Good times roll for Contiki

Contiki’s top brass have painted a positive picture for the year ahead, having recorded steady sales figures over the past 12 months in spite of a host of challenges.

Speaking exclusively to Travel Weekly, Contiki Holidays Global CEO Casper Urhammer said that while there was a degree of consumer uncertainty around parts of Europe, particularly France, he was pleased with trading throughout 2016. “To come out on par with 2015 is a great result despite swimming against the current. Many companies in our space are down double digits over this period.” In terms of forward bookings for 2017, Urhammer said the “early signs are promising”.

Urhammer said that Contiki now has a total of 330 itineraries company wide, operating in 64 countries.

Contiki’s global boss was visiting Sydney for last week’s Contiki Legends event at Carriageworks, which drew over 300 travel agents and guests as well as around 100 social influencers and media.

Australian Managing Director Katrina Barry used the occasion to outline the launch of three new styles of itinerary for the youth-oriented operator, with a focus on food, Instagram and photography and boutique accommodation.

“The first of these new styles is Snap. The two departures will travel around Europe, with a small group of up to 25. They will include a high profile leader, who is an Instagrammer or photographer. This trip is for the avid phoneographer who wants to up their Gram game.

“Next there’s Munch. With food as the number one expectation for young travellers today, these two departures will feature a European/Michelin star chef who has consulted for hotels and travel companies.

“Lastly, there’s Boutique Local. This style is a little bit higher end, dialling up the local authentic experiences. There will be three departures here,” Barry said.

Urhammer said that the new touring styles are an example of Contiki “dipping a toe in the water”, saying that learnings from these new itineraries could well inform decisions with existing product in future.

Meanwhile Contiki’s new trade and consumer websites are being rolled out incrementally over the next six months. “We are looking for a staggered and agile approach to the websites. It’s vital SEO and UX don’t suffer, so we won’t rush things,” Urhammer said.

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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