WTM 2012 Appointment and Enquiry Summary. Tour Operators

Transcription

1 WTM 2012 Appointment and Enquiry Summary Tour Operators Company Profile Meeting Notes Status/Action 1 American Holidays Dee Burdock Product Manager Tel: Wexas International Ms. Sue McAlinden Purchasing Manager Hotels Tel: +44 (020) American Holidays has been offering holiday and travel options to the US for over 25 years. American Holidays is part of TUI Travel PLC, a leading international leisure travel group which includes Thomson Holidays, First Choice Holidays and many other major tour operators. WEXAS is one of the UK's most respected travel companies, specialising in tailor-made travel across all seven continents and endorsed by Honorary Presidents Sir Ranulph Fiennes, John Simpson and Michael Palin. Wexas is a member ship club with over 50,000 members. Florida in general is up yoy for 2013 AA new service from Dublin has helped sales Florida Keys up 24% yoy Best sellers Casa Marina, Hilton Key Largo, Ocean Pointe Suites and Hawks Cay. Buy ground via Hotelbeds, Tourico & ATI Majority of guests stay 1 nt in Key Largo and 2-3 nights in Key West. Would like to schedule staff training which happens on a Wednesday at 9.30am in head office in Dublin Marketing: E-blast to 47,000 for in Feb / March time promoting a Orlando and Keys multicentre Marketing: Facebook focus week to their 16,000 following Marketing: Offline advertising Wexas under gone big re-structure during summer 2012 Florida is a main destination for Wexas FKKW big market for them with the 50+ Figures into FKKW have gone down during 2012 may be due to no USA brochure 2013 will be a big push for USA with a brochure/ destination guide and inspiration e- shots Wexas currently have 50,000 members of which 30,000 receive the e-shot Work and advertise with Wanderlust and The Telegraph Arrange travel for the Institute of Directors and Royal Society of Medicine ABC1 clientele Look for a destination that can offer Send suggested itineraries Arrange training date Requested further marketing details. Requested booking figures Requested training dates Requested further marketing opportunities

2 experiences value is important not in terms of price but in terms of experience Would like training Sue has never been to FKKW Marketing: Have asked if interested to partner with For Myers / Miami on marketing. 3 TUI Hayes & Jarvis Suzanne Harvey & Jessica Jackson Regional Product Manager & Purchasing Manager Tel: +44 (020) American Sky Mr. Alberto Boeri Director Tel: One of the world's leading leisure travel companies operating in over 180 countries with more than 30 million customers in 31 key source markets. They have a number of sub-brands operating across Europe including Hayes & Jarvis, Jetsave, Hotelbeds, airtours, Arke, Jetair, LateRooms.com, Thomson and many more. Suzanne worked on the specialist product which includes Hayes and Jarvis, Thomson Tailormade and Jetsave. American Sky is part of the Tropical Sky group, focusing on travel to North America. Their top selling destinations are Florida, New York and Las Advised that Florida has been quite slow for 2012 Summer 2013 bookings are looking much better but winter 2012/13 bookings are still slow FKKW has small numbers but would like to grow these yoy Are seeing shorter lead times. Hayes & Jarvis does better for destinations like FKKW Jetsave focusses more on MCO Re-launching Hayes & Jarvis brand with associated campaign. Will focus on holiday experiences across all destinations New website platform going live in April 2013 which will feature destination splash pages at a cost Also work with 3 rd parties i.e. Molton Brown Use hotelbeds as well as direct contracts Would like training for dedicated FLA team in December Interested in Tranquillity Bay if in a bed bank. Have a focus on the Hilton Key Largo due to direct connectivity. Suzanne only been to FKKW for a day trip. Forward bookings for USA as a whole are very positive Orlando is very buoyant All product is on the website Would like to open FKKW up to the family Followed up on training date Requested further marketing information Send suggested itineraries Send wedding planner details Send wedding and

3 Vegas. market honeymoon options Interested in self-catering options like Tranquillity Bay Would like suggested itinerary options twinning with Miami and Orlando with activity options for the family Would like training Advised that the fastest growing area of the business is the wedding and honeymoon department but advised a professional wedding planner contact must be made available. 5 Virgin Holidays Alison Leslie & Andrea Noble Senior Contracts Manager USA & Product Development Tel: Responsible Travel Ms. Trudi Pearce Product Manager - Central/South America Tel: Virgin Holidays are the largest, most successful transatlantic tour operator, and the market leader for travel to the USA and the Caribbean. They have been arranging holidays since 1985 and offer bespoke holiday experience throughout the world. Responsible Travel is a UK tour operator aggregator selling worldwide. They are committed to responsible tourism which benefit the local communities and encourage conservation. All of their members need to provide evidence of responsible tourism. They currently have 350 tour operator partners for whom they generate booking enquiries. They have been running their own Responsible Tourism Awards since 2004 and have also won a number of Advised FKKW is down by 2% yoy However Hilton Key Largo is up 46% yoy Number 1 destination is Hawks Cay 2013 sales are showing that sales are up yoy Would like to return to original overnight figures Have re-looked at their market and are now focussing on more areas outside of Orlando Marketing: continue work on the 16 page Beyond Orlando brochure Retail sector now have 105 retail shops with opportunities to incentivise the retail agents. Updated on how Responsible Travel works as a platform to sell authentic experience lead holidays which are considerate of the environment and the local communities USA as a destination has really grown in 2012 Is more focussed on the road less travelled and insider knowledge Receives 350,000 website hits a month Database of 160,000 with a 20% open rate Work with tour operators and hotel direct they screen all product to ensure it complies i.e. energy saving, difference to the environment / community FKKW no visibility at present Recommended FKKW partake in whole product Request original marketing proposal Request further marketing opportunities Look into working with retail sector Received official proposal review and discuss

4 awards. recruitment package where all products are measured in house by a dedicated manager, destination would receive exposure and a FKKW travel guide would go live 3 month lead time for approx 20-30,000 GBP 7 Scott Dunn 8 Thomas Cook Tours Mr. Colin Chapman Product Manager Cooks Tours Worldwide Tel: Flight Centre / Infinity Holidays Emma Lenanton Product Manager - USA & Latin America Tel: (020) Thomas Cook Tours is the Escorted Tours arm of the Thomas Cook Group. Thomas Cook Tours is one of the world s oldest and most trusted escorted tours companies. Established in 1941, Thomas Cook Tours has evolved into an international specialist in escorted travel. Thomas Cook Tours run over 24 tours of North America. Flight Centre originated in Australia in They currently have more than 1,700 stores around the globe including the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the USA and Canada. In the UK they have over 90 high street locations. Their top destinations in North America include Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York. Infinity Holidays Infinity Holidays is Flight Centre Limited s flagship wholesale brand and has provided accommodation, tours, cruises, Current Florida tour features 2 nights in Holiday Inn Key Largo Marketing: Would like to market tour but find difficulty as it covers many areas of Florida. Marketing: Would like a feature in the loyalty magazine that is sent to a database of 15,000 could do a feature on FKKW, sent out quarterly. Discussed developing a Thomas Cook Essential Tour 3 star properties with a lower price point Discussed developing a Classic Tour with higher end properties and prestige tour departures Discussed options to extend product on the website Infinity Holidays are the wholesaler for Flight Centre. Advised that MCO is the 5 th top seller for Infinity Key West Figures: 2010/ room nights / 2011/ room nights / 2012/13 32 room nights to date. All hotel contracting is done from New York UK office manage the UK brochure Infinity Holidays have 30 sales consultants 7 of which are USA specialists all based in New Malden. Discussed training events Infinity Holidays work closely with Flight Centre on marketing. Brochure is pay to play - 500GBP for a quarter page Requested 2014 tour dates Follow up on tour development discussions. Request list of hotels they work with in FKKW Send new images and copy for destination page

5 rail and car hire exclusively to the organizations network of retail outlets for the past 12 years. 250 for a 6 th page 10 Tour America Ms. Veronica Aherne Product Development Tel: Cosmos Holidays Mr. Neil Garner Head of Product Tel: Tour America is an Irish tour operator, established for over 17 years, specialising in travel to the U.S. In 2012 they were voted Travel Agency of the Year at the Irish Travel Industry Awards. Cosmos is one of the oldest and best established brands in UK tour operating, and provides holidays to over 780,000 customers in 65 destinations annually. Cosmos is the UK s largest tour operator. Cosmos holidays is part of the Monarch Group which contains some of Passengers up 56% for Tour America Opened a new office in Cork 2012 USA is 85% of their business / cruise is 15% Booking trends remain unpredictable with short and long booking windows Most customers book online They do contract direct with hotels Consumer show in October still going strong revenue was up 80% in 2012 New brochure is due to go to print in May 2013 A new website is also in development Their database is 75,000 and are also heavily involved with social media January 2013 will re-look at new product options work with Hotelbeds, Allied / Bonotel & ATI Marketing: is keen to work together to promote fall business to the Keys campaign for May / June Marketing: Discuss product and possible inclusion in Tour America Show in Dublin (6 th Oct) & Cork Mainly focus on Orlando no plans to expand at present Contact in Jan re new product Send images and copy Request show information Dublin Request show information and dates Cork Send product suggestions Generic follow up

6 the best established names in the British travel sector. 12 Trailfinders Jane Poyser Contracter - North America Tel: +44 (020) Trailfinders is a UK tour operator, tailor-making itineraries worldwide. Trailfinders have 26 travel centres located throughout the UK and Ireland. Trailfinders create holidays from budget to luxury. USA is selling very well in general Florida is up by 5% yoy Key West is up 19%yoy Main seller is Ocean Key Resort with 690 room nights Also feature Casa Marina and Doubletree Feature Cheeca Lodge which is up 8% with 152 room nights Also feature Postcard Inn, Hawks Cay & Key Largo Marriott Hawks Cay received 428 room nights Key Largo in general is up 14% with 390 room nights Marathon is up 8% Already added additional hotels for 2013 and maybe will look to one more during Pow Wow. Focussing more on the brochure with marketing to go with it Feature a self drive Highway to Hemmingway always in the top 10 selling tours Trailfinders have 25 offices across the UK for training Jane has never been to FKKW Touch base after Christmas with regards to marketing in the Spring Tranquility Bay send information Meet at POW WOW Send suggested itineraries Follow up on training 13 Mikki Travel Nikki Beszant Florida Product Tel: Miki travel are one of the largest and most experienced provides of wholesale groups and FIT travel programmes. They work in markets worldwide and produce millions of room nights a year for their hotel partners. Want to re-launch FKKW product within Mikki Would like to start with Key West Used to feature: Hyatt, Crowne Plaza, Doubletree Grand & Ocean Key but open to new properties discussed Parrot Key Would need a cheap lead in like the Fairfield Inn, Courtyard by Marriott, Comfort Inn & Days Inn. Then midrange suggested Southermost on the Beach, Inn at Key West, Parrott Key and Nikki has sent introduction letter for TDC to distribute to hotels Discuss contracting trip

7 Sheraton Suites. High end suggestions, Sunset Key, Casa Marina and Ocean Key with one boutique hotel. Islamorada suggestions: Hampton Inn & Suites, Postcard Inn, Cheeca Lodge, Chesapeake Resort Marathon: Holiday Inn Express, Tranquillity Bay & Hawks Cay Key Largo: Hilton Key Largo & Ocean Pointe Suites Nikki would like to do an individual contracting trip Advised that Orlando is the number 1 selling city and Miami is doing very well. 14 THG Holidays Mr. John Bowden Managing Director Tel: Travel Uni Sally Oakey Associate Director. Tel: +44 (0) THG Holidays is a UK tour operator specialising in providing bespoke holidays. THG Holidays was established 9 years ago and were part of the Travel House Group. TUI bought the company out in 2002, but then sold it back in THG Holidays specialise in travel to Asia, the Middle East and the Indian Ocean whilst also selling to USA and the Caribbean. They promote themselves online and also through their brochure. Travel Uni is the award-winning, market-leader in providing online travel training to the travel trade in the UK. With over 50 training programmes and over 40,000 agent registrations, their programmes range from destination to cruise, resort, and product-based training. FKKW in general sells well Discussed developing fishing itineraries Discussed re-instating Conch Key Academy with new interface Key Lime Academy TDC sent fishing umbrella contact to arrange fishing trips LS scheduled conference call on 28 th Nov to update Further discussion to take place

8 16 Black Tomato Alex Uddin Product Manager Tel: +44 (0) Black Tomato are a world-wide tour operator based in the UK and US. They are an award winning, high-end, tailored experiential travel company. Black Tomato are now part of The Magnetic Group which also encompasses Epic Tomato (adventure holidays), Beach Tomato (online editorial magazine) and The Black Tomato Agency (incentive programmes). Discussed planned marketing campaign that Black Tomato sent through to FKKW in early 2012 and re-sent in October Advised that at present no hotels have agreed to participate in the competition offer which is a component of the marketing campaign Alex offered to reach out to his hotel contacts to secure a hotel have advised further discussion needs to take place with TDC Advised Alex to pend on activity until further discussion with the TDC had taken place. 17 Sunway Holidays Claire Doherty Product Manager Tel: The Sunway Travel Group is the largest and only Irish owned operator to offer a full selection of holiday options including: Summer and Winter Sun, Worldwide, USA & Canada Cruise, River Cruise and Sunsail, Club Med, Escorted Tours, Weddings & Honeymoons and Lapland. They have been established for over 46 years. Sales to USA are down 20% yoy Claire believes this due to a management change However Florida is holding its own Discussing 2013 brochure pagination, discussed listings Website will mirror the brochure Training opportunities 13 th December Marketing: proposal given during meeting Discuss marketing proposal Discuss training and budget to travel in December Follow up on product suggestions 18 Titan Travel / Saga Holidays Pramila Siwa Long Haul Purchasing Manager Tel: Titan Travel are an award winning worldwide UK operator offering escorted touring holidays and short breaks by coach, cruise ship and rail. Saga Holidays Saga Holidays is a UK tour operator specialising in over 50 s holidays and cruises in the UK and abroad. Established for over Advised that Acromas is the parent company that now owns both Titan and Saga Pramila is in charge of all purchasing Advised that their travellers can be very flexible due to their age range Saga average age is 72, for Titan it is 67 They tend not to book in school holidays but will look at September and October travel Early bookings for 2014 are looking good with 100 pax already booked on Florida tour Tranquility Bay follow up Follow up on locations for Florida Fun in the Sun tour

9 60 years Saga Holidays sells worldwide has received 200 pax Saga feature a cruise package out of Fort Lauderdale that has 2 nights in Key West for 2012 it received 55 pax and pax to date. Overall for both the Florida tour and the cruise package the destination has seen an increase. Both tours use the Doubletree in Key West Discussed Parrott Key but would need to work with Destination America in order to work with them. Pramila has never been to FKKW 19 Funway Holidays Ms. Melissa Tilling Product Development Director. Tel: British Airways Holidays Gemma Pascall Destination Executive Tel: Funway Holidays was established in the UK in 1992 as a North American specialist tour operator. In recent years the company has developed new programmes to the Caribbean, Mexico, Far East and Middle East. Funway is affiliated to The Mark Travel Corporation, one of America's largest and most respected tour operators. British Airways is the flagship airline of the United Kingdom and British Airways Holidays (their tour operator division) Melissa advised that with the Southwest connection into Key West the bookings are very likely to increase as Funway are looking to have a direct Saber link with Southwest which will help connecting Long Haul flights with EYW. Advised this is likely to happen in 2013 Q2 Also the number of direct contracts via the Mark Travel corp are likely to go up. Marketing: discussed Florida Beaches marketing campaign which is on-going at present. Still in discussion with Visit FLA on extra marketing funds to promote the brochure. Melissa is working with Amy Larson, buyer for the FKKW at Mark Travel Marketing: May be more opportunities once Southwest link is established Would like to look at pre-packaged selfdrive itineraries off the beaten track / festivals To promote to the trade the itineraries need to be straight forward. For the consumer they can be more detailed. Advised that Florida overall is doing well FKKW sales/numbers are flat yoy 700 room nights across whole destination Key Largo performed well last year (2011) Follow up on current marketing campaign Keep Southwest link on radar in new year Send suggested itineraries Follow up in New Year on marketing options Discuss inventory with Gemma

10 incorporates flights and hotels across the world. British Airways serves nearly 150 destinations and operates in Asia, the Americas, Europe and Australasia. Their most popular destinations in the U.S are New York and Florida. 21 USAirtours Linda Pixy & Richard Trasler Product Manager & Marketing Assistant Tel: Purely America Dominic Hodson Managing Director Tel: USAirtours is a UK tour operator established since Since then USAirtours has tailored bespoke travel arrangements to the USA for over a million customers. Their top selling destinations are New York, Eastern USA, Orlando and Florida. Purely America is a UK tour operator specialising in travel to North America. They sell mainly through their website and do not main seller being the Hilton Key Largo For 2012 Key West is performing well with an increase, Hawks Cay is not doing as well Has found lots of close outs with the hotel inventory 2013 have started offering pay up front holidays so the pax have to pay a deposit and the balance 12 weeks before which has seen a positive uplift Would like to increase room nights have the airlift with 3 flights a day from London Heathrow to Miami and seats on the AA flight. They have a small selection on direct contract hotels and then book through hotelbeds. Marketing: Running a Florida campaign in April- Gemma to send details. Campaign to feature Florida and BA as an airline 2 week campaign Would like to arrange BA Call Centre training Advised that FKKW is down by 2% Orlando is down by 12% Work direct with agents 3,500 independent agencies Discussed their package fly drive options and cruise business which is selling well updated on pre and post cruise stays in the keys Work via Hotelbeds, Bonotel, Tourico and ATI Marketing: discussed options for a campaign in June to promote September travel Marketing: Richard proposed destination of the month calendar, window posters, trade e-blasts and a mini brochure insert for 6, Linda never been to the Keys Purely America sell direct and only online Do not have a specialist Florida programme but sell the Keys relatively well. They specialise in New England, Capital Region, Pennsylvania and Colorado. Follow up on training dates. Discuss marketing options for June to promote September Generic follow up

11 produce a brochure. Their customer profile tends to be older and more discerning do not sell much of Orlando but more of the Gulf Coast and the FKKW. Average length of stay in FKKW is 2/3 nights. Book all hotels via Hotelbeds, Bonotel and Allied Do not have a destination page as all on availability / search engine. Approx 100 room nights to the Keys in 2012 Last went to FKKW 10 years ago. 23 America As You Like It Ms. Catherine Pusey Product Director Tel: (020) Kuoni Mark Duguid Vice President Commerical & Product Management Tel: Jetset Holidays Adrian Smyth Marketing Manager America As You Like It is a specialist tour operator offering tailor-made fly-drives and city breaks throughout the USA and Canada, established in They promote themselves online and also distribute their own brochure. Kuoni is a major UK tour operator selling world wide. Kuoni cover over 100 destinations across the globe from Maldives holidays to Thailand holidays. The U.S is one of their top selling destinations. Jetset is a worldwide UK tour operator and has been providing Tours, Flights and Tailor Made Advised they produced a new brochure in 2011 with an 18 month lifespan. Brochure includes Islamorada and Key West FKKW clientele tend to be a 3 rd or 4 th time visitor to Florida. Book via Hotelbeds / Allied T-Pro Feature more product on website discussed updating properties Marketing: Would like to do a campaign that is experienced focussed tie in around food festivals Advised that USA has not been a focus in the past now looking to focus on USA FIT Can access all bed banks so have a full range of accommodation FKKW will have a small presence in the 2013 brochure Will look to focus on special occasion holidays Clientele over 50 s / couples most popular. All product is high end Kuoni have 25 retail stores Marketing: Have a partnership with John Lewis working with their wedding and honeymoon section Jetset is an independent worldwide tour op selling to the travel trade Jetset Holidays offers tailor made bespoke Sent food festival dates Follow up on product expansion Follow up on brochure presence. Follow up on marketing opportunities with John Lewis Follow up on copy and images Discuss marketing

12 Tel: holidays for Independent Travellers for over 38 years. They mainly promote themselves online and have recently moved to online brochures. holidays Jetset Flights offers package deals Jetset Flights is the key driver to the business they sell 150,000 flights around the world although they now sell a lot more ground (25% of business) Their main destination is Europe They buy via ATI, Bonotel and Hotelbeds They have developed Package Pal which can dynamically package a destination however cannot feature multicentre stops. Would need to speak with Jetset Holidays for tailor made itineraries. Marketing: can produce flyer that goes out to 7,500 trade agents Work with agents from TUI Thomson and First Choice Willing to update copy and images on their destination page. opportunities. 26 Travel 2 Mr. Nigel Fell Consultant Tel: +44 (020) Travel 2 is one of the UK's largest long-haul tour operators and is recognised as a market leader for tailor made holidays to Australia, New Zealand, South Pacific, Asia, Africa, Middle East, America, Canada and Latin America as well as for round the world travel. Travel 2 is a subsidiary of Stella Travel Services. Stella Travel Services is Australia and New Zealand's largest travel products distribution business. USA business is very strong for Travel 2 Pax and revenue is up 15% from the UK to USA Florida is up 49% in terms of pax and 56% in terms of revenue following a re-focus on Florida in st dedicated Florida brochure in 2011 with a re-issue in 2012 Marketing: Travel 2 are launching their biggest ever campaign spending 100,000 promoting USA with USA brochure 35,000 print run and TTG high quality pull out guides to the USA. Marketing: Further discussed options to join in Travel 2 training academy At present 350 agent are registered and 15 modules launched incl. Discover New England, Texas and Chicago 250 agents have completed to bronze Request booking stats from prod manager Jonathan Couch Follow up on training module

13 membership Travel 2 pay 10 for bronze, 15 for silver and 20 for gold which also includes invites on FAM and special events The programme would include 10 pages, 10 multiple choice questions, 2 videos and 30 images. Every quarter statistics are sent over in terms of sign ups and completions along with room night stats. 27 Best at Travel Kevin Hogg USA, Canada & Cruise Product Manager Tel: Bestattravel is a fully bonded tour operator and airline consolidator offering tailor made holidays, discounted flights and independent travel arrangements to the USA, Canada, the Far East, Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, the Caribbean, Dubai and round the world. No Show Follow up sent 28 Bon Voyage Ms. Karen Niven Marketing & Product Manager Tel: Holidays2usa Adam Fawcett Product Bon Voyage is a UK tour operator specialising in tailormade travel to USA and Canada. Established in 1979 Bon Voyage was originally conceived as a chain of travel agencies, changing direction to tour operation to the USA in the 1980 s. Florida is one of their top selling destinations. Holidays 2 offer tailor made holidays to America, self drive, fly drive, ecorted tours, train FKKW sells well for Bon Voyage 3-5 nights is the average length of stay Normally have a 3 centre stay in locations in the Keys Tend to be high end properties that are booked Work with Eagle Rider which was featured in the Times top 100 holidays list Would like suggested off the beaten track itineraries Would like a destination wedding package from the Hilton Key Largo Discussed - Tranquillity Bay and Parrott Key Advised that Postcard Inn is selling well Small company selling tailor made tours Average clientele age Work via Allied T-Pro and ATI Send suggested itineraries Send Sunset Key info Tranquility bay and Parrot Key send info Hilton Key Largo send wedding package Requested marketing update. Follow up with suggested itineraries and pre and post

14 Tel: tours and family holidays to the USA. Holidays 2 are a webbased direct-sell tour operator. They do not issue a brochure. 30 Teletext Holidays Kay Bustin Head of Online Product Tel: Teletext is a consumer website travel aggregator sourcing the best holiday deals from over 15 tour operators in the UK. Main destination is West Coast USA Would like to look at suggested itineraries for a fly drive and pre and post cruise stay options Would need to use high end hotels Work mainly with UA and Virgin Use high end Hertz rental cars To date only room nights in FKKW Main customers are from London Work with tour operators like Southall Travel, Virgin Holidays, Internet Traveller etc. Receive 20 million unique users Work on destination searches so no actual bookings. 670,000 searches in searches for FKKW in 2012 Marketing: can drive searches for FKKW via banners to destination splash page and promoting to their 1.2 million database of consumers. Could share cost with tour operators partner such as Virgin Holidays. They also send a luxury to 300,000 consumers. Kay has never been to FKKW cruise options Review online product Send You Tube Channel info Follow up on marketing opportunities.