Inghams’ rebranding last spring has helped broaden the appeal of its summer walking holidays, according to the boss of parent company Hotelplan UK.
The revamp last April saw the introduction of fresh logos, websites and brand imagery for its ski, summer and Lapland programmes – with the new Inghams Walking brand aiming to attract more clients in younger age brackets.
Chief executive Joe Ponte said: “It wasn’t just about a lick of paint on the website with a new logo.
“It was a fundamental deep review of our offerings to make sure that they can really connect and talk to each other.
“If you enjoy the great outdoors, you can enjoy the great outdoors with Inghams.”
The new walking summer holidays are centred mainly in one or two locations and offer guided walks.
“I did one with my family in Austria, and it was tremendous,” Ponte told a Travel Weekly webcast.
“It’s a fantastic holiday with great walking options, but you don’t have to walk every day.
“My wife and I on one day just had a lovely lunch out, while the kids just decided they were too tired from walking the previous days.”
Asked if the rebrand has helped attract a new market, he said: “Absolutely. That was a large part of it, how we can attract a broader and growing market.”
He pointed to the “renaissance” of walking that developed during Covid lockdowns, adding: “It’s such a different and more tactile way to really experience a destination rather than just observe it.
“I think it is going to go from strength to strength – experiencing a destination rather than observing it.”
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Meanwhile, Hotelplan UK’s other walking brand, Inntravel, is increasing its focus on trade sales under the leadership of its managing director Emma Gray.
“My first job was as a travel agent in 1999 and I have always loved and appreciated the impact that travel agency relationships can have on a tour operator brand,” said Ponte.
“We’ve been preparing for opening up the Inntravel product…to be able to be booked by travel agents.
“The first one or two partnerships should be announced within the next one or two weeks.”
He said the walking trips feature small, family-run hotels, with clients walking each day to a different property, while their luggage is being transported for them.
“It’s a wonderful product. I think there’s going to be a real desire for it within the travel agent community,” he said.
“We want to initially work with those agents that we think are going to have a really strong connection with their customers and the product – but certainly over time they will look to expand it.”
He also urged agents who might be wary of selling ski holidays to contact experts at Inghams for advice.
“If you don’t know ski and you get an enquiry for ski, you’ve got two choices: you either don’t answer that enquiry or you call an expert,” he said.
“People can speak to us in our customer sales team and we can help get a customer across the line.”
He highlighted how a tour operator such as Inghams can help in crises, such as ‘snowmageddon’, when heavy snowfall means flights are diverted or cancelled.
“You know that it is our responsibility to fix that and get your customer to the resort and get them home,” he said.
“We’ve got to get them up to resorts so they can have a great holiday.”