COLLETTE LAUNCHES AUS OPERATION

COMPETITION for the Australian outbound tourist dollar is set to heat up with the debut of US escorted tour operator Collette. Twelve months after sending a research mission to Australia to engage with agents and scope out the local tourism market, American travel firm Collette has signalled its intention of being a bigger player in the escorted touring scene. The firm has established an office in Sydney, led by Australian business manager Alison Mead who is the former sales manager for Intrepid in Australia (four years) and New Zealand (10 years). Mead is joined by Collette business development manager for Australia, James Cartmell, who relocated to Sydney from the US for the role. Two district sales managers based in Melbourne and Brisbane and two reservation staff complement the operation, while the addition of a product manager for the South Pacific region is also being evaluated. Collette offers more than 160 four-star tours, river cruises, small group itineraries (maximum of 24 passengers), rail journeys, gardening trips and ‘Spot Light’ city stays. Headquartered in Rhode Island, the 96-year old travel company offers product in North America, Europe, the UK, Ireland, South Africa and East Africa, Egypt, South East Asia, China, Japan, South America and Central America. Closer to home, Collette also offers a selection of tours in Australia, NZ and Fiji. The company is no stranger to the Australian market, having previously set up an office in Melbourne in 1999. However that venture was short lived as a result of a business restructure after the September 11 attacks in 2001. “Collette has always wanted to return to Australia but it hasn’t been high on the agenda as the company focused its efforts in developing the UK market and supporting growth there over the past 10 years,” Mead explained. She told travelbulletin that the number of direct consumer bookings from Australia had escalated over the past 18 months, with minimal support. “We feel that if we are getting these bookings, there is a real opportunity to ramp up our passenger numbers,” she said. “There was initially a lot of scepticism about Collette’s vision for an Australian branch. But suddenly agents have a brochure in Australian dollars, a call centre and a localised website. It has made people sit up and take us more seriously.” Its Australian office kicked into gear in early January, and the response from the trade to date has been “meeting expectations”. The localised brochure features 92 itineraries, valid for bookings starting 1 May 2015. However, additional product – including Australian and Antarctica journeys – will also be accepted before this date. Mead acknowledged that the Australia touring market was already “crowded” and instilling trust in the product from travel agents would be one of the “biggest challenges”.

You won’t get anywhere if you don’t support the industry

“Yes it may be a crowded market, but we are bringing decades of experience in North America to the Australian market. We have the product, the standards and an extensive portfolio,” she commented. Targeting primarily the over 50s market, Mead suggested Collette’s main competition would come from the likes of Trafalgar, Scenic Tours and APT. However its “true competitor” would be Insight Vacations, Mead said. Collette has a handful of standalone agency distribution deals already in place and is now working through its local office to cement more substantial preferred agreements with larger retail networks. Mead also commented that the trade had a crucial role to play in Collette’s long term success. “You won’t get anywhere if you don’t support the industry,” she said. An agent ‘locator’ features on the www.gocollette.com website, and consumers calling Collette directly will be asked if they have a preferred travel agent at the start of an enquiry. “All our collateral and calls to action will be to ‘speak to your travel agent’ or contact us. We are dedicated to the industry,” Mead said. Call 1300 792 196 for enquiries.