Instant Breaks hosted six travel agents from the Vertical Travel Group’s homeworking divisions recently on its first Disneyland Paris fam trip.
Part of VTG, Instant Breaks sells Disney family breaks, Lapland trips, Sandals Beach holidays and Belmond train trip itineraries.
Louise Tansey, the new trade sales manager for VTG, accompanied the three-night trip, along with Instant Breaks operations manager Ashley Davies.
Agents on the trip were Caroline Mandaracas, Lauren Conlay and Nathalie Maria Hopley (Your Holiday Booking), Denny Gray and Laura Robinson (Instant Breaks) and Paul Robson (Holiday Elite).
The fam trip participants travelled by Eurostar and stayed at Disney’s Hotel Cheyenne within the theme park.
Tansey said: “We wanted to showcase first-hand to our agents how wonderful a Disneyland Paris holiday can be and what customers can expect when booking with Instant Breaks, including travelling on the Eurostar, staying in the heart of the magic in one of the Disney hotels, experiencing the huge variety of dining options available, unique attractions, shows, parades and much, much more.”
She said the trip promoted bookings after the agents featured it on social media, and it helped raise the profile of Instant Breaks among agents within the Vertical Travel Group.
Mark Jones, Instant Breaks managing director, said agents are an “integral part” of the brand’s growth plans and first-hand experience on fam trips is “key for our business”.
“We are planning something special for our agents in 2022 to tie in with Disneyland Paris’s 30th anniversary,” he added.
However, Jones did say there has been a dip in sales since the government announced its latest raft of travel restrictions and testing requirements on December 4.
“It’s a shame, as things were really picking up but it appears we have gone backwards the last week or so,” he said.
“There’s still interest on the website but the pre-departure tests you have to take before travel have really made people more hesitant to book.”
Mandaracas said she had been disappointed by Disneyland Paris when she visited three years ago because of long queues and customer service.
However, this time she was “pleasantly surprised” as the agents managed to go on all the rides they wanted to and found that prices for food and drink were reasonable.
“Another big improvement is the app, so you can pre-book the restaurants. It is so quick and easy, leaving you time to enjoy what you are there for,” she said.
“My social media went bonkers after posting all my pictures and I’m still getting customers now mentioning it on emails saying how magical it looked.
“Customers buy into people much more than just posting offers – especially in these ever-changing times when they want more information and reassurance than before
Pictured from left: Laura Robinson, Nathalie Hopley, Louise Tansey and Caroline Mandaracas.
More: Louise Tansey to join Vertical Travel Group as trade sales manager