Destination Australia Partnership UK SALES CALL MANUAL Contents

The Destination Australia Partnership ...... 3 Contacts ...... 3 Location ...... 3 Tourism Australia - London ...... 4 State & Territory Tourism Organisations (STOs) ...... 5 Know Your Markets ...... 6 Consumer Profile ...... 6 International Visitor Arrivals ...... 6 Market Strategy ...... 6 Market Overview ...... 6 Market Updates ...... 6 Tourism Export Toolkit ...... 6 UK Market Profile ...... 6 UK Market Profile ...... 7 Trends ...... 8 Distribution ...... 8 Planning and Purchasing Travel ...... 8 Special Interest ...... 8 Planning a Visit to Market ...... 9 Top Tips for Sales Calls ...... 9 Aussie Specialist Program ...... 10 Premier Aussie Specialist ...... 10 Key Distribution Partners ...... 11 Other Trade Partners ...... 12 Travelling in the UK ...... 14 London ...... 14 Regional UK ...... 14 Map of the UK ...... 15

2 | UK Sales Call Manual The Destination Australia Partnership

The Destination Australia Partnership (DAP) was DAP has two European offices – in London, and introduced in 2004 as a joint initiative between Frankfurt – with responsibilities as below: Tourism Australia and the State and Territory Tourism Organisations (STOs) in the European market . LONDON United Kingdom Ireland DAP ensures a better alignment with marketing Netherlands Nordic (Sweden, Norway, activities and operations, improves effectiveness in Finland, Denmark) marketing Australia overseas, reduces duplication Belgium and overlap with the region, and provides core FRANKFURT Germany services and training to trade and retail partners . Switzerland Austria Italy, France, Spain (represented by agencies) Contacts

When including London in your visit to Europe, you are very welcome to visit the DAP team at our office in Australia House, central London .

You would have the opportunity to obtain a market update from your respective STO representative and/or the Tourism Australia team, as well as provide a training session/product update for our Trade Team .

HOLBORN KI

NG

SW Location AY FLEET STREET AUSTRALIA HOUSE Level 6 Australia Centre Australia House

ND RA E ST Cnr . Melbourne Place & The Strand TH London WC2B 4LG BLACKFRIARS VICTORIA EMBANKMENT

TEMPLE BL

Nearest tube station is Temple on the AC KFR

District and Circle Lines . BR IARS

RIVER THAMES ID

WA GE TE Click here to access Transport for RL OO BRI

London’s Journey Planner DGE

EMBANKMENT

3 | UK Sales Call Manual Tourism Australia - London

REGIONAL GENERAL MANAGER, DIGITAL COORDINATOR, UK & NORTHERN EUROPE AUSSIE SPECIALIST PROGRAM

Denise von Wald Silvija Bradford dvonwald@tourism australia. .com sbradford@tourism .australia .com +44 (0) 207 438 4629 +44 (0) 207 438 4605

PARTNERSHIP & DISTRIBUTION MANAGER, TRAINER, UK & NORTHERN EUROPE UK & NORTHERN EUROPE

Pete Mills Ricky Dunn pmills@tourism .australia com. rdunn@tourism .australia .com +44 (0) 207 438 4612 +44 (0) 207 438 4614 Mobile: +44 7795 657 292 Mobile: +44 779 5657 289

PARTNERSHIP & EVENTS EXECUTIVE

Christina Dragaesser cdragaesser@tourism australia. .com +49 (0) 69 2740 0635

4 | UK Sales Call Manual State & Territory Tourism Organisations (STOs)

NAME TITLE PHONE MOBILE EMAIL TOURISM WESTERN AUSTRALIA Kate Bifield Regional Manager UK 0207 438 4647 07835 065 001 kbifield@twa .australia .com Laoise Collins PR Manager UK 0207 438 4606 07917 166 180 lcollins@twa australia. .com Felipe Francisco Marketing Executive UK 0207 438 4658 07825 065 003 ffrancisco@twa australia. .com SOUTH AUSTRALIAN TOURISM COMMISSION Janice Kurrle Marketing Manager 0207 438 4636 07900 892 375 jkurrle@satc .australia com. UK, Nordic & Benelux Rachel Lewis Marketing Exec 0207 438 4637 07836 221 279 rlewis@satc .australia com. UK/ Benelux/ Nordic Region TOURISM NORTHERN TERRITORY Fleur Sainsbury Regional Manager UK, Ireland, 0207 438 4642 07791 205 329 fsainsbury@tourismnt .australia .com Nordic & Netherlands Robert Hardless Manager, Strategy & Planning, 0207 438 4641 07971 578 844 rhardless@tourismnt .australia .com UK, Ireland & Nordic Steven Balderston Marketing Exec UK, Ireland, 0207 438 4641 07896 793 091 sbalderston@tourismnt .australia .com Netherlands & Nordic DESTINATION NEW SOUTH WALES Siobhan Burke Regional Manager, UK & Europe 0207 438 4643 07725 860 479 sburke@tnsw .australia com.

TOURISM VICTORIA Claire Golding Regional Manager, UK & Europe 0207 438 4645 07950 287 149 cgolding@tvic .australia com. Trish Pierson Mktg Exec UK, Ireland, Nordic & 0207 438 4646 tpierson@tvic .australia com. Benelux Region TOURISM & EVENTS QUEENSLAND Jane Nicholson International Director UK, 0207 438 4664 020 7593 1711 Jane .nicholson@queensland .com Ireland & Nordic Catrin Davies Trade & Marketing Mngr UK, 0207 438 4663 020 7593 1712 catrind@hillsbalfour .com Ireland & Nordic Sarah Ratcliffe Sales & Marketing Accounts Exec, 0207 438 4663 0207 593 1747 sarahr@hillsbalfour .com UK Ireland & Nordic

5 | UK Sales Call Manual Know Your Markets

Before organising a visit to the European market, it would be worth taking a look at the following pages on the Tourism Australia corporate site – www .tourism .australia .com .

CONSUMER PROFILE, UNITED KINGDOM MARKET UPDATES

Click here Click here

Displays up-to-date information on the performance of the UK . INTERNATIONAL VISITOR ARRIVALS

Click here TOURISM EXPORT TOOLKIT

Click here MARKET STRATEGY A comprehensive guide to inbound Tourism in Australia . Click here

Explains Tourism Australia’s market focus in order to achieve benefits to the Australian economy . UK MARKET PROFILE

Click here

Contains information on market performance, aviation development, trends and insights, and the distribution network .

6 | UK Sales Call Manual UK Market Profile

The UK travel industry continues to evolve with consolidation still evident and online channels gaining pace . However, traditional booking channels remain important for Australia with key distribution partners further investing in high street retail space . These companies continue to play a key role in converting consumers and influencing them to spend more, disperse further and stay longer, as well as pre-book more ground components .

Wholesalers/ Commission Level: up to 20% Large Agents • There are over 50 tour operators selling Australia throughout the UK, however a large proportion of sales to Australia are handled by a few key specialist operators . • Tour operators vary from traditional wholesalers to companies that combine various wholesale, direct, online and retail channels . • Direct sellers have been a key feature of the UK market and have traditionally dominated sales to Australia, although overall numbers are decreasing because of industry consolidation . • Trailfinders, STA Travel and Flight Centre are major retail consumer direct sellers for Australia in the market . Other operators sending significant numbers of passengers to Australia include Austravel, Travelbag and the Lotus Group . • Key consolidators include Travel 2 and Gold Medal . Retail Agents Commission Level: up to 10% • Retail agents generally have a basic knowledge of Australia, largely due to the Commonwealth, sporting and historic ties that Australia shares with Britain and the coverage in the media . • Thomas Cook and TUI Retail (Thomson and First Choice) are the largest retail chains in the UK however, are not considered specialists in selling tailor made Australia packages Online • Direct flights and accommodation bookings make up most sales through Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) . • OTAs to date have a limited capability to transact complete itineraries for holidays in Australia . True dynamic packaging cannot be purchased online through any OTA in the UK at this stage . • The major UK online travel agencies are Expedia, Lastminute .com and Opodo . Inbound Tour Commission Level: up to 30% Operators • There are several inbound tour operators (ITOs) active in the UK market, these include: ATS Pacific, AOT Inbound, Tour East Australia, Pan Pacific, Southern World and Goway . In addition, The Tailor, Southern Crossings and Alquemie target the high-end sector .

7 | UK Sales Call Manual Trends

DISTRIBUTION PLANNING AND PURCHASING TRAVEL

»» Australia is a key destination for wholesalers and »» In terms of booking channels, research shows travel agents due to the high-yield value of booking there remains a reliance on retail agents for a holiday Downunder . long haul holidays as British consumers look for more protection . Offline travel agents remain »» Distribution partners remain important in the top method for those who would book a trip influencing consumers to spend more, disperse to Australia, with four in 10 nominating to book further, stay longer and pre-book more their trip with a high-street travel agency . Booking ground components . through an OTA was the second most popular »» To adapt to the changing distribution landscape, booking method, closely followed by booking major retail agencies have invested in direct selling directly with an airline . channels, such as call centres and online sites . For »» Australia has traditionally had long lead booking long haul travel, retail agents remain an important times due to the perceived complexity of the channel for consumers . purchase in terms of time, cost and distance . With »» Vertical integration, consolidation and economic uncertainty around Brexit, fluctuating globalisation continue to be key trends in the exchange rates and last minute deals prevalent in retail travel sector . As a result, the number of UK the market, lead times for booking all international retail high street outlets continues to decline, with travel, including Australia, has become more major groups buying smaller independent chains . unpredictable . Some smaller travel agencies have struggled in the increasingly competitive environment and difficult economic conditions, which has resulted in them SPECIAL INTEREST joining independent groups such as The Advantage »» STA Travel is the leading backpacker and youth Travel Partnership . Bucking the trend, brands such travel specialist for Australia . as Kuoni continue to open ‘lifestyle’ stores targeting the discerning traveller and operators »» Key operators specialising in the luxury segment such as Virgin Holidays continue to expand include: Bridge and Wickers, Abercrombie & Kent, concessional outlets in department stores . Wexas, Audley Travel, Cox and Kings and Turquoise Holidays . »» Independent home working is increasing in the UK, particularly through the likes of Travel Counsellors . Reports suggest although the high street may be in decline, demand for the travel agent is not .

8 | UK Sales Call Manual Planning a visit to market

TOP TIPS FOR SALES CALLS

»» The best time of year for sales calls is March to June and September to November . Try to avoid the holiday period from mid-June to the end of August .

»» The key market centre to visit is London and the South East, with most specialist operators to Australia located in or around this region . Gold Medal is located in Preston and Travel2 in Glasgow whilst operators focused on high-end holidays are based in the Chester and Cheltenham areas .

»» For more general information on sales calls and planning a visit to market, please see Tourism Australia’s Planning for Inbound Success e-book at www.tourism.australia.com/inboundsuccess .

9 | UK Sales Call Manual Aussie Specialist Program

The Aussie Specialist Program (ASP) is Tourism PREMIER AUSSIE SPECIALIST Australia’s award-winning online training program . In the UK market, Aussie Specialists who have The program is aimed at international travel sellers displayed a high level of knowledge of and passion and provides significant opportunities to increase for Australia, as well as being very well travelled knowledge and confidence in selling Australia in a throughout our country are invited or can apply to cost effective and time-efficient manner . become a Premier Aussie Specialist .

Once registered, trainees complete five training Membership of this prestigious program is subject to modules to become a qualified Aussie Specialist . a set criteria, and is at the discretion of the Tourism Australia team . The learning opportunities continue, with qualified Specialists encouraged to complete the State Consumers researching their Australian adventure & Territory modules, as well as ‘Niche’ modules on Australia .com have the opportunity to find their including Great Walks of Australia, Luxury Lodges of nearest Premier Aussie Specialist . Click here to view Australia, Youth Experiences, Aboriginal Experiences the page on Australia.com and many more . As of July 2017 there are 2800 Aussie Specialist In addition, the program offers various sales tools agents and 75 Premier Aussie Specialists in the UK . such as interactive maps, fact sheets, itinerary suggestions and more, many of which are available for download . These can all be accessed by agents Further information on the program and how you visiting www.aussiespecalist.com can get involved can be found here

10 | UK Sales Call Manual KEY DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS

AUSTRAVEL – WWW.AUSTRAVEL.COM STA TRAVEL – WWW.STATRAVEL.CO.UK

Austravel has been one of the leading specialists in STA travel is the place where the adventure starts . selling holidays to Australia for 40 years . They pride Started way back in 1979, STA Travel aims to themselves on their passion, expertise and service . bring affordable flights and worldly adventures to As well as selling direct to the client Austravel are students, young people and explorers . the sole provider for Australasia holidays for the UK’s largest travel company (TUI UK) via their network of TRAILFINDERS – WWW.TRAILFINDERS.COM over 800 retail outlets . Experts in tailor-making itineraries worldwide, Trailfinders offers unbeatable value and exceptional FLIGHT CENTRE – WWW.FLIGHTCENTRE.CO.UK service . Trailfinders was founded in 1970 by former At Flight Centre, they are passionate about finding you SAS officer Mike Gooley with a staff of four . The the holiday you want, for the price you want . Since company remains privately owned but today has a establishing their first store in 1995, they have grown staff of over 1000 and has made travel arrangements their business and their team of travel experts to for over 14 million clients . include over 80 stores within the UK, with new stores opening regularly . Worldwide, they have 2,500 stores . TRAVELBAG (DNATA) – WWW.TRAVELBAG.CO.UK

We’ve been creating holidays for over 35 years, so GOLD MEDAL (DNATA) – WWW.GOLDMEDAL.CO.UK it’s no surprise that we’ve established ourselves as Gold Medal Travel Group are one of the UK’s leading a leader in the tailor-made holiday market . As you’ll B2B tour operators . Their portfolio includes long haul see, our portfolio incorporates a huge range of travel holidays and city breaks, as well as flights, hotels, options across the world . And because we only work and car hire in various destinations in Dubai, the with suppliers, properties and airlines that meet our Far East, the United States, Australia, Europe, and exacting standards, you can be sure that your trip internationally . The company also operates travel will be of the very highest quality . brands and Internet booking systems . The company was incorporated in 1978 and is based in Preston, TRAVEL2 (DNATA) – WWW.TRAVEL2.COM United Kingdom . In the travel business for more than 30 years, Travel 2 is one of the UK’s largest long haul tour operators LOTUS GROUP – WWW.LOTUSGROUP.CO.UK and is recognised as a market leader for tailor-made The Lotus Group is one of the UK’s most successful holidays to Australia, New Zealand, South Pacific, and inspiring private companies . The company’s Asia, Africa, Middle East, America, Canada and primary brands comprise DialAFlight and ski and golf Latin America as well as for round the world travel . specialists Supertravel, who between them, employ Specialising in holidays for the independent traveller over 400 highly skilled travel professionals in four through our travel agency partners, we work with locations across the UK . The Lotus Group prides its some of the world’s top airlines, hotels, car hire and success on its team of Travel Managers who provide cruise operators . knowledge and experience which is unrivalled within the travel industry .

11 | UK Sales Call Manual OTHER TRADE PARTNERS

ABERCROMBIE AND KENT KUONI www.abercrombiekent.co.uk www.kuoni.co.uk

ANZCRO ORIGINAL TRAVEL www.anzcro.co.uk www.originaltravel.co.uk

AUDLEY TRAVEL PREMIER HOLIDAYS www.audleytravel.com www.premierholidays.co.uk

BRIDGE AND WICKERS SAGA www.theultimatetravelcompany.co.uk www.travel.saga.co.uk

DESTINOLOGY (SAGA GROUP) STEPPES TRAVEL www.destinology.co.uk www.steppestravel.co.uk

DISCOVER THE WORLD STUDENT UNIVERSE (FLIGHT CENTRE GROUP) www.discover-the-world.co.uk www.studentuniverse.co.uk

FIRST CLASS HOLIDAYS THE TURQUOISE HOLIDAY COMPANY www.fcholidays.com www.turquoiseholidays.co.uk

FREEDOM AUSTRALIA TITAN TRAVEL (SAGA GROUP) www.freedomaustralia.co.uk www.titantravel.co.uk

INSPIRED BY AUSTRALASIA TRAVEL COUNSELLORS www.inspiredbyaustralasia.co.uk www.travelcounsellors.co.uk

IF ONLY WEXAS www.ifonly.net www.wexas.com

12 | UK Sales Call Manual 13 | UK Sales Call Manual Travelling in the UK

Travelling across the UK is generally very easy .

The British public transport system covers virtually everywhere, and the roads are easy to navigate .

LONDON REGIONAL UK

Travelling around London is very easy . Rail is often the best way to travel across the UK . Services are frequent, and are generally very The London Underground train system (the Tube), comfortable . Domestic flights often provide and the bus network are both very extensive . good value for money – airlines such as British Click here to access Transport for London’s Journey Airways and EasyJet fly domestically and are worth Planner for a guide to getting around London . Google checking if planning to travel between London and Maps is also a very good and easy tool to use for Manchester/Scotland . finding travel options across the UK . For travel in the south of England, it is often easier to If you are undertaking a lot of travel within London, drive, as train services between cities in this region it is cheaper to purchase an Oyster Card . You can use are limited or indirect . the travel card on the Tube, buses, DLR and some Buying tickets well in advance can save a lot of National Rail services . See here for more details . money – particularly on intercity trains . Don’t wait The cards are available from ticket counters at many until you get to the station on the day of departure – Tube stations . You will be required to pay a the ticket will be very expensive . £5 deposit for the card, which you can cash in at a There are various companies offering train booking ticket counter at the end of your visit . You can also services, the most widely used being Trainline . cash in any remaining credit on your card .

*NOTE – CASH IS NOT ACCEPTED ON BUSSES IN LONDON.

14 | UK Sales Call Manual Map of the UK

Aberdeen

Edinburgh Glasgow

Newcastle

Belfast

Leeds

Liverpool Manchester Chester Nottingham

Norwich Birmingham Cambridge

Cheltenham Oxford Cardiff Bristol London

Brighton Exeter Bournemouth

Truro

15 | UK Sales Call Manual