Trip Planner 2016-17 Trip Planner For Group Leaders | Page 82

Insider Insights ASK A TRAVEL PRO Why does a group leader need a tour operator to do that? Warren: Well, most group leaders don’t have the time or the resources to plan a tour of more than a few days. A tour operator with experience and creativity can put it all together—usually at a better price—and free up the group leader to promote the tour. And if the group doesn’t reach a sufficient size, a tour operator can match them up with another group leader and negate the financial risk. You also want to consider protecting your organization against errors and accidents before, during and after a trip. NTA tour operators carry liability insurance. Talk about the trends in tours you’re seeing. by Bob Rouse For group leaders who find themselves juggling travel planning in addition to other work responsibilities, it makes sense to turn to an experienced tour operator. Jim Warren of Canada-based Anderson Vacations specializes in U.S groups, and he offers insightful tips on the benefits of working with a tour operator. Warren: For example, itineraries in the Canadian Rockies usually include traditional places like Banff, Jasper and Lake Louise, and standard sightseeing tours. By adding in nontraditional activities, such as river rafting, a helicopter tour, an ice-walk on the glacier or an animal-tracking tour, you have something that no other tour offers. This could include different methods of transportation, too, such as a special train or an open-top bus. Tour operators also arrange inclusive experiences, where the guests get to do the cooking and stir the chocolate, or maybe squish the grapes with their bare feet. What about events? Warren: When I’m approached by a group leader with a general idea of a tour, we’ll work on the specifics: destination, size of the group, when they want to leave and how long they want to travel. I’ll also get an idea of the age group, how active they want to be and whether they want fully packed days or lots of leisure time. With those guidelines in mind, I can price it out for the group leader, and as soon as we agree on the details, I’ll secure reservations for accommodations, transportation, meals and events. Warren: Absolutely. Along with including unique experiences, a trip can be planned around a unique event. For example, this year there is great interest in the Holy Door in Québec City’s Cathedral-Basilica of NotreDame, the only one of its kind outside of Europe. It probably takes only 45 minutes to explore, but tour operators have developed weeklong tours of Québec that feature rural and big-city churches mixed in with the traditional sightseeing opportunities that Québec has to offer. trip planner For more information, email Warren at [email protected] or visit andersonvacations.ca. How do you build “new and unique” into a tour? What’s the process of putting a tour together? 80 Warren: All of our tours are customized, and that allows more flexibility in planning and price. I can offer more variety in accommodations, for example, so a group can match the quality of their hotels to different locations throughout the tour. And if the group is flexible with dates, we can get hotel rooms that might otherwise be unavailable to groups. And one final note: A good tour operator is constantly evaluating his relationship with specific group leaders and thinking ahead about travel trends, new destinations, value seasons and creative marketing. TOURISM JASPER Jim Warren of Anderson Vacations explains the advantages of getting help from a tour operator Warren: The biggest trend we are experiencing is for smaller group sizes, so we are gearing up a lot of our tours to focus on groups that range from 10 to 22 passengers. This can mean switching from large 56-passenger coaches to smaller mini-coaches. We’re also seeing growth in specialized rail tours and faith-based tours. And for traditional seniors groups as well as baby boomers, there’s big growth in the demand for tours that offer new and unique experiences. Is there anything else group leaders should keep in mind for working with tour operators? A group gets an up-close (and icy) experience inside Maligne Canyon in Jasper National Park, Alberta.