Insight prog to land early

INSIGHT Vacations will open its 2021 Europe Pre-release Collection for sale on Sat, four months earlier than its usual launch month of Jun.

Managing Director Alex O’Connor told TD the move was driven by feedback from agency partners and a shift in booking trends over the last few years.

O’Connor said more than a third of Insight’s customers are now booking more than a year in advance while a third book within six months of travel.

“The booking curve has really moved out,” she said.

“For those customers that want to book earlier, we know that they are generally booking their Insight Vacations holiday as part of a bigger trip.

“We know Australians often go to Europe for an average of four and a half weeks, so the demand for having the guided holiday part of that journey completed with the other elements of that was strong and that really drove the decision to bring it out earlier,” O’Connor explained.

The pre-release program packs in over 80 itineraries to destinations such as Europe and Britain, Ancient Civilisations, USA and Canada.

It features a selection of Insight’s most popular tours, including the Country Roads of Wales, Devon and Cornwall, Best of Spain and Portugal, as well as Easy Pace Italy.

O’Connor said Insight Choice would be “front and centre” of the program, an initiative launched last year which allows guests the choice of two included Insight Experiences (TD 23 Sep 2019).

“Customers want more and more personalisation, they really want to be able to tailor their holidays,” she said.