Destination Management Companies
Representation: DMCs often have difficulty in reaching out to new customers and new markets. Our background in global markets with worldwide tour operators will give you an edge when it comes to growing your inbound business in new markets and with new customers. We’ll represent you in the field and become your ‘man on the ground‘ in Europe, North America, Australasia or Asia, appointing dedicated personnel to manage your account.
Developing Product: Expanding into emerging markets requires increased cultural dexterity when negotiating with partners or authorities and your workforce needs to be culturally fluent with excellent communication skills. We’ll also advise on source market and traveller nuances and how you can change, develop and better serve the needs of particular markets and customer bases.
Tour Operators & Wholesalers
Customers: Wholesalers and tour operators understand that customers are savvy and can connect directly whenever they wish. They need to find new reasons for prospects to book with them rather than directly with a supplier. Our work can be in several parts:
Marketing: On the strategy front, we will assist you in rethinking your branding and marketing to project your purpose and convey your messages though engaging imagery, compelling stories, backed up by rational differentials. And we’ll consider how to market your key unique selling points, and create further differentiation needed, it’s always achievable.
Product: On the product side, you may also need to invest in developing new products for your customers. Travellers today are looking for engaging activities and local authenticity. We’ll help you innovate, open new markets and engage customers in a more personalised way. Operators have sometimes acted as informal marketing partners for destination based travel organisations, rather than manufacturing their own content. It’s a low risk reactive way to build a business but it can sometimes be based on luck and contacts, not facts and judgement.
We’ll work with you on the planning that’s vital when putting together a new packaged holiday product, or new product areas, that will sell. We’ll look at how you can make the products your customers want, not just legacy packages or products your partners want to push; and we’ll help you consider if new products can fit into existing business models, repackaging under-utilisation of what you already have. We’ll help you with these hurdles, advising on implementation or setting up local operations to provide and curate the products that work best for both customers and the principle.
Legacy Issues: Legacy can be a much wider issue too, limiting your development in other ways. We can help you and your teams review your thinking, consider structure and can bring in experts to look at your IT systems.
New Markets: We’ll also work with you to explore new markets and show you how to be a more effective ‘local’ player as you expand your operation into regions or areas you believe have potential for growth. Our global experience and connections will open up new doors to the world. We’ll help you plan sales strategy, advise on distribution, introduce you local contacts, adapt product positioning to local consumer needs and aspirations, and implement marketing campaigns appropriately.
Travel Agents
Being Relevant: Travel Agents need to drive strong messaging around personalised local service, time-saving, expert knowledge, packaged-up booking simplicity and after-sale support. We can help you stimulate demand and boost your proposition through well planned and highly targeted initiatives, promotions and campaigns. In today’s environment, one can’t sit around and wait for people to walk through the door.
Community: We will help and guide you in becoming a valued asset to your local community, develop an active social presence, create uniquely packaged products and leverage relationships with suppliers and wholesalers at all levels.
Suppliers
Competition: Suppliers, such as hotels, venues, coach operators, car rental or activities face increasing competition from similar businesses as online distribution increasingly allows everyone a voice and access to customers. We’ll help you become more relevant to those customers interested in more complex, multiple booking arrangements, while working through the difficulties and costs associated with direct-handling and customer support.
Differentiation: We’ll work with you to help you better understand and market your points of differentiation in your proposition. We’ve got ideas to assist you maximise cooperatives, be true destination specialists, and connect with like-minded smaller partners to create unique products.
Tourist Offices
Opening Channels and Markets: NTOs can look to TravLinkSolutions when you need to grow their business in both travel-trade and consumer direct channels. We are especially adept at putting lesser known destinations on the map without incurring major costs or overheads.
Online Video Content: We have in-house video production and marketing, and access to strong media personalities, writers and commentators so will help you grow your presence within your budgets. See our ‘Hidden Puglia’ series for example.
Representation: We’re also available for in-market representation services and will make introductions to business partners, influencers and arrange events.
