Old perceptions of a Contiki holiday continue to grow further and further from the reality, as the youth-focused brand evolves to remain relevant to a fickle Gen Y audience.
Managing director Katrina Barry took the helm of the popular Travel Corporation brand in January, after a long stint working with start-ups at Virgin.
“Virgin is an incredible consumer brand that connects really well with its customers,” she told Travel Today.
“It’s the same with Contiki – what you’ve got to do is control the way you present the brand.
With the Gen Y market, everything now is trendy for about two minutes, so we need to maintain relevance.”
Part of that challenge is to really understand the changing demands of the Contiki traveller, who is now aged 26 on average.
Barry’s own preconceptions of a Contiki holiday were put to the test when she went on her first trip at the end of last year.
“I was really surprised at the amount of free time, choice and inclusions,” she revealed. “You can really your create own experience with a lot of flexibility and freedom, and that’s what customers really want.”
The majority of her travelling companions were all in bed by 1am because they were eager to start the day fresh.
“They really wanted a well-rounded experience,” she said.
That seems to be the case with Contiki travellers as a whole, she continued, with the company selling 90% of its optional extras to each passenger. The experiences they are exposed to represent “firsts” for many, with the development of “understanding and perspective” all part of the journey.
“So we’re not only helping travellers have the time of their lives but we’re creating cool human beings,” Barry reflected.
“We’re really changing lives. They come back as more tolerant and well-rounded human beings and that can only be a good thing for the world, let alone Australia.”
The brand’s evolution is further demonstrated by the success of its recent forays in Latin America and Asia, with Japan to join its portfolio next year.
Europe remains its most popular destination for Aussies, but high satisfaction rates are seeing guests return to try one of the other more exotic destinaions.
“Latin America is probably our fastest growing product,” Barry said of the program which launched in 2011 and grew this year with the addition of Belize, Colombia and Guatemala.
“We’ve got 23 trips now, that’s a 30% increase on last year – we added an extra seven trips.”
Sales of the program appear to have risen in line with the product increase, up 26% this year, with a 30% rise looking likely for next year.
Meanwhile, the operator has high hopes for the new Japan product which it added in response to demand from its clientele.
“There are certain aspects of travel in Japan that really fit in with the culture of Contiki,” Barry said.
The new program will be officially launched in October.
