Inghams to refocus summer programme on walking as part of branding shake-up
Ilaria Grasso MacolaInghams will refocus its summer proposition on walking holidays in a move that calls on the brand’s heritage while taking account of renewed interest in, and demand for, outdoor breaks.
Setting out its aims at an event at its Farnborough HQ on Monday (17 April), Inghams said the appeal of walking holidays had grown in recent years, with Brits rediscovering their love for the “great outdoors” post-Covid.
Research compiled by the tour operator suggests more than a third (36%) of the UK adult population would be keen to go on a walking holiday, while nearly two-thirds (63%) said they like walking when on holiday.
“We believe there’s a gap in the market for single or two-centre holidays where you can do day walking,” said Anne Williams, marketing director of Inghams parent Hotelplan UK.
Starting this summer across 14 European destinations in Italy, France, Switzerland, Slovenia and Austria, Inghams tours won’t have a fixed itinerary but will instead offer a range of guided walks, allowing customers to explore as much or as little as they want.
They will be predominantly centred around a single destination, in some cases two, promoting a "stay and walk" ethos where guests aim to get under the skin of a particular location through its walks, sights and local culture.
From summer 2024, Williams said the newly refocused programme would then be expanded to as many resorts as the brand can manage, with the possibility of running it throughout the year. “It’s for people who love to holiday as much as they love to walk,” she said.
The move comes as part of a wider rebranding exercise by Inghams, which aims to align its summer and winter products “under one coherent identity” while seeking to expand and diversify its loyal – albeit primarily older – clientele with younger customers.
“We looked at how we could adapt the summer programme to make it more appealing to a younger audience,” said Williams. “The answer was actually staring at us.”
Inghams has unveiled a new logo, as well as a new colour scheme to differentiate each of its three markets – dark green and lime for walking, blue and light blue for skiing, and lilac and purple for Lapland tours.
What was once known in the operator’s product line-up as Inghams Summer will in future be categorised as Inghams Walking, which Inghams said would "build on the brand’s long walking heritage and expertise".
"The new direction will align our summer and winter products under one coherent identity while we continue to deliver exceptional holidays in the great outdoors," said Inghams chief operating officer John Mansell.
Agent focus
It has also pledged to work more closely with the trade, which currently accounts for around 50% of the outdoor specialist’s business, by extending its fam trip and events programme, and offering more online and virtual training.
Agents can bring themselves up to date using Inghams’ agent toolkit, which brings all trade resources – webinars, training, flyers, posters and booklets – together in one place.
Head of agency sales Julie Franklin said the appeal of the outdoors was "massive". "Having just completed our destination focus month, we have now launched a huge amount of new tools, including new sales guides, new trainings, images for social media and window posters to help our agent partners share inspiration with their customers,” she said.
Agents will also be provided guides to help customers make a more informed choice when booking. “We know we’re not a typical destination that everybody is selling all the time,” Franklin added. “So [the guides] have a bit of information about what [customers] can do.
"We are very excited to be giving a new focus to our summer product, providing an emphasis on walking. Our engagement and aim will be for our trade partners to introduce our product to their customers who love to holiday as much as they love to walk."
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Company number 08723341.
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