Chimu expands upscale offering

Chimu expands upscale offering
By admin


Chimu Adventures will ramp up its focus on the top end of the adventure travel market, with the launch of its first dedicated Latin America luxury brochure.

According to director Greg Carter, the new program will be the first Latin America-specific luxury range to be released in Australia. The brochure, just going to press, will become available within the next two months.

The decision to launch the new program comes on the back of "massively" growing demand for upscale holidays, Carter told Travel Today at the launch of the Amazonia Peru exhibition at Sydney's Instituto Cervantes.

"Maybe we've matured more as a company, or maybe people are a lot more aware of what product is around," he said. "Once upon a time, people through Latin America product was all a bit middle of the road. They didn't realise there is some really high end product out there."

However, Carter stressed the firm remains committed to its budget roots, despite the new luxury push.

"We started off as a backpacker brand eight years ago and we're mainly a tailormade company now," he admitted. "But we do tailormade for people on backpacker budgets and for people on five-star budgets. We don't discriminate."

Meanwhile, Peru remains Chimu's number one destination with the firm sending around two and a half thousand travellers to the country each year.

Carter highlighted the firm's emphasis on eco-tourism and finding the right partners as a major selling point, warning there are "a lot of cowboys out there".

Although he conceded consumers were a lot more aware, he insisted the trade plays a "key role" in guiding consumers in their choices.

Once a 100% direct operator, Chimu has substantially grown the level of business done through the trade and is looking to grow that further through regular events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and twice yearly famils.

"In the last few years a lot of traditional wholesalers have been moving to a direct model, and a lot of travel agents got annoyed with that so we organically got a lot of them coming to us," he said. "Now we're moving towards about 70% direct and 30% trade while everyone else is going the other way."

 

 

 

 

 

Latest News

  • Aviation

Low-cost Indian carrier SpiceJet continues to burn cash

It’s not just low-cost Australian carriers that are facing hardship. SpiceJet, India’s version of Bonza, recently announced a 72 per cent reduction in its net loss versus last year. But, despite this improvement, the airline has posted losses for six straight years. But it has secured board approval to raise up to INR 30 billion […]

  • Attractions

SAKA Museum recognised in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places 2024

AYANA Resort Bali’s newly-opened cultural and events centre, SAKA Museum has been recognised in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places list for 2024. Part of AYANA Bali’s resort destination, the museum integrates Bali’s rich history with state-of-the-art facilities, making it the centrepiece for the island’s spiritual and cultural heritage. TIME magazine’s inclusion of SAKA Museum in […]

  • Cruise

Silversea taps Barbara Biffi as senior vice president for global sales

Ultra-luxury and expedition cruise travel brand, Silverseas, has announced Barbara Biffi as its new senior vice president of global sales. Biffi joined the company in 2007, holding numerous positions and gaining a deep understanding of the brand, the preferences of its guests and its strategic goals, the company said. An Italian national with a wealth […]

  • Technology
  • Travel Agents

Amadeus welcomes FCM Travel as new reseller partner of Cytric Easy

Cytric Easy, the travel management tool embedded in Microsoft Teams, is to be integrated into FCM Travel portfolio. Amadeus and FCM Travel have extended their Cytric distribution agreement to include Cytric Easy. With this new agreement, global travel management company FCM Travel, becomes a reseller of the innovative travel management collaboration solution embedded into Microsoft […]