The specialist helping agents capitalise on the boom in rail holidays

There are multiple benefits for agents in focusing on rail. It’s not a seasonal product and there are no peak booking times so money can be made year-round. “You can book for tomorrow, or you can book for a year ahead,” explains Marini, adding that the FIT nature of the product means there are no fixed departure dates and last-minute bookings can generally be accommodated.

Railbookers can also step in whenever there’s disruption: “When there’s a domino effect with missed connections, that’s where we come in for the travel agent and rearrange everything. We take the anxiety away from travel advisors and customers.”

He says it’s hard to define a typical rail customer. Although the bulk of Railbookers’ clients are fifty-plus, they can be travelling by train for many reasons. They might be opting for a river cruise and rail package; they might want to recreate the interrail experiences of their youth on a different level; or take a “bleisure” trip involving rail, which is becoming more common.

“Rail means something different to every person,” says Marini. “We don’t get a lot of train buffs, but we do get a lot of travellers.”

Anna Davies, partnership marketing director for Railbookers in the UK, agrees: “Rail can be anything anybody wants it to be. There’s so much flexibility in the product, it lends itself naturally to different parts of the market.”

Not sure where to start if your client is open to rail but doesn’t have a fixed route in mind and the possibilities feel endless? “Maps are great collateral,” advises Davies. “Show the customer the European rail network as a starting point.”

When customers are keen to experience rail further afield, Marini suggests agents kickstart a consultation with Railbookers’ lighthouse product, an 80-day Round the World by Luxury Train itinerary, featuring four continents and 10 countries. “It’s a bucket list trip and we do make bookings for it,” he explains. “But it also helps draw attention to everything we else sell.”

Railbookers has a steady stream of new product launches, and these are often inspired by real-time booking trends. Recent long-haul expansion has included tours in Argentina, South Africa and New Zealand, and south-east Asia is the next area of focus. Closer to home, there’s a new selection of Italian itineraries incorporating the La Dolce Vita Orient Express train launching in April 2025.

While the FIT nature of the product makes it difficult to showcase in a fam trip, Railbookers is keen for agents to experience the allure of a rail holiday, and offers a 20% discount for personalised fam trips. “We’ll offer 20% for the agent and three additional passengers travelling with them, anywhere you choose,” says Davies.

Above all, the company is keen to cement its reputation as the rail holiday experts. “Ticketing agents won’t tell you how to get to the station, where to stay, what to see,” says Marini. “Call us to ask where to sit on the train for the best views. Our staff are trained on it. We can take the pressure off agents, because we speak train.”