A new coach tour operator has revealed plans to partner with travel agents across the UK to create tailor-made tours as part of a bid to secure half its sales from the trade.
Loch Lomond Travel was launched by bus company McGills Group last month, offering traditional, packaged coach holidays from departure points across Scotland to sell via the trade.
It has now revealed additional plans to roll out bespoke tours, in which agents across the UK can take coach allocations of up to 53 passengers to sell to their databases. These can be tailored to agents’ local pick up locations with itineraries based on clients’ needs.
For these tailor-made tours, the operator hopes to partner with agents across the UK.
Managing director Chris Bond, formerly of Tartan Travel, Caledonian Travel and Barrhead Travel, said discussions to partner with agents to sell both its traditional and its bespoke tours were under way.
He said: “We already have an active agreement in place with Ramsay Travel and are actively engaging with industry professionals to enhance our reach and service offering. We are seeking support from agents to sell the bespoke tours as well as a traditional agent offering.”
Bond said he was hopeful the operator could develop strategic trade partnerships. “We anticipate a balanced distribution of sales between agents and direct sales. Our goal is to establish mutually beneficial relationships with agents while also engaging directly with our customers,” he said.
The operator is offering a “comprehensive” range of packaged coach breaks across the UK while tour programmes for Ireland and Europe are set to launch “imminently”.
Ten joining points are offered in Scotland including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Dundee. A one-night In Search of the Northern Lights tour leads in at £59, including coach travel, hotel accommodation with breakfast and dinner, and excursions.
Bond said the group was targeting “substantial expansion” and aimed to attract a wide customer base, including younger and more mature clients. It has 25 coaches on order but 100-plus coaches at its disposal from sister brands in the McGill’s Group.
He said the operator would be among the first in the coach sector to offer fluid pricing and “consistently” reward clients for booking early. Its brochure will be available online and in print.
It has a temporary website in place, lomondtravel.com, with a full site due in coming weeks to allow agents to book online.