Mystery Shopper: Kensington travel agents sell Australia

The brief: A young couple want a once-in-a-lifetime adventure to Australia. They plan to go for three weeks and their must-do list includes Uluru (Ayers Rock), climbing Sydney Harbour Bridge and a hot-air balloon trip over the Red Centre. The budget is about £8,000 maximum for two including flights.

The verdict: This is natural territory for Trailfinders, STA Travel and Flight Centre, so a disappointing score from Trailfinders. Global Travel Agency needs to update its website.

 

 

Global Travel Agency

 

104 Queensway Score: 24%

 

I looked at the company website before visiting. The ‘About us' section showed a photo of an agency with the same name, which appeared to be the retail premises.

 

However, when I visited the agency, there was no shop front, but a door to a small basement with a news agency above. It was difficult to find – the only clue was a sign on an A-board outside. I had to knock to get in and it was very crowded.

 

The consultant gave me a flight price of £999, mentioning Qantas and Virgin Blue and listed hotel prices. She was knowledgeable and offered flight options to Brisbane instead of Sydney.

 

However, she didn't appear interested in my holiday. I was given no documentation to take away. Despite the agent's knowledge, it was a poor and confusing experience.

 

Trailfinders

 

194 Kensington High Street Score: 33%

 

The service here let the agency down, with the consultant appearing disinterested and unhelpful. She barely covered anything about the trip, apart from the flights, and did no research.

 

A quote of £992 was given for the flights, with Qantas and British Airways mentioned. When I asked for advice on the trips to take, she said I should decide what I want to do and then book. She said she had been to Cairns and didn't like it, but other than that offered no information.

 

The consultant tried to close the sale, but hadn't done any of the background work to make me want to take it. She had run out of business cards and didn't offer me a handwritten one. I wrote down the price myself and she told me to grab a brochure on the way out. I was pretty annoyed by the way I was treated.

 

STA Travel

 

1 Campden Hill Road Score: 85%

 

I was acknowledged when I entered the shop, but had a frustrating wait of about 15 minutes before I was seen. The consultant included all of the elements that I asked for and gave excellent advice. She had good product knowledge, despite not having visited Australia.

 

She gave me a brochure and clearly organised itinerary as well as a leaflet on insurance. She took my phone number and managed to get me to reserve seats on the flights with Qantas. The quote was £2,932 including everything apart from accommodation, which was expected to cost £1,200.

 

Her contact details were at the top of the itinerary, which she circled for me. STA scored the same as Flight Centre for customer service and advice, but lost points because of the wait and scored less for appearance.

 

 

Flight Centre

 

122 Queensway Score: 92%

 

The staff here obviously take time to make sure the shop looks faultless and it shows, even the brochures on display were perfectly straight.

 

I was acknowledged immediately and beckoned over to a friendly and helpful consultant, who was very patient. She had excellent knowledge of the destination and tried to make the trip itinerary suitable for my needs, giving measured opinions of the places I suggested.

 

She promoted some events and made viable suggestions for other activities, but allowed me to make the decisions myself. The final quote came out at £4,521, with the consultant mentioning Qantas and The Flight Centre Australia Handbook.

 

She appeared to make a special effort and I felt confident about her arranging my holiday. I left the shop with all the information I had wanted to find out and found the visit to be easy, professional and rewarding.

 

 

Tips: Selling Australia

1. Australia is a vast country with so many diverse areas, and the high value of bookings makes it a worthwhile sale. Become an Aussie Specialist by doing Tourism Australia's training programme. Go to aussiespecialist.com.
2. Australia is the perfect place for adventure. From cage-diving with sharks to jungle surfing in the Daintree Rainforest. Research day excursions as well as mini tours within the holiday that last a few days. Clients can take a Harley-Davidson ride to Uluru (Ayers Rock) or even accompany a postman on a mail run in South Australia's outback with Cox & Kings.
3. There are plenty of ways to discover Australia, so find out which touring option suits your clients best – independent, escorted, small, large.
4. First-time visitors to Australia generally have a highlights tick-list such as Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Sydney Harbour Bridge, but second or third time visitors will often want to explore a smaller area in more depth.
5. For more information on tour operators and destinations in Australia, subscribe to gazetteers.com