One thing I notice is that there are a lot of tour agencies here. At least this proves that on the average, people are affluent enough to go travelling at least once a year. Travel agencies, despite the competition, are still able to sustain.
Of course, different agencies have different types of specialisation. There are tour agencies that do only Asian tours, there are those that do only Australian tours, and there are also those that do only American or European tours.
Generally, the smaller agencies will do mainly Asia tours, with a bit of Australia. The bigger and more established ones will do tours all around the world (mostly), and the tours will be very well-planned and organised, but the downside is that the rates are more expensive than others.
But one thing I notice is that the itinerary is about the same everywhere. I always thought that to really carve a niche, one should offer something which no one else offers. However, despite the competition, the tour itinerary to the same places are always the same, and the prices are not that competitive as well. It is a wonder how they can still survive.
For instance, if one is planning to tour England, it will be mainly Oxford Street, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London. None offers places like Stonehenge or Anne Hathaway's Cottage at Stratford-Upon-Avon.
If one is planning an Australian tour to Brisbane and the Gold Coast, it will be just Movieworld or Dreamworld. None offers trips to Seaworld or Sunshine Coast.
There are also lack of tours to exotic places like Malta, Peru (of the ruined Inca civilisations), Canary Islands, Fiji, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Mauritius and Seychelles, to name a few.
I feel that to really stand out, the tour agencies should offer movie tours, like the Da Vinci Code trail (which has somehow ended), or the Lord of the Rings New Zealand tour, or the Chronicles of Narnia tour (which incidentally is also filmed on location on the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand), or even the location of Harry Potter's Hogwart's Wizard School.
As it is, if someone hopes to go on any of the tours mentioned, one has to book through a British or New Zealand local tour agency. And that will be much costlier than normal. If local agencies are able to provide this service, then I believe their business will increase twofold at least.
Or perhaps on the average, locals here are just too lacking in culture and adventure that these type of tours will not go down well, and they still prefer normal package tours to go normal places?
Of course, different agencies have different types of specialisation. There are tour agencies that do only Asian tours, there are those that do only Australian tours, and there are also those that do only American or European tours.
Generally, the smaller agencies will do mainly Asia tours, with a bit of Australia. The bigger and more established ones will do tours all around the world (mostly), and the tours will be very well-planned and organised, but the downside is that the rates are more expensive than others.
But one thing I notice is that the itinerary is about the same everywhere. I always thought that to really carve a niche, one should offer something which no one else offers. However, despite the competition, the tour itinerary to the same places are always the same, and the prices are not that competitive as well. It is a wonder how they can still survive.
For instance, if one is planning to tour England, it will be mainly Oxford Street, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London. None offers places like Stonehenge or Anne Hathaway's Cottage at Stratford-Upon-Avon.
If one is planning an Australian tour to Brisbane and the Gold Coast, it will be just Movieworld or Dreamworld. None offers trips to Seaworld or Sunshine Coast.
There are also lack of tours to exotic places like Malta, Peru (of the ruined Inca civilisations), Canary Islands, Fiji, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Mauritius and Seychelles, to name a few.
I feel that to really stand out, the tour agencies should offer movie tours, like the Da Vinci Code trail (which has somehow ended), or the Lord of the Rings New Zealand tour, or the Chronicles of Narnia tour (which incidentally is also filmed on location on the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand), or even the location of Harry Potter's Hogwart's Wizard School.
As it is, if someone hopes to go on any of the tours mentioned, one has to book through a British or New Zealand local tour agency. And that will be much costlier than normal. If local agencies are able to provide this service, then I believe their business will increase twofold at least.
Or perhaps on the average, locals here are just too lacking in culture and adventure that these type of tours will not go down well, and they still prefer normal package tours to go normal places?
3 comments:
It is a question of getting someone to provide such a tour. They do happen, but they are not a regular occurrence.
You may very well have a good marketing idea. Personally I would generalize it (I do this way too much) as themed tours.
So, instead of offering just the standard sort of 13 European countries in 7 days type package, it may be possible to have more thematic tours. A Reformation themed tour. A Renaissance themed tour. The Baroque tour. Etc …
The principle difficulty I would see is that you would have to have very sharp people capable of organizing multiple different types of tours at a time. As well, you would need to have competent tour guides. Most people like what is comfortable (erm … ruts) and don't like to stretch out of their comfort zone.
I am sure if you search very, very closely on the Internet, you can find numerous themed tours.
I like the idea. Take initiative and create your own!
Thanks. There are lots of themed tours around, but it's all to the country itself, like Britain or New Zealand. The local agencies here do not offer, and when I tried calling up a few to ask, they said there is no market for it. Which means in general, the people here still prefer normal packages instead of something different. A sad case indeed.
I agree that there is probably not a year long market for most themed tours. However, I am sure there are seasonal markets for it. Imagine offering a Revolutionary Tour in France during the month of July (the Bastille was stormed 14-July-1789). Or a Voodoo tour to Haiti during the month of October (Halloween).
Movie tours would be harder and more transient. But, I am sure, in conjunction with the movie studios, it might be possible to have tie in holidays. For example, whenever the new James Bond movie comes out, why not organize a 007 tour to the various locations?
Granted, these types of tour would only appeal to a small segment of the population, so you would have to market outside your population.
Did you know that the population of Singapore is about 30% larger than the population of the island of Montreal. If you throw in the island of Laval, then the combined area is larger than Singapore?
I would try pestering Elvina and see what she thinks, after all, this sounds kind of like the sort of thing she does.
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