For many places around the world, tour operators and travel agents are trusted gatekeepers for travelers. They maintain dependable relationships with a core group of clientele and can facilitate the decision making process. Solimar views active engagement with the travel trade as a critical success element in advancing targeted visitor arrivals to any destination—and can help you strengthen existing and create new partnerships with key members of the travel trade. Mobilizing this important sales channel will build mutually beneficial relationships while creating brand ambassadors within your target markets who will work to sell your destination or business for you.
Leveraging our relationships with some of the largest tour operators, databases of special interest operators, and access to industry trade events, Solimar will help you recruit and secure commitments for focused marketing and sales of your business or destination. To ensure long-term success of this outreach effort, Solimar will develop a combination of training programs, sales materials, and marketing tools that the travel trade can use to help market and educate their consumers.
What to Expect
- Customer Relationship Management System– The foundation for trade marketing is a solid database. Solimar will help you organize your travel trade partners through one system, track all trade-related communication and measure the success of all outreach efforts.
- Destination Specialist Program– Solimar will develop an online educational tool for the travel trade to help them better sell your destination. Topics include travel logistics, attractions, and activities for niche markets. To provide further incentives for sales, tour operators and travel agents that have completed the specialist program can receive benefits such as FAM trip invitations, listing on your website, and printed market materials.
- Sales Tools– Solimar supports the goals of the travel trade by providing them with the tools they need to market the destination on your behalf. Free photo slideshows, videos, detailed maps, customized materials for niche markets, and regular social media content all help the trade entice their clients while promoting your brand.
- Travel Trade Outreach– Through phone calls, emails and personal meetings, Solimar will maintain an active dialogue with trade contacts that are most eager to sell your destination while expanding the network. To ensure the long-term success of the campaign, we ensure that all trade relationships are developed with you (as the client), and not us as the consulting team.
- Trade Visits/Road Shows– Solimar will build even more bridges by bringing you directly to the trade with a networking event that truly showcases the great tourism assets you provide.
- Familiarization Trips– Through familiarization (“FAM”) trips, Solimar will invite tour operators and travel agents to experience your business or destination first hand. Trips will showcase a custom itinerary that highlights the products and services that most appeal to their clientele.
