all pegged to be popular. Flexible booking policies and competitive pricing will also help.

What else is new?
Our outside sales team will hold regular webinars to educate agents on new products and share insights on booking trends and popular travel styles. We’ll also continue to hold our bookable drop-in sessions for agents.

gadventures.co.uk/agents

Kerry Gallagher, marketing director, dnata Travel, B2B Europe

What’s new?
Our product team is sourcing offers, some of which will be exclusive, to create bespoke 2021 packages.

Why have you chosen a digital format?

We reached out to our agent partners and most indicated that printed material is surplus to requirements at the moment. The benefits of the digital format are that we can include links to videos and engaging content and, if any information changes regarding a destination or hotel, then we can update it quickly and easily.

What should sell well?
Properties that can demonstrate clear social distancing measures, especially villas, small island getaways and boutique accommodation.

What should agents be marketing now to get business back off the ground?
A blend of inspirational content, fact-based information to give customers a realistic idea of what they can expect from a holiday post-Covid, and departure dates from 2021 onwards.

Any selling tips?
Social media is the best way to currently deliver engaging content quickly. Trust will also be a key consideration for customers, so building reassurance messaging into any marketing will pay dividends and perhaps clinch a sale more so than a lead-in price point.

For the Gold Medal brochure, click here and for the Travel 2 brochure, click here

Michael Vinales, managing director

What’s new?
For 2020/21 we’ve added Aegina, a small Greek island that’s a favourite with Athenians for its 20 beaches. This follows our successful launch of Poros and Spetses in 2019, bringing the total number of Saronic Islands in our range to three. There’s also a big choice of year-round resorts in the Canary Islands.

What are the highlights?
Island-hopping continues to be a firm favourite with customers who can choose their dates, destinations and length of stay. Also look out for the 2020 Olympic award-winning hotels throughout the brochure, with many awards chosen based on service and our customer feedback.

What should sell well?
We’re seeing demand for smaller, authentic stays. For more than 50 years we have built strong links with families and hoteliers in Greece and Cyprus, so we’ve been able to quickly introduce more properties to the portfolio.

What should agents be marketing now to get business back off the ground?
Self-catering properties with more personal space and the flexibility to come and go as you please, as well as travel in the shoulder seasons. Winter holidays will be desired by those who didn’t manage to take a summer holiday this year, while summer 2021 has been performing very strongly.

Any selling tips?
We continue to support the trade with price parity and work with a wide selection of airlines, including low-cost carriers, enabling you to offer your client their preferred departure airport and duration. Our booking deposit is from £89pp.

olympicholidays.com/agents

Beverley Scarr, product manager, short-haul

What’s new?
Options for solo travellers to Jersey and Guernsey.

What are the highlights?
The brochure features the Isles of Scilly, Shetland and Orkney and Jersey, all of which are open and on sale for immediate travel.

What should sell well?
The Isles of Scilly and Jersey are both selling very well for 2020, and we’re also seeing good interest across the whole programme for travel in 2021.

What should agents be marketing now to get business back off the ground?
We currently have live campaigns promoting summer and autumn in Jersey, the latter of which encompasses Tennerfest Food Festival. We also have Christmas and New Year campaigns for Jersey and Guernsey and offers through 2021. Promotional materials include posters and social media banners and can be downloaded from the trade login on our website.

Any selling tips?
Our sales managers have extensive experience of the UK islands and are here to help you sell. We recently ran a Channel Islands webinar, which can be viewed on the trade section of our website, with all our top tips and tricks for selling them.

For the brochure, click here

Alison Porter, Europe product manager

What’s new?
Our latest European brochure features new tours including the Lakeside Austria and Magical Zell am See tour, where travellers stay in a lakeside resort for seven nights. There’s a new Dalmatian Coast cruise onboard MV Seagull. We’ve also revamped our Hidden Treasures of Sardinia trip for 2021. The brochure also includes Titan’s Sicilian Escape, which will see its first departures in 2021.

What are the highlights?
Due to Covid-19 the 42nd season of Oberammergau will now take place in 2022, giving more travellers the chance to see this once-a-decade event.

What amends have been made due to Covid-19?
Titan has recently introduced its Protection Promise to outline the new health and safety measures being implemented across all tours for when operations resume. The promise can be viewed on our website.

What should sell well?
Europe is popular at the moment, but Italy in particular, along with our European river cruises and UK short breaks, are selling very well.

What should agents be marketing now to get business back off the ground?
With FCO advice still changing so frequently, we recommend 2021 departures for when the environment will hopefully be more settled.

Any selling tips?
Make the most of the offers available to early bookers. Our Early Bird Price Promise adds an extra layer of security to our tours. It guarantees clients the best possible price the earlier they book; if their holiday is discounted at a later date, we automatically refund them the difference.

For the brochure, click here

John Warr, global sales director

What’s new?
The UK’s first three-week, three-island, fully inclusive Japan rail journey within our Japan, South Korea and Taiwan brochure. The 21-day Japan by Rail trip covers Kyushu, Honshu and Hokkaido. There’s also a new 11-day Experience Japan trip, ideal for first-time visitors to the country.

What amends have been made due to Covid-19?
Stringent safety management processes have been incorporated into all holidays, ensuring the safety of our customers and local staff. These new measures include protection while travelling, sightseeing, at mealtimes and at hotels.

What should sell well?
Our solo collection, with dedicated departures available on all flagship Japan tours, offering a private room, VIP airport chauffeur transfers and lounge access and VIP welcome drinks. In the past six months demand from solo travellers has increased by more than 60% year-on-year.

What should agents be marketing now to get business back off the ground?
Japan. Stress that it’s one of the safest long- haul destinations to travel to. For the past four months, Japan has been the most in-demand destination for 2021 and 2022. With its air corridor status and backing of the WHO, there’s a confidence in travel for Japan.

Any selling tips?
We have a range of destination and training webinars available on our dedicated agents’ website, plus our business development managers can offer help and support.

For the brochure, click here