Trafalgar CEO Gavin Tollman: “Agents are vital to our growth and success”
Trafalgar has wowed us once again by further expanding their 2019 offering with the addition of domestic trips for the first time!
Having recently revealed they will be offering trips to the homeland of the company’s founders, South Africa plus a swathe of exciting trips encompassing all seven continents, the company’s CEO Gavin Tollman made the announcement to agents on Monday night.
“You know we already go to Europe & Britain, the USA & Canada, South America and Asia… But we’ve had such a successful year thanks to all of your support,” Tollman said.
“And this year have launched our first trip to incredible Antarctica.
“And something very close to my heart and where my family’s routes are firmly planted – our dedicated Africa program, which has been 72 years in the making.
“Something that I’m also excited to share with you all here first, is that Trafalgar will from 2019 be going to none other than the land you all call home: Australia and its sister New Zealand – We’ve listened to our guests and will now be able to give our proud 55 per cent repeat travellers another destination to experience the Trafalgar magic.”
We sat down with Tollman to find out more about Trafalgar’s 2019 offering, and get some exclusive tips for agents.
“When we announced it to agents last night there was a spontaneous round of applause,” he told Travel Weekly.
“That’s because sitting in that room are the key agents who have been vital to Trafalgar’s growth and our success.
“These are the agents who have listened and have taken action to promote these experiences and with that, some of them are enjoying some of the greatest success they have ever had.
“There was such excitement for the announcement because they can now feel pride in bringing Australia and New Zealand alive in a way that nobody else does.”
The new trips promise to take travellers to the Australian icons we all know and love but also connect them with locals who are proud to welcome them into their homes, share their cultures, and tell their tales.
From outback adventures to exploring Tasmania’s parks and nature, Queensland’s rainforests, Melbourne’s alleyways or eating your way through South Australia, Trafalgar’s domestic offering is sure to have something for every type of traveller.
“Not only are we agent first, but we also believe extremely robustly in listening to our guests,” Tollman told us.
“I jump on a few trips each year and as far as destinations are concerned, the two most requested places are without a doubt South Africa and Australia.
“Particularly because Australians see our coaches, but they’ve always been for Americans or people from the united kingdom.”
“They’ve never been designed for actual Australians, but now we’ve created a series just for them and I think we’re going to have unbelievable success.”
Tollman said he has two key trends he wants to share with agents.
“One is I’m unbelievably excited to see the energy and strength in demands for people to travel within Australia,” he said.
“Secondarily I’ve been excited to see the demand and desire for people in 2019. The ‘it’ destination certainly appears to be Europe again.
“For customers wanting to travel in season, we are not going to be able to increase capacity. So book early.
“Secondarily, we want agents to join Trafalgar and help us make a difference in ensuring your clients travel throughout the year, not just in peak season.
“We want to encourage agents not to just do things in a linear way, and to show their expertise,” he concluded.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
@australia 2019 gavin tollman new zealand south africa trafalgarLatest News
Collette goes off the beaten track with Canyon Country tour
To be clear TW is not advocating actually walking off the beaten track. Avoid the coyotes. Stay on the beaten track.
Intrepid & Korean Tourism Organisation team up to give agents a cooking masterclass
These guys learnt that Korean cooking is more than just putting kimchi on 2-minute noodles (as we once thought).
Winner, winner! Intrepid reveals the 9 lucky agents that won $2k
Who won the incentive? Which Intrepid trip will they spend it on? What day of the week is it again? Where am I? Huh?
Corporate Traveller reports 42% increase in Easter traffic this year
Business travellers just love Easter! Expect plenty of chocolate stained documents returning to the office on Tuesday.
Turbulent year wiped $384m off Qantas brand value: Report
Meanwhile, eating tuna at your desk can damage your own personal office brand value by several thousand dollars.
FAMIL: Room-Res & Singapore Tourism Board shows agents the Lion City’s roar
Click this article to see a man very impressed by a 20-layer chocolate cake. We're not kidding, he loved it!
Oceania Cruises offers sailors free pre-cruise hotel stay
Looking for ways to make your holidays as long as possible? Look no further.
Bonza launches new website to compliment app, agent portal
Does news about an airline's website fill you with ecstasy, glee and joy? Get your hit of the good stuff here.
MTA agents attends ‘Lunch ‘n’ Learn’ with AMA Waterways
When organising the event, Lunch 'n' Learn beat out Dinner 'n' Divulge and Breakfast 'n' Banter. Understandably so.
Travelmarvel reveals 2025 South America tours
If you spot any typos in the newsletter today it is because TW became distracted Googling images of Machu Picchu.
Tourists from 5 countries could be BANNED from visiting Australia
Anthony Albanese's immigration laws could impact tourism from certain countries.
Just how many passengers will Qantas & Jetstar hop around this Easter?
Airline workers are ready for gleeful Easter travellers! Also prepared for sticky children with chocolate on their face.
Air New Zealand gets ready for bumper Easter weekend
Air NZ gears up for travelling passengers this Easter, while TW looks to beat our egg eating record. 117 here we come!
Four Seasons Yachts reveals first itineraries to the Caribbean & Mediterranean
These trips look so good we wish there were five seasons! Alright, we'll see ourselves out...
FAMIL: Travellers Choice treats top agents to the wonders of Rotorua
This one's got plenty of famil pics and no one looks shockingly hungover in them! Clearly no TW staffers were there.
European Waterways celebrates 50th anniversary with week-long founders cruise
Plan on celebrating your 50th anniversary with a bottle of Moët and fairy bread? European Waterways has better ideas.
100th route! Jetstar celebrates the launch of Brisbane-Avalon with 12 hour sale
Jetstar knocks a ton and celebrates with a sale while TW once scored a ton and celebrated with about 17 beers.
Record-breaking year for NSW as visitor expenditure soars past $50 billion
Enjoy running round the Opera House? Be prepared to elbow even more tourists out the way.
Norwegian Cruise Line makes play for solo travellers
NCL ensuring you don't have to go trawling Tinder to find a cruise partner. Thank goodness, we were sick of catfishing.
Entire Travel Group’s Canada and Europe 2024/25 brochures are out now
Entire's new brochure is bittersweet; it both informs your clients and makes you envious of the holiday they'll take.
Malaysia Airlines adds 3 new destinations & A330neo seats
More seats means cheaper airfares and more money to spend on overpriced airport sandwiches. Woohoo!
Two divine days onboard Crystal Serenity
It's only pure serenity onboard this ship. Anxiety, agitation and anguish have been rejected by the bouncer.
How the Globus Family of Brands elevates coach touring: Travel Weekly TV with Chris Fundell
Chris' here so you don't think coaches mean peeling your thighs off a sticky leather seat every time you stand up!
The Flight Centre Foundation gears up for massive 2024 with 3 new board members
The foundation looks to invest $200k this year, spurring the TW journos to figure out how to qualify as a charity.
Barking Owl Communications to head up Anantara & Avani in ANZ
Fellow PR competitors had been barking up the wrong tree even thinking of bidding for this job!
Amex GBT to purchase CWT for $871m
It's big deals like this that get a firm handshake - hence the sore hands over at the CWT and Amex GBT offices.
1000MTG’s second global conference reminds agents to ‘strive and thrive’
Alongside messages to 'strive' and 'thrive' were those to 'survive', 'drive', 'arrive' and 'jive' (when appropriate).
Qantas A330 makes “loud bang”, pilots forced to shut down one engine
Qantas refusing to let Boeing have all the headlines in aviation world today!
GX Community Tourism Summit 2024 location revealed!
The new location has arrived and it'll blow your socks off! Time for another trip to Target for more socks then.
Visiting the destination my Mum didn’t want me to
Yet again, this journo has been a stress to his mother. Discover how this trip spurred his mother's anxiety here.
Agents come out of their shells at P&O’s turtle hatchery event
For some, it's a few glasses of bubbles to lure them out of their shell. For these agents, it was a bit more literal.
Boeing cleanout: CEO, chair to go as safety crisis plagues the manufacturer
CEOs are falling thick and fast these days. We should have started up a bingo game with their headshots in the office.
Virgin looks to swap MAX 10 order for MAX 8s amid Boeing delays: Reports
Virgin has changed its order for something smaller. Much like we have to at Maccas following a worrying doctor's visit.
Club Med unveils newest luxury yacht for 2024/25 early bird sale
This yacht is preserved for the early birds! Night Owls may also get onboard depending how late they stay up.
Abercrombie & Kent 2024 Asia Portfolio is here
Round up the family and get planning an Asia jaunt. Or, if they're hard to handle, brush them all and go it alone!
Elevate your earnings: Final days to secure double commission with Inspiring Vacations’ March offer
What could inspire you to sell more Inspiring Vacations? Double commission of course! That's all the inspiration needed.