A good tour operator can help advisors overcome logistical hurdles
In March, Avanti Destinations launched a website to help travel advisors find and create customized group trips.
One section of the site, Boost Your Business, offers advisors strategies for finding group clients and initiating partnerships. The Explore area features 10 pre-built itineraries focused on affinity travel, which Ricarda Haeger, director of group sales and operations at Avanti, says “provide valuable inspiration or starting points for advisors looking to craft their own unique proposition to specific groups.”
And in the Testimonials section, advisors — with their name and agency listed — share their success stories in creating group trips with Avanti, where 10 or more travelers make up a group.
The new site is part of what Haeger called Avanti's mission “to help advisors sell.”
“Don’t try to be everything to everyone,” she added, suggesting that advisors do their research and identify a niche they are passionate about and understand well. She cited food, wine, medieval history, religion and sports as examples, noting that golf does exceptionally well.
To tap into these groups, advisors must build relationships with organizations, clubs or businesses focused on their chosen niche, Haeger said.
“This can involve attending professional events, reaching out to local clubs and collaborating with libraries, schools, museums or religious congregations,” she said. “Senior living communities often have travel clubs.”
Haeger also suggested bringing in a Pied Piper who could market a route in exchange for something in return, like $50 for every booking he makes.
When counselors put together groups, she said, it's important to pay attention to the needs of the group's size and composition when creating the itinerary.
For example, hotels should be chosen with a lobby large enough for the group to gather, enough elevators for people to move around quickly and enough space for a tour bus to park in front. Guides should be carefully selected, she said. For multigenerational family groups, for example, it is important that the guide be good with children.
Using a reputable tour operator like Avanti is helpful for first-time travel advisors because they have experience with the properties and operators on-site. It also makes it easier to plan excursions for the group.
