Tag Archives: Trafalgar

Trafalgar has launched its new 2019 brochure that will include some new itineraries and elements. It recently organised an exclusive meeting between its top agent partners in Mumbai and Gavin Tollman, CEO, Trafalgar & CostSaver. Tollman flew down to Mumbai from Geneva to meet the travel agent partners and exchange ideas and get feedback from them on the India market. He was accompanied by Nicholas Lim, President, Trafalgar Asia, and the India team during the networking event in Mumbai. After that, the team visited Pune, Bengaluru and Chennai to launch the 2019 brochures. The new brochure will have a new destination – Africa, which has been launched recently. Trafalgar’s in-house survey has revealed that India delivers a repeat booking rate of 58.3 per cent and these guests are choosing to travel to further destinations like South America and other exotic destinations.

Trafalgar’s definite departures now extend to 17 countries and five continents. Following its announcement of 100 per cent definite departures to Italy, Ireland, Hawaii and Discoveries, Trafalgar has extended these guarantees to departures covering Europe (Spain, Scandinavia, Scotland, Portugal and Germany), Asia (China and India), Africa (Morocco), and North and South America (Canada, Alaska, National Parks programmes, Southern USA, Peru and Costa Rica). Nicholas Lim, President, Trafalgar, Asia comments, “At Trafalgar, we firmly believe that success breeds success, so we thank our partners for the stellar role they’ve played in the exceptionally positive results we are seeing that have resulted in so many definite departures. We hear you and are always here to turn words into actions to put #AgentsFirst. When it comes to closing sales for 2018, there truly is no time like the present to reap the rewards.” Additional incentives to get clients over the line are early payment deals of 7.5 per cent for payments made before March 29, 2018.  

In an effort to make an agent’s life easier, Trafalgar has announced 100 per cent definite departures for all 2018 Italy and Ireland trips in keeping with its ongoing commitment to its travel partners. Nicholas Lim, Trafalgar (Asia), said, “Italy and Ireland are popular with Asian travellers, especially with unique experiences like our exclusive after-hours VIP dining at The Vatican. At Trafalgar, we are wholly focused on always keeping agents first that adheres to our campaign #AgentsFirst, ensuring they are fully equipped to respond to customer demand and sell our guided holidays with confidence and ease.” Lim further expresses, “We are thrilled to be able to guarantee 100 per cent definite departures now on 44 trips including Italy and Ireland, in addition to all European Discoveries – with more to come. With a weakened US currency and early payment savings where customers can save 10 per cent if they book before Feb 28, 2018, now is definitely the best time to book a trip to Europe.” Trafalgar will announce more definite departures soon.

Trafalgar will host its inaugural Trafalgar Europe Britain Day as part of its efforts to provide agents a way to learn about travel destinations in Europe and Britain like an insider. It will partner with four European tourism offices in this first-of-its kind showcase exclusively for the trade in India. Atout France, Tourism Ireland, Tourism Office of Spain and Switzerland Tourism together with Trafalgar will present the iconic sites of the respective countries. Trafalgar’s ‘Insider Sessions’ will take place on February 7 in Mumbai and on February 9 in Bengaluru. Nicholas Lim, President, Trafalgar, Asia, says, “We want to help agents to grow their business by showcasing the diversity of Europe and the opportunities around it. We’re delighted to launch our Insider Sessions and in 2018, it’s time to travel to Europe with Trafalgar and live The Good Life. Agents who participate in these sessions will be eligible to win a grand prize of a nine-day ‘Spanish Experience’ holiday sponsored by Trafalgar. There will be two grand prizes given away – one for each city.”

As an annual ritual, Trafalgar has launched its new 2018 brochure that will include some new itineraries and elements. Nicholas Lim, President for Trafalgar Asia, who is in India for the launch, says, “The new brochure has over 100 itineraries across Europe which also has some new itineraries such as Best of Norway and Berlin Explorer because of demand from the India market. This year, we have also added our ‘Be My Guest’ element to all our itineraries as against just a few chosen ones these last few years. It is a signature program that we have weaved into all our itineraries this year due to high demand. This is an exclusive dining experience at a local’s home.” Trafalgar launched this brochure in key markets across India including Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune. Lim adds, “This year too we are guaranteeing all confirmed departures under our ‘Discoveries’ series for itineraries starting from April to October 2018. That means travel agents can book with confidence and don’t have to worry about whether a tour will be cancelled or not. This is also extended to some of the itineraries in our ‘Best of’ series but not all as of now. So they need to check this on our website before making the bookings.” It has also kept the early bird deal that it is giving out till the end of February 2018 that offers 10 per cent off on all itineraries unless they are already full.

To cope with the characteristic trait of last minute travel bookings that the Indian market has become notorious for, Trafalgar has resorted to offering early bird discounts that its trade partners can extend to their clients. Speaking about this was Nicholas Lim, President – Asia, Trafalgar, who was in Mumbai for the opening of the company’s new office. “We started quite successfully to get Indians to book early two years ago. But the team has had a hard time this year. We have been urging them to book earlier. As a result they are missing out on the opportunities, trips get full and we are unable to squeeze them in. Sometimes Indian travellers decide to book one week before the departure. Other markets like the US, Kiwis, Australians, book six to nine months in advance. Here in Asia, and its not just in India, travellers are late bookers. We are hoping to change that over a period of time.” To counter this, Trafalgar offers small incentives to the trade and the consumer. “We have early payment discounts to encourage Indians to book early. The closer you move to the departure date, the more expensive it gets. So we start with a 10 per cent discount, that goes down to 7.5, and then five per cent. For instance, travellers who book between June 1 – 30, 2017 for any itinerary in our brochure for September 2017 can avail 10 per cent off on any departure. In fact, we made a decision in March 2017 to guarantee every single departure in our brochure all the way to October 2017. An agent doesn’t have to worry about a departure getting cancelled. We give …

Tour operator, Trafalgar, has reaffirmed its commitment to making it easier for agents to book the brand with confidence, by revealing that 100 per cent of its 2017 Europe and Britain and Asia departures are now definite. Commenting on the milestone ‘Definite Departures’ status, Nicholas Lim, President, Trafalgar (Asia) said, “At Trafalgar, we are wholly focused on strengthening relationships with our valued industry partners, ensuring that they are fully equipped to sell our guided holidays with confidence and ease. We are thrilled to be able to guarantee agents that the chances of winning with Trafalgar are 100 per cent when it comes to selling our extensive portfolio of 109 guided holidays for summer in Europe and Britain and 17 different trips across Asia. Crucial to our brand success is the confidence that our partners continue to place in us, so for that we extend our sincere thanks and wish them all the best for an unprecedented selling season in 2017.” The news on ‘Definite Departures’ complements the latest endeavour from Trafalgar to simplify the sales process for partners. Additional incentives to book Trafalgar include the current Early Payment Discount (EPD) of 7.5 per cent (valid until 30 March 2017) which is combinable with Trafalgar Frequent Traveller discounts, to enable another five per cent savings. On many trips, young travellers (5-17 years old) enjoy up to 10 per cent when accompanying an adult, and solo travellers can save by pairing up with a fellow traveller (of the same gender) in a twin room. If Trafalgar is not able find a match, then the solo traveller can stay in a single room at no extra cost.

Trafalgar is calling on agents to be part of the revolution in guided holidays and join the journey to even greater success, with the launch of its Trafalgar Academy. The holiday operator has unveiled its inaugural e-learning programme, specially created to help agents increase their earnings and make selling more fun. The Trafalgar Academy empowers industry partners with its interactive guidance on how to sell, as opposed to what to sell, and upon completion of each course they are further equipped to learn, earn and travel more. The initial launch phase of the Trafalgar Academy is available now and invites users to discover ‘The Trafalgar Difference’. Following in close succession in the coming months are ‘Converting Opportunities Into Success’ and ‘It’s Lifestyle Not Features That Matter’, with additional courses forthcoming as the programme gathers momentum. Agents registering for the Academy will uncover insights on increasing conversion and commission, as well as enjoying exclusive travel offers. Commenting on the brand e-learning launch, Trafalgar (Asia) President Nicholas Lim says, “We are excited to introduce our latest industry initiative, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to providing our valued partners with all the tools they need for sales success. For those choosing to become Trafalgar experts, they can look forward to seeing conversion, commission and retention rates rise.”

Trafalgar Travel, along with its General Sales Agent Comfort Leisure, recently conducted a first of its kind workshop for travel agents in Chennai. The presentation showcased the new destinations and itineraries offered by Trafalgar Travel for Summer 2017. Sanjay Temkar, Director-Sales, Trafalgar Mumbai, highlighted the products that Trafalgar offers travellers with varied interests and preferences. “For example, the At Leisure itineraries are slow-paced. Guests spend more number of days at a single destination and can start their day at 9:00am in the morning instead of 7:30am. For guests who like to go off the beaten track, the Hidden Journeys itineraries are ideal as they explore ‘treasures’ that not typically frequented by tourists,” he said. Trafalgar Travel has been creating guided holidays for over 70 years and Comfort Leisure has been its General Sales Agent for 15 years. it was the first company to introduce Trafalgar Travel, in association with TT Travels, to the Indian market.

Trafalgar recently hosted its travel partners and agents from all over Asia on a familiarisation trip to Portugal for its ‘Best of Portugal’ itinerary. The group visited Lisbon, Porto, Fatima, Viseu and Evora. From India, it hosted eight agents from Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi and Pune who experienced Portugal through the eyes of a Trafalgar insider.