Kirker Holidays’ Ted Wake says the trade can be optimistic about the coming year but with a degree of caution
So, here we all are, the start of a new year – and I find myself asking, what’s in it for me? There is always a certain frisson of expectation among reservations teams. Will January peak sales mean that we are all run off our feet? Have consumers fully regained their confidence in the post-Covid era?
Overall, the signs are looking positive, but it is too early to make assumptions in a world where messieurs Putin and Trump have considerable influence over what might, or might not, happen next.
While 2024 was a very successful year for many specialist businesses, and Aito’s 2024 Consumer Confidence survey reflected a high degree of optimism, I sense that Rachel Reeves’ recent tax rises have not struck a positive chord with either the consumer or with business owners.
As one customer recently mentioned to me at an event: “Ted, I am 84 and long-since retired. I feel excluded when I hear politicians talking about benefits for ‘working people’. I am not a working person, and I want to know, what’s in it for me?!”
The gentleman concerned (let’s call him ‘Mr Jones’) then lightened the mood by proudly confirming that he had recently booked, with his local travel agent, a Kirker Cultural Tour to visit the vineyards of Bordeaux.
Literary adventure
The event mentioned above was The Oldie magazine’s Literary Lunch where, I hasten to add, I was an enthusiastic guest of the publisher – and not a reader of a certain age. Its readers are an average age of 70, with an appreciation for a good lunch, companionship, a great sense of adventure – and, in many cases, a generous final-salary pension income that enables them to book several holidays annually.
Their sense of humour is excellent too, to the extent that The Oldie’s new campaign strapline – ‘Buy It Before You Snuff It!’ (BIBYSI) – has clearly struck a very positive chord, with new subscriber numbers rising rapidly.
You might, therefore, understand why my interest in The Oldie magazine readers isn’t just focused on the literary aspects of the lunch; in line with a number of other attendees, I was also wondering, what’s in it for me?
There is no doubt that we can learn a great deal from older clients – or, as we know them in the Kirker office, ‘Experienced Travellers’. They are certainly discerning, and, like a favourite aunt or grandparent, they know what they like.
Loyal customers
There are certain other attributes which Experienced Travellers also possess which are particularly relevant to your 2025 business strategy review. If you exceed their expectations, they are extraordinarily loyal – and they also relish the chance to speak to an expert human being when planning their next holiday.
Of course, they also need to be reassured that you are offering great value for money; however, unlike some younger customers, price is not necessarily their first question. Experienced Travellers have other priorities, such as personal service, which are more important to them.
This fact was brought home to me when Mr Jones caught me for a quick word after lunch: “Ted, could you let me know if I can add another person to the booking? I’m wondering if I might be able to persuade my charming new lunchtime acquaintance to join me – Sylvia loves travel and is also interested in wine. And, if we shared a room, would that avoid the single supplement?”
Experienced Travellers can be quicker than you might think!