Join the off-season bandwagon
COACH companies are
redefining their business
models away from the
perception of over-tourism
and toward more sustainable
tourism, says Karen Donkin,
marketing and product
manager, Serendipity Tours,
GSA in SA for Europamundo
Vacations.
“They are redesigning routes
to include less congested
towns and picturesque
villages, as well as adopting
environmentally friendly
strategies such as planting
trees for specific projects as
a way to compensate for the
CO2 footprint of coaches.”
Flexibility of itineraries also
enables more efficient control
of the flow of tourists, Karen
adds.
Taking action
The Travel Corporation (TTC)
believes in taking direct action
to put preventative measures
in place that will mitigate the
risk of over-tourism, explains
md, Teresa Richardson.
“One of our strategies
is ‘dissemination’, where
we offer travel to popular
destinations virtually yearround to spread the load on a
seasonal basis. For example,
our brands have strong offseason sales pushes through
their autumn, winter and
spring brochures and festive
season offerings.”
Teresa says most
destinations can be visited
throughout the year and may
even be more beautiful to
experience in the off-season.
“Think the Christmas
markets in Europe, the
Northern Lights in Scandinavia
or the ancient civilizations of
Greece, Jordan and Egypt.”
Another tactic is ‘dispersal’,
Teresa adds. “We go beyond
the bottlenecks and open
up other areas for visitation.
Of course we take guests
to the big sights, but we
also go off the beaten path
and connect them with local
communities.”
Clients get a free hand
Cosmos Lite, the newest
product in the Globus
portfolio, lets clients design
each day to their own
specifications and schedule,
says Lucinda Tyler, sales
and marketing manager.
“Whether they want free
time, me time or see time,
they get to decide and they
even have the option of later
morning starts for tours and
excursions.”
Lucinda says Globus
also recently launched its
2019 Escapes by Globus
packages, a compilation of
the best itineraries for travel
during the winter low season
at hugely discounted rates.
“Travelling off season
means thinner crowds and
thicker wallets.”
Austria Connection owner,
Inge Dobihal, says both
Kompas and Atlas coach
tours, which specialise in
tours within Eastern Europe,
avoid departures in the high
season (July and August)
so as not to overpopulate
affected areas.
“They also design their
itineraries so two nights are
usually spent in each town
or city instead of unloading
busloads of people for a
short period only.”
The tourism sector,
Teresa says, has immense
opportunity and power to
stimulate economic activity
to deliver jobs, a sense of
purpose and participation.
“By encouraging
dispersal, communities
outside the main centres
– sites of cultural
significance and history –
continue to thrive.
Book it!
• One of the most popular Escapes by Globus tours is the
‘Imperial Escape’, a seven-day itinerary from Budapest to
Prague selling from R11 990pps. This includes superior
accommodation; meals and excursions as per the itinerary;
luxury air-conditioned and WiFi-enabled deluxe motor coaches;
the services of a tour director and a Safety Net Protection
Plan. T&Cs apply.
• The new Cosmos Lite packages include city-to-city
transportation in deluxe coaches; clean, comfortable and
attractive hotels; daily breakfast and the guidance of tour
directors. “Cosmos Lite offers hassle-free travel on itineraries
tailored to client interests, budget and pace. An eight-day tour
starts from R10 555pps.” The Globus customer age group is
35 to 55 years.
Understanding America for the under-21s
THE Travel Corporation’s two
youth brands, Busabout and
Contiki, totally fit the bill
when it comes to tours and
trips in the United States
for the under-21 market,
advises Kelly Jackson, TTC
head of sales.
“They offer fully guided
trips for first-time travellers
as well as a touring style
that suits independent,
more seasoned travellers.”
The starting point is
always to qualify what the
traveller wants and needs,
she suggests. Are they
potential gap-year travellers
looking for longer trips?
“Busabout, for example,
offers an unlimited Hop-on
Hop-off West Coast Pass
where travellers can access
their loop between June and
August for the ultimate in
flexibility.
San Francisco, Yosemite,
South Lake Tahoe,
Mammoth Lakes, Las Vegas,
San Diego, Los Angeles and
Santa Barbara on this loop
offer chilled-out beaches,
bustling cities and fresh
mountain air.”
You could also recommend
something like Contiki’s
‘Epic Adventure’ – a 55-day
trip that takes in 36 US
states and two Canadian
provinces – which is filled
with experiences perfect for
a gap-year traveller.
If clients are keen on a
holiday pre- or post-work
experience, shorter options
enable them to tag on a
getaway before or after
work commitments. Contiki
has itineraries ranging from
seven to nine days such
as ‘California Highlights’ or
‘Western Highlights’. Two
favourites are the 14-day
‘Wild Western’ and 13-day
‘Boot Scoot n Blues’ that
ventures through the Deep
South for barbecues and
jazz.
Kelly’s second tip would be
to work within their budget.
“Find out what your traveller
wants to do on holiday. Is
it a shopping trip? Are they
keen to cross off the sights
along the way? Maybe they
just want the full picture
with a couple of souvenirs.
Are they looking to explore
the East or West Coast? Or
everything in between?”
One essential
consideration when booking
tours for this sector,
cautions Kelly, is the legal
drinking age, which is 21 in
the US.
“This means anyone under
21 will not be allowed access
into any establishment that
serves alcohol or has a
casino. They are very strict
with this rule and will always
ask for identification.”
For example, travellers
must be at least 21 to join
Contiki’s popular four-day
‘New York New Year’ trip.
Another word of advice is to
plan ahead.
“Visas to the US can take
between five and 15 working
days and you need to book
an appointment with the
consulate,” she says.
Kelly’s last tip would be to
offer clients the Friends with
Benefits (Busabout) or Book
Together (Contiki) discount.
“This discount is up to
10% if the client travels with
ten of their friends. If they
are travelling solo, we’ll pair
them with a same-gender
roommate so there are no
additional solo traveller
charges.
Passion Play 2020: still open for bookings
THE small town of
Oberammergau in Bavaria,
Germany, is known for its
tradition of fresco painting
and woodcarvings, but
mostly for its nearly 400-
year history of the Passion
Play.
The Oberammergau
Passion Play celebrates a
promise made in 1633 that
if the village was spared
from the plague ravaging
the region, the people of
Oberammergau would stage
a play each decade.
The next Passion Play
will be staged in the town’s
open-air theatre from
May 16 to October 4, 2020.
It is anticipated that around
500 000 visitors will head
to the town to see the play
performed.
Austria Connection’s
Inge Dobihal, highlights
the Kompas tours for the
Oberammergau Passion
Play since their itineraries in
Eastern Europe are different
from other coach tours.
Tours range from five- to
13-day itineraries, since the
Oberammergau Passion Play
2020 is provided as part of
a whole land trip.
“A non-refundable deposit
of US$500pp (R7 070) is
payable to secure a place.
Departure dates, including
the tickets for the Passion
Play, are guaranteed, but
many are already sold out
so clients should book as
soon as possible.”
In addition to exploring
the Dalmatian Coast
and Slovenia, guests
with Kompas can view
the play during a six-day
itinerary that also includes
sightseeing in Munich
and Vienna or during a
12-day journey that calls at
Munich, Vienna, Budapest,
Krakow and Warsaw.
Alternatively, they
can spend time in the
picturesque Swiss Alps
before travelling through
Innsbruck, Salzburg
and Altötting to finish
in Oberammergau (11
days), or join an Eastern
European Panorama
tour (16 days) that
incorporates experiences
in Munich, Vienna,
Budapest, Krakow,
Warsaw, Berlin and
Prague.
Top picks from Europamundo Vacations
IN TERMS of showcasing
trending destinations,
Karen Donkin of
Serendipity Tours
recommends a few
flexible itineraries
that are proving to be
increasingly popular.
These include Japan,
best explored on the
‘Wonders of Japan’ tour
that offers two options
(end in Osaka, 11
days; or end in Tokyo,
15 days); and Russia
on the ‘Stockholm to
Moscow and Kazan’
16-day routing.
From Europe, clients
can consider the 10-day
‘Spanish Ring’ tour
across the Iberian
Peninsula and Morocco,
the eight-day ‘Eastern
Whispers’ trip that
takes in Central and
East Europe as well as
‘Barcelona to Zurich’
(six days, or eight days
if Paris is included).
Alternatively the nineday ‘Turkey’ journey
is well worth it, as is
‘A time to remember’
(10 days across Rome,
Florence, Venice,
Verona, Zurich, Lucerne,
Berne and Paris).
For Southeast Asia,
Karen recommends
any of the itineraries
that incorporate the
Philippines, such as
the 14-day ‘Philippines
full tour’ or a shorter
‘Manila and Palawan
Beaches’ itinerary
(seven days)
Departures guaranteed for European summer trips
TRAFALGAR, Luxury Gold
and Insight Vacations have
guaranteed 100% of their
Britain and Europe trips
for the 2019 Northern
hemisphere summer
season, says Teresa
Richardson.
“This news is brilliant
for the trade, as nonguaranteed departures
are sometimes a huge
stumbling block to closing
a sale.”
Popular Insight Vacations
journeys in Europe that
clients can enjoy this
summer include the
14-day ‘Country Roads
of Switzerland’ for those
looking to discover Alpine
panoramas and hidden
retreats; the ‘Country
Roads of Southern Italy
& Sicily’; or the ‘Country
Roads of Croatia’ journey
that explores pristine
landscapes and traditional
village experiences.
A new Luxury Gold
itinerary – ‘Ultimate
Ireland’ – sees guests
beginning their 12-day
journey in Belfast and
delving into Northern
Ireland’s history with a
visit to the Titanic Belfast
Museum.
The trip ends with a
two-night stay at Ashford
Castle, part of Red
Carnation’s Luxury Hotel
Boutique Collection.
Guests can choose an
elegant afternoon tea or a
unique falconry experience
at the oldest established
Falconry School in Ireland.
Did you know?
Insight Vacations is offering a 5% Early Payment Discount if guests
book before August 29. The 2019-20 Insight Vacations Seasons
brochure features 32 premium escorted journeys as well as two new
itineraries, namely ‘Glories of Greece & Three Continents Cruise’ and
‘Athens & Three Continents Cruise’. Departures are between October
2019 and April 2020.
