Inspiring pulled under AAT Kings umbrella

Inspiring pulled under AAT Kings umbrella
By admin


Inspiring Journeys will no longer have a dedicated brochure, with the fledgling product range to be drawn into AAT Kings new "all-in-one" 2013/14 Australia Guided Tours program.

The brochure replaces the five existing AAT Kings brochures for each Australian state and features Northern Territory specialist brand Aussie Adventure in addition to Inspiring Journeys.

AAT Kings head of sales David Gendle stressed the absorption of the Inspiring Journeys range into the brochure is not a sign the brand will face the chop down the line.

"For a start-up business, it's always difficult to get traction," Gendle told Travel Today. "With the investment that's gone into the brand, I doubt whether they'd swallow it up."

The program will remain undiminished, with the exception of third party-operated itineraries in Fraser and Kangaroo Islands which have been axed.

"It's more about getting the distribution for the Inspiring Journeys product," he insisted, adding the brand was starting to gain traction, particularly in international markets.

The new consolidated brochure is the result of internal brainstorming and feedback from agency chains, Gendle revealed.

"Shelf space in retail travel agencies is at a premium," he said. "By consolidating into one brochure, we will hopefully be racked in the agency and get our full product range into somebody's hand."

The range has been adapted to a recent trend towards shorter breaks, with several of the longer itineraries trimmed accordingly.

Many of the tours have also come down in price – the result of AAT Kings examining cost components within each tour.

Meanwhile, Gendle reported a good result for the Australian program in the last year, although he admitted the rising popularity of outbound travel had posed a challenge.

International business has also declined due to economic conditions overseas and the strong dollar, pushing the operator to "keep a lid on price increases" for those markets.

"Where we traditionally relied on longer guided touring, we're now looking to short breaks to make up the revenue shortfall on inbound," he said.

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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