Club Med has launched its first Luxury Collection programme in a bid to grow sales in the top end of its market and drive its long haul business.
Club Med head of sales – UK and Scandinavia Steve O’Loughlin said the 2008/09 brochure features 14 of the operator’s all-inclusive resorts with a minimum 4 star rating.
The nearest property is on the south of France while the majority are in the Caribbean, Thailand, Mexico, the Maldives and Mauritius.
It is hoped the programme will be heavily backed by the operator’s 25 VIP agents, who have achieved certain higher sales targets, as well as encourage more agents to start pushing the product.
Ultimately O’Loughlin hopes as many as 100 agents will join the VIP club, thanks largely to sales generated by the new programme.
He added: “The challenge that we have is the long haul product, we can sell the Mediterranean in the summer and we can sell the ski but the real challenge we have going forward is the long haul.
“We want to grow our overall volume but in the next two years ski sales will probably peak in the volume so we have to have a very strong winter sun offering and if we do that by offering long haul then so be it.”
O’Loughlin added the operator is hoping the programme will help make more agents aware that the operator sells long haul product while all the properties will be featured in its main programme released later this year.
Prices lead in at £579 per person for seven nights accommodation at the Club Med Agadir and includes return flights.