RAIL Plus has expanded its specialist team of Great Train Journeys consultants to seven – five in Australia and two in NZ – in response to strong growth from travel agent clientele for upmarket rail products (see p3).
Last night about 100 consultants met with key rail suppliers and destination partners in Sydney as part of a roadshow also visiting Auckland, Brisbane & Melbourne.
Rail Plus commercial director Ingrid Kocijan said there had been particularly strong growth in demand for new Belmond rail products in South America and Ireland, while Spain was also a standout destination this year.
Interestingly the wholesaler hasn’t seen a slowing in demand despite recent incidents in Europe with Kocijan saying conditions clearly indicate the resilience of Australian travellers.
Rail Plus is also seeing a trend to more last minute bookings, and even in the high-end Great Train Journeys portfolio some clients are booking major trips just a few weeks before departure.
Pictured at last night’s Sydney showcase are, from left: Lincoln Bache, Emirates; Jo Motta, British Columbia; Kirsten Hills, KiwiRail; Karen Conlon, Belmond; Ryan O’Connell, Rocky Mountaineer; Ingrid Kocijan, Rail Plus; Bianca Sargent and Renee Cornelissen, Great Southern Rail; Kaver Ali Khan, India Luxury Trains; Ray Lane, VIA Rail; Nathan McLoughlin, Destination Canada; Mark Haynes, VisitBritain; and Mark Wettstein, Switzerland Tourism – more pics from last night at facebook.com/traveldaily.
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Source: traveldaily