Hedging currency in advance and offering an extensive product portfolio has enabled The Travel Corporation to buck the reportedly downward trend in overseas bookings, its Australia-based ceo, claims.
Bookings for 2105 are up for TTC’s international operations, in particular business to Europe, despite a flailing Australian dollar dropping 17% against the Euro year-on-year, the company said.
The “significant increases” in sales for the rest of 2015 have been across its guided holiday, escorted touring and river cruise brands Trafalgar, Insight Vacations, Contiki and Uniworld.
“We are fortunate to be able to report that despite Australia’s recent economic challenges, we’ve held up well and we are extremely encouraged by the positive growth in business, particularly to Europe,” TTC Australia ceo John Weeks said.
According to TTC, Trafalgar’s Eastern Mediterranean sales are up 22% compared to 2014 figures, while interest for Scandinavia on Insight Vacations is up 30% and Contiki’s Eastern European holidays are also up 25% year-on-year.
Weeks attributes the brands’ value proposition across its outbound travel range and the company’s cost-structure, which protects customers against further currency fluctuations, as key factors toward the growth.
“One of our core strengths within TTC is our ability to carefully hedge currency up to a year in advance, which gives us the distinct advantage of being able to guarantee prices for our guests, irrespective of whether the AUD declines,” he said.
“We also made a strong commitment to extending the breadth and depth of product across the board this year, which has paid dividends and undoubtedly added to the appeal of travelling with one of our brands.”
With prices set in August 2014 and guaranteed until October, Weeks confirmed there would be no surcharges imposed at any time across its entire range of products despite a worldwide currency flux.
