| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 17/04/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 35 |
| Copyright: Other |
Gold Crest offers incentives to agents selling group bookings
Report by MOE KAFER
Gold Crest Holidays is offering £100 incentives to agents who bring in new group bookings.The move is part of the budget continental coach tour operator’s plans to motivate agents to attract new clients. The company has also told agents it will tailor-make the holiday according to the group’s needs.
Gold Crest sales and marketing executive Simon Ayers said:”We’re basically the Martini company – we’ll go any time, any place, any where.”
He credits the resurrection of the ailing company to building strong relationships with agents and organising fam trips.
“We take the agents out and show them a good time because if these people have the power to sell our product, we want them to be happy.”
The continental coach tour operator says it has increased its passenger numbers from 800 in 1995 to 20,000 last year and is expecting close to 30,000 this year.
It also claims to have increased the number of agents selling its product from 300 northern agents to over 3,000 across the UK. It has recently signed commercial agreements with Midconsort, ARTAC, Travel Choice and Holiday Express.
There are three fam trips to Disneyland Paris planned for this year. Around 100 agents from key shops are being invited based on the number of Gold Crest holidays they sell.
The company used to be a key operator to Disneyland Paris and is now looking to increase sales of that product.
Meanwhile, Gold Crest has applied for an Air Travel Organiser’sLicence to market city breaks from the autumn. It is also introducing a new budget Eurostar programme with regional pick-up points.