Trafalgar’s low-cost offshoot CostSaver has moved its European program to online dynamic pricing in a move managing director Australia Matthew Cameron-Smith says is an ‘industry first’, paving the way for its potential adoption by the parent brand.
As CostSaver doesn’t offer early payment specials, the switch to a dynamic cost model is aimed at assisting travel agents to convert quotes into firm bookings before customers leave their office.
“It also helps protect our agent partners from those who want to shop around. Agents get frustrated when they give a quote and the customer walks out and tries to shop around. Dynamic pricing gives agents the ability to close the sale right then and there, saying ‘if you don’t deposit now, the price could be gone,” Cameron-Smith said.
Pricing is based on a range of factors, including the number of remaining seats on the tours and currency, with guests who book early “guaranteed” to get a better price than those who book last minute, Trafalgar CEO Gavin Tollman said.
Meanwhile, to stimulate sales for Trafalgar’s 2018 Europe and Britain program, the guided holiday specialist has put a 100% Definite stamp on its range of 16 multi-country Discoveries. Trafalgar is also offering a $699 return Economy class airfare with 97 of its Europe & Britain trips for travel until 30 November 2017 and from 13 January to 30 November 2018, when booked before 02 November 2017, unless sold out. Tollman said sales for Trafalgar’s 2017 Europe program were up an incredible 24% year-on-year, a figure he suggests will increase further in 2018 as “we’ve only scratched the surface of what we can do in Australia”.
