Constellation a sell-out

NEW entrant to the luxury charter market Constellation Journeys is close to achieving sell- out with its first expedition in Apr, attributing its strong sales to the travel trade.

Founder and md Dan Kotzmann told TD the inaugural three- week tour aboard a chartered Qantas Boeing 747 was almost full and that the company was now planning a second charter and additional specialty tours for release in 2018.

“To date, close to half of our sales have been via the industry,” said Kotzmann, the former md of the APT Group’s Captain’s Choice who launched the new venture earlier this year ( TD 10 Apr).

“We have formed some productive partnerships with agents who are proactive in marketing the product and have had a dedicated trade sales presence in major markets.”

Kotzmann said the company paid 10% to agents on the full brochure price and did not deduct tipping, port charges and taxes in calculating commission.

The first tour departs Sydney on 22 Apr and will visit Hanoi, India, the Serengeti, Marrakech, New York, Havana and Tahiti.

The tour was released with a lead-in price of $19,500.

“We have received bookings across all five classes on board from customers in a wide range of demographics,” Kotzmann said, adding that the tour had been popular with singles who paid a supplement of $3,200.