Partnering with Ascend Travel Group to spearhead its formal entry into the Aussie market, the UK-based Martin Randall Travel (MRT) is now available to book with local advisors, opening up more options for travellers seeking small group tours led by experts in areas like art, architecture, music and history.
The decision to make a play for more of the Aussie market represents MRT’s first overseas trade-focused expansion since its founding in 1988.
Speaking with travelBulletin ahead of the trade launch, the brand’s Chief Commercial Officer Latasha Malik said the decision was helped by strong direct booking trends from Aussies for over 20 years.
“We have a nice little business that’s been working very well, the market finds our product interesting and it fits nicely with their international travels because it is specific and niche.
“It feels like the right time to expand our network and we can’t do that directly, because in Australia, the travel agent is very trusted and we also don’t book flights, so we’re losing an entire segment of customers by not selling through travel agents.”
Another driver for the Aussie expansion was being purchased by Piper Private Equity last year, which Malik said was accelerating its wider growth strategy.
“We feel it is a very suitable match in terms of equity houses because they understand brand, and for is growth was always on the agenda, however having their support, knowledge, expertise, and their backing enables us to push forward quickly,” Malik said.
When asked why MRT sees Australia as a viable market to commence its trade push, Malik pointed to the many positive trends already noted through its direct bookings.
“What usually happens when Australians are coming on our trips is they are coming to the UK or Europe for an extended period of time anyway, so the in a way MRT is already part of their international travel experience.
“With Australian, they seek out our music agenda, and by that I mean they are asking about our musical festivals, who is playing ,what artists are contributing, what content are they delivering, and is it easy for them to navigate that particular trip.
“[Aussies] also love the fact that we have privileged access to certain areas on our tours, we have bespoke bespoke trips whereby [venues] that are not open to the public will give us access to something before or after hours, so we go somewhere that nobody else can go.”
The brand views Australia as an opportunity to grow its target demographic of mainly affluent 60-plus travellers beyond the predominant customer base of the east coast.
“We haven’t really ventured hard outside of Sydney, Melbourne and perhaps Brisbane, and for us it’s understanding the opportunity in Perth as an example and Adelaide, there are so many cities that we can look at that we really haven’t spent time energy and effort yet.
“Even if we got just 5% of the Australian people who are traveling as a total and we think could afford our trips and enjoy them on a regular basis, it is a great opportunity for us so we definitely feel that the affluent demographic is there already.”
MRT also offers plenty of value for Aussies who consider themselves foodies.
“We offer dinners in palaces that are not open to the public, and that’s kudos to the team in terms of their ability to to a build specific relationships with key suppliers but also maintain those relationships over a period of time,” Malik said.
The trip length for MRT ranges from five to 14 days, with a price point leading in at $7,500 and topping out at around $20,000, with Aussies historically attracted to the brand’s musical agenda.
Other selling points include private after-hours tours of attractions, being able to visit places other operators cannot access, and its trips being planned from start to finish.
MRT has signed preferred partnerships with CT Partners, Envoyage, Link Travel Group, and Luxury Travel Collection (LTC).
Ascend Travel Group will deliver local training, sales support, and marketing to help agents capture demand in the premium cultural travel space.
