Exoticca reaps benefits of word of mouth among agents as it plans 2026 fam trips

Tour operator Exoticca says it is reaping the benefits of word of mouth and social media promotions in the trade as it plans agent fam trips for next year.

 

The operator revised its aim to double sales this year after a strong 2024 and is now 40% ahead of its target to treble year on year sales.

 

August has been the operator’s best-selling month of the year to date thanks to positive feedback from clients giving agents confidence to book and travel consultants using Exoticca’s special trade rates to try the brand out themselves, said managing director Neil Sealy.

 

He said: “Where we stand now, at the start of September, is nearly three and a half times what we did [in sales] for the same period last year. 

 

“We would normally expect August to be quieter but it showed us our share of the market is growing, hence summer did better than January, when we were still relatively new with the trade."

 

He added: “More agents are signing up to work with us. They talk to each other so it’s word of mouth, a snowball effect, which is massive with the industry, as is social media.”

 

The operator is using The Travel Representation Company to help get its brand in front of agents in the north and the north Midlands, while it has also become a member of Tipto, ensuring it is promoted at roadshows nationwide.

 

Around a third of the operator’s sales come via agents, up from around 10% when it launched with the trade in 2023. 

 

Sealy said the operator’s decision to roll out ‘knock out deals’ twice a month on email and social media to the trade were helping to increase conversions.

 

One agency took 20 bookings in two weeks for one ‘knock out deal’ – a 12 day trip to China from £1,199 including flights – after promoting it on social media.

 

“I was watching the bookings coming in. I have never seen anything like it from one agency. It was basically off the back of one Facebook post and they were getting customers who had not thought about going to China and decided to do it because of the price,” said Sealy.

 

The group’s buying power and technology, which bases fares on live availability and prices for flights and other arrangements, enables cheaper prices. “We make the price as cheap as possible so people can visit places of their dreams,” he said.

 

The next four months are also expected to be strong through the trade, particularly November, thanks to Black Friday promotions.

 

“We found Black Friday worked well in the UK last year and traditionally September to December are very busy months. We are confident we will finish the year well up on our target,” added Sealy, who is confident the operator can continue to take a larger share of agent bookings.

 

Sealy said fam trips for agents were now “in the pipeline” for 2026, but could not yet reveal further details of destinations.

 

“We are now talking about fam trips but they take time and investment. I am a big believer in them,” he said.