Jules Verne has become the latest tour operator to join the Association of Touring and Adventure Suppliers as the escorted holidays specialist ramps up its relationships with agents.
The operator – part of Kuoni parent Der Touristik UK – started actively selling through the trade in January.
Abbey Renshaw, business development and communications manager, said now was the right time to join Atas, commenting: “The name Atas commands a lot of respect in the industry and brings together the best of touring suppliers.
“As we’re experts in small group escorted tours, it felt right for us to join and we wanted to be part of it.
“Our customers love the personal service that travel agents are able to give.
“We’re really focused on people here at Jules Verne and we felt that we wanted to make our amazing product available to the trade but also to empower our customers to have conversations with their local travel agent and plan their next Jules Verne trip.”
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She said the operator will focus on building relationships with agent partners this year then in 2024 it aims to attend even more events, offer further training and support, and fam trip opportunities.
“A surprising trend we have noticed is the average booking value is more than double when booking a Jules Verne holiday through a travel agent,” she added.
“We put this down to travel agents taking the time to really understand their customers’ desires and offering the opportunity to take advantage of our extension programme, upgrade options and privately guided tours.
“Solo travel is up 5% on 2019 with more than 60% being female.”
She said the operator’s closer-to-home range in Europe has done very well in recent years but it is now seeing a “surge” in adventure travel to long-haul bucket-list destinations.
“Egypt is our number-one destination, closely followed by India now that the e-visa is back,” said Renshaw.
“Adventure is so important to us. Our founder was a true pioneer and it’s the foundation of everything we do.
“We want to bring the world of Jules Verne to travel agents.
“What people want these days is genuine personal travel encounters and experiences which can’t be had when travelling in large groups.
“We can do this through wonderfully planned itineraries, fabulous guides and small groups.”
The average group size for Jules Verne is between 10 and 16, she added.
She said about 16% of bookings have come from agent partners since January and the operator is taking nearly 100 calls a week through its dedicated trade line.
Furthermore, the brand is not yet seeing concerns about the cost of living affecting bookings.
“Our demographics, although wary of the cost-of-living crisis, are less affected and are keen to work their way through their destinations to visit and experiences to have,” she said.
“The whole industry has been impacted by the increase in airfares and we’re no exception, but we’re committed to offering the best quality at an attractive price and the feedback we’ve had from agents is that we’re hitting the nail on the head.”
Claire Brighton, Atas director, said: “It’s very exciting to announce Jules Verne as our latest member. Having started selling via agents in January, it’s great news that they view Atas as a key element of their sales strategy.
“I look forward to seeing them meet our agents at Atas events and taking part in all our initiatives.”